《I've Turned Into A Fox Girl?》
Chapter 1 What! Where Am I? [Edited]
?Currently sitting at her desk, a woman stared nkly at her monitor, contemting what to do.
"Video games or sleep or maybe even read?"
"Uhhh, I probably won''t get any sleep if I y any more games or stick my head in a book, plus I have tests throughout the week, better not dig myself a hole."
"Ahh screw It, It''s my birthday tomorrow. It would be wiser to sleep now."
"As much as I hate having assignments and tests during my magnificent 18th birthday I still have to ve away to the books and not screw up my future."
"Oh well better resign myself to my fate and hope I wake up in another world or something so I don''t have to deal with this week''s problems."
The woman got up from her chair and flopped onto her bed. She then gets herselffortable and quickly falls asleep.
***
12:00 AM
[System initiated]
[Beginning transportation]
[Adjusting Appearance, allocating stats...]
[Adjustingnguage andprehension]
[Injecting memories]
[Processplete]
***
In the darkness of the room, the woman opened her Sky blue eyes.
''Oh shit I forgot I still had some homework I had to do, why do I keep leaving itst minute every time just to forget. Hope I don''t get yelled at by my teachers the next day.''
''The sun still hasn''t risen up yet so it must be stillte, I guess I''ll just go back to sleep full of regret.'' The woman neglected her responsibilities but was yet to realise that she was no longer in her room.
''Ugh, why is it so ufortable toy on my back, feels like something is on my butt.'' Unable to sleep due to the odd feeling on her lower back she decided to go raid the kitchen.
''Hehe, time to stealthy eat unhealthy in the middle of the night''
Jumping off the bed the woman found herself tumbling forward to the ground.
"ouch!"
''How the hell did that happen, usually my feet touch the ground by just sitting on the side of it, why does it feel like I have shrunk.'' The woman was unable to see much around her due to the room being pitch ck.
''Hang on a second why was it so high, I''m Shaman the beautiful 6''7 woman, how did my bed end up so high and why is the floor wood, it should be carpet.'' Shaman tried to analyze her surroundings in a pitch-ck room.
Getting up from the floor Shaman tried to make it to the door of her room but instead walked into a wall.
"OW!~" whilst holding her head from the impact she felt something soft and fluffy on her head.
''Huh, what is that, it''s really soft like animal fur.'' After investigating what was on her head, Shaman realised that she had somehow grown animal ears.
''I HAVE ANIMAL EARS, HOLY SHIT.''
After patting her ears and calming down a little she came back to the reality of the situation.
''Ok, so I am clearly not in my room and I been bestowed upon what seems like to be fox or cat ears. Wait, if I have ears does that mean I have a tail.'' Reaching behind herself she was once again greeted with the feeling of soft fur.
''OH MY GOD, IT IS SO SOFT.''
''I can get addicted to this feeling, it is so satisfying to touch.'' Shaman could not help but stroke her tail.
Stopping for a moment Shaman pped her cheeks to snap out of it and try to figure out what happened to her.
''It is 100% confirmed I am a fox girl or a she-wolf, hard to tell, but I need some damn lights so I can see where the hell I am.'' Slowly traversing the wall in hopes of a door or a light, but touches upon a crystal in the concrete wall. The stone started to glow and suddenly the light turned on causing Shaman to cover her eyes from the light.
''Jeez, so bright.'' Her eyes adjusted to the light and was weed to an unfamiliar room. Shaman also noticed she was shorter as it everything looked higher than what she is used to.
''Oh no, please don''t tell me my offment on wanting to go to a different world was heard and now I have to go on a journey to save the world from impending doom and I don''t even know what is going to happen. I swear if I have to struggle and fight off filthy nobles whilst getting chased by the entire world I may as well end it now.'' Shaman''s thoughts spiralled into the stereotypical fantasy novel scenario and she had managed to be the chosen one.
''Before we get ahead of ourselves I need to address my height.'' So many thoughts were rushing through her head, but the one thing she took pride in had seemingly been taken away from her.
"WHERE THE HELL DO MY GLORIOUS 6''7" HEIGHT GO, NOW I''M LIKE A 5''4!! Don''t tell me some god is punishing me for calling anyone 1mm shorter than me midgets. I did not realize that was such an issue and thought it was harmless fun." Shaman fell to her knees upon the realization that now the height she was so proud of was now gone.
*Sobs* ''Why does the world have to be so cruel to me.'' Shaman got up from the floor trying not to think about her current unfortunate circumstances.
''What can I do, I just have to ept it for how it is. As much as I don''t want it to be true I have to suffer. No pain no gain they say, at least now I can live out my small fantasies of what it is like being short, but it''s going to be hard to get used to.'' Shaman stretched herself out getting a feel for her new body.
''I''m being way too optimistic about this, I need to get serious as I have no idea what''s outside this room and for all I know I''m going to get abducted.''
''There is no mirror so I can''t see how I look, but I do wonder why I was sent here for. What if it is going to be like an RPG with adventurers, elves or even red lizards with wings.'' Shaman''s imagination started to go wild as she was already a half-animal meaning there was a great chance for other races.
''There is no way, but I guess having animal body parts that feel natural to control supports the fact that there will be other races.''
"Pfft~" ''No way, I have been reading too many novels with that kind of stuff, this is just a really vivid lucid dream, but I guess the next thing that would make me believe my situation would be a system appearing in front of me.'' As the words ''system'' was said in her head, a ck screen with red text and outlines appeared in front of her.
[Yes?]
''.....''
''I guess I am really in a dream.''
[No, this is indeed reality and you are not dreaming]
Shaman took a step back to process what she just saw.
"WHAT! no fucking way, I actually got a system as well as some beautiful fur." Shaman tries to put her thoughts together and quickly decides to try to get information on what''s going on.
"Okay, so system, can you tell me what is going on."
[No]
"What, why?"
[That is for you to find out, I can''t give you all the answers, but I will say this, you are no longer on Earth]
''Wait that means I am no longer home, what am I supposed to do now.'' Shaman started to panic a little as she was all alone.
Without realizing it tears started to fall as the reality of the situation sunk in and from what the system said, she is no longer home and somewhere far away. Her hopes for it being a dream were being crushed and now has to live in an unknown world. For what she took lightly and as a joke or a dream has now be something greater and she wished that it wasn''t the case.
''Now I''m crying, did not think my birthday gift would be so life-changing, I guess there is no going back now. Without the resolve of pushing forward all I can do is be like the people in novels and ept it.''
[There is a way]
"What, you can''t pull this on me and make a breakdown in tears." Shaman''s sadness turned into anger and did not appreciate the emotional turmoil.
[However, the way to return is something I cannot tell you as I am not authorized to say, but there is a way to return to earth and you have to find it if you wish to go back]
"At least there is some hope but by the time I find it my little sister will probably die of old age." Shaman wiped away the tears and broke into a weakugh at her own jokes.
"Heh." ''There isn''t much I can do, but I guess I''ll just wait till morning to check out where I am. Now let''s see what the system can do to keep my mind upied.''
"System show my status please." Shaman figured that if it was a system it would be like other ones she has read about.
[Shaman Shiroi]
[Age: 18]
[Gender: female]
[Race: Fox Girl]
[Level: 1]
[HP: 100/100]
[MP: 150/150]
[Skills: none]
[Attributes]
Vitality: 10
Agility: 10
Intelligence: 15
Strength: 8
Dexterity: 7
Defense: 5
''I have no idea if this is good for a level 1 or not, but it will do and it looks like my study has paid off and I get more INT points.'' She nods to herself in appreciation.
''That''s cool if I think about closing, it closes it. Pretty handy to have it know what you think but also can''t help but feel like my privacy is being invaded.'' Shaman was concerned about how much the system knew about her.
[Rest assured all user''s thoughts are not recorded or shown to anyone and are only analyzed for questions for the system or to perform an action that the user desires otherwise the information is disregarded]
''That just makes me feel even more suspicious, but oh well I guess it''s okay if the system said it is but what else am I going to do, beat it up? hell no!''
Shaman sat around thinking about what to do next, but unable toe up with anything she noticed that the sun started to rise.
"Oh finally I can start to see outside in this pitch-ck city, like out of all the days I get transported to a new world it''s the day with no moon outside."
The sunlight slowly creeps up under the curtains and Shaman walked up to them and pushes them open to reveal a city. The city itself had the appearance of the 1700 hundreds but with modern technology.
"What is this ce and where the hell am I?"
Chapter 2 Oh Great, A Quest [Edited]
?Shaman''s eyes widen upon viewing the city from her window. She spotted the crystal street lights and many people of varying races walking along the street below her.
''This... Is not what I was expecting. it feels like it''s modern but also feels old.'' Shaman felt a sense of familiarity when looking through the city.
''Looks like there is magic in this world as I doubt those lights work off electricity.''
''If there is magic in this world then it''s more likely I will be able to learn it through the help of the system.'' Shaman was making conclusions about the world and applying typical fantasy novel tropes to what she was seeing.
''But what can I do, still wonder how my sister and my parents doing at home. it would be sad if I can''t make it back since I still had those assignments due this week. However, it looks like I''ll be dropping out now.'' Although Shaman knew that there was a way back home it was extremely unlikely she would return anytime soon.
Shaman sat on the side of the bed pondering on what her next step should be and how she is going to live in this world.
''Wait, whose room is this and do I have to pay rent, do I even have a job or did I just spawn in this world left to fend for myself.'' Right as these thoughts came to mind the system opened up.
[Quest: Register as an adventurer]
[Go to the guildhall to sign up and begin your journey]
[Rewards]
Beginner package
1 level up
Skill: inspect
''A quest already? I guess I shouldn''t be surprised since they usually do give a starting quest to get the person going.'' Shaman was a little spooked by the sudden pop-up, but this new quest at least gave her a direction to go in.
''Welp let''s use this room as a base of operation. Now it''s time to find some clothes to go outside with.'' Shaman opened what looked like a sliding door to find a closet with clothes that seemingly belonged to someone that lived there.
''Okay, this just makes me think I took over a body with the exact same name. Let''s just hope I don''t have any responsibilities that are now left for me to deal with, anyway sorry for stealing your clothes previous owner of these clothes.''
Shaman raided the closet for some casual clothes and gets into ck shorts, with a white shirt with a slit in the back for her tail. She also finds a pair of shoes and a slightly dark blue jacket.
Shaman then heads for the front door as she was ready to go out. As she approached the door, she spots a pouch on a hook by the door which Shaman assumed to be a bag of coins used in this world.
Upon touching it the pouch vanishes in a blue light and to her shock steps back.
''Ehh?!?! Where did my potential finances go? How else am I going to survive.'' However, a system message appeared in front of her.
[Say inventory]
"Oh... inventory"
An interface appears with a bunch of nk squares and in the corner, it can be seen 3 different counters.
[Gold: 0 Silver: 50 Copper: 75]
"Hell yeah, I''m rich." Shaman''s eyes brightened upon seeing the amount she had and from her own knowledge seemed like enough to live off for a while assuming she is not in some rip-off ce where everything is overpriced.
Shaman closed her inventory and made sure she hadn''t left anything that seemed important, she opened the front door.
Revealing a small balcony Shaman got another view of the city she was in.
"Hey system, do you have a map or something that can help me find the guild or something?" Shaman upon looking around the city realised that she had no idea where she is going, but still had this slight feeling she already knew where she was.
[No, find it yourself]
*Sigh* ''Guess I''ll start walking and ask around, let''s just hope I''m not a criminal or some runaway royalty.'' Shaman turned to go down the stairs but spotted a rather peculiar building that resembled that of a typical guild house.
''Well, no wonder the system said no to a map.'' Shaman was sure that it was the destination she needed to go to and understood why the system was defiant.
''I wonder if this new body is athletic at all.'' Shaman wanted to get there as quick as possible and was curious if her body was a lot more physically capable.
Deciding to run down the stairs to give it a little test, Shaman sprinted down the stairs and did a few jumps over them.
Shaman reached the bottom without breaking a sweat despite going down quite a few sets of stairs.
''That is the most exercise I have done in two weeks and I still feel like I could run a marathon, this is great. However, it was downstairs butpared to my old self I could hardly run without being out of breath.'' Shaman was rather impressed with herself and was already enjoying the capabilities she had.
"Onwards!" Shaman lightly jogged towards what seemed to be the guild.
''Since the system says I''m 18 I shouldn''t have any problem assuming they follow a simr set of rules about age.'' Shaman hoped that the world was simr to hers and would not be blocked out because of age.
''Do I even speak the samenguage, and can I even read or write. If I have to attend school all over again I think I would rather just be homeless.'' This realisation dawned upon Shaman as she did not think this world would have the same dialect.
[Do not fear, all foreignnguage and text will be converted to the appropriatenguage]
''Damn that''s a relief, I guess the system is here to help... for the most part.'' Shaman was grateful that some of the nuances of a different world were negated by the system.
*
Shaman jogged for another 15 mins and noticed that many people are just like her, sharing some sort of animal trait, although there were more humans than half-animals, it was still reassuring.
''At least there are no race wars from what it looks like, hopefully meaning that I''m rather safe when travelling.'' While Shaman was in her own thoughts a sudden pressure was felt behind her.
''Killing intent?'' Shaman out of pure instinct dodged to the side barely avoiding a de that would have pierced her neck. However, the man that tried to stab her was not expecting her to dodge and so his momentum caused him to trip over.
Knights that seemed to be some patrol grouped quickly ran overseeing the altercation that happened.
2 of the knights rushed to the man that had fallen over and quickly restrained him before getting up. One of the knights that did not have a helmet walked over to Shaman to see if she was okay.
The knight had a clean cut beard and slicked-back brown hair, making him rather handsome.
"Hey, missy are you okay, that was impressive that you manage to dodge himst second there." The knight was impressed by the quick movements of Shaman.
"Thanks, I guess but honestly my body just moved on its own." Shaman blushed a little from thepliment.
''Hmm this guy is way too suspicious, it feels way too conveniently timed and how did I not hear any running from that guy with the knife, but more importantly NOW is not the time to be blushing.'' Shaman felt rather sceptical of the situation thinking that anything could be a potential conspiracy.
''I need to stop overthinking everything.'' Shaman did not want to identallynd herself in trouble, just because she was too worried that they were actually out to get her.
"Well, either way, your safe and by the looks of it you''re heading to the adventurers guild right?" The knight figured by the direction she was going was heading there.
"Yes, I am heading there to register now since I just turned 18." Shaman scratched her cheek as she was a little shy and was unsure if what she is saying was even correct.
"Hmmm, I see well be safe." The knight rubbed his chin as if pondering something.
"Yes sir, Have a great day." Shaman quickly continued to make her way to the adventurers guild leaving the knights to deal with the man.
Shaman finally made it to the guild house and so she approached the building that had a variety of people entering and leaving.
''This must be the ce.'' Shaman walked through the front door and spotted the reception desk. Walking up to the reception desk, a woman in professional-looking clothes was behind it.
"What can I do for you today?" The receptiondy gave a warm smile to Shaman.
"Hey umm, I''m here to register as an adventurer." Shaman spoke nervously since she did not look particrly the oldest and looked more like a 15-year-old girl.
"Alright please wait a moment to let me get the registration stone." Thedy then walks to the back of the reception and came back with a crystal orb.
"Just ce your hand on this and it will record your details making you a member. It will also allow you to check in at any adventure guild across the continent to update your details or view them." Giving a short exnation, Shaman had expected no less from an adventures guild.
Shaman then ced her hand on the stone until suddenly a light projection was disyed from the stone.
[Shaman Shiroi]
Age: 18
Gender: female
Race: Fox Girl
Adventurer grade: F
[You have sessfully registered]
''Seems like I have ess to more stats than them, that''s good to know.''
"Alright Shaman, all done, here is your badge which can register monsters you kill by scanning their core and it will contribute to your rank, also to earn money you will need to sell the cores to the guild or you could use it to create gear and so forth. Are there any questions?" Thedy smiled giving her a quick run down.
"Yes, is there an auction market where I can go buy gear or do I have to find a cksmith?"
"There is indeed and is in this very building, if you turn to your left you will see the auction section which you can trade, buy and sell. If there is nothing else I hope to see you again and have a safe journey."
"Alright thank you, see youter." Shaman ran off to the auction house to go have a look at what kind of price items were.
''That was too easy but I guess if things are peaceful they would not need to be strict since there are no initial benefits to bing one in the first ce.'' Shaman thought there would be a test of strength to see how strong you are, but it seemed that the stone was able to record how strong she was at the moment.
[Questplete]
[Rewards have been ced in inventory]
Chapter 3 A New Weapon And Beyond The Walls [Edited]
?Shaman halted in her steps from seeing the questplete and the sudden feeling of something washing over her. Remembering that the quest reward had a level up, she assumed that the weird sensation she felt was her body powering up slightly.
''Wow, this feels amazing, if levels ups are always this good it makes me want to get to max level.'' Shaman found the sensation rather enjoyable and did not want it to stop.
''I should find a ce a little more discrete so I don''t draw attention.'' Shaman realised she was in the middle of the guild and so she found a single table to sit at.
''Let''s see how the level up affected my stats.'' Shaman''s first thought was what had changed.
[Level: 2]
[HP: 100/100]
[MP: 150/150]
[Skills: Inspect lvl 1]
[Attributes]
Unspent points: 5
Vitality: 10
Agility: 10
Intelligence: 15
Strength: 8
Dexterity: 7
Defense: 5
''Oh my, I did not expect 5 points a level up'' Shaman knowing what to do then proceeded to allocate points like in a video game.
''I should probably up my strength and agility, I want to be fast but also pack a punch and I guess I''ll put one in dexterity.''
Vitality: 10
Agility: 10 -> 12
Intelligence: 15
Strength: 8 ->10
Dexterity: 7 -> 8
Defense: 5
''Although it does not feel like I got stronger I can tell that I have certainly upgraded. I also got a inspect skill from the quest so let''s give it a shot.'' Shaman thought about the skill she had obtained while looking at the table and a system message appeared.
[Oak wood table]
[Just a table]
''So it works on objects but I will say that is a prettycklustre description, but I guess there is only so many ways you can describe a table.''
Shaman then opened up her inventory and brought out a small beginner box she had received from the quest.
''I guess I just open it and it will just give me stuff? It''s a little small and from the name, it seemed like it was going to give me a few items to work with to start my journey.'' Shaman opened the small box and to her surprise, a system menu opens up.
[Please select a reward]
[Basic sword]
[Basic dagger]
[Basic bow]
[Basic spear]
[....]
''OOOO, A weapon, that will definitely save me some money,'' Shaman felt relieved as the reason she was going to the auction house was to get a weapon and having the different options of all kinds of weapons allowed her to be picky.
''Hmmm, I guess I''ll be like any normal basic person and choose the sword since it''s the only weapon I feel confident in wielding.'' The system then opened another window with different kinds of swords.
''Oh hell yeah I can choose the type of sword.'' Shaman then scrolled through the list of swords not knowing what even half of them were.
''Looking through the list of swords, the only one that sounds appealing to me is a katana.'' Just as the thought urred the menu closed and a katana was ced in her inventory.
''Wait what? I wasn''t ready yet, I didn''t even get a chance to think about the other options, what is this sphemy!'' Shaman mentally yelled as she knew the system could hear her.
[That was the reward you wanted and I gave it to you, no refunds or warranty included]
"Tch." ''This system is either really helpful or just annoying and I don''t even know if the refund and warranty is the system trying to make a joke or items actually have such a thing. Curse this stupid monotone text.'' Shaman screamed internally, annoyed at the system.
However, Shaman still opened her inventory and took a look at the katana she had received.
[Basic Katana (tier 1)]
[Rarity: Common]
[Bonuses]
AGI +1
[A basic katana good for killing low-level monsters and people]
''I don''t like thatst part good for killing low-level people, as I don''t know if I''m mentally prepared for that sort of thing.'' Shaman took out the Katana and it automatically put it to her hip in its sheath.
''Well that''s handy it''s like I just equipped it, I hope if I get any armour there is a hide option because I don''t think a full set of armour on a small fox girl would look that cute at all.'' Shaman now done with the reward got up from her table and went over to the auction section which had rows of stone tablets.
Approaching one of the tablets simr to the stone from before a light projection came out of them with different categories to explore.
''Well at least all the basic stuff is cheap but once we get anything umon and above they start getting expensive like 20 silver for just an umon sword while themon one is 50 copper, likee on.'' Shaman browsed through the different weapons and was surprised by the price of some of the items and felt like they were trying to extort people.
''I am going to need some more money and from what thedy said before I will need to go out to collect cores.'' Shaman did not want to waste time and get a stream of ie as in most cases money equalled some degree of power.
*Ding*
[Quest received]
[Quest: y 5 monsters]
[Rewards]
1 level up
5 extra Attribute points
"YES!" Shaman yelled in her excitement but it attracted a few stares from the people around her. Shaman quickly shut up and quickly walked out of the guild to escape the embarrassment.
Shaman knowing her objective wanted to find a way out of the city, so she looked for a stone wall in hopes to find a gate.
''I got to be more conscious of where I am. It''s not like I''m in a game and the NPC just ignores you''
Shaman spotting an outer wall made her way up to it and saw a gate up ahead.
Approaching the gate Shaman was stopped by a guard who presented a stone in front of her.
"Please put your hand on the stone to prove your identity." The guard looked rather intimidating.
Shaman put her hand on the stone and a slight project appeared in front of the man. The man looked through the details then puts the stone away.
"You shall pass, have a safe trip." The guard then stepped to the side indicating that Shaman was allowed to go through.
"Thanks." Shaman walked through the gate and noticed a few stalls with adventurers lining up.
''Well, now that is convenient, seems like there is a heavy focus on adventuring but still can''t help feeling like this is too good to be true.'' She approached one of the stalls that seemed to sell maps of the ce.
"Hey there, what kind of map are you looking for?" The salesperson said in a cheery voice.
''He sounds like the perfect NPC, I swear when I kill someone I better not just see 1s and 0s because that will just make me feel even worse knowing my situation is fake.'' lost in her own thoughts the salesman spoke up.
"Hey, you okay?" The salesperson was a bit concerned as Shaman went silent.
"Oh sorry, just a little distracted, can I get a map of where low-tier monsters can be found."
"Sure thing, that will be 10 copper"
Shaman reached into her pocket to pretend she was grabbing coins and took out 10 copper coins from her inventory, then handed it to the man.
"Thank you for your patronage and happy hunting." The salesman broke into a smile and waved her off
"Thanks, mister." Shaman waved back and walked off analyzing the map.
''Why can''t I shake off that suspicious feeling that everything is just too easy like the world knows what I need and where to go. I better stay on guard and get this quest done quickly, hopefully, I can just kill some slimes or something.'' Shaman picked up the pace and headed towards a forest that was in the distance.
***
Shaman reached the forest as indicated by the map to hunt low-tier beasts but the map did not specify what type and could only hope it is something that is harmless.
Shaman walked along a trail, but as she got deeper a rustle in the bushed was heard then followed by 3 beasts jumping in front of her.
''Oh of course my first beast is wolves but like SERIOUSLY 3 at the same time.'' Shaman stepped back and unsheathed her katana. Shaman''s hands shook slightly as it was rather never wracking being thrown into this situation.
''I should have done some training before going into the forest, I know I did some kendo, but being in the real situation was different.'' Shaman took a few deep breaths trying to rx her body.
''Just think of them as some target.'' Shaman was able to stop the shaking and once again a sense of familiarity flowed through her like she held a katana before.
One of the wolfs decided to make the first move and pounced at Shaman.
Shaman concentrated on the wolf and tightening her grip she dash forward. Stepping to the side to avoid the attack Shaman ran her de across the side of the wolf causing blood to spout everywhere. The wolfnded on the ground and due to the massive cut that went across its body, it slowly bled to death.
[Wild wolf killed]
[Exp +5]
[Drops: wolf core tier 1]
[Items have been ced in inventory]
''That felt so cool! I thought I wouldn''t have been able to kill an animal but that felt somehow felt amazing to do despite how horrible it sounded.'' Shaman faced the other wolves with her newfound confidence and no longer felt worried she would be killed.
Shaman this time took the initiative and dashed at the 2 frightened wolves who witnessed theirpanion be killed in a second.
Shaman dashed forward and stabbed right into the first wolf''s head killing it instantly. The other wolf taking advantage of the situation went to bite Shaman. Thanks to Shaman seemingly inheriting amazing reflexes she quickly pulled out the de and shed the remaining wolf. Both the wolves were killed swiftly and with no remorse.
[Monster kills 3/5]
''I must have gotten more out of this new body as I wouldn''t have been able to use a katana like I just did, but it somehow feels so natural to use.'' Shaman was perplexed by how well she was able to wield the weapon and was unsure if it was the system or if she had possessed a body inheriting everything from it.
''Hopefully, the system will tell me more soon.'' Shaman wanted answers as it was bing more clear she had taken over a body rather than turn into a half-animal.
Shaman deciding to take a small break to exhaust herself sat down by a tree.
*
After a few minutes of rest and letting the adrenaline calm down she got up from her spot, However, there was more rustling in the bush ahead of Shaman and then a collective growl was heard from behind the bush.
''Damn it seems like this ce is run by wolves.'' cold sweat went down Shaman''s face as although she was confident in herself, fighting a big pack of wolves was not something she thought she could handle.
Chapter 4 Ambushed [Edited]
?*GROWLS* Multiple wolves growled from behind the bush making it hard to tell how many there were.
7 wolves exited from behind the bush with one looking like an older wolf while the remaining 6 looked almost identical.
''Okay calm down Shaman, surely you can fight them off, This is my first day in this world and it will not be thest.'' Shaman was beginning to panic as the number of wolves scared her.
''I should use my inspect skill on old looking wolf and see if I''m about to die or not'' Shaman activated the skill inspect on the old wolf and a system screen appeared in front of her.
[Wild wolf leader]
[Tier 1 Leader]
[HP: 200/200]
[Leader of wolves, will have 3 to 7 wolves apany it at all times and will not attack unless it threatened or attacked first]
''Great, well at least it''s still tier 1 and not some higher tier that only the experienced adventurers could handle.''However, Shaman still looked around to see if there was a way to escape if needed, but before she could find anything, 5 of the wolves started to dash towards her.
''Oh, Shit'' Not having much time to think Shaman dashed forward head-on and jumped into the air. This confused the wolves for a second not knowing what to do.
As Shamannded on the ground she shed down on one of the wolves that halted their movements, decapitating it.
[Monster kills 4/5]
''Did not realize how sharp this de is, sorry system for being angry at you, this is some quality weaponry.'' Shaman expected the de to not be that good of quality , but despite the poor grade, it was high quality.
Not wanting to waste any more time Shaman dashed towards the next wolf, however, as Shaman went to sh at it, the wolf caught the de with its teeth.
''Ohe on, I just chopped through a neck and now teeth are stopping me.'' Shaman pulled back dodging the other 3 wolves that took the opportunity to pounce at her all crashed into each other.
''I guess they are not low-tier beasts for nothing.'' Shaman found the scenario rather amusing seeing the wolves crash into each other and it dawned on her that they are the lowest of the tiers.
Shaman taking advantage of the situation quickly killed 2 of the wolves by shing them across the neck.
[Questplete, 5 beats have been killed]
[rewards have been distributed]
The same sensation from before flowed through Shaman, rejuvenating some of her energy.
''That''s nice getting a free energy boost, better allocate my stats now before they start their next attack.
[new skill Sword dash acquired]
''!!!!'' Shaman was shocked to see the skill appear and did not know what to think.
''Wait my stats, no time to look at the skill.'' Shaman quickly dismissed the menu and allocated her newly acquired 10 attribute points
Vitality: 10
Agility: 12 -> 16
Intelligence:15
Strength: 10 -> 13
Dexterity: 8
Defense: 5 -> 8
''Now with 4 wolves left, it''s time to finish them off.'' Shaman had nowpletely lost the feeling of dying to the wolves and was prepared to take them head-on. However, the wolves had retreated and the older-looking one hade forward like it was going to protect them.
Shaman instantly felt bad as it showed clear emotion within the wolves, but she needed to survive so there was no time to feel bad for them.
''At least it''s fair and I can test out my new skill, I should be able to one-shot it but I don''t know how strong the old wolf is.'' Shaman prepared to use the skill as an opening move to gauge how effective the skill was and to test it out.
Shaman activated sword dash and her body instinctively perform the skill dashing forward while shing towards the wolf leader. The wolf leader leapt backwards but was still hit by the sh leaving a deep cut across its face.
This had enraged the wolf as its eyes began to glow slightly red showing it entered a different state.
"Tch" Shaman clicks her tongue.
''Of course, it''s not that easy.'' The now enraged wolf dash forward putting Shaman on the defensive, having to block the Jaw and being pushed back by the wolf''s advances.
"Just because I gave you a slight cut doesn''t mean you can get your spit on my face." Shaman got annoyed by the saliva that came from the mouth of the wolf and so she pushed back when she blocked another one of its jaw attacks causing it to fall over on its back.
Shaman activated sword dash once again to go for the kill. shing down Shaman beheaded the leader wolf in one quick motion.
The other 3 wolves seeing their leader dead ran away and knew they had no hope of surviving if they were to fight.
Shaman feeling exhausted walked over to a tree sitting on the ground while checking the drops she got.
[wolf cores x3 (tier 1)]
[leader wolf core x1 (tier 2)]
[wolf ws x2 (tier 1)]
[wolf egg x1 (tier 1)]
''I CAN HAVE A PET WOLF.'' Shaman''s eyes lit up upon reading thest of the drops as ti looked like she will be able to have a cute little wolfpanion.
''Wait it''s an egg, aren''t wolves mammals?''
[When getting an egg of an animal no matter their type they will be yourpanion and are in an egg just for protection and nutrients since they have no mother]
[Wolf egg]
[Hatches in 23:57:24]
[Warning: will be forcibly brought out of inventory 10 mins before it hatches]
''YES!! I have something to look forward to, but I will say using 2 sword dashes is exhausting.'' Shaman did not feel like moving at all and was satisfied with what she has aplished so far.
*
Shaman took a 10 min break with no issues but before she could stand up Shaman felt same pressure from before getting to the adventurers guild.
Sweat instantly started to roll down her face and Shaman quickly rolled to the side dodging a de that was now deeply embedded within the tree where her head was.
"Damn." An annoyed voice came from the bushes ahead.
Shaman immediately stood up and drew her sword ready for whoever it was behind the bush. Adrenaline rushed through her and her heart rate increased rapidly since she just survived a near-death experience. Without the natural instincts she had seemingly gotten from her new body, she was d that she was able to avoid danger with it and live for at least another 5 seconds.
''That was way too close, should I run or try to fight and will I even be able to kill him, he seemed like someone experienced.'' contemting on what to do, a new quest appears.
[Side quest: kill or survive]
[Kill the man that has threatened your life]
[Rewards]
3 level ups
intermediate box x1
New skill
[Escape him]
[Rewards]
nothing
''I should probably run as I feel the rewards are telling me that the quest is a lot harder and it''s even giving me an option to run. I also don''t think I can handle killing a person.'' Shaman shook a little at the thought as taking a person''s life was not something she thought she had to do.
During these thoughts, the man charged at Shaman with 2 daggers.
The man had a hood and mask covering his face, he also had rags for clothes making him look homeless.
Shaman without a choice to run dashed to the side parrying one of the daggers. However, the man was quicker and shed her arm with the other dagger, leaving a deep cut on her forearm.
"Hey, little girl, why don''t you stand still for me."
"Shut up!!"
''Crap this guy is strong and I can''t tank hits otherwise I might die here'' Shaman gritted her teeth trying to not focus on the pain.
The man spun around throwing one of the daggers at Shaman and she barely blocked it skimming her cheek.
Shaman, who was distracted by the dagger, the man took the opening to dash in front of her. Shaman brought her focus back and activated sword dash which caught the hooded man off guard.
The man was unable to block the attack and Shaman was able to leave a deep cut across the man''s chest.
"ARHH!!" The man screamed in pain from the deep cut on his chest.
Not letting this opportunity go, Shaman was blinded by the will to survive and stabbed the man through the chest killing him.
Shaman pulled out the sword from the man''s chest and was trembling. Shaman fell to her knees as it sunk in she had just killed someone.
"Why." Shaman''s voice was shaky.
''Why was I targeted, I wanted to avoid killing.'' Shaman felt frustrated as the thought had urred to her she might need to kill, but couldn''t understand why so soon.
The man had fallen in front of Shaman and the mask he wore had fallen down revealing his face.
To her shock, it was one of the knights that had taken the person who tried to stab Shaman. Making her even more confused, this had also pushed Shaman to cry as the faith that she was going to put into the world was already crumbling.
''Was this all nned and is that knight I spoke to in this as well.'' Questions gued Shaman''s mind thinking that things were conveniently ced out to lead her here just to kill and for what reason?
After grieving for a while Shaman finally came back to reality and wiped her tears away and saw the questplete pop-up.
''I really need to toughen up, I knew this day woulde but not so soon, I don''t even want to touch the body but I might take that pouch for my profits.'' Shaman slowly reaches out, still trembling a little and the pouch of coins was transferred to her inventory.
Shaman considered taking the man''s equipment, but she felt sick looking at it so she decided to leave it.
Shaman then turned to leave and pulled out her map to make her way back to the city. Shaman decided to slowly walk as she still is not done coping with murdering someone and just wanted to fall over and sleep it away.
Chapter 5 Huh? Whos Memories Are These? [Edited]
?Shaman made it back to the city with a rather grim look. The same guard was still on his shift and let Shaman through without any issues.
*
"Tch." The salesperson that ran the stall selling maps looked annoyed when spotting Shaman.
''Seems like my clients underestimated her.'' The salesperson then started to pack up his things.
*
Shaman then made her way back to her supposed apartment and started looking around for some bandages. After finding some in the bathroom she patched up her wounds and made her way back to the bedroom. Laying down on the floor Shaman reflected on what had happened today still shaken up by the murder.
*Sigh* ''Today has been a day, I wish I was back at home, so I wouldn''t have to deal with this.'' Shaman curled into a ball and hugged her tail for somefort.
''Wait, how did I remember the way back? I never went down those roads before, it almost seemed natural to walk here. Do I have some subconscious memories that were given to me?'' Shaman had been in a bit of a daze while walking home and it had only urred to her that she made it back without getting lost.
Shaman then tried to resurface memories that may not be hers and just as she hoped memories that weren''t hers appeared in her head.
''Huh, I see I have memories of someone else but it''s like a separate space in my head, all of the memories are foggy while some are clear as day. Is this why I knew the way home and why the katana felt so natural to use.'' Things were starting to make sense to Shaman as she had a constant feeling of familiarity.
''Seeing as I have memories of what seems to be the previous owner of the body, I should have a look to see if there is anymon knowledge as I doubt the system will give me a run down.''
[Hehe]
''Oi.'' Shaman pouted and red at the system message that appeared in front of her.
''This damn system, anyway I should go down memoryne and try to figure out some things.'' Shaman then shut her eyes and found herself in a foggy space where there were rows of panels containing memories that weren''t hers. Shaman found it hard toprehend the phenomenon but assumed it was the system helping her be able to see the memories.
Shaman moved forward and looked at all the different memories that were not shrouded in a fog.
*
Shaman sifted through different pieces of information and found that she did not have many memories that showed the past of the previous owner.
''Looks like I might need to do something to ess them.'' Shaman assumed that the fog was a temporary thing and would slowly be clearer the more she learnt about the world.
? ''Okay so far I know I live in a major starting city called Victoria which is a part of the kingdom of Elysium.'' Shaman found key pieces of information which would help her know where she is in the world.
''Seems like there are four kingdoms which are ruled by 4 different races. We have the Demonnds which is the most secretive and mainly keep to themselves. Then we have Elfheim which is ruled by Elves who seems to be multicultural and is on good terms with the kingdom of Elysium and the Fox Realm. Lastly, We have the Fox Realm which is where I muste from most likely, but I don''t seem to have any memories of ever being there. The Fox Realm like to run independently but they are willing to cooperate however, they don''t allow anyone other than half-beast people to live there.'' Shaman continued to browse through the memories to find more important pieces of information.
''Oh, It seems like the Fox Realm also have a royal family that is on itsst legs and is going to pass on an heir to the throne.'' Shaman processed the information and her imagination started to wander a bit.
''Let''s hope I''m not some hidden hair of a queen and I was sent away due to some unforeseen circumstances.'' Shaman imagined that she was possibly the heir to the throne, but seeing her current situation, it was rather unlikely.
***
< Somewhere underground in a candlelit room>
*Bang* A man mmed his fist on a desk with his veins slightly popping out of his head.
"How the hell does a small fox girl kill an assassin and return untouched!!!"
"Sir I believe we may have underestimated her and the assassin was caught off guard allowing her to kill him. We were also unable to gauge her strength beforehand so it ended up being a shot in the dark." A man in dark robes bowed while giving his report on the situation.
"Bullshit, why do I bother to hire ipetent fools who can''t even take their job seriously." The man stood up and gestured to the skinny-robed man to quickly leave.
"Tch, we will just have to leave her for now, let''s just hope that she doesn''t realise she is being targeted and jumps cities. Better avoid sending anyone to her otherwise the n will be ruined."
***
After checking through some more of the memories, Shaman decided to check on her stats.
[Level: 6]
[Exp: 45/225]
[HP: 100/100]
[MP: 150/150]
[Skills: Inspect lvl 1, sword dash lvl 1, sh lvl 1]
[Passive Skills: Light regeneration]
[Attributes]
Unspent points: 15
Vitality: 10
Agility: 16 + 1
Intelligence: 15
Strength: 13
Dexterity: 8
Defense: 8
''oh? Light regeneration?'' Shaman quickly took off the bandage on her arm to find it fully healed without leaving a scar.
''This is an amazing skill to have although judging from the name I should not be going into fights recklessly and get my limbs cut off.'' Shaman awkwardly chuckled at that thought and looked at the skill sh.
[sh lvl 1]
[Consumes 5 MP and imbues the next attack with magic]
[Compatible with any element]
''Oh hell yeah I can do sick fire sword shes but I guess the question is how do I use magic? does the system do it for me and can Imand it? I need to test this when I head out next, don''t want to flood my room or set it aze by ident.'' Shaman smiled as she had always wished she could use magic and now that it was bing a reality, she couldn''t help feeling excited.
Shaman then allocated the 15 unspent points.
Vitality: 10 -> 15
Agility: 16 -> 20 + 1
Intelligence: 15 -> 18
Strength: 13 -> 15
Dexterity: 8 -> 9
Defense: 8
[HP: 150/150]
[MP: 180/180]
A cooling sensation flowed through her body and her head felt clearer. After the feeling washed away Shaman noticed that some of the memories were clearer.
''Huh? seems like my intelligence stat is linked to the memories.'' Shaman quickly took a look at some of the memories that had be less foggy. Looking into the pannel Shaman saw what resembled sword training.
''That must be why I was able to efficiently kill the wolves and have such a keen sixth sense, I must have undergone some training and am currently relying on muscle memory.'' Shaman was understanding more of her circumstances and was grateful that she possessed this body.
''At least now I don''t have to go through a training arc for years to perfect the way of the sword since it has already been done for me.'' Although she probably needed more training, Shaman had a major head start.
Once she was done looking through the memory, Shaman wanted to go wash up as she had not cleaned herself ever since she got home.
Shaman also found by looking through the memories she was able to locate things in the apartment much easier. However, she found in her memories a special ck box but something inside her was telling her not to open it or take it out. Shaman under other circumstances would have opened it anyway, but assuming it was something important wanted to wait if there was a memory of why the ck box seemed important.
Shaman after washing up decided to go to bed. Changing into her nightwear, Shaman gotfortable and despite it being the afternoon she felt extremely tired. Shutting her eyes, Shaman slowly drifted off.
***
"You have to leave now Shaman, you must leave before you get trapped here."
A slightly younger teary-eyed Shaman was looking up at someone who seems to be her mother.
"But I don''t want to leave you and dad alone. I want to fight with you. What do you think I have been training for?" Shaman protested against her mother whiletching onto her.
"No, you are not strong enough and I need you to run away to get stronger so you cane back and save us." Shaman''s mother exined to her in a soft voice and pulled her in front of her while pulling out a ck box.
"Until you are able to beat a tier 10 and only then you can open this box and it will guide you back home, Now please go." Her mother broke out into tears as she pushed Shaman into what looked like a portal.
"Wait moth-" Shaman cried out to mother, but was cut off as she was teleported away.
"Please be careful my child." Her mother walked off crying after seeing her child off.
***
"MOTHER!!" Shaman suddenly woke up in cold sweat and was heavily breathing.
''Seems like the trauma of the previous owner are here to haunt me as well.'' Shaman looked out the window and notices it''s the middle of the night. Wanting to go back to sleep Shaman attempted to go back to sleep hoping that there are no more nightmares awaiting her.
Chapter 6 Dont Touch My Tail! [Edited]
?Shaman tossed and turned around in bed unable to sleep as the dream gued her.
''Now I can''t sleep and I don''t even know when it will be morning. I would rather not go out at night, that''s just asking to get kidnapped.'' Shaman looked towards her window while touching a crystal to her side turning on amp that was by the bedhead.
''Well, at least I can see.'' Shaman got out of bed and saw her reflection in the window, revealing her messy hair.
With not much to do Shaman moved her tail in front of her and patted it.
''Still soft as ever, I could touch it till the end of time and still not get bored.'' While patting her tail she noticed the tip was ck. Shaman then looked at her reflection and spotted that her ears had ck tips as well.
''I wonder if it means anything in this world.'' Shaman still unsure about many things wondered if the colour of her tail meant anything.
Shaman continued to pat herself and remembered that she got a box from the quest. Opening her inventory, Shaman pulled out the [intermediate box] and opened it up.
[Please select an essory]
[ring]
[bracelet]
[bow tie]
[gloves]
[...]
''Looks like items are a thing, most likely giving some sort of stat boost. It also says intermediate so let''s hope this essory willst me a while.'' Shaman hoped that the loot would be something she could hold onto for a while as it was a dangerous situation.
''Seeing as the system was able to see how dangerous it was, the rewards must scale depending on how difficult it is, which is pretty standard for a levelling system.'' Shaman nodded to herself proud that she was able to apply things from her world to this one.
Shaman then went ahead and scrolled through the options to see if anything stuck out to her.
''I might go with a ne since it''s easy to hide and should not interfere with fighting and plus it should look pretty right?'' Shaman was unsure if she was making a good decision as she wasn''t able to see what kind of stats she will receive.
[Ne of haste (Tier 2)]
[Rarity: umon]
[Agility +5]
[Dexterity + 3]
A silver ne appeared around Shaman''s neck with a small silver wing charm on it. Just like her sword, it appeared out of nowhere from a blue light. Shaman examined the ne around her neck and was impressed by the quality.
"It''s so prettyyy!" Shaman moved around and can already feel the effects of the ne as her stats were still low making any increase feel noticeable. Shaman also felt relief that it was;t just for looks and provided some benefit.
''Although magic exists, I am getting excited by a ne.'' Shaman chuckled a little as she felt that despite all the other things she was yet to discover a ne had her excited.
Getting over the excitement Shaman let herself fall back onto her bed and opened her inventory to check on the wolf egg.
[Wolf egg]
[Time till hatch: 7:32:58]
''At least I know it will be morning soon since I did get the egg around midday. I should probably see if there is any food here.'' Shaman realised she had not eaten all day and felt the hungering
*rumble~*
"Ugh" ''I should go eat, If the memory serves me correct then there is some in the apartment apparently already.'' Shaman found what seemed to be canned food but notices a formation on the bottom of the can.
''Do I just put my mana through it?'' Shaman first thought was that of a magic circle that looked simr to the ones she had seen in anime or manga.
Assuming it was a magic circle, Shaman concentrated and tried to push her mana to her hand. Her attempt was sessful and the can she was holding warmed up instantly.
''!!!!!'' Shaman''s eyes widen from the phenomenon and was already wishing this was possible in her world.
''Has the literal dream for instant noodles be a reality and I don''t need to sit and wait for 2 minutes just for some noodles.'' Shaman quickly pulled the top of the can off and the aroma of noodles filled her nose.
"IT''S ACTUALLY 2 MINUTE NOODLES BUT NOW ITS 1 SECOND NOODLES!!!!" The dream of getting instant noodles as advertised had be true.
Shaman grabbed some chopsticks from a drawer and started digging into the noodles.
"oh mgy gawd it tashtes soh gawwd." Shaman quickly ate the noodles down leaving with a satisfied expression.
''Oh the convenience of this world where were you back home''
*
Shaman cleaned up and decided to go for a morning bath before heading out again to turn in her crystal for some money.
''I wonder if this apartment was set up by parents in this world or did I buy everything, the memory is still hazy as to why I live here.'' Shaman scratched her head trying to figure out her current circumstance and how it came to be.
''Better save some money, don''t want any money stealingndlords rocking up ruining my base of operations.'' Shaman finished her bath and got into the same clothes as yesterday, to her amazement they also had instant washing as well through the use of magic formations.
''This world is just too amazing, I hope I can learn this knowledge and be able to apply it back at home.'' Shaman exited theundry room noticing the sun had finally risen.
Exiting her apartment Shaman left feeling a bit more confident and hoped to make a bit more progress in levelling after turning in the profits.
While heading to the guildhall Shaman decided to go find where she should shop for daily necessities and to buy food. Taking a small detour shaman found a shopping district filled with stores and stalls. Picking up a few canned instant noodles since Shaman did not know how to cook ended up spending about 40 copper coins.
Throwing the cans in her inventory Shaman continued making her way to the adventurers guild.
*
Upon reaching the guild house she quickly used some bag she picked up from the food court and put the monster crystals in it as she was unsure if spatial storage was rare or even a thing that existed.
She entered the guild house and saw a separate counter exchanging their crystals for some coins. This had a line and so she got behind what looked like a half-lizard.
After waiting for a while the guy behind her thought it was a great idea to touch her tail.
"EEEKK!" Shaman shrieked from the sudden touch as she was not expecting it and her tail was rather sensitive. Shaman turned around quickly and pped the guy sending him to a pir and knocking him out.
"Oh, sorry" Shaman looked around nervously as she just attracted a lot of the stares.
The guy behind the perpetrator yells "It was the guy''s fault he touched her tail and got a p back in return." Thement had made the people near the area chuckle as they thought it was well deserved, however, it did notst long and people continued with their business ignoring the passed-out man.
"Thank you." Shaman turned to the man and bowed slightly to him. Shaman also noticed that they are also a beast-man and was thankful for their support.
"Ah no problem, it wasn''t your fault."
She nods to the man and turned back around waiting for her turn.
More time passed and it was finally her turn. Shaman presented the bag full of wolf beast cores.
"Oh, a tier 1 leader and I believe you''re new to adventuring. I heard a cute fox girl came by yesterday to sign up." The receptiondy spoke in a rather flirtatious tone.
"Yes I ended up running into a pack of wolves and managed to kill most of them." trying to hide her blush, her tail betrayed her and it began to wag.
Thedy smirked and calcted the number of coins she was getting, shortly after she pulled out a pouch of coins and handed it to Shaman. Shaman made sure to not put the coins in her inventory right away so as to not raise any suspicion
"That is 50 silver coins and 60 copper coins excluding the 20% tax from the guild, also since you killed a tier 1 leader your rank will be upgraded to E and you will be able to take quest from the board over to your right." Thedy seeming manipted a core she had in front of her seemingly changing Shaman''s rank.
"Sweet, thank you very much." Shaman was happy to hear that she was already rising the ranks, but assumed that the F rank was just to filter people out who are yet to contribute anything to the guild.
Waving thedy goodbye, Shaman decided to head off and explore the city a little before the egg hatched since she still had a lot of time to kill and didn''t want to be out in the forest when it hatches.
*
Returning back to the food court she realised that the wolf would need to eat, so she picked up some raw meat for the wolf hoping that it would be okay for it to eat.
Shaman checked around different shops and got more familiar with the area.
*
After exploring almost every corner of the city Shaman quickly checked the time before the egg hatches.
[Time until hatch: 28:32]
''I should head back now and get ready for this little cutie to hatch.'' Shaman jogged her way back with a smile. Entering her apartment, she made sure to lock the door behind her.
Shaman grabbed a small nket and pulled out the egg, putting it on top of the nket.
Shaman sat across from the egg and patiently waited for the egg to crack.
''I wonder what colour it will be, It would be cool if it was opposite to me with ck fur with white tips.'' Shaman swayed back and forth thinking of the different possibilities of what the small wolf would look like.
*Crack*
Chapter 7 Wolfy [Edited]
?Cracking echoed throughout the room and the egg was shaking as the thing inside was trying to break out.
Shaman quicklyid down on the floor getting as close as she could to the egg.
[Please put a drop of blood on the egg]
The system asked a rather odd request, but the excitement of the egg hatching blinded Shaman.
Shaman quickly pricked her finger and let a drop of blood fall onto the egg. The blood was absorbed into the egg without a trace and Shaman''s light regeneration healed the wound.
*
After a couple of minutes, the egg finally cracked open revealing a dark silver-furred wolf with white tips on its ears and tail. The wolf''s tail flopped out of the egg and it raises its head looking at Shaman with bright blue eyes like hers. Shaman could not hold her excitement anymore.
"IT''S SO CUUUUTTEEE!!!!" Shaman lifted up the cup-sized wolf making sure it was real and not sort of doll, until a system message appeared.
[Wolf egg has been hatched]
[It recognizes you as its mother what shall you name it]
[____]
''YES, I can name it, but I''m terrible with names, but I want a cute name.'' Shaman ced the wolf cub back down by its egg and when she did it started eating the egg shell.
''Didn''t know you could eat your egg shell, wonder if it makes you stronger like in some novels? Anyway, It should be fine if it''s willing to eat it. Now for a name, maybe I should just go with Wolfy, since it is simple and it''s cute.
''Ahh that is so basic, but I can''t think of anything else right now.'' Shaman already felt a little ashamed at her name choice, but she rolled with it since it was her wolf.
[Wolfy]
[Yes/No]
''Yes.'' The system window closed and the wolf''s forehead who was still munching on the shell started to glow a little, then another system message appeared.
[Wolfy (cub)]
[Tier 4]
[Level 1/100]
[Race: Shadow moon wolf]
[HP: 500/500]
[A newly born cub that is of the rare subspecies of wolves, They are able to manipte shadows and depending on the cycle of the moon their stats will be enhanced but will not receive anything if there is no moon present]
[Although tier 4 it''s power is that of a tier-one and will need to level up in order to receive the power of tier 4]
''Wow okay, it sounds overpowered, but I need to level it up in order for it to get stronger.'' Shaman was impressed by her found but was a little sad it wasn''t that strong as of yet.
Shaman then turned to Wolfy who had just finished eating its own shell. Reaching for Wolfy, Shaman started petting him feeling the incredibly soft fur rivalling her tail.
"You even have simr fur like me, I can already tell we are going to be greatpanions and I swear as your mother I will protect you." Wolfy nuzzled his head into Shaman''s palm wanting more pats.
"Oh you, you''re just too adorable, I just can''t resist you." Shaman then decided to y with Wolfy showering it with affection and the little cub was having a st.
*
Shaman after ying with her new little wolf went ahead and fed it some of the meat she got earlier.
Little Wolfy''s eyes lit upon seeing the meat and devoured the food quickly. Shaman watching this melted in the cuteness and could not believe she got such a cutepanion.
After Wolfy finished his meal, Shaman decided to give Wolfy a bath to freshen him up. She picked up Wolfy with one hand and made her way to the bathroom.
Shaman froze for a second as she did not realize something else was missing when she was transported to this world but was too busy focusing on the task at hand.
With a dead expression, shees to realize she has lost her chest.
Wolfy looked up curiously wondering why the pats had stopped, not understanding why she stopped, he started to lightly p her chest with his head.
''How could I have not noticed my chest disappearing, I mean it isn''tpletely gone I still have a little bit, but I liked my averaged sized one, they fit perfectly in my hand.'' Shaman was in disbelief and was cursing the world further for taking away more of her proportions.
Wolfy continued to bang on Shaman, managing to grab her attention.
"Oh yes a bath, Wolfy you will make me forget about my pains." Wolfy let out a quiet woof in response and so Shaman headed for the bath.
Surprisingly Wolfy was okay with water and was having fun sshing around in the water.
After washing up Wolfy and seeing that it is still in the afternoon, Shaman decided to take Wolfy outside to get him familiar with its surroundings. Shaman just before leaving put Wolfy on her head and made her way outside.
After exploring the city a little, Wolfy who was rather timid at first started getting more confident and did not try to hide behind Shaman''s ears. Shaman who was trying to make sure that Wolfy was having a smooth ride could not help but giggle a little at Wolfy.
While being distracted Shaman ended up walking into an ally as she took one turn to early.
Shaman was making sure Wolfy was stable on her head, however, a woman and 2 men blocked her path.
Halting her steps she looked at the 3 adventurers that seemed to be only E rank judging from their gear and trembed a little as the thoughts of killing appeared again.
The group noticed her shaking and spoke up, trying to take advantage of it.
"Well looks like we got quite a catch, her fur looks like it will go for a fortune not to mention that little wolf." A man spoke while licking his lips.
"I can''t wait to y with her," the woman had a lustful tone implying something more.
Wolfy, was able to notice the ill intent and through the system was able to feel what Shaman was feeling. Wolfy jumped down and got into a stance ready to pounce and lets out an aggressive high pitched woof.
"Oh look at that cute thing standing up for its soon-to-be dead master." The second man spoke up.
Upon hearing this Shaman woke up a little and instantly equipped pulled out her sword and got ready to fight.
"Looks like we got a feisty one, boys, let''s get her." The womenmanded the 2 men to attack with one rushing at Shaman while the other for Wolfy.
Wolfy, recognizing it as a threat disappeared into a shadow confusing him. Appearing behind him before he could notice, Wolfy ha bit into the back of the man''s thigh. Wolfy''s mouth was covered in blood as he let go of the man.
It took a few moments, but the man fell to the ground in agony almost passing out.
On Shaman''s side not wanting to kill turned to the blunt side of the sword.
The man saw this and mockingly said "You can''t even hold a sword, looks like we get an easy catch tonight."
As he finished the sentence Shaman activated sword dash and instantly got behind the man. Smacking her sword at the back of his head, Shaman cracked his skull and knocked him out.
Shaman nced over to Wolfy to see his situation and to her surprise, her worries were not needed as she saw his blood-covered mouth of Wolfy. Shaman''s mouth twitched a little upon looking at the scene as she noticed where the blood wasing from and was surprised by the amount of damage Wolfy had done.
''Despite being a cub, he is ruthless!'' Another thing she noticed was that she got EXP from Wolfy beating the man.
[EXP + 30]
[EXP + 15]
[New skill, learnt Dash]
''!!!'' Shaman''s eyes widen at the message.
''Looks like I can teach myself skills.'' Shaman realised she had not fully executed the skill and so the system recognised it as a normal dash adding it to her small list of skills.
Shaman shook her head bringing her attention back to her current situation.
Wolfy ignored the man after he passed out and trotted over back to Shaman jumping back on her head. Shaman was surprised that it was able to do a jump that high.
''I can''t underestimate you, now at least I know I got a reliablepanion.'' Shaman gave Wolfy pats for its effort, but then a thud could be heard in front of her.
The woman fell over and was in shock as her men were taken out in mere seconds by a little girl and a baby wolf and could not help but fall over in fear.
"Yo- You M-mm-mmm-MONSTER!" the women screamed out.
"Jeez do you have to be so loud, plus they are not dead, only knocked out and I''m not a MONSTER!" Shaman then walked over to the woman who had fallen to her knees and Shaman smashed her sheath on thedy''s head knocking her out instantly.
''I hope I can evolve soon as if this keeps happening it will only be a matter of time until someone who is stronger than I appears.'' Shaman was concerned that soon people who are much stronger wille after her and at this point guessed someone was behind this.
Shaman walked off quickly ''borrowing'' their money pouches and continued on her way home.
Shaman arrived back at her apartment and gave Wolfy another wash to get the filth of the man''s blood off him.
"You''re such a good boy, I''ll make sure you be the strongest wolf and we will be the unstoppable duo!" Shaman bathed Wolfy in pats congratting him on his efforts.
After washing up Wolfy, she ced him on the bed and checks out her new skill
[Dash lvl 1]
[Quickly move a few meters ahead of you in an instant]
[Compatible with the wind element]
''Hmm again with thepatibility with elements, I wonder how I can unlock the different elements. Do I have to learn or do I have to imagine it and suddenly the element will appear? Maybe even with special stones that will just unlock it. I haven''t seen anyone use any elemental magic yet so it must be hard to get or takes a long time to learn.'' Shaman pondered on how she could harness the elements but notices that it has now gone dark.
''I guess I''ll think about it tomorrow and do some experiments when I go hunting for some more wolves tomorrow.'' Shaman got changed into her nightwear and hopped into bed.
Wolfy snuggled up to Shaman''s body and quickly fell asleep.
''Such a cutie.'' Shaman lightly patted Wolfy and eventually fell asleep herself.
Chapter 8 How Does One Use Magic? [Edited]
?The sun shined through the window slightly illuminating the room.
Shaman was slightly drooling and had a small wolfying on top of her face covering her eyes.
Shaman shot up, letting Wolfy who was peacefully sleeping fall from her face andnd on herp. Despite the fall Wolfy stillid there on its back unaffected by what happened.
*YAWN* Shaman did some stretches letting out small groans.
''I don''t think I have slept that well sinceing to this world, Although it''s only been like 2 or 3 days it has already felt like I have lived here for years. Well, I guess if I take into ount the fact that I merged with another person''s memories I guess I really have lived in this world for years.''
Shaman pats Wolfy causing him to wake up.
"Rise and shine cutie we got some hunting to do." Shaman lightly pinched Wolfy''s cheeks and despite his attempts to avoid her hands, he unable to escape.
"woof~" Wolfy lets out a small howl in response.
"Okay let''s get washed up and dressed and we will make our way back to the forest." Shaman gets up from bed and got ready to leave.
***
"Sir we have got another batch of youngdies ready for the sacrifice, we only need a few sets then we can begin the ritual." A rather old man who looked like he was on death''s door presented 10 women cuffed and in a rather rough condition.
"Well done, it is only a matter of time till we will be able to set up an anchor." A figure who was too hard to make out in the darkroom scans the women to make sure there are no problems and then he notices one who looks a little different.
"Hmmm, keep the one on the far right alive till the sacrifice, she will be useful." The man picked out a ck haired Fox girl who still had life in her eyes unlike the other girls in the room.
"As you wish sir." The old man bows and exits the room pulling on the chain to get the girls moving.
***
Shaman set out with Wolfy, who decided the top of Shaman''s head was the mostfortable spot. She did not mind this and continued on to the guild house.
This time Shaman brought a map from the guild house instead of a shady stall which provided much more details about the area. She also inquired about where she can buy any books about magic theory.
The receptiondy had pointed her in the direction of the magic shop and set off to buy some books.
Shaman arrived at the magic shop which looks a little old to be one but she still enters it anyway, since it was rmended by the guild.
Shaman walked into the store to see an olddy reading a book of sorts. The olddy notices Shaman and waves at her toe over.
"What can I get a youngss like you?" the Olddy spoke in a croaky voice.
"I''m looking for books on basic magic, so any books on magic theory will do."
"Oh we have plenty of those, just head to the back right corner on the 3rd shelf should be books on magic theory." The olddy points to a corner of a shop.
"Thank you." Shaman walked over to the shelf to look at the books.
''Hmm, this seems to be too essible. It is either hard to learn or only advanced books that teach higher tier magic are only avable for higher-ups, But who says I can''t self teach, surely I can master the elements without some fancy book.'' Shaman then picked out some books that seemed to be relevant, she then heads back to the olddy.
"I''ll take these." Shaman presents the few books she got from the shelf.
"Alright sweetie, that will be 1 gold coin."
Shaman froze a little at the price but still reluctantly handed over the gold.
"A-alright I''ll see youter." Shaman waved at the olddy and exited the shop, the olddy smiles and waves back.
''No wonder people don''t buy basic books, you have to be at least a decent adventurer to provide for yourself and spend it on books.''
Shaman puts the books in her inventory and heads out to the forest.
While on the way to the forest Shaman pulled out one of the magic theory books to get a headstart in understanding the concept of magic.
To her surprise, a system message pops up.
[Do you want toprehend the contents of this book]
[Yes/No]
Shaman shook her head in shock, nearly making Wolfy fall off her head.
"YES!"
''Oh, I wish you were with me in my own world. You are literally the definition of a cheat and it would make me the smartest person in the world and all I would have to do is just pick up the book, then bam knowledge.'' Shamanmented this fact as all that studying could have been done in a sh without ever needing to open the book.
Shaman quickly does this with the other books and with her newfound knowledge, it also opened up some more memories and they seemed magic rted.
''Huh, by learning what this previous body has learnt I will be able to uncover what she had done.'' Shaman then looks through the memories to get a grasp of how it is done.
''Oh I see, it seems like the only thing I can do is practice now.'' Shaman continued her walk to the forest thinking about how to go about using her magic.
From what she has learnt, magic uses mana which is separate energy in the air. Just like oxygen, it floats around and each has different properties like the colour representing its element. People within this world are able to control those particles to form an element and depending on where you are the effectiveness of said element is affected, so using water nearva would be impossible unless you are a tier 6 and above or you won''t be able to freely use magic.
The reason for this is that each person has a core within themselves that stores the different elements in them, but it''s too small to be able to form the elements without the outside source. This can be trained and achieved at a lower tier but is extremely hard and is better to enhance your body to tier 6 then train it.
She also learnt that people are unable to go above tier 1 until they are over 18 years old and that''s why it''s the time that they will begin killing beasts. Shaman wondered if there were other people with a system, as she found people at tier 1 rather weak and she assumed this because she can allocate her stats, unlike other people who would have to train to earn points. She also saw she had a level that indicates some form of powering up and was curious if there will be some sort of evolution once she reached a certain level.
''Only one way to find out and that''s to level up some more!'' After processing some of the information, Shaman felt inspired to level up as much as she could during her trip into the forest.
Shaman arrived at the forest, and she stands in front of a tree a few meters away to prepare herself to use magic.
"Alright let''s see how this goes." Shaman closed her eyes and concentrated on her core.
She is able to feel the core welling up inside her, the same feeling she had when using sword dash and sh. Shaman continued her concentration and felt the energy around her swirl through her body. Directing it to her hand, Shaman wanted to harness the wind element which was the mostmon and tried to imagine the green particles. Although it cannot be seen by the naked eye Shaman was able to feel the ambient mana gather in her hand and soon a mini-tornado appeared in it.
"YES!!" Shaman jumps up in excitement making Wolfy who was peacefully on her head suddenly fly off and wakes up in a shock. Wolfy managed tond safely tond on his feet safely but was shaken by the sudden jolt.
"Sorry, Wolfy." Shaman got rid of the small tornado and knelt down to pat Wolfy as an apology, but before she could even pat him, he jumped back on her head.
"I guess it just loves to sleep, well at least it is not mad at me." Then a system message pops up
[Elements learnt: wind]
[1/4 elements harnessed]
[Wind now can be freely used as well as with skills and normal uses as long there is ambient mana around]
''I love this system, it''s like everything is in easy mode when ites to doing anything rted to magic and fighting.'' Shaman''s eyes shone with excitement as she finally was able to use an element.
Little did she know what she had done was a feat that very few people could do at her age and would be regarded as a genius.
*
Shaman yed around with the wind and was able to pick up small things and even Wolfy with the wind. After freely using it she tries to form a de of sorts to try to create her own skill.
After making the typical arc shape she threw the wind towards the tree and to her surprise, it cut the wood.
Then a system message came acknowledging what Shaman had done.
[New skill: Wind sh]
[Send out a sharp de of wind]
[Cost: -20 MP]
patible with Sword dash and sh but will cost an extra 10 MP]
[coats the weapon in wind and upon execution of the skill it will send out a sh alongside with the de.]
Chapter 9 A Bear? No A Turtle, Wait No Its A Bear [Edited]
?"OH HELL YEAH!" Shaman punched the air in excitement.
''Seems like I can create any number of skills I want but then again I''m going to have to be creative for it to be counted as a skill.''
After examining her skill she headed further into the forest of beasts to test out her new skill.
*
Shaman encountered a pair of wolves and thought it was a perfect opportunity to test her new skill.
The oblivious wolves who had not seen Shaman were all of sudden attacked by a wind sh instantly chopping them in half with ease and even going through the second wolf.
Shaman was amazed by this as it cleanly cut them with little to no sound making it great for stealth.
''Wow that was surprisingly clean.'' Shaman walked up to the bodies and let her system collect the cores from their bodies.
Shaman wandered around a bit until she noticed that it was dead silent. Nothing was around her and it felt odd to move so far without encountering anything. After that though, a loud thud could be heard shaking the ground.
Shaman jumped a little from the tremor and her first instinct was to run away from whatever made that thud. Wolfy, who was napping peacefully, jumped down and was getting ready to fight.
All of a sudden trees started to fall and a 3m tall bear appeared with what seemed to be a massive turtle shell on its back covering most of its body as well as a small tail.
[Quest received, defeat the tier 2 leader monster]
[Rewards]
5 attribute points
1 skill level up
Shaman ignored the quest as she was a bit perplexed by the bear''s looks?
''No? A turtle, maybe a bear? Wait no it''s both, it looks kind of stupid.'' After trying to discern what it specifically was she was trying to hold back herughter.
"Pfft." Shaman could not contain herughter as she was seeing such a silly-looking creature although she expected a few odd beasts, this was beyond her expectations.
The bear was able to tell Shaman was mocking it, so it roared in anger.
"ROAARRRR!!!!"
''Oh, shit I made it an angry, time to run.'' Shaman signalled Wolfy to run and opens up the inspect window to see if she could fight it.
[Beartoise (tier 4)]
[known for its hard shell being imprable but has a vital weakness, its behind]
"BHAHAHA!" Shamanughed at this description as she couldn''t believe what she was reading.
"Looks like I get to take one of the many wisdoms of Shiro and go for the best weak point." Shaman had a grin as this Beartoise was walking exp.
Shaman dashed to the side causing the bear to halt its steps and slide forward. Wolfy closely followed Shaman trying to not get in the way.
Using this brief moment where the monster is unable to move she moved behind it and used a wind sh. The wind sh easily cuts through the tail and then enters its behind.
The beartoise let out a roar from the pain and falls to the ground whimpering. letting out a weekend roar it quickly dies after suffering from many internal injuries. The system got all the loot and transferred it to her inventory while also getting the questplete popup.
[Choose a skill to level]
''Oh? that was a reward, well let''s go with wind sh since magic is cool and is my first actual spell.'' Shaman selected wind sh and uses her free level up.
Her level also increased to level 8 getting her 10 more attribute points on top of the bonus 5 she received.
Unspent points: 15
Vitality: 15
Agility: 20 -> 25
Intelligence: 18 ->20
Strength: 15 -> 20
Dexterity: 9 ->10
Defence: 8 -> 10
''Alrighty, some progress and it seems like Wolfy levelled up a little as well.'' Shaman checked Wolfy and to her surprise managed to get to level 4 in one go. Shaman gave Wolfy a few pats as it was good news that he would level up alongside her.
Wolfy was panting a little, looking happy as he was receiving more pats from its mother.
''I should probably let you kill some things so we can see what you can do.'' Shaman wanted to make sure Wolfy could kill and was a reliablepanion.
Wolfy let out a happy woof in response due to the connection they had he was able to get a general idea of what Shaman''s intentions were.
*
After walking around they found another pack of wolves roaming and so Shaman let Wolfy kill them. Although a little morbid that it was his own kind, it seemed like Wolfy was not bothered by this fact at all.
Wolfy took a more stealthy approach and ran around making sure to stay out of sight of the wolves. using a shadow dash this caused him to blend in with the shadows and approach the wolves undetected in almost an instant. Thanks to the trees creating a bunch of shadows this created a straight path for Wolfy making his dash go straight to them.
After appearing out of the shadows, a massive shadow mouth came out of Wolfy chomping down on one of the wolves cutting it in half. Wolfy then followed up with a massive shadow w that swiped across, cutting the head of 3 other wolves in the pack.
Shaman''s jaw had dropped as she saw its baby wolf just massacre some other wolves in mere seconds and it had only been a day old. She was thinking she would have to save Wolfy because she was unsure if he had any survival instincts. She also thought he would be unable to know what to do in the fight but her assumptions were proven wrong.
After finishing off the wolves, Wolfy walked back to Shaman with puppy eyes wanting praises. Shaman could do nothing but give him praise, and so she picked up Wolfy nuzzling him for his wonderful effort. Then the system rudely interrupted their moment with a message.
[Wolfy has shared its skill with Shaman]
[User Shaman can use all skills Wolfy currently, however, it will not count as an element that has been learnt]
Shaman was shocked to get this message. She could not help, but hold her son even tighter as she now has more skills she can utilize. Wolfy also let out a cheerful woof as he was happy that he was getting so much affection.
"Oh, you are just such a good boy, I will never abandon you and do everything to protect you." After hugging Wolfy for long enough she put him on her head and concentrated back on her goal.
*
Setting out to hunt more monsters in an attempt to level up some more. Shaman was also letting Wolfy take some kills to make sure he was getting some exp as well despite it being shared the 50% cut was still harsh on Wolfy.
Although she had ess to Wolfy''s skills she was also trying to conserve her MP just in case anything bad happened.
She encountered many tier 1 leader beasts that were normal animals from her world with some abilities but nothing too hard. She could not find any tier 2 beasts, but since she only got a tier 1 map and she expected them to be in a different region not marked on the map.
After grinding for a few hours she finally reached level 10 and Wolfy hit level 7 then an interesting system message appeared.
[Evolution ready]
''!!!'' The awaited evolution had finallye.
"I can evolve, let''s hope this body gets some much-needed upgrades." Shaman looked down at her body and couldn''t help but feel a bit depressed at her lost proportions.
''No matter, let''s see if I need to do anything to evolve.''
[Evolve into a tier 2 fox girl]
[Requirements]
Tier 1 cores 10/10
Tier 1 leader cores 5/5
Or
Tier 2 leader core 1/1
''NOOO my money, is this system trying to steal my money.'' Shaman clenched her fist and gritted her teeth.
[We can take more cores if you like but I rmend using your tier 4, as it may have some extra effects]
"Okay, I am convinced." Shaman changed her tone to a sweet one as she did not want to miss out on any benefits.
''I better save this till I get home, I don''t want to be in the wild while evolving.'' Shaman closed the system window and started back heading home.
After travelling for 30 minutes she finally made it back to the city of Victoria. Getting through the gate with no issues, she hands in her cores to the guild house for some coins and kept the tier 4 for her evolution. However, this time she did not get a rank up in her adventure rank due to her not getting any tier 2 cores but still an impressive amount of cores nheless.
She checks on her coin count to see just how rich she was.
[gold: 20 silver: 50 copper: 42]
''I can definitely live off this for a while without worry, I can probably buy some books on magic but I''m probably going to need more gold as I need to get it on more specific subjects which won''t be cheap.'' Shaman contemted what to do with her newfound fortune.
Deciding on getting some nice food she looked for a restaurant to eat out at. But before that, she quickly headed home to wash off any blood or smell and got into some clean clothes. Shaman then heads out to go look for a ce to go eat.
Shaman stumbled upon a decent-looking restaurant and just from the looks could tell the prices would be rather high. She entered and was given a seat almost straight as it was not a busy night. Looking at the menu She notices that things were rtively cheap but still hurt to spend her money.
After choosing 2 gold coins worth for her son and herself, she patiently waited for her food.
However, a thing Shaman had not realised that by being a fox, her hearing was also better and is able to hear conversations around her clearly.
"Hey did you hear that there are a lot of kidnappings of young girlstely?"
"Yeah, it is definitely dangerous being a young woman at the moment since they are only just granted the ability to protect themselves at 18 unless they are from a rich family."
"We should look out for some of the girls we know just to make sure they are safe."
"Sounds like a good idea."
Shaman listened to this conversation and her face cannot help but darken.
''Seems like I know why I was being hunted. They are trying to use young women for something and it seems like most of them are dead seeing as they would rather bring me back dead than alive.'' Shaman had a grim expression as this exined a lot of the reasons why she was being hunted.
''I have to deal with this, not for my own sake but for the other youngdies around. After I evolve I need to see if I am able to take on these people that are hunting me.''
Chapter 10 EVOLUTION [Edited]
?''It directly involves me seeing as I am 18, so I should try to see if I can take on these kidnappers. I wouldn''t mind if I could save at least one of the girls that have been kidnapped if they are still alive, but I will most likely have to kill guards to do that.'' Shaman didn''t know if she could stomach killing people as she was still rather shaken up from killing the assassin.
''Let''s hope I can avoid killing by using Wolfy''s shadow skills.'' Shaman thought of Wolfy''s skills which were perfect for stealth and would allow going undetected.
''I could also find out if I am being targeted for a specific reason since I could be the runaway heir to the fox realm throne. No that would be stupid if I was the heir then they wouldn''t be using a bunch of low lives that are tier 1 to capture me.'' Shaman facepalmed as it was ridiculous if she was actually a runaway princess.
''Anyway, I should not try to act like the hero since the person running this human trafficking business must be much stronger than I am and would probably beat me even after I evolve.''
''I will have to use Wolfy''s skills just to be safe, otherwise, I could find myself kidnapped and killed as well.'' Shaman had a general idea of how to go about her mission and was happy that she might be able to do something.
While she was imagining the kind of ns in her head a waiter had arrived with the food breaking Shaman out of her thoughts.
''Mmm~ it smells good, this will be my first meal as I have literally only been eating noodles. I should really learn how to cook.'' Shaman let out a weak smile as she was already falling into her habits back home where she would only eat microwaved food to survive.
''Maybe I should get a roommate that can cook. But that''s for a future me to deal with, it''s time to eat.''
"Wolfy go ahead and eat." Shaman gestured to Wolfy he could eat and so he got on the table eating some nicely cooked meat.
Shaman enjoyed every bite of her meal and was a steep contrast from her cheap noodles.
*
After they were satisfied Shaman did not waste any time and went back to her apartment to begin her evolution. She stripped down to her underwear so her main clothes would not get dirty and sat in the middle of her room while opening the system menu.
[Would you like to evolve]
[Yes/No]
''Alright let''s hope nothing goes wrong.'' Shaman felt rather nervous and did not know what it would feel like. After taking a deep breath Shaman mentally prepared herself for any pain or weird sensations she may go through.
"Yes." After she said yes her vision went ck.
***
"YOU stupid bitch!" A man pped a young ck-haired fox girl who fell to the floor from the p.
The girl red back at the man while holding her face where she was pped.
"re all you want but if you don''t help us in the next 3 days we are just going to kill you." The man looked at the girl with a murderous look as he was reaching his limits and wanted nothing more than to move on with their n.
The man then left the room while mming the metal door shut.
The girl waited till she could no longer hear the man''s footsteps beforeying on the ground. The young girl burst out crying and the cold look she had was no longer there.
"P-please someone s-save me." The girl curled up into a ball while crying as quietly as she could hoping that someone would find her.
***
Shaman''s body was currently enveloped in a white egg. Wolfy was sleeping on top of the egg, not worried for her mother as he was able to feel through the connection and knew she was fine.
The next morning had arrived and the egg started to crack. Wolfy who was atop the egg felt this and jumped off onto the bed. Laying back down Wolfy hung his head over the edge eagerly waiting for his mother toe out of the egg.
10 minutes passed and the egg finally burst open.
A 5''6" Fox girl came out of the egg, Shaman was slightly taller and her fox features were more prominent as her ears had more fur and were slightly bigger. Her tail was also slightly thicker and longer with the ck tip reaching further down her tail. She had also be a twin-tailed fox indicating she was a Tier 2.
Shaman''s eyes opened revealing the bright blue eyes which contrasted with her snow-white hair which went down to her butt.
Her entire body felt refreshed like she just had a deep clean and massage.
Shaman had also noticed when she looked down at her chest they had gotten a bit bigger.
"YES!! They areing back." Shaman felt around her body and noticed it seemingly matured making her look more like an adult,
"Let''s see the changes." Shaman eager to see any changes in her status opened the system menu.
[Shaman Shiroi]
[Age: 18]
[Gender: female]
[Race: Twin tail Fox Girl]
[Level: 10]
[HP: 250/250]
[MP: 250/250]
[Skills: Inspect lvl 1, sword dash lvl 1, sh lvl 1]
[Spells: Wind sh lvl 2]
[Shared skills: Shadow w, Shadow Bite and Shadow Dash]
[Passive: light regeneration]
[Elements]
Wind - Tier 1
[Attributes]
Vitality: 15 -> 25
Agility: 25 ->30 + 6
Intelligence: 20 -> 25
Strength: 20 ->25
Dexterity: 10 -> 15 +3
Defense: 10 -> 15
"HOLY SHIT!" Shaman was amazed as all her stats went up and although she didn''t know why some stats went up so high than others, she assumed it was because her body was strengthened and that these were the minimum stats for a tier 2.
''Hang on, what if I eat the eggshell?'' Shaman remembered in novels she read, that eating your own egg provides benefits.
Picking up the remains of the egg, she put it in her mouth. It surprisingly had a sweet taste, so Shaman quickly ate the rest of the egg, which was more like candy than an egg. after eating the egg a system message popped up.
[+5 defence]
[+5 dexterity]
Shaman was surprised that her 2 lowest stats were increased but wondered if that was intentional just to raise her average and bnce it out. Then another message was sent through.
[You will now gain 10 attribute points each level. to get the next evolution, the user must get to level 25]
Shaman''s eyes lit up at the increase of attribute points but also realized something else.
''If there is such a huge gap between tier 2s, I have to be careful as a peak tier 2 would be a lot stronger than me. I think anyway, I don''t know how much edge this system gives me over other people in the same tier. If anything the only people I fought were tier 1ckeys that are forced to not evolve and are just expendable fodder.'' Shaman thought back to the assassin and group of 3 people she fought who were only tier 1 and were most likely just foot soldiers for whoever is behind the operation.
''If that''s the case when I fight someone with experience and knows what they are doing I better not underestimate them or my head will be on the floor before I even get a chance to draw my weapon.'' Shaman shivered a little at that thought as it was the cruel reality especially when it came to fighting people in this world.
''Since I will be going in using Wolfy''s skills there is no reason why I should even enter a fight. It would be better just to run if I can, seeing as the shadow skills will practically make me invisible then I should use that to my advantage .'' Shaman put her hand up to her chin as the thought of fighting urred, but there was no real need to.
Now that Shaman had evolved Shaman got to nning as first, she needed to find the base of the kidnappers and find a way to enter it.
Shaman also patted Wolfy as if it weren''t for her getting a son with shadow abilities this operation may have been impossible.
"Alright Wolfy we got a big night tonight, we are going to ruin somebody''s n." Shaman smiled as although she really couldn''t do much she hoped that she could at least save one girl from the kidnappers and possibly find out more information.
''I will most likely will be out all night so I should bring some food with me just in case as they might not even do anything tonight.'' Shaman nned to investigate for as long as she could since she was determined to help the poor state of the ce she lived in.
''If I can also ruin their operation then I will not have to worry living here and as it stands right now I don''t think I have the capabilities to move right now.'' This was also another reason for Shaman''s determination as right now she was a prime target and being in an unknown world moving was not something she was ready for.
After nning how to go about her mission, Shaman got herself ready for the night ahead of her.
Chapter 11 Breaking And Entering
?Shaman got up from the floor, getting changed into more of a stealthy attire.
Changing into ck stockings with ck shorts and a ck shirt, she also puts on her dark blue jacket over the top for warmth.
''These clothes are basically the same thate from my world. Kinda d since I don''t think I could stand wearing clothes from the 1700s.'' After getting changed Shaman went to the bathroom to look in a mirror to get a proper look at herself which she was yet to do.
''My white hair really does not help with this whole aesthetic of blending in with the darkness.'' Shaman sighed as her white hair contrasted with the ck and was not ideal for the stealth operation she was about to go on.
However, an idea sprung in her mind and she turned to Wolfy.
"Wolfy, if you can understand me, are you able to cover yourself in Shadows like a cloak?" Shaman tried talking with Wolfy but all he did was tilt his head.
Shaman tried ying charades with Wolfy trying to mimic a shadow covering her body with a towel. After trying for a few minutes Wolfy finally managed to understand and covered himself in Shadow, blending in with the darkness making it seem like something is there but not at the same time. A ding could be heard from the system as this was done.
[Wolfy has learnt a new skill: Shadow Cloak]
[Due to the user getting Wolfy to learn a new skill, it will be her own skill]
[Shadow Cloak]
[-2.5 MP a second when moving]
[-1 MP a second while standing]
[Hides oneself in its own shadow or the surroundings can bring others but will double the MP cost]
"It''s alling together." Shaman was excited and she tried to contain since she did not have time, but seeing Wolfy''s tail wag, she couldn''t help herself.
"OOHH you are just the best son, I don''t know what I will do without you." Shaman vigorously pat Wolfy and hugged him. Wolfy licked Shaman''s face in return and shared the excitement with Shaman.
Snapping back to reality Shaman coughed as she was thankful no one saw her like that.
"Ok Wolfy we are heading out now, we have to find some sick adults." Wolfy jumped on her head and Shaman quickly packed some food and water just in case.
Heading outside her apartment, Shaman stops at the edge of the balcony and had an idea.
"Why don''t I try to do some parkour, I wanted to do all the cool roof jumping I saw online. Wolfy hold on because we going to jump." Wolfy understood her intentions and went down to her shoulders holding onto her Jacket.
Shaman got on top of the railing and jumped off it to the roof of a building that was next to hers.
''Well that was easy and it felt amazing. Wolfy seems like he can take it as long as I don''t roll or do anything extreme. I may have to hold him if I want to do tricks.'' Shaman continued to the south which was towards the slum area. She figured if she headed to the border of the slums it would be the ideal area for them to attack as no one really cared for the lower ss in most societies.
*
After travelling via rooftop for 30 minutes she finally reaches the slums border.
Shaman the begin to wander around the slums slowly going tomon spots where a typical abduction would take ce via rooftop.
*
Another 30 minutester
Shaman''s ears picked up the sound of someone struggling and instantly headed in that direction but when she arrived she could see 2 people''s silhouettes having a passionate moment through their window.
Shaman slowly turned around and left as her face had turned bright red and due to her wild imagination, she also had some spicy thoughts. But during her little fantasy, a scream could be heard that quickly interrupted Shaman''s train of thought.
Thanks to Shaman''s great hearing, she was able to hear which exact direction it came from and quickly headed towards it.
Luckily upon arriving in the general area she spotted 2 men carrying a woman who had a gag in her mouth and knew she had found her targets.
Shaman pursued them, fighting the urge to save the women.
After tailing them for 10 minutes they arrive at a run down factory. Shaman entered through a roof window andnded on the walkway above the 2 men.
''I would love to break in and enter because that sounds cooler but this is a stealth mission.''
Shaman observed the 2 men exit the factory, leaving the woman alone and having the moonlight shine brightly down on her. After 5 minutes footsteps echoed through the factory as a man in a hood came out, picking up the woman.
Shaman quietly followed the man trying her best not to get caught. The man led her to a staircase that suddenly opened which seeming leads to an underground base. Shaman knew that it was the base and now had to use a shadow cloak from now on.
After activating the shadow cloak alongside Wolfy, Shaman quickly made her way down from the walkway and dashed past the man going down the stairs.
The man looked around thinking since he felt a presence and thought he saw something move but was unable to see anything. Thinking it was just stress and was starting to get paranoid he quickly entered the underground cavern shutting it behind him.
After Shaman entered she looked around for a room she could hide in so she could reserve her mana. Travelling down the hallway of the underground base she found a room that seemed to be used for storing food. Shaman quickly entered and undid her shadow cloak and thanks to her improved agility, it increased her speed, so she was able to only use a quarter of her mana.
After letting her MP restore close to full she went to leave the room, but before she could leave she heard people talking.
Shaman stood back to get ready to activate her shadow cloak and listened in on the guards.
"That stupid bitch still won''t listen to us no matter how much we hit or yell at her, it''s a shame we can''t do anything more as the boss said we are not allowed to cross that line."
"It is a shame but I honestly don''t see the point in keeping her alive, just dump her with the rest of the bodies."
"You have a point but clearly the boss has a n for her so unless sheplies she is useless and we will have to do the sacrifice anyway."
''Huh, a sacrifice? are they gathering young girls to summon something.'' Shaman swallowed her saliva as her first thoughts were that of a demonic ritual.
"We could go back down the hall to have onest shot since she will most likely be killed tomorrow, so hopefully we can use her fox fur for something."
"No point heading back, let''s just head to bed." The men''s voices were now too quiet to hear as they were now too far away for Shaman to hear.
Shaman''s eyes widen in shock as it was another Fox girl like her. Something inside her that she had no control over her waspelling her to save the mentioned fox girl. Shaman did not reject this feeling that had suddenly appeared and waited for a few minutes before continuing through the base.
''Judging from that conversation the girl that was taken is most likely dead by now.'' Shaman gripped her fists in anger as she wanted to save the girl, but it seemed like they killed them as soon as they are taken.
''I must save that fox girl and get out of here, even if I can''t stop the sacrifice I must save her while I''m here.'' Shaman knowing that there was at least one person alive she was determined to save them.
However, what was only known to the man that ran the underground operation, is that the ritual they were performing required the blood of a fox girl. The reason the girl was kept alive since the ritual required the body to use as a vessel for what they were going to summon. But it is hard toe by fox girls as most stay in the fox realm for their safety and so finding one outside the territory that doesn''t have fighting capabilities were rare.
Only the leader of the cult knew this and that is why he put more importance on the imprisoned fox girl.
*
Shaman was heading down the hallway trying to find the room that the young fox girl was in so she could break her out.
After travelling through the hallway with a few close calls and sparsely using her shadow cloak her ears picked a young girl crying. Thinking that was her she instantly made her way to the room.
As soon as Shaman had approached the room the girl suddenly stopped crying which made her suspicious but she still proceeded with caution.
''This must be her cell. Although she stopped crying she might have been able to sense that I was here.'' Shaman approached the door and looked through the small window to see a badly beaten ck-haired fox girl that looked 18-19 curled in the corner of the room.
Shaman''s heart ached upon seeing this and to her surprise, the men had left the door unlocked.
''Are they that confident that no one is going to break in?'' Shaman was extremely confused by this as the girl would have been able to walk straight out, but she guessed they had patrols all night making it impossible for a defenceless girl to escape.
The fox girl looked up to see a beautiful white twin-tail fox girl sneak in. Hope filled her eyes and tears started to form again as she finally seemed to be getting saved.
Chapter 12 Breaking And Exiting?
?Shaman quietly enters the room and gets a system notification
[Main Quest: Rescue the Fox girl]
[Escape the underground facility with the Fox girl by any means]
[Rewards]
Grant System
intermediate weapon box
15 attribute points
+1 skill level up
Shaman only read the title as she expected this to happen and did not have time to gush over the rewards. She looked over at ck haired fox girl who had one tail and could see that her hair was as long as hers. The girl had torn white clothes barely covering her body like she was from the slums. Shaman could not help but feel her heart ache when looking at the girl and was a wake up call to the kind of world she has been transported too.
Luckily from what she heard, the girl had not been vited but it did not stop her from hugging the girl. Shaman quickly rushed over to her and the girl started crying again as she realised that she was free. Shaman embraced the girl and tried tofort her that indeed things were now going to be okay.
"It''s okay now, I''m here to save you," Shaman spoke in a soft tone while patting her head.
The girl cried harder as her prayers had been answered and someone came to save her.
After a quick hug Shaman pulled out some food and water from her inventory. Giving them to the girl the tears came to a halt so she could eat.
While she was eating she used small wind shes to break the shackles that were on her.
"Okay, we will leave as soon as you finish because we are going to have to sneak out and I can only use my skills to hide us both for a short amount of time otherwise I will run out of energy." Shaman exined her ns to the girl and she nodded her head.
After she finished eating Shaman helped her up but as they did the door mmed open.
"Now look at what we got here, some more blood." The guard that Shaman''s eavesdropped before seemed to have changed his mind and made his way back.
Shaman didn''t waste any time and sent out a wind sh cutting off his arm instantly.
"You fucking Bitch." The man screamed as he did not expect to be attacked so quickly.
"You thought I would let you do your viin speech, I''m not stupid enough to sit there and listen, you moron." Shaman ridiculed the man as she expected to be some kind of speech before anything happened which was the perfect opportunity for a attack.
"tch." the man clicked his tongue and sent out a fireball while cauterizing his arm to stop the bleeding.
Shaman pushed back on her feet while picking up the Fox girl and then activates shadow cloak. Going behind the man she quickly uses another wind sh decapitating him. Shaman''s hand trembled for a moment as the trauma of killing the assassin was still haunting her.
[Level up]
''Wish I didn''t have to kill.'' Shaman didn''t want to kill, but she had to do it in order to save herself and the girl in her arms.
Shaman wanting to use her arms adjusts the girl to be on her back. Wolfy was not phased by anything that had happened and was peacefully still on Shaman''s head. Wolfy was aware of the situation but was able to gauge the man''s power to be weak and so it did not step up.
However, Shaman who is used to Wolfy being on her head,pletely forgot about him.
The girl noticed Wolfy on Shaman''s head but did not pay too much attention as to why he was there and decided to pat him while on her back. Wolfy let out a satisfied woof as he would never say no to getting pats.
After making sure it was not obvious that someone was killed she shut the door and continued down the hall. Shaman also put all her points in INT as she will be needing a lot more MP. Luckily for her, the MP was restored because of this and noticed some more memories cleared up.
She did not have time and would check out everything after she returned home.
Shaman was also surprised that the girl was either super-light or her strength allowed her to carry her with ease. She was able to go full speed with no issues and did not need to take as many breaks.
After traveling for a while and avoiding guards with shadow cloak Shaman entered a room to take a breather to make sure her MP was topped up but when entering a room the smell of iron invaded her nose.
Shaman touches the wall finding the crystal to turn on the lights for the room.
Shaman froze at what she saw and quickly covered her mouth. A pile of dead bodies who all seem to be young women were piled up in the room. Shaman could not help but throw up. The girl on her back shut her eyes as she already knew this and had been shown before by the guards as a way to break her.
After throwing up, anger started welling up in her as she could not believe that people would be so cruel. Although she knew they were killing people, seeing it waspletely different from hearing about it.
''FUCK, why am I so worried by killing people yet here they are killing dozens of people.'' Shaman punched the wall, scaring the girl a little as she did not expect such strength from her.
"Next person I see down here is getting their head chopped off before they can even let out a sound." Shaman had a glint of killing intent in her eyes as all the trauma she developed crumbled as the cruelties of the world showed her how things worked. She was not going to feel sympathetic for those that target her life and the people around her.
The girl on the back was happy and scared, she was d that she was being saved by a kind soul but also scared as it seemed like Shaman was ruthless when it came to people in the underground base and hoped to never get on her bad side.
Shaman after her mental shock remembered what she was doing and forgot there was someone on her back.
"Oh sorry about that." Shaman scratched her head as she had a timid girl on her back and thought how terrified she would be of her now. Although it was quite the opposite as The girl started to admire her a little despite being a little of fear.
"Anyway, I don''t want to stay here any longer. Let''s get going." Shaman could feel the nod on her back and they left.
After traveling down the hall she could see a man who was dozing off by where she entered.
keeping true to her word she snuck up and instantly killed him without fear and did not tremble.. This time she did not get a level up as it seemed to only be a tier 1 cannon fodder.
Shaman spotted the lever used to open the staircase and pulled it. After the staircase went down she quickly flipped it and rushed up the stairs with them closing behind her. But upon getting up the stairs she is greeted by 2 men.
"Looks like we have a pest here and they seem to have taken our prisoner." The man spoke in a condescending tone as looking at the fox girl guessed she was weak.
"Well looks like we get to have 2 prisoners now and we may even be able to have a little fun with the other one." The man spoke and lust could be seen all over his face.
Shaman spat to the side in disgust and then a system message came up
[Kill the 2 guards or escape]
[Rewards]
+2 level ups
Intermediate essory box
''I wanted to kill them anyway but it looks like I got more of a reason.'' Shaman read the quest details and could not wait. After reading it she jumped up on the above walkway putting the girl down making sure she did not get in the crossfire and then jumped back down. Wolfy Also had jumped down and was ready to fight as well.
"Wolfy go for the kill." After saying this Shaman dashed forward to the man on the right. And when dashing to the man, something switched on in Shaman''s mind like a battle mode had activated and she could only guess that it was the previous owner''s body instincts.
''Huh seems like all that training I did not do, can still be taken advantage of and this proves that I have not only inherited memories but also experience.'' Aftering to a conclusion about why fighting came so naturally she focuses back on her target.
Shaman used Shadow w, but the man was able to dodge back and counter-attack. Shaman pulled out her katana blocking the attack that came from above. She gritted her teeth as the recoil from the block was painful for her arms.
"What the? Where did that sworde from." The man was confused as the sword appeared out of thin air as he could not see any spatial rings or any of the kind on her.
With a slight moment of confusion, she was able to slide her sword out breaking his guard and activated sh. She alsobined it with her wind causing 2 massive cuts on his stomach.
The man gritted his teeth as he did not expect her to pack so much punch. However, when the man looked up he saw her going for another attack. He quickly was able to block the attack but his sword broke as the attack was too strong to handle.
''Who is this girl and why is she so strong?''
Taking this opportunity she used Shadow bite, gouging out the man''s chest. the man then fell to the ground barely able to breathe, eventually bleeding out.
Wolfy however was struggling and was not able to get close no matter how much he tried.
"Come on little wolf is that all you got, I would just kill you but I would like to take you on as a pet."
The man dashed forward shing down at Wolfy. Quickly using shadow dash he also activates shadow cloak at the same time.
After appearing behind the man an attack was already on its way.
"Predictable." luckily Since Wolfy''s shadow cloak was activated he was able to dodge as the man could not urately hit him. While dodging he let out a shadow w hitting him in the leg.
The man winced in pain but pushed on as the cuts were no too deep.
However, all of a sudden a wind sh came out of nowhere killing the man.
"You dare try to hurt my son." Shaman yelled this as she was able to swiftly kill the other guy and came straight over to help and was praying Wolfy was okay.
After saving Wolfy she got the questplete for killing the men. She then jumped up to the above Walkways to get the girl back. When arriving back the girl suddenly spoke spoke which caught Shaman off guard.
"That was so cool!!." The girl said in a cheerful tone with her eyes shining.
Shaman''s face turned red as she was not expecting that sort of praise but was also happy she was not scared of her.
''At least she isn''t afraid.'' Feeling a weighte off her chest it seemed like her worries were not need.
"Thank you but we need to get out of here." Shaman not wanting to stay any longer picked the girl up in a princess carry and broke out through one of the windows. Wolfy had also jumped on the girl''s stomach before they moved iming a new spot.
"Mhm." The girl responded and also turned red as she has never been carried like this before and with a more clear head realised the kind of position she was in.
***
"HOW THE F*CK DID WE LET THE GIRL ESCAPE YOU USELESS PIECES OF TRASH." A noble-looking man was shouting at the guards who had found the bodies and the prisoner was gone.
''Great now we cannot perform the sacrifice.'' the nobleman rubbed his temples as he was now getting a headache.
"SEARCH THE CITY UP AND DOWN TILL YOU FOUND HER AND IF YOU COME BACK EMPTY-HANDED YOUR HEAD WILL BE USED TO FILL IN YOUR HANDS." The man shouted and everyone in the room quickly left.
***
Shaman arrived back at her apartment and the girl had actually fallen asleep on the way. Putting the girl on the bed to let her sleep, this was the sign her quest wasplete and a ding sound echoed in her head.
Shaman looked at what she received and her eyes widened.
Chapter 13 Elysia Dahlia
?[Rewards]
Grant System
intermediate weapon box
15 attribute points
+1 skill level up
Shaman stared at the rewards amazed by what the system is giving her. She taps on the Grant system to see what it exactly meant as surely it''s not the same one she has.
[Grant System]
[Can be given to allies which allows them to have an inventory and the ability to assign their stats, They can earn more features of the system if the bond between user and ally deepens and if the user allows it]
[They have to pledge loyalty to the user. If loyalty is broken the system will be removed and all items will be transferred to the user''s inventory and all stats will revert to before being granted the system (System grant won''t be given back if loyalty is broken)]
Shaman had to blink a few times as she could not believe what she was seeing. She also turned back to the fox girl who had a peaceful expression on her face.
''I think the system wants me to use it on her. Looks like I get to have a friend, let''s hope she can cook.'' Even though it didn''t cross her mind to befriend the girl, seeing that the system was suggesting to grant her a system didn''t mind at all.
''I wonder if she will be willing to take the system though.'' Shaman was worried that the girl may want to return home, so she felt like there was no point in trying.
''Anyway let''s use this weapon box, I want to save the essory box for the fox girl as a gift.'' Shaman opened up her inventory and deciding to give the girl a essory as a gift went ahead and used the weapon box for herself.
''I have gotten quite fond of the katana, I think I might just get it again.'' Without really looking, Shaman got a tier 2 katana from the box.
[Intermediate katana (tier 2)]
[Rarity: Rare]
Dexterity + 5
[Activate weapon to get a 5% in movement speed]
''Wow, I was not expecting to get anything that had a skill on it, it seems like the rarity is random and I got lucky.'' Shaman equipped the katana and kept the other one in her inventory as she intends to give it to the fox girl so she has a weapon as well.
''I have a shit ton of points, now let''s get spending.''
Unspent: 45
Vitality: 25 -> 30
Agility: 30 -> 40 + 5
Intelligence: 35 -> 45
Strength: 25 -> 35
Dexterity: 15 -> 25 +8
Defense: 20
[HP 300/300]
[MP 450/450]
''Now that is all set, let''s go for a bath'' Shaman made her way to the bathroom leaving the girl and Wolfy.
*
As Shaman was humming away in the bathtub, the girl woke up, shooting up from the bed in shock. Looking around, she found herself in a unfamiliar ce, but this time not chained up or confined anywhere.
"So it wasn''t a dream." The girl had a happy expression as tears again flowed out.
"Gosh, when did I be such a crybaby." The girl wiped away the tears and triedpose herself.
*Growwlll~* Feeling her stomach churn, she tried to see where the woman that saved her went, but then she heard someone in the bathroom.
''Seems like she went and had a bath, I''m sure she wouldn''t mind if I had some food, she did save me after all.'' Carefully getting out of bed, she made her way to the kitchen to get some food but when she opened the pantry all she was met with were canned noodles.
''Is this girl serious, does she only eat noodles?'' She was shocked at the number of noodles as it looked like they wouldst at least a few months.
''Is she nning to never leave her room for months or what?'' shaking her head, she grabs one anyway.
''looks like she doesn''t know how to cook, seems there is one thing I can do and that''s to cook for her.'' Smiling, she was d she possibly found a way to repay the girl and even though it may be just a personal cook as long as she can live nicely then it''s okay with her.
After eating and patting Wolfy for a while Shaman entered the room with only a towel on.
The girl quickly looked away as her face turned bright red.
"Oh you''re awake, sorry I did not expect you to be up, I''ll go get changed." Despite Shaman''s calm voice, her face was red, but she wanted to keep the cool image so she tried acting like it was no big deal.
After quickly getting changed and recovering from the embarrassment she sat next to the girl and introduced herself.
"Well let''s start, I''m Shaman Shiroi and as you may know I came to the underground facility to hope to at least save someone," Shaman spoke in a cheery tone trying not to ruin the mood.
"Well u-uh, I''m E-Elysia Dahlia and thank you for saving me." After saying her name she hugged Shaman as she was forever grateful to her.
"Hey it is alright, but first we need you some clothes and get you in the bath." Shaman said in a sarcastic tone as the state of Elysia was still rather messy.
"Oh yeah sorry" Elysia let go of Shaman and stood up.
"Here are some clothes." Shaman pulled a pair of White pyjamas out of her inventory.
"How do you do that without any magic?" Elysia asked in a curious tone as she could not see a speck of magic used.
"I''ll exin after you wash up and change, I also have more things to give as well." Shaman shooed her away into the bathroom.
"Also when you''re done you can just throw out your old clothes, I will go out now to buy you some more as I don''t think my clothes will really fit you besides that baggy top I just gave you." Shaman yelled through the door as she realised that Elysia had quite the chest and could not help but feel envious.
"Okay, if you can, are you able to get white clothes as they happen to be my favourite colour." Elysia shouted back a bit surprised by her offer, but happy nheless Shaman was going so far for her.
"Okay, I''ll be back in a moment." Shaman left the apartment locking the door behind her.
Although it was still dark shops were open 24/7 as people are always out and about in the central area and the city had a heavy focus on adventuring causing many people to stay upte.
Elysia continued to take a bath but she ended up also crying as not many people had cared for her except for her family and it finally sunk in.
''Mum, dad and brother, if you''re listening I think finally I will be able to live on with a happy life.'' Elysia looked at the ceiling with sad but happy eyes.
''Enough thinking, let''s rx.''
After sitting in the bath for 10 mins she could hear someone unlock the door and enter the building.
Elysia got a little vignt as she was aware that there may be still people after her.
"Shaman is that you?" Elysia called out with a worried tone.
"It''s okay it''s me Elysia, and I got you some clothes. I''ming in and leaving some underwear on the bathroom bench as well."
"Okay." Elysia let out a sigh of relief while Shaman entered the room. She quickly left the clothes and swiftly exited the room.
''heh, she was embarrassed.'' Elysia chuckled as she thought she was the only one who was affected but clearly that was not the case.
After washing up she got changed and luckily the top fit but it showed her curves.
"Ahhh~ I have not bathed that well since I was forced to run away from home." Elysia let out a satisfied moan then walked out of the bathroom.
Shaman was sitting on the bed casually and when Elysia walked in she looked over.
''Damn where did my curves go?'' Shaman internally clicked her tongue as she was jealous of Elysia''s proportions. It felt like she was still a young teenager while Elysia was a fully grown elegant woman.
"Ah you''re done, now what sort of jewellery do you want?" Shaman casually threw the question out as she needed to know for the box she got.
"Hmmm I''m a fan of rings, only simple ones, so no big shiny diamonds on them." Elysia without thinking too much about why Shaman asked gave her an honest answer.
Shaman then pulled out a small box and chose the ring option.
''Wait, is she going to propose to me.'' Elysia''s face instantly went red and she started to fidget while her thoughts went wild.
"Wait I''m not proposing I''m just grabbing something to give you." Shaman knew what Elysia was thinking and tried to exin while opening the box and pulling out the ring.
"The ring I''m giving you has special effects and will help you in battle." Shaman quickly exined as her face went red as well.
"O-Oh sorry." Elysia turned around and reluctantly took the ring and put it on, but then she suddenly felt lighter.
[Ring of lightness]
AGI + 5
STR + 3
Elysia''s eyes widened as Shaman was right and it felt amazing.
"Wow, this is amazing, thank you Shaman. Is there anything you want?" Elysia felt like there was going to be some sort of catch as the kindness Shaman gave was too much.
"You don''t need to give me anything, I just wanted to help you out and you could say I felt obliged since you are also a fox. Something in me just wants to help you." Shaman didn''t have a specific as to why she was giving Elysia so much, she just wanted to help the only person that she was able to save.
Elysia broke again and got teary-eyed as she looked at Shaman since it seemed like the great things wouldn''t stop.
"Oh don''t cry,e here I''ll give you a hug." Shaman felt bad and despite contrast in proportions, she still felt responsible in caring for Elysia and her well being.
Elysia hesitated for a moment, but knowing she was finally free couldn''t help but indulge herself, so she jumped into Shaman''s arms.
"Thank you *hic* so much, I am eternally *hic* grateful for you." Elysia cried her eyes out on Shaman''s shoulder.
"It''s okay, cry as much as you want." Shaman then patted Elysia till she fell asleep but then a system message popped up.
[Elysia is eligible to be granted a System will you give it to her]
[Yes/no]
"Yes." Shaman didn''t hesitate and quietly spoke while gesturing Wolfy to turn off the light.
The system went silent and was unsure if it worked but she would find out tomorrow as she still had many things to exin and give to her.
''I would have liked to have done it tonight but it seems like Elysia has been through too much and needs some rest and so do I.'' Since being already on the bed she pulled the covers over her and Elysia and they both fell asleep hugging each other.
Chapter 14 Ill Forever Be With You
?Morning came and 2 girls werefortably enjoying each other''s embrace with Wolfy chilling at the end of the bed.
Elysia was the first to wake up and when she opened her eyes was surprised to see Shaman''s face so close to hers.
''Wait, did we fall asleep together?'' Elysia started getting flustered as she could not believe she had shared the bed with someone else.
''I will say, it isfortable, maybe I should ask her if I can do it again.'' However Elysia''s thoughts wandered elsewhere since it was reallyfortable.
''WAIT no, that''s just wrong, how could I ask her to do that.'' Elysia squirmed a little causing Shaman to wake up.
"Huh? Elysia, you''re awake?" The half-asleep Shaman then wrapped her arms around Elysia''s head and pulled her into Shaman''s chest. Elysia started to freak out as she did not expect Shaman to be so bold but then she could hear Shaman had fallen asleep again.
''Phew she fell back asleep and now that I think about, maybe its not so weird to ask to sleep like this, we are both girls.'' Elysia thought maybe it wasn''t too bold of a request, but while thinking about slowly dozed off again, however before she could a loud knock echoed throughout the apartment.
Shaman and Elysia both sat up now fully awake worried that it maybe the people from the underground.
"I''ll get it, I have no idea who it could be and they may be for you so just stay in bed." Shaman got out of bed while equipping her sword and slowly approached the door.
Shaman opened the door to see a handsome young man with a friendly smile. Quickly putting away her sword, she rxed as the memories of the previous owner recognised the man as thendlord.
"You''re Shaman correct? I came here to collect your rent of 1 gold coin."
Shaman let out a huge inward sigh as she was terrified as it could have been someone after Elysia and she was unsure if any of the higher-ups of the facility would be out and about.
"Here you go" Shaman hands the man a cold coin and he leaves without saying a word. Shaman closed the door and walked back to Elysia.
"Don''t worry it was just the guy collecting rent for this month."
"That''s a relief." Elysia let out a sigh as her heart rate increased as she too was worried that it would be someone after her.
"We need to get stronger just in case if it is them. Anyway since you cried yourself to sleep I could not give the rest of the things I was going to give you." Shaman while she spoke pulled out her old tier 1 katana.
"Wait there was more?" Elysia had a confused look as she thought that she had already received enough from Shaman.
"There is and I have also granted you a very special gift during your sleep, so try saying status." Shaman spoke in a cheeky voice as she could not wait to see how Elysia was going to react.
"Uh okay... Status." As Elysia said status a system window popped up in front of Elysia which Shaman could also see.
Elysia on the other hand was speechless as she could not quiteprehend what was going on, she could see her HP, MP and these things called ''attributes''. She had noticed that she was level 7 but didn''t understand what that meant.
Shaman seeing the confused look began to exin.
"I have given you what I call the system, as far as I know, we are the only 2 people that have this. You will see that you have a level that indicates your power, sooo think of it as adder, the higher you go up the closer you are to the next tier. So to reach tier 2 you need to get to level 10 and then you can evolve."
Elysia nodded as she was starting to understand what the things on the system screen meant.
"You have your skills, which the system will activate for you when you think about using it so you don''t have to worry about ever practicing and you can use it at will. Also, your MP is your energy and some skills require it to be used but that''s mainly for magic."
Elysia was dumbstruck as the idea of just thinking about a skill and it is casts which seemed like any mages dream.
"Pick your jaw up there is more, now we have attributes. As you level up you will be granted points and you can assign them to any of the attributes." Shaman then went on to exin what each one meant and also showed her the inventory.
**
Elysiaid back down on the bed as her head had exploded from all the information.
"Also have this katana, this is the only other weapon I have till we get something that suits your tastes." Shaman tossed the sword in its sheath and itnded on Elysia''s stomach.
Elysia grabbed it and quickly opened up the system to equip it, she also stored it so it stayed hidden. Wolfy had also taken refuge on Elysia''sp, resting in between her thighs.
"The inventory is really convenient." Elysia tried wrapping her head around the inventory as now she never had to worry about carrying anything in bags anymore. Although limited it was more than enough to store everything that was in this apartment a few times.
"It sure is and it seems like Wolfy has taken a liking to you." Shaman had a smile as she was d that she had epted Elysia.
"Where did you pick up this little cutie?" Elysia asked as she was curious since it was rare to get beasts as pets.
"After killing a Wolf leader it dropped an egg."
"Wait an egg?" Elysia was now confused since wolves should not being out of eggs.
"I don''t know either, I was just as confused as you are." Shaman quickly responded back as she too was very confused about why a wolf hade out of the egg.
"I guess no use pondering on why, we will find out if there is anything special once he grows up." Elysia decided to just ept it as it was pointless to linger on the subject.
"Anyway let''s eat and then get you registered at the adventurer guild so we can start hunting some beast to get you to tier 2." Shaman proceeded to bring out 2 cans of instant noodles.
"Do you really only eat instant noodles?" Elysia red at Shaman as she could not believe that was all she ate.
Shaman started to sweat from the gaze and awkwardlyugh before responding.
"Uhhhh, I may or may not know how to cook." Shaman slowly handed over a can to Elysia and surprisingly she still epted it but the look she had said she wouldn''t stand for it any longer.
"We are going shopping after we return and I''m cooking you a decent meal, this cannot go on." Elysia said in a proud tone as her guess was right.
"Wait, you will?" Shaman was excited as she didn''t expect Elysia to cook at all.
"Yes I will and I''ll make sure you never have any instant food while in this house." Elysia continued to speak proudly as she also could not wait to start cooking as it was something she always did with her mother.
Shaman''s eyes brightened and she went in for a hug shoving her face into Elysia''s chest.
"I''ll be with you forever." Shaman spoke while snuggling into Elysia and entered a child-like state without realising it.
The sudden hug made Elysia''s entire face red and with Shaman also snuggling into her chest felt a weird sensation.
Shaman who just realized what she just said and was doing quickly backed off and walked over to crouch in the corner, covering her face with her hands.
"Sorry I didn''t mean to do that, but I did mean what I said." Shaman spoke quietly just enough for Elysia to hear.
"I-its okay but please warn me next, I don''t know if my heart can take it.... A-anyway, we should eat.'''' Elysia spoke and tried to move on so she could calm down.
"Y-yeah."
*
Both Shaman and Elysia sat next to each other eating instant noodles and after finishing, Shaman threw a suggestion.
"Why don''t we bathe together before we leave." Shaman didn''t think much of it at the time as she had done so with friends in her previous world.
"U-uu-umm I don''t know If I can handle being with someone else in the bath at the moment, my heart has already taken too many blows." Elysia''s heart started to beat heavily as she never had been this close with anyone else before. Although they hugged and slept together she had done that because of her emotions and was not thinking straight.
"Ah, it''s okay I just thought it would be quicker but I feel like if we did, it would take longer." Shaman did not realise what her words were suggesting. She thought it would take too long because she would be too busy admiring her body. But before Elysia could say anything, Shaman had already left for the Bathroom.
''My God, I swear I''m going to die of a heart attack. I also wonder why when I look at Shaman my heart starts to beat faster. I remember that my mother told me that if this happens, it is called love.'' Elysia didn''t have much interaction with anyone else other than her family and when she left home, it has all been but bad experiences with people. It seemed a bit immature for to call it love so quickly, but nobody has given her so much care until now.
''But isn''t it meant for men and women, not the same gender? I wonder if Shaman would be okay with it.'' Elysia thought that it was rather taboo to have a rtionship of the same gender since it didn''t seem natural. However, no matter how should thought about it didn''t like it only being between 2 genders.
''W-why does it matter, even if it is wrong as long as it''s okay with Shaman.'' Elysia''s face was heating up and she even started rolling around on the bed embarrassed.
Wolfy was confused by what she was doing, but he ignored and continued his nap hoping he wouldn''t be bumped into.
**
*Achoo* ''Jeez don''t tell me I''m getting sick now.''
Chapter 15 Elysias Talent
?After Shaman finished up in the bathroom she entered the bedroom to see Elysia rolling around on the bed.
"What are you doing?" Shaman had a smirk on her face as it was quite funny to see Elysia acting like she was.
Elysia shot up as she did not notice that Shaman was done.
"O-oh n-nothing just bored that''s all." Elysia stuttered as she still couldn''t stop thinking about how what she could possibly be feeling is love.
''Damn it, it feels so wrong to call it love, but I can''t help it.'' Elysia still questioned her feelings, but as time went on all she could do was think about Shaman and what she provided.
''Her face is so red, what the hell is she thinking about while I was gone, she better not have fallen in love or something, although if that was the case I guess it won''t hurt to try.'' Shaman took a wild guess and if it was right she didn''t mind going down that route since she is in a new world.
''I should try new things while I have a fresh start... Knowing old me I would of just stayed in my room like a hermit.'' She knew it wouldn''t be any better back home and figured she would try to reinvent herself a little and take advantage of the situation.
"Anyway I put some new clothes for you in the bathroom for you to wear and once you''re done we will head out." Shaman shook her head while telling Elysia the bathroom was ready as well as the clothes she brought herst night were in there.
*
When Elysia was done she walked out in her new clothes, Shaman was impressed with herself as the clothes she chose had fit her perfectly.
Elysia had white stockings with a ck skirt that went halfway down her thighs. She had a long-sleeved white shirt which made her ck hair and tail stand out which is what Shaman wanted. Elysia had instinctively done a twirl as she was quite fond of the skirt.
"I must say you''re looking pretty damn cute right now." Shaman nodded in approval but her honest words hit Elysia straight in the heart.
"T-th-thank you." Elysia blushed and pushed her fingers together as she was now nervous to go outside since she has never worn such nice clothes before and had little self-confidence, but her tail betrayed her attitude as it was wagging.
"Hey don''t be nervous, embrace it and you will feel much better." Shaman''s encouraging words gave Elysia the confidence and now felt ready to leave.
Seeing Elysia mentally prepared to leave, Shaman had a few concerns to talk about before going.
"Okay, so they probably have people around the city looking for you so we are going to run by the rooftop and use my shadow cloak to jump down just so we can avoid the streets." Shaman quickly exined to Elysia the n as they are aware that they probably want to kidnap Elysia again.
"So do you want me to carry you like a princess or just on my back?" Shaman put her hands on her hips while looking at Elysia.
"I''ll im the back." Elysia didn''t like the implications of the carry so she opted for a back ride.
Both Shaman and Elysia exited the apartment and Elysia jumped on Shaman''s back while Wolfy jumped on Shaman''s head.
Now that Shaman is carrying Elysia in a more casual setting she can feel the 2 at least d cup pillows on her back.
''Shaman, now is not the time to be thinking about that, I''m sure once I evolve I will get the perfect body I desire and it will be 10x better than Elysia''s.'' Shaman slightly pouted and Elysia who was looking over her shoulder noticed but could not guess why she was pouting.
''cute.'' Elysia spoke internally as it was really adorable to see Shaman pout.
"Alright, off we go." Shaman then proceeds to jump off the balcony and proceed to roof hop all the way to the guild house.
Elysia who already experienced it was now enjoying herself as the feeling of going through the air was a satisfying feeling.
They finally arrived at the guild house and Shaman did as they nned. Both of them entered and went up to the receptionist.
"I would like to sign my friend up to be an adventurer," Shaman spoke politely as it was the samedy that signed her up as well
"Sure thing." Thedy remembering who Shaman was didn''t bother to exin anything ,left and brought back the same magic device.
"Put your hand on it so we can verify that you''re eligible."
Elysia then put her hand on it and the woman analysed the crystal.
"Alright everything is all good and you have been registered as an F rank adventurer." Thedy bowed and both Shaman and Elysia walked off.
"Okay since we have the auction house here, why don''t we look at some weapons for you since I don''t think a sword fits you well." Shaman then led Elysia to the auction part of the building and handed her a tablet.
"Oh wow there are so many options, what is my budget?" Elysia asked as she was unsure how much money Shaman had.
"You can get at least a tier 2 but anything higher and we won''t be having any of your delicious home cooking." Although Shaman had plenty of gold coins, she would rather save it just in case of an emergency and since she was also now housing another person it would increase living expenses.
"Okay~!" Elysia had a cheery voice and she continued to browse.
Within the many choices for some reason, something was telling her to get the bow.
''I think I will go for this tier 2 basic bow.'' Elysia then went up to Shaman as she had now decided on what to get.
"Oh a bow, it will be handy to have a long-range attack, we would make a great team. I will also get you a dagger since you can never always be long-range in every fight." Shaman cursed herself as she could have taken the dagger from the assassin but she was too distraught from killing him and all she wanted to do was leave.
"Oh thank you." Elysia didn''t expect her to go the little extra for her, but nheless felt grateful and looked fondly at Shaman.
"Alright it has been ordered and someone shoulde to us to hand the items over." Shaman gave Elysia a smile causing Elysia''s heart to throb a little.
Shortly after, a woman came out with a box.
"Here are your weapons, a tier 2 Bow and a dagger, that will be 75 silver coins."
Shaman passed her the silver coins and got the box from her.
"Alright equip these and you can keep my old sword in your inventory as a backup weapon." Shaman opened up the box and passed over the weapons to Elysia.
Elysia had done what Shaman said and was all set to go.
"Alright I''m going to buy a map of some tier 2 beats as well as tier 3 and 4." Shaman quickly went to a shop within the guild house and purchased 2 maps.
Once Shaman was done they both headed out and traveled by roof till they got to the gate.
The guard stopped them but once checked they went through with ease. Unfortunately, Shaman and Elysia were being followed as one of the men had spotted them leaving the city and went after them. However, because he directed killing intent at them, Shaman was able to pick up on it and knew they were being followed.
Shaman ignored this as it seemed like he was going to follow them on his own so it would be easier to lead him in the forest than kill him here.
Shaman had grabbed a hold of Elysia''s hand and they started to walk over to the beast forest to test the capabilities of Elysia.
Elysia was shocked by the sudden hand grabbed but she still enjoyed holding hands with Shaman and couldn''t help but smile.
*
They finally arrived after 45 mins of walking and decided to see if Elysia could snipe some heads with her bow. Although Shaman was going to buy arrows for Elysia she insisted she didn''t and was okay. She did not disclose why but she thought it must be a skill that she saw on her status window.
"Alright, let''s see what you can do girl." Shaman cheered for Elysia hoping that the bow was the right choice.
To her surprise when Elysia pulled back the string, an arrow of fire appeared not burning the bow. After a few moments Elysia let go of the string and the fire arrow flew through the air almost like a bullet and incinerated the few wolves instantly.
Shaman paled a little as it was extremely strong and didn''t know if she could even block it.
"Whoops, maybe 50 mana for a single arrow is a little too much hehe~." Elysia scratched her head a little embarrassed that she overestimated the power of elemental magic.
Shaman could not help but facepalm at the ridiculous amount she used.
"Since when could you use the element of fire and did you have to use probably almost half of your mana points." Shaman''s eyebrows twitched a little.
"I don''t know when but I always have had an attachment to fire and find it captivating, I did not realise I could use it till you gave me the system and I did not use half I used a quarter." Elysia pouted a little at the end as she had a lot more than what Shaman estimated.
"Cute." Shaman spoke under her breath and Elysia barely heard it making her blush.
"Okay so since you probably had this natural talent for fire and understand it, your magic must have developed and with the help of the system you were finally able to harness it but for your MP ITS STILL OVERKILL!". Wolfy had fallen off as he was not ready for the sudden movement as Shaman shot up from the branch she was standing on.
Shaman caught Wolfy and put him back on her head. Although she was shouting it was not an angry shout and more like I can''t believe you have done this.
"Sorry, but I was unsure how powerful it would so I thought 50 would be a good gauge." Elysia swayed back and forth and so did her tail.
"It''s fine but like jeez no need to destroy them and their lineage but I can at least say if you did that against a tier 3 or 4 you would do a good amount of damage but then again you would be wasting MP in the long-term."
"Also since when did you get so good at using the bow?" Shaman was also confused as she was surprisingly urate.
"I''m not sure but when choosing a weapon it just felt right to use a bow almost like it was calling me and I also had this passive ability called Artemis call but I''m unsure what it is." Elysia exined and Shaman instantly knew why.
''What a way to be a discrete system using earth''s Greek mythology as a skill, no wonder she was good with a bow as she will literally be the goddess of hunting.'' after Shaman said that the System responded.
[This skill is unique to her and many others have simr calls but as for the name it was just an easy way for you to understand what it means and it makes it sound cooler]
Shaman had a nk expression from that response but it was also good to know that other people have simr calls.
''Looks like I picked up a real gem and it is giving me more reason to love her. She is just amazing.'' Shaman had a smirk on her face.
Elysia who had been silently standing there was confused as she saw a system message pop in front of Shaman and then her smiling. She could only assume she found out something about her skill.
"Well, Elysia it looks like you''re going to be the next best archer in the world since that call represents the goddess of archery." Shaman said archery instead as she did not want to go into detail about who Artemis was.
Elysia''s eyes widened as she believed it too since she experienced the natural feeling of the bow.
"Well, shall we get hunting?" Shaman had a massive smile as she was happy she was able to get a reliablepanion.
"YES!" Elysia cheered as she was excited to keep using her skills.
Although they were having a good moment the man from before had caught up to them and was preparing to catch them.
''They are only in a tier-one area so they must be weak, there should be no problem at all catching them.'' The man had a sinister simile as his great opportunity had arrived.
Chapter 16 Elysias Cold Heart
?Shaman felt the presence of the man, so she walked up to Elysia and whispered in her ear.
"We are being followed and it seems to be one person, when they jump out do you think you could kill him with your arrow." Elysia understood and nodded but also blushed a little from Shaman being so close.
Elysia''s blush helped as the man watching saw this and thought they were just flirting.
''tch, these damn girls, they won''t see the light of day once I''m done.'' The man gritted his teeth as he was a little jealous and even leaked a bit of killing intent.
The man had also jumped out to attack out of rage since he could not stand them.
Elysia saw the man jump out from some Bushes behind Shaman and was fast approaching. Elysia quickly pulled back the string only using 3MP for her arrow this time. She quickly aimed at the man who was now a few meters away, she let go of the string and it was almost point-nk which hit the man almost instantly lodging itself in his heart.
The man who now has an arrow in his chest fell to the ground and started screaming.
"IT BURNSSS, IT BURNSSS!!!!!" The man''s desperate cries could be heard as he was being cooked alive. After a minute the man had finally died as his heart had been burnt to a crisp.
Elysia had a cold re while looking at the man.
"Jeez Elysia, although you use fire you sure do have a cold heart." Shaman had a joking tone as Elysia did not hesitate to kill a man unlike she was initially when she first arrived to this world.
Elysia broke out of her re and returned back to her usual mood.
"Well, when you get put through mental torture for many days and have to barely live off crumbs for years you tend to not have much emotion for other people that treat you badly." Elysia blurted out a tiny bit of trauma she had experienced.
Shaman had a nk expression as she believed what Elysia had been through, although she was captured and did not seem like someone who would live in the slums, but from what she had said indicated that she had lived a very hard life beforehand.
A sudden burst of sadness could be felt within Shaman and all she wanted to do wasfort her.
Elysia cocked her head to the side looking at Shaman a little confused.
"Oh you poor girl, it''s okay I''ll make sure you don''t live a life like that ever again." Shaman then leapt at Elysia and hugged her as she felt really bad for her and for such a talent to be treated so badly, all she wanted to do was just protect her.
although in reality that won''t be the case and there was always going to be danger she wanted Elysia to have somefort in this world.
"Whenever you''re ready, I''ll listen to your story." Elysia who was blushing like mad could not believe her ears.
"y-yes I w-will." Elysia''s cold heart had melted and the walls she had put up to protect herself were now being crumbled even further by Shaman. After this, a System message popped up for both of them.
[Bond between user Shaman and Elysia has deepened, all quests will now show to Elysia and rewards will go to Elysia depending on contribution; some expectations apply to some rewards.]
"This is AMAZING." Shaman cried out and jumped off Elysia.
"We can now do the quest together and better yet we both get the rewards." Shaman was a little baffled by this causing Wolfy to fall off again but this time Shaman was not able to catch him.
Wolfy rolled a little before stopping and he justid there and epted his fate.
"uhh what are these quests you are talking about?" Elysia had an idea but was unsure what it meant.
"System gives me a quest to hunt a tier 4." Shaman yelled out and it had actually given her the quest.
[Quest: Hunt a tier 4 beast]
[Tier tier 2 leader beast killed 0/1]
[Rewards]
3 level ups
30 attribute points
Elysia''s eyes widened when the system popped up as now she understood what Shaman had meant.
"As you can see we can be granted a quest depending on the situation, it seems like they can be activated manually or automatically but once you are strong enough quest won''t appear for the same thing, also the rewards scale with how difficult it is." Shaman had exined what she knows as she is still unsure how it works but that was her best guess.
"I''ll let you kill it andplete it since this will instantly bring you up to level 10 and we can get you to evolve. Also, do you know why the beast tier seems so easy like as a tier 1 I killed a tier 3 with no problems?" Shaman had also asked Elysia why beasts were so weak as it seemed like the tier did not represent them well at all.
"Oh I know this one, it''s probably because there are 20 tiers when ites to beast tiers and the reason for that is to just separate the intelligent beast with unintelligent ones. So, for example, most wolves are tier one but the wolf leader will be tier 2 as it is more intelligent but it is still a tier 1 level." Elysia had learnt this from her father as he was an adventurer before he died.
"That makes sense but that is just stupid for having a system like that, couldn''t they just give them a different name like tier 1 leader so people know it is better than a normal tier 1." Shaman blurted out a retort as she did not understand why people were so stupid.
"I do think it is stupid but that is just how it is." Elysia also thought this as it was just confusing.
"System, can you change it so when I inspect a beast it just goes through 1 to 10 and if it fits the criteria of an intelligent beast just add a leader to the end." Shaman knew she had some control over the system as it names everything itself.
[Done]
"Thank you." Shaman sighed, relieved that now she can tell the difference between the 2 and won''t make her head spin, Elysia also got the same message.
"Wow you really can do what you want, do you have full control or something?" Elysia was now curious as it seemed like Shaman had a great influence on it.
"I really don''t, it just seems that anything mundane is done without issues but if I ask a tall order it goes silent or just says no." Shaman crossed her arms and sighed a little as she wished it was that easy.
"I guess that makes sense but we probably should get going, we don''t have all day."
Shaman nodded and they both went off to the forest, Shaman had also retrieved the fallen Wolfy, they also borrowed the man''s coins but did not take his weapon as it was only a tier 1.
*
Both Elysia and Shaman grinded a little bit with Shaman upgrading her Sword dash and sh to level 2, Wolfy also did some killing and was able to level up all his skills except shadow cloak and also got level 9. Elysia also managed to get to level 8 meaning only 2 more levels.
"We have made some progress but still no tier 2 leader yet." Shaman was a little bit disappointed as they were in the right area to encounter one but were unable to.
"Do we want to call it quits or continue a bit longer?" Elysia was also disappointed as she was saving her MP for a killing blow on a tier 2 leader so she was unable to kill many things and wished she had brought normal arrows.
"Hmm, I think we will go a little further since we are in no hurry." Shaman pulled out some food and water, they all ate and continued through the forest but the tier 2 leader they were looking for had been following them.
A ck panther was silently moving through the bushes and was now approaching the trio.
Shaman had noticed the movement as it finally got close enough for Shamans heightened sense of hearing to hear it approaching.
"ELYSIA, jump back and get ready." Shaman shouted as she was unsure what it could be.
Elysia had done what she said and readied her arrow. Wolfy had also joined Elysia and stood back
A massive ck panther jumped out from the darkness growling at Shaman.
''Fuck that''s a massive panther with some ripped muscles, did it take steroids or something.'' Shaman was a little surprised by how big it was as big as a car.
Since Shaman was not moving the ck panther took the initiative and leapt at Shaman.
Shaman had pulled out her sword blocking the w attack and getting pushed back.
''Damn this massive cat is strong.'' Shaman got a little worried as it was overpowering her, so she also decided to inspect it.
[ck panther (Tier 2 leader)]
[Its muscles act as armour and have very few weak points, only magic attacks are effective as physical attacks bounce off]
"Elysia when you get a chance use 75MP and aim for its eye until then I will try to keep it distracted and try to open it up." Elysia was a little panicked but she trusted Shaman and got ready to fire her shot.
Shaman was fighting off the panther blocking its attack, She had also tried to cut its wrist to disable its paw but it was just too quick for Shaman to reach. Shaman was on the defensive and was getting more enraged as it was unable to kill Shaman.
Elysia ended up jumping on one of the surrounding trees and was watching the fight. She had also moved around trying to get an angle.
''Please Shaman be okay.'' Elysia had a worried look as it looked like Shaman was struggling to fight the panther.
After 5 mins of fighting the panther started to get exhausted as it was using its full strength on Shaman and only thought the little fox girl was a little bug. Shaman noticed this and went to strike the panther in the stomach with shadow w, she decided to use Shadow w and used its own shadow against it so it could get that bit of extra power from the darkness. It managed to hit leaving deep cuts and the Panther fell over in pain.
Elysia, seeing this who was ready to fire let go of her string, the sheer amount of power of the arrow went through the air at great speed and instantly went through the panther''s eye and lodged itself in its head killing it in an instant. A fire had erupted from the wound melting its head.
Due to the excessive amount of MP used Elysia had passed out and fell off the tree. Shaman had expected this and rushed over and caught Elysia.
"You did a great job." Shaman had a smile as the questplete sound was heard and because she felt like it, she decided to give Elysia a kiss on her forehead.
''Since she was knocked out, nobody will know what I did.'' Although she thought Elysia was knocked out, she was barely holding consciousness and noticed what Shaman had done but because of Shaman''s kiss, she had passed out.
Chapter 17 A Goddess Has Descended (Elysia)
?[Questplete]
[rewards]
2 level ups -> Elysia
20 attribute points -> Elysia
[the remaining rewards will be given to Shaman]
After Elysia passed out Wolfy jumped on Elysia and imed her stomach as its bed for now.
Shaman collected the core and started making her way out of the forest, hoping that Elysia would wake up as she really wanted to try Elysia''s home cooking.
*
Elysia had finally woken and could see the city was in sight, with the sun falling behind the city indicating it was almost nighttime.
She had also realized that Shaman was carrying her and looked up to see her smiling.
"Oh good your awake, I was getting worried that I would not be able to taste your cooking." Shaman was showing a radiant smile causing Elysia to blush a little. Elysia had also remembered the events just before passing out causing her to blush more.
''Why does this girl always blush, I swear when I wake up I''m going to find a pile of love letters in our room.'' Shaman was now getting suspicious of Elysia''s feelings as at first she thought it was nothing special but it might be a lot more than she thought.
''Not much I can do but I should not be aggressive with her as she might get the wrong idea, maybe doing things that I did with my few friends in the past would give Elysia a heart attack.'' Shaman was now going to be cautious till she was sure about her feelings for Elysia.
"You can put me down now." Elysia spoke in a shy voice. Wolfy hearing this jumped off Elysia onto Shaman''s head.
"Oh sorry." Shaman put Elysia down and had taken Wolfy off Shaman''s head and started patting it in her arms.
"It really seems to like you." Shaman was amazed how Wolfy was unfazed and just let Elysia do what she wanted.
"Maybe because it came out of an egg it knows when something is going to hurt so it has no reason to object." Elysia made a reasonable guess as it only seemed to take action when threatened or if there was more than one person.
"You could be right, I even forget that he is on my head because he just sits there and I just got used to him being there not moving no matter how much I moved." Shaman had actually forgotten about Wolfy as his presence was non-existent since all he did was rest on her head or on the bed.
"Well, at least it understands to a degree and is capable of protecting us so I think it deserves the freedom it has." Elysia really liked Wolfy''s free spirit nature of just rxing all the time but was willing toy down its life for its master.
"I guess so, but before we arrive, what do you need to evolve?" Shaman had also remembered that Elysia had hit level 10. Elysia had opened her status window and clicked on evolve.
"It says I need 4 tier 2 crystals or just a tier 2 leader beast crystal." Upon saying this Shaman pulled out the tier 2 leader crystals and handed them to her.
"You killed it so it is yours and plus you need it to evolve but we will do that once we get home and eat." Shaman smiled at Elysia.
"Thank you." Elysia had put it in her inventory and had a happy expression.
*
They finally made it back to the city and they both made their way to the adventure guild to turn in their profits Elysia had also upped her adventure rank.
After getting some more money they headed to the food court for Elysia to pick out ingredients and utensils for Elysia to cook. Shaman had also given her a hood that she brought from the guild house to hide her tail and ears.
Before arriving Shaman had activated shadow cloak and quickly entered her apartment just in case they were being followed.
After arriving, Elysia got straight to cooking as she had a glowing expression on the way home.
Shaman had sat down on the bed and used her 20 points, 10 from the quest and the rest from the level up.
[Attributes]
Strength: 35 -> 40
Dexterity: 25 -> 35
Defense: 20 -> 25
''Good thing Elysia got most of it despite her just getting the kill but I guess I really only defended and got one attack in, maybe we should experiment how it workster.''
''I should also check on the memories to see if there''s anything useful.'' Shaman then went into her mind and into the separate space where the previous owner''s memories were.
''I will never get used to this feeling of being in my own head looking at memories.'' Shaman then floated through searching the memories.
This time she had a clearer picture of the training and could see that she was using a katana as well.
''I must have stupid luck or something for picking the same weapon but maybe our personalities were simr so that''s why I chose it although I didn''t really choose it and spoke out loud, maybe it was these memories that made me say it.'' Shaman was specting on who she was but other than that nothing of interest seemed to be found.
After having a little memory dive the smell of meat filled the room. Shaman instantly opened her eyes and could hear Elysia humming away as it seemed like the food was almost ready.
''It smells so good, maybe I should just marry her.'' Shaman blushed a little at the thought as she was very impulsive when it came to things that made her happy and maybe being cautious was an impossible task.
''wait no, I should not fall in love just because she can cook.'' Shaman shook her head as she was having thoughts she has never had before since her love life beforehand was non-existent despite being asked out many times and rejecting all of them.
after being stuck in a loop of rejecting the idea but also wanting that to be the case Elysia hade out with the food. Shaman had also brought a small table and put it on the floor. Elysia put the dishes on the table and sat down on the floor with Shaman.
Shaman gulped as it looked really delicious.
"This is my first time using such good tools so I hope it tastes alright." Elysia was a little nervous and had to make sure she put extra effort into this dish to appease Shaman.
Wolfy had also looked up as he was drooling a little, Elysia had gotten a small te for Wolfy as well and gave him a small portion of meat, Wolfy dived straight in.
"Alright no use staring, let''s eat." Shaman then picked up a knife and fork and got the first piece of meat. Elysia was sitting there in anticipation of how Shaman would react.
Shaman put the meat in her mouth and her eyes instantly shined. Shaman could not help herself and instantly started devouring the meat.
Elysia had a relieved expression and so she started eating herself.
Shaman had finished in 5 minutes and fell back andid on the floor.
"Oh a goddess has descended upon this world and now I just want to marry her." Shaman who was satisfied with the best food she has ever had blurted out that statement without thinking.
Elysia had almost choked at those words since all the fantasies she had been having might be a reality but she was aware that Shaman tended to say things without realizing what they implied so she calmed herself and finished eating.
Shaman had also just realized what she said and shot up with a blush.
"Sorry I kinda just blurted that out." Shaman did not want to deny it as she was now convinced about marrying her failing to not fall for Elysia''s cooking.
Elysia raised an eyebrow as she noticed the way she had phrased her words.
''Wait so she does want to marry me, what is with these sudden developments, we have only known each other for a day but yet we could be married in the next few days?'' Elysia had exploded a little and fell back.
''Shit she noticed.'' Shaman could instantly tell what she was thinking but if she said any more it could make it worse but she still decided to say something.
"I will think about it plus it is too soon and we are skipping too many steps." Shaman also wanted to sort things out with herself. The gang that was hunting her was also a problem so she wanted to stop them before considering it plus they haven''t even started dating so jumping to marriage was too much.
Elysia had shot up hearing this and nodded as she understood as things were happening too quickly and too soon.
"I''ll wait." Elysia responded with a low voice but she was so happy on the inside.
Now that they have finished dinner it was time for Elysia to evolve.
Elysia had sat in the middle of the floor naked so she did not ruin her clothes, Shaman had left to the bathroom to respect her privacy and to wash up, although Elysia was fine with seeing her but she understood why.
''alright let''s do this.'' Elysia had clicked yes and a ck egg formed around Elysia and she fell into a slumber.
Chapter 18 Hunting Down A Cult
?Shaman had exited the bathroom and saw that Elysia was in a pitch-ck egg.
''Seems like the colour rtes to our hair colour.'' Shaman then went to examine the egg. The egg was shiny and looked like you could squish the egg, Although tempting she refrained and distracted herself by ying around with Wolfy.
After ying with Wolfy, Shaman had decided to go to sleep as she felt the fatigue of today''s hunting and all the stress from Elysia had caught up and it was time to pass out.
*
During the night Elysia''s egg started to crack as it seemed like her evolution took less time than Shaman''s. After shaking a little while the egg finally broke.
A slender ck-furred fox girl came out of the egg on her knees. Elysia looked more mature and had grown a second tail, other than looking more in her 20s nothing changed much.
*yawn* "I''m hungry." Elysia cried out a little and ced her hand on the floor hitting an eggshell.
"Oh, food." Without thinking too much she had started eating her eggshell and was too hungry to see what she was eating. After finishing the egg she looked at the bed seeing Shaman sleeping.
"Let''s go back to sleep." Elysia then crawled her naked body over to the bed and snuggled next to Shaman and fell asleep.
*
Morning came and Shaman had woken up but was unable to move.
''Huh, why is my chest so heavy.'' Shaman then looked down to see a naked Elysia had crawled on top of her.
''Shit she must have finished during the night and crawled into bed.'' Shaman then proceeded to carefully lift Elysia and stealthily managed to escape the bed.
''I will give her an answer soon but seems like this attachment has developed even further, we really need to hunt down those people which I''m going to refer to as a cult since they nned to summon something.''
''Speaking of which, why have I not heard the news as it seemed like a big operation.'' Shaman pondered on this question and then a sudden realization urred.
''Don''t tell me my precious Elysia was the final ingredient and that''s why they are looking for her and still have not done the summoning.'' Shaman had a smile as she indirectly, without realizing it ruined their ns by saving Elysia.
''I still need to deal with them though as Elysia won''t be able to wander the streets freely with them around.'' Shaman had an annoyed look as she wanted to focus on getting stronger with Wolfy and Elysia and reach tier 3.
''I''m worried about the guy leading it as he could be a much higher tier than me and I do not know how well I will do against him/her and could be courting death.'' Shaman had a troubled expression but she could do nothing about it.
''Maybe if I take out all their small fry and weaken their forces maybe that will make them go quiet and give me enough time to strike back.'' Shaman had decided that she would instead kill all the tier 1 and 2 troops so that it would force them to hold back.
''It could also be good practice and if there is a huge amount of troops maybe I could scrounge up a few levels and get close to the next goal, level 25.'' Now knowing her n of action she went ahead and went to the bathroom.
*
Elysia had woken up finally and could hear the shower going.
''Oh did I finish evolving early but why am I naked, don''t tell me the answer already came? Wait no of course not but why am I here or did I just end up sleeping walking into her bed.'' Elysia was confused by her predicament but still got up and got in her pyjamas. She also took the initiative to cook breakfast before Shaman finished.
''I hope Shaman did not take it the wrong way.'' Elysia was worried since she did not mean to crawl into her bed as the events ofst night came to her but what could she do now.
Shaman had finished and could smell eggs upon leaving the bathroom. Shaman, knowing what Elysia was doing, sat down at the table and waited patiently.
Elysia had finished and hade out of the small kitchen.
Shaman who did not get a good look at Elysia in the morning could see her full beauty. She had a much finer body and a more mature look. Shaman was d that nothing else had changed as she was already jealous of Elysia''s figure.
Elysia had ced the food down and a small te for Wolfy and they all ate.
While eating Shaman spoke about her n about hunting the cult and thinning their numbers.
Elysia was all for this and was ready to start killing those bastards.
"So I was thinking we could use you as bait to lure them away and since we can hide our equipment it will be easy for us to surprise them as their guard should be down thinking we are weak." Shaman thought that the higher ups would not be out and would be letting the pawns do the searching so it would be easy to kill them without getting their attention.
"After we are finished we will report about the secret underground base so that they can be raided and it should let us have breathing time to get stronger and fight back whoever is running the show." Although Shaman knew it would be better to report it straight away, she now had a personal agenda against them and wants a little bit of revenge.
"I''m okay with that but how exactly are we going to lure them and where?" Elysia was unsure where the hell they were meant to kill them.
"We will go to the slums and since that ce is neglected it won''t be an issue killing a bunch of them." Elysia nodded and after they finished they both got ready to head out.
*
They made their way to the slums and purposefully walked in the street in an attempt to attract people and it worked like a charm as a group had started pursuing.
Both Elysia and Shaman''s fox hearing were able to hear that a group had formed of about 5 people. They headed into a dark alleyway and acted in distress to fool the men.
"Looks like we finally found the fox girl and it seems like we get a little extra as well." A man had spoken and the other 4 hadughed as they could see they had a worried look.
"Let''s go boys, our boss is mad enough we haven''t found anything yet." When that happened the man started rushing at them but in the instant, a fire arrow and a wind sh came out of nowhere killing 2 of them instantly.
"what how, they had no weapons and since when could they use elemental magic." The men were now sweating bullets and had fallen over from the sudden attack.
Without letting them speak another word they had killed the remaining men.
Shaman had also noticed she got more EXP from killing humans than beasts and thought that getting level 25 may be in reach.
Both Elysia and Shaman had repeated the process and ended up killing up to 100 people, Shaman reached level 19 and upgraded her windsh to level 3 making it more cost-effective, she also allocated her attribute points. Elysia got to level 14 and managed to upgrade her fire arrow skill.
[Attributes - Shaman]
Vitality: 30 -> 35
Agility: 40 -> 55
Intelligence: 45 -> 55
Strength: 40 -> 50
Dexterity: 35 -> 40
Defense: 25 -> 30
The feeling of levelling up was also addicting as she could feel the changes and Elysia also experienced the same sensation. After organizing their things they moved on.
"Wish we could do this instead since it seems more efficient than killing a beast but I think we ran out of men to kill." Shaman although enjoyed getting revenged started to get a little bitter since killing over and over again still hurt her mentality. Elysia was unaffected and also had this cold look whenever she was killing, aplete 180 from the usual Elysia but her bubbly personality when they were together and not killing had brought her some peace.
"It does feel nice getting my revenge for all the shit they did to me but I will say we are getting less and less, so it would be ideal if we left now and report the hidden base." Shaman nodded at Elysia as they both agreed they should leave before they notice most of their men are dead.
Since Shaman was unaware of thew system Elysia had to lead the way as she knew what they looked like and where to go. Elysia had once tried going to them for help but since she was poor and from the slums, they kicked her away, although she does not like them they were still better than nothing.
They arrived and made up a fake story about how they saw a few men carrying a woman in a factory and then a secret passage had opened up in the back corner taking the woman away. It was surprising enough for them to make a move as they had been searching into the missing case for a while now and it started to escte.
They were given 10 gold coins for the information and were shooed away.
They started walking home chatting.
"Well looks like our job is done at least for now we can walk around the streets without being kidnapped." Shaman had a smile as now they could actually go out and be friends.
"Finally we can go on a date." Elysia had identally spoken out loud causing Shaman to blush.
"I was going to suggest that but in a less bold way." Shaman was also nning to take Elysia out but someone beat her to it.
Elysia turned away as she just embarrassed herself once again.
"Hey don''t be shy now you were the one that said it." Shaman then teased Elysia as it was a great opportunity to annoy her.
"T-that doesn''t matter, I know I said I will wait but I just can''t help but try to push it." Since they were in an alleyway and were about to arrive at their house they were not worried about where they were but then a crushing presence could be felt.
Shaman and Elysia snapped out of it as they could tell it was someone much stronger than they were.
Shaman, Wolfy and Elysia all got ready to fight and Shaman had used her inspect skill on the figure
[???]
[gender: female]
[Tier 4]
[Element: ???]
After reading this Shaman could not help but sweat and then a system notification was heard.
Chapter 19 Blade Of Flamescion
?[Quest: Run or kill]
[kill thedy in front of you by any means necessary or escape safely]
[No rewards for escaping]
[Rewards for killing]
attribute points x50
Skill select x2
level ups +12
Tier 3 weapon box x2
Tier 3 essory box x2
Tier 3 clothes/armour box x2
*
Both Elysia and Shaman saw it pop up but instead of greed, they felt fear.
''She must be strong but I don''t think we can win, how can we go against someone 2 tiers above ours.'' Both Shaman and Elysia were thinking the same thing.
"Elysia, do not engage close range and keep your distance, I will take close range and if things get bad, escape with Wolfy and don''t worry about me I have a way to get out of here." Shaman had whispered to Elysia but she lied to her. She had no way to get out but she did not want to let Elysia get hurt.
Elysia had nodded and agreed but she was not sure if she could leave Shaman when push came to shove, She considered using all her mana at once but that could kill her.
They both stood ready and the women spoke.
"You 2 girls areing with me dead or alive, you have caused too many problems and need to be dealt with." The woman spoke in a dominating voice causing both Elysia and Shaman to tremble slightly.
Wolfy understood the women''s strength and had stayed by Elysia''s side knowing that she was the weakest when it came to closebat.
"Now either be good girls and surrender or we are going to have to get bloody." The women spoke again but Shaman and Elysia did not realize that she needed them alive but she would still paralyze them for life if she had to as they were needed to be used for the sacrifice.
Shaman was trying to rack her brains on what to do as she had no idea how to approach this as she would clear out ss them in everything stats wise.
Then an Idea struck as shepletely forgot about one thing, She can learn skills and harness the elements instantly due to the system.
''How could I forget, if I could harness the element of fire I could use my wind to amplify the fire. If I could iste the oxygen and push it to the fire I could create an explosive fire sword or something.'' Shaman was thinking about how tobine the elements as it could provide that extra power needed.
"Elysia put up a firewall in front of me and handed me a fire arrow." Shaman had used inspect on Elysia and could see all her stats and skills and knew she still had 2 other fire skills.
Elysia did what she asked and conjured a fire arrow and passed it to her.
''What is she going to do? I know she has crazy ideas but what could she possibly be able to do?'' Elysia was confused but knew that maybe something could work.
The Women could see that they were not moving so she stood there as any attempts would be futile and so she decided to y around a little.
Shaman then began doing the same thing when she first got the wind element. She pulled in all the red particles and due to Elysia''s arrow it was easier to do so. Once she had pulled it together the fire arrow dissolved and turned into a fireball in her hand, the slight burns on her hand had healed and now she was able to conjure up mes.
[New element learnt: Fire]
[currently at the max amount of elements learnt till next tier]
[due to learning fire through Elysia''s mana 30 attribute points have been awarded]
Shaman had put them all into her INT stat.
INT 55 -> 85
[MP 850/850]
Elysia had also seen messages pop in front of Shaman and she could only think of one thing.
''Did she just learn how to use fire.'' Elysia was in awe but then the firewall had dispersed. Shaman quickly got rid of the me.
The woman had a grin as she was wondering what they were doing as she could only sense that they were behind it.
Shaman then drew her sword and was ready to fight, Elysia had also drawn her bow.
"It looks like the hard way." The woman smiled sadistically at the 2 as she could not wait to see the terror in their eyes.
Shaman had leaped forward to attack and surprised the women as she moved a lot faster than a normal tier 2. Shaman''s Katana shed with the women''s sword.
"I should introduce myself, I am Raven." as saying this she hadunched Shaman back but in return, a fire arrow was shot. The raven had blocked it with her hand causing a small burn on her hand.
"tch, that hurt." Raven spoke under her breath as she was annoyed that she had got hurt by a mere tier 2. Elysia''s arrow was able to damage her as she was using 20 MP per shot but was still ineffective as she could not rain down arrows.
Shaman had activated the shadow cloak and it levelled up to level 2 causing it to be more effective.
Shaman had got behind her and used a sh with her wind but Raven''s reflexes were far superior but Shaman was strong enough to cause a slight cut on her arm due to the windbined with the sh.
"BITCH! you dare hurt me you filthy animal." Raven was now getting angrier as the 2 Foxes had actually done some damage, although small it was enough to annoy her.
''looks like I am going to have to try my fire sword idea.'' Shaman could see that Raven was going to seriously kill them at this rate so she stood back and started to prepare.
Elysia had also shot a few more arrows as she could see whatever Shaman had nned was going to be used.
Shaman then began to concentrate on the fire and coated her sword in fire creating a zing sword, She had also created a new skill.
[zing sword lvl 1]
[-5 MP every 3 seconds]
[Coats a sword in intense mes]
Raven who watched this was shocked that using 2 elements took a long time to master and so only a few people can have multiple elements and those people were all tier 6 and above.
Raven''s confusion paired along with Elysia''s assault helped Shaman prepare as she did not stop there, due to her knowledge from her previous world she had a more fundamental standing on how the elements worked.
She concentrated her wind to only pull in the oxygen, seeing that she was able to sessfully do this she injected it into the ming sword causing it to re up even more, raising the temperature. Shamans hair even started to turn orange as the intensity of the element had an effect on her appearance. A new skill was created in the process
[de of mescion lvl 1]
[Tier 5 spell]
[Combining the elements wind with burning de creates a sword with explosives power]
[-750 MP (reduced due to users tier)]
When the skill activated the mes had turned a bright blue emanating more heat causing the surroundings to burn and melt.
Raven saw the de but due to the intensity of the fire, she could not get close to Shaman so she decided to aim for Elysia instead and dashed toward her.
"Oh no, you don''t." Shaman had activated sword dash shing down at Raven before she could get close to Elysia.
Raven had tried to block but the de had melted upon touch and the massive fire de hade crashing down on her.
As soon as the de made contact Raven''s entire bodybusts into mes as she was now sliced in half by Shaman. Due to how hot the mes were in just a few seconds any traces of Raven were gone as she had turned into a pile of ash.
Due to excessive concentration and mana usage Shaman had instantly passed out on the floor as her body had not adjusted and the skill was too high in demand for her to use and had even reduced its effectiveness due to her creating such a powerful spell but it was enough to deal with Raven.
Elysia saw this and quickly rushed over and picked Shaman and her sword up. Seeing that the alleyway was charred and things were melting she was d that she had stood away. Wolfy had jumped on Elysia''s head and was keeping a lookout.
''We need to get home right now.'' Elysia rushed out of the alleyway and dashed back home.
***
A huge mana surge did not go unnoticed as guards arrived at the scene.
All they saw was a wide alley that had ck charred walls, some of the walls and floor had melted and were still steaming from the immense heat. There was a pile of ash in the middle.
''What the hell happened here?'' The guards were baffled as all the buildings had basic reinforcement formations to protect against magic but for it to damage buildings meant it was a tier 5 attack.
After examining it they could not find any traces and all they could do was clean up the scene.
Chapter 20 Consequences Of Using Too Much Mana
?Elysia had arrived back at their apartment in a hurry as she was panicking. The amount of MP used was more than Shaman could handle and the bacsh would be immense. She did not go to any medical ward because that was asking to get caught as she was sure guards would arrive and if a patient with fried mana circuits came in she would be a prime suspect.
''I need to get some healing items, I''m d that the system allowed us to have a shared ount for our finances since for some reason the system saw our bond deepened again and it allowed us to share our money.'' Elysia had put Shaman on her bed and could see her orange hair slowly turning back white but her face was full of pain.
A system notification went off.
[Quest: Repair Shaman''s mana circuits]
[Either buy the flower of extreme fire or go to the tallest peak in the beast forest to pluck the flower from the nest of Azar]
[Rewards]
Shamans'' evesting gratitude ;)
Elysia was happy to see the quest but could not help but think that the system is ying with her.
''A great reward that I would die for but do I really need to go into the territory of a tier 7 leader firebird, that''s just suicided.'' Elysia shivered a little since the thought of fighting a tier 7 leader was just a dream.
''Also System did you have to wink at.'' Elysia did not actually know the system could talk and was surprised when it responded.
[Just trying to help achieve your goal hehe~]
Although there was no voice she could hear a cheeky brat behind those words.
''Anyway I need to get a move on, I should get some medicine to relieve some pain.'' Elysia first went to go buy medicine that could relieve the pain so she could have some peace of mind.
Elysia rushed to the auction house with Wolfy as it would be more logical to find mana circuit medicine at the adventurer guild since they use mana.
After arriving she quickly ordered any medicine that could relieve the pain, she had also ordered a few hundred arrows as she nned on going out to level up and get the funds to pay for the flower so Elysia had a look to see what it would cost for the flower.
Elysia''s brain fried a little as although she expected it, seeing the number made her want to throw up.
[Flower of extreme fire]
[Price: 500 gold coins]
''That''s so many hours of hunting, I have no idea how long Shaman canst, I am almost tempted to just sneak into the nest and do a hit and run.'' Then Elysia stopped for a moment.
''Doesn''t Wolfy have a shadow cloak, maybe we can get into the nest and just be able to leave without being hunted by the Azar?'' Elysia thought she had a great idea but forgot the skill is too low level so no matter if cloaked or not it would be ineffective.
''Looks like I''m risking my life for her, I better also get my level up and do some hunting while I am out and I should also get Wolfy to level up.''
Elysia had received the medicine and rushed back home.
She could see that Shaman was still in pain due to her expression and her hair hadpletely turned back to white.
Elysia quickly applied the medicine and could already see that she looked better and was not in pain.
''Ok, I need to get a move on and get this flower.'' Elysia had also tried feeding Shaman some small food and water and was able to get her to eat a little.
Elysia got ready and prepared for a few nights of food as she nned to stay in the forest during the night and onlye back to apply for more medicine and feed Shaman.
"Okay I should be no longer than 2 or 3 days and I should have the flower, if not I hope I can get enough gold before it is toote." Elysia had spoken to Shaman hoping she could hear her. She also noticed after killing the tier 4 she had gained 2 levels and 10 attribute points from the quest but since she did hurt Raven she had also gained another 3 level ups from just EXP. She put most of her points into INT as she was going to need to use more powerful shots as she ns to hunt tier 2 leaders within the forest while travelling to the mountain that''s in the middle of the forest.
''I wish I got more but all I did was shoot a few arrows and distract her so you could say my contribution was 10% or even less.'' Although a little disappointed in herself she was now using this opportunity to pay back her debt to Shaman.
''Now that she is unconscious, maybe I can get my revenge.'' Elysia had a grin as she remembered what Shaman had done to her when she passed out.
Elysia went to Shaman''s face and gave her a kiss on her forehead.
"There now we are even, Wolfy let''s go." Wolfy had jumped on Elysia and they both headed out to the forest.
***
"WHAT!! Raven has been killed and they raided our underground facility." A handsome nobleman in his study was yelling at what looked like a butler.
"Yes we just received a report that over 100 of our men and Raven have been murdered, we do not know who but all we know is that Raven was burnt to ashes in an ally way." The man was sweating bullets as the nobleman was ready to strike anyone and he did not want to be on the receiving end.
"How can a mere city that only has tier 1, 2 and maybe a tier 3 kill a tier 4, it was the whole reason we came here because most people are weak."
"It was also reported that tier 5 mana waves were detected in the ally way."
"A TIER 5! What are they doing here and why are they meddling with our business." The nobleman was furious as his entire face was red and veins could be seen all over his face.
"Call off the sacrifice and report this to the higher-ups we need to deal with this tier 5 before we can proceed and DO IT NOW!!" The man sat down and was rubbing his temples as the butler exited in a hurry.
"I swear I will murder whoever did this myself."
***
Shaman who wasying in bed was stuck in her own head.
''What''s going on.'' Shaman was in a daze as she was floating in a sort space-like dimension.
''I create a new skill, use all my mana and wake up here, don''t tell me I died and going through reincarnation again.'' Shaman could not understand what was going on and couldn''te up with a conclusion as this went against what her ideas of reincarnation could be.
A System message rang out.
[You are in your own head, currently sleeping physically]
''Oh looks like I am alive but not in a good state, Hey system, can you tell what''s going on.''
[currently, Elysia and Wolfy are heading to the forest to retrieve a flower of extreme fire that is located in the nest of a tier 7 leader Azar]
''WHAT! that''s suicide.'' Shaman started to panic as they were walking into a death trap.
''I did not want her to risk her life for me and yet she went ahead doing that.'' Shaman had started to cry at Elysia''s actions since they were not needed.
''Oh that stupid idiot, she is giving me reasons to fall for her and I might actually have fallen in love, even if she does not get the flower the thought alone and attempting was enough.'' Shaman had now realized her feelings as the lengths Elysia is going for had really touched Shaman and she was willing to make that rtionship a reality.
Wiping away her tears she continued to ask the system what happened to her.
[Due to creating a tier 5 skill your body could not handle it the so the system reduced it but in the end, you used all your mana at once causing your mana circuits to be fried but not permanently and that is why Elysia had set out to get the item to heal your circuits]
''can''t my passive regeneration heal it.''
[If you are willing to wait 6 months then go ahead]
''okay never mind.'' Shaman was happy to hear that she would be able to recover no matter what but still being out of action is going to suck.
''I guess all I can do is wait, hey system can I ess my stats and allocate my points I got from killing the tier 4.'' Shaman wanted to at least do something and since the system worked she also wanted to browse the skill menu and get some new skills as well as use her attribute points.
[You can browse the skill menu and use your 2 skill selects but if you allocate your attribute points it will only cause more harm than good may be killing you instantly]
Shaman shuttered a little and it made sense as when using her attribute points she could feel changes in her body so she did not dare to attempt to use her points.
so instead she began browsing for a new skill.
Chapter 21 New Skills And Elysias Struggle
?A huge list of skills had appeared in front of Shaman.
''This is going to take a while, at least I have some time to pass while I wait for Elysia.''
Shaman then proceeds to go through the list of skills.
***
Elysia and Wolfy were currently in the beast forest making their way to the mountain.
''I have been at it for a few hours and killed every tier 2 Ie across and I have only reached level 21.'' Although killing over a few hundred tiers 2 beasts the EXP she is receiving is getting less and less.
''I need to hunt some tier 3 beast but I want to do it with Shaman as if we encounter a leader I would not know how to deal with it.'' Elysia, despite having a lot of power, is ultimately weak when ites to prolonged engagements, so she relied on Shaman to make up for this weakness.
''At least I have Wolfy but he is more of an assassin than a frontal assault which is not ideal.'' Wolfy had also levelled up to 17 but since he is tier 4 he requires level 100 before reaching tier 5. But during those levels up he was able to up all his skills to level 4.
Elysia''s fire arrows had also risen to level 4 and her firewall to level 2. She wanted to use her other skill, the fire coat but she had not had the opportunity to. She also tried creating her own skills but came to no sess.
''I wish I could create another skill but I just cannot rack my brain on what could be useful for a bow user like me.'' Throughout her day she was able to summon fire and move it around but she was unsure how she could apply it.
''Could I increase the speed of my arrows with a whirlwind?'' Upon saying the word whirlwind another idea came to mind.
''Why don''t I create a new type of arrow and when it hits something it bursts into a short tornado burning things around it.'' Elysia was proud of herself as it sounded like a really cool idea to create fire tornado arrows.
Elysia went to work on trying to create a new type of fire arrow. She was able to create a whirlwind effect around the arrow but would not follow the arrow and would just disperse
''Hmm, how am I going to create a tornado?'' Elysia reconsidered her idea as trying to do it in practice just did not seem possible.
"Hey system, will my idea work?" Elysia spoke to the system trying to see if her idea is usible.
[I don''t know]
Elysia''s mouth twitched as all she could see was a brat writing those messages to her.
''I need to ask Shaman if her system is like this and not just some yful brat.'' Elysia was also curious about Shaman''s system as it seems like they have a personality and wanted to know if hers was simr.
''Oh well let''s get back to practice.'' Elysia got back to practising and after 50 shots or so some progress was made.
''Seems like changing it so it shoots out fire shes is more usible.'' Elysia had tried a few other ideas but the most sessful one was when she focused on a certain point on the arrow she could release it like an impact grenade and cause a small burst of fire.
''Now I just need to make it shoot a fire sh of some sorts.'' Elysia had tried to condense fire shes into a small ball until it was about to burst. She had used a more powerful arrow this time just to see if that was also a factor.
Elysia pulled back her bow making sure that she did not lose control over the small ball, Elysia let go of the string and the arrow shot fast and about 30 meters ahead. When the arrownded a burst of fire exploded out causing cuts and burns in the surrounding.
A system notification rang out.
[de Burst Arrow]
[Shoot an arrow that will release des upon impact, des can be guided]
[Cost: -25mp can increase depending on the power of the shot and how many des the user wants to use in the st]
[limit: 6 des]
"I DID IT!!" Elysia cried in a cheerful voice as she was able to create her first skill.
[Due to the user creating a new skill that no one has created without guidance 20 points have been added to INT]
''Wait nobody has ever used this skill, also my INT stat is over 100 now which is just perfect.'' Elysia had focused on INT as she heavily relied on it to fight so she allocated most of her points towards it.
''I can''t wait to tell Shaman that I created a unique skill, I''m sure she will just have to fall for me if she hears of my brilliance.'' Although Shaman has already fallen, Elysia still did not give up on getting more reasons for Shaman to love her.
''Alright, let''s see if I can create another skill.'' Elysia went back to trying but then she noticed that what she was doing was way tooplicated and thought to think simple.
''Why don''t I just use pre-existing skills and not try to reinvent archery.'' Elysia was a little annoyed with herself as she had put hours into thinking when she could have just done the basics. Elysia who hade to this realization, facepalmed.
''Why am I trying to invent something new, why don''t I just get the system to recognize multi-shot or quick-fire like why am I trying to think outside the box'' Elysia then proceeds to create a few basic skills for archery.
[Multi shot]
[Quick shot]
[Power shot]
After creating a few simple skills she had broadened her archery a little and could be more versatile.
"Alright Wolfy, ready to set out, I just got some skills and really want to try them out." Wolfy, who barely understood, jumped on her head. Wolfy had also grown from his mug size to a small pup and was now sprawled over Elysia''s head.
"You can''t always use our head especially if you get any bigger." Elysia realized his growth and knew that his favourite spot would soon be lost. Wolfy did not bat an eye and continued toy there.
''jeez thatzy Wolf, if you were not special I would have left you home to stay as a pet.'' Elysia shook her head a little as Wolfy was acting like azy teen.
''Anyway let''s go try out these new skills'' Elysia had finally set out to continue her journey to the mountain.
***
''I have no fucking clue what to choose'' Shaman was stuck on choosing a skill to learn as there were just to many options. Although a lot of them were locked due to her not being a high enough tier to use them there were still thousands of tier 1 to 3 skills.
''I have a few ideas but I just can''t choose.'' Shaman was rubbing her head out of frustration.
''Although they have given me ideas on how to create some new wind and fire skills I need to choose something that is not learnable.'' Shaman had also realized that the list included skills that could just be learnt.
''System can you add filters to this list.'' Shaman wanted to make it easier for her to decide by filtering down the list.
[You already could]
''YOU BASTARD! why did you not tell me'' Shaman was a little angry but more disappointed in herself for not trying.
[You never asked]
''GRRRR!'' Shaman growled in anger at the system as its responses sounded as if someone what pretending to be an airhead and was ying dumb all the time.
''I wonder if Elysia also has a personality to her system, I should ask to see if she has a monotone sounding airhead of a system.'' Shaman then proceeds to try to filter the list.
After thinking about it, it just filtered for her.
''Well, that saves some time than clicking. Maybe I can think of skill and it wille up.'' Shaman then went to think of a skill she most likely would need that could not be taught or required a special ss.
[Heal]
[Heal anyone or yourself from any injuries, can restore limbs if attached]
[can regrow limbs but cost more MP than user posses so the feature is locked]
[Cost: varies depending on the injury for example a small cut cost 5 MP but a deep stab wound would cost 75MP]
[Skill will improve overtime as well as the capacity to heal different sorts of wounds]
''I like this although the restrictions are quite heavy it does not have a level meaning it will get better as I level up.'' Shaman then epted this as her first skill.
''Alright now that I have that I want a defensive skill since I reallyck in that department.'' Shaman then thought of a ridiculous skill.
[Iron skin]
[Your body is like iron when activated any attacks will be bounced off]
[Cost: -40 MP a second]
''Jeez, a steep price but I''m more surprised that a skill like this exists and I am able to use it but I am going to assume it corrtes to my level so anyone on the same tier won''t be able to hurt me but If I fought another tier 4 they would still cut me like butter.'' Shaman''s assumption was correct.
''Alright, I guess we''ll take it'' Shaman confirmed and she had received the skill.
***
Meanwhile, Elysia was causing a small forest fire.
Chapter 22 Not That Scary
?Elysia was creating havoc as she was having a little too much fun with her new skill.
"HAHAHA, this is so much fun, I never knew when you get such good skills killing monsters bes fun and not stressful." Elysia was rushing through the forest killing groups of giant insects and various normal-looking beasts with her new de burst arrow.
"Although I am wasting a little bit too much MP, it is just too much fun to stop." Elysia had increased her rate of killing even getting a couple of tier 3s in the mix. Because of the increased hunting and small forest fire she was creating she was able to get a lot of beast crystals and some level-ups.
''Sweet I''m level 24 and my de arrow is level 2 and if I''m not mistaken Wolfy has levelled up quite a bit since he has grown even bigger now.'' Wolfy had hit level 19 and was now the size of a small dog.
"What did I say, Wolfy, you are too big to sit on my head" Wolfy looked sad as his favourite spot was now too small for him and he had to walk now.
"heh" Elysia found it amusing seeing Wolfy a little depressed as it was like a teen had ruined something they enjoyed but they can''t me anyone but themselves.
*
Elysia continued her journey and was now at the foot of the mountain, to her surprise there were no beasts but she assumed that because of the Azar presence which she could feel.
''it''s not imposing but it is certainly a warning to anyone thates near here.'' Elysia continued to climb to the top as there was a trail of sorts going up.
''Once we get near the top I need Wolfy to cloak me and him and I just need to shove the flower in my inventory and run.'' Elysia was betting that Wolfy''s shadow cloak would be enough and since she is just a low tier it would ignore her and allow her to safely leave.
Elysia was getting close to the top and could see a cave entrance.
''That must be it let''s get a little closer'' Elysia approached the cave and looked inside.
When she turned the corner she was met face to face with a massive bird who was also looking at her if he was sneaking as well.
"AHHHH" Elysia fell back as she was almost scared to death.
"KI KI KI, little girl what are you doing here?" The birdughed and actually spoke.
"Wait, you can speak." Elysia had not heard of a beast talking before.
"Well of course I can speak to you, any beast that is a tier 7 leader." The bird answered her question as she was only a tier 2 and was not aware of such things.
"Oh okay." Elysia sort of understood as such strong beasts would have that sort of intelligence.
"Now tell me why have youe here and it is clearly not to defeat me."
"Well, I came here for the flower of extreme fire." When she mentioned the flower the bird released a little bit of its pressure forcing Elysia to go on her knees.
"Tell me a good reason why I should give you that flower." The bird red at Elysia as the flower was an important part of its nest.
"It''s for my friend, she fried her mana circuits saving my life and I hade here to get one to treat her wounds," Elysia tried her best to exin the story, She even went into detail about how she was saved by Shaman and had felt an eternal debt to her.
after exining her story Azar had pondered for a moment.
"KI KI KI, I like your character and your friend, so I will give you one flower as you wanted." The Azar suppressed his aura and reached out for the flower and passed it to Elysia.
Elysia stared nkly as the life and death situation she was imagining turned out to be more of a friendly chat and just politely getting the flower from the bird.
"Don''t look at me like that, I may be nice but trust me other high tier beasts are not like me, now get going I''m sure your friend is waiting." Azar had shooed away Elysia as he actually wanted to go back to sleep.
"Oh yes, I will. Thank you very much." Elysia thanked Azar and headed off.
*
''I can''t believe it was that easy.'' Elysia had melted a little as at first, she thought she was going to die but instead got given it for just telling Azar why.
''Better not waste this and go straight home.'' Elysia then ran straight back with Wolfy.
After travelling for 2 hours she finally made it out of the forest.
''Okay maybe running for a few hours is not a good idea.'' Elysia was puffed out as she ran at full speed to get back but her stamina was not the greatest.
''I''ll just walk the rest since I am not far, thank god these maps have a tracker and are easily able to make my way back.'' Elysia then went walking but when she started she fell over.
''uhhh, maybe I should rest for a little bit.'' Elysia resigned to her fate and rested with Wolfy standing guard.
Elysia had fallen asleep as the stress and fatigue of hunting and getting the flower had caught up to her. But her short rest would be interrupted.
"WOOF!" Wolfy barked, causing Elysia to shoot awake.
"Huh what''s going on." when she opened her eyes she could see 2 men and women standing in front of her they also looked familiar but Elysia would not recognize them.
"Look at this cute thing, maybe we can sell them for some decent cash" The woman spoke while licking her lips.
"She definitely looks like a high-quality product." The 2 men and women both had a little lust in their eyes as these were the same people that had tried to kidnap Shaman but failed.
Elysia had gotten up and stood back.
"Come on now juste with us, I''m sure you won''t regret it." The man tried to entice Elysia.
''gosh why do we have to live in a human city with barely any beast people.'' Elysia wanted to leave this city as it was mostly filled with normal humans and it was causing more issues.
The man got a little bold and thought taking down his pants would be a good idea.
Elysia, seeing this, instantly pulled out her bow and shot a fire arrow in his jewels.
"You disgusting pig." Elysia had finally spoken and her face was full of disgust.
"YOU BIT-." But before another word could be said Wolfy had used a shadow bite to decapitate the man.
The other 2 were horrified and had fallen over.
"M-MO-MONSTER!!!!" They both screamed.
Elysia, not giving a shit used her de arrow, killing both of them at the same time and leaving their bodies to rot.
[level up]
She was now level 25 and was ready to evolve.
"At least it was worth something, Wolfy let''s go." Elysia now in a foul mood walked back to the city
''I am never dating a man.'' Elysia''s opinion of men was ruined.
''At least I get Shaman all to myself and I am not letting any man get close to her for as long as I live.''
*
Elysia had finally arrived back in the city and made her way to the guild house to turn in her beast cores.
She had made 100 gold coins which surprised her but then she remembered the little massacre she went on and it made sense to have got so many cores.
After receiving the money she rushed home to treat Shaman.
When she entered she could still see Shaman resting as the medicine had not worn off quite yet.
''Although I have been gone for 2 days it seems like things are fine.'' Elysia walked up to the side of Shaman and used the flower.
[Do you want to use the flower of extreme fire]
[Yes/No]
"Yes" The flower had vanished and got the questplete sound.
"YES, I guess now I just wait for her to heal." Elysia then went to got eat some food and washed up as she has been in the forest for 2 days.
***
Shaman could feel a warm sensation.
''hmm did Elysiae back and get the flower?'' Shaman could feel like changes were happening.
[Yes, she got the flower and it is currently healing you]
''Oh that idiot actually did it, I swear the first thing I do when I wake up is kiss that pretty face.'' Shaman was now determined to be the best girlfriend for Elysia as she had even dared to go to tier 7 leader''s home just to heal her which caused Shaman to now feel indebted to her for life.
''To think I would find my first love in another world.'' Shaman had a grin as she was okay with this kind of development.
Shaman''s eyes had slowly opened and all she saw was Elysia looking at her with anticipation.
Just as she said she grabbed Elysia and pulled her in for a kiss.
Chapter 23 You Cant Leave Me Hanging~
?Shaman pulled Elysia into a kiss shocking Elysia but she did not resist.
Their lips connected and Shaman was not wasting any time and invaded Elysia''s mouth with her tongue. Elysia jumped a little at this as she did not expect her to be so bold but before anything got too serious Shaman pulled away and saliva was still connecting their lips.
Shaman had a massive grin as she saw Elysia''s face pouting
"You can''t leave me hanging like that, Now I am all hot and bothered." Elysia was ready to go further but Shaman stopped causing her to be a little frustrated.
"Hey, It took all my energy to do that, I can hardly move so even if I wanted to, I physically can''t right now." Shaman wanted to continue but since her body was still being repaired it had taken a lot of energy for Shaman to pull the stunt.
"Fine, you win." Elysia could not argue because it was true and thest thing she wants to do is hurt Shaman. Shaman giggled a little, causing Elysia to blush and look away.
"Anyway my love, tell me how was your journey on saving your sleeping beauty." Shaman started to be a bit yful and started to tease Elysia as she knows she cannot do anything. Elysia''s lips twitched a little as she knew Shaman was toying with her and made it harder for her to just jump on Shaman. After calming down a little she began recalling her time in the forest.
"Oh yeah, the bird that was in the cave just gave me the flower for free after I said I was saving a friend." Shaman was speechless as she could not believe that the bird Azar would be nice enough to just let her have it.
"I know right, even I was shocked but when it talked it just seemed like an old dude who is just bored." Although Azar was not old he was definitely bored.
"Well, at least you were safe." Shaman felt relieved that Elysia had not been thrown into a dire situation.
"Also what level are you now?" Shaman was curious as she thought Elysia would not pass up an opportunity to level up.
"Oh, I hit Level 25." Shaman''s eyes widened as it was such quick growth.
"We can both evolve now." Shaman was excited as they would be able to progress side by side but then she remembered the system had stored levels so she still would be ahead of Elysia.
"Wait, we can evolve again." Elysia did not realize this as she thought she had a little further to go. They both opened their status windows to see what they needed.
[0/8 Tier 3 crystals]
or
[0/2 Tier 3 leader crystal]
(A/N: Beast cores and crystals are the same thing but is just an interchangeable word and are only referred to cores if it is a specific beasts)
"seems like the same thing but just a higher tier and more of the crystal, If this keeps up we are going to have to kill a tier 10 beast to get to tier 10." Shaman now was sure of the pattern as all the evolutions required beast crystals so far.
"We could just buy the crystals, we do have over 100 gold." Elysia''s idea was great but something was telling Shaman that it would not be so easy.
[You must obtain it through hunting, you cannot buy them]
"Tch" Elysia clicked her tongue.
"I expected that plus it''s almost like a test to see if we are worthy of tier 3." Shaman had also thought it was an indirect way for the System to test them.
"I guess so but at least we can go out hunting together and I can also show you my new skill that I created." Elysia also wanted to show off her new unique skill. Shaman had risen an eyebrow as she was interested in this new skill.
"But I won''t tell you till we head out hehe~" Elysia wanted to get her revenge on Shaman and tease her a little.
"haha fair enough well anyway could you carry me to the bath, my dear." Shaman also wanted to bathe as she has been in her own germs for 2 days.
"Sure thing." Elysia picked Shaman up in a princess carry causing Shaman to be a little embarrassed, although she asked for it she still did not expect the tables would have turned and she is the one being carried now.
''Damn why did I bathe, I could have joined her.'' Elysia wanted to jump in but she had already bathed and did not feel right to go back in.
"Well, call me if you need anything."
"I can move a little more now so I should be fine." Shaman had finally regained some control over her body as her passive regeneration was helping in recover her strength.
Elysia exited the bathroom to prepare some food for Shaman.
"Hey system, can I allocate my points now." Shaman was waiting as she had 100 points to use and could not wait.
[Yes you can and it will help you recover your strength]
"Hell yeah, let''s get allocating."
[Attributes]
Unspent: 100
Vitality: 35 -> 55
Agility: 55 -> 85+ 5
Intelligence: 85 -> 100
Strength: 50 -> 80
Dexterity: 40 +8
Defense: 30 -> 35
The same addicting feeling filled her veins as she could feel the strength in her body grow exponentially. Also, a system notification was heard.
[Due to the user reaching 100 INT memories of katana training are fully revealed and unlocked a new title]
[Katana master]
[You are the most proficient with the katana as yourbat experience has made you one with the sword]
[User can stab the ground to create a domain where her attack will increase by 20% and allies by 10% (domain looks varies per person)]
[Current range: 30m]
Shaman''s eyes widened as her head filled up with the memories of all the training she went through assimting with her own and the skill she received made her speechless.
''I can''t wait to show Elysia this.'' Her new skill/title was perfect and I could not wait to use it. The memories the system referred to started to settle and created an indescribable feeling.
Holy shit, it feels like I went through that training myself. I can''t put into words how it exactly feels. Seems like I won''t have to go through any training anytime soon.'' Shaman was happy as thebat experience shecked had now been made up for and she won''t be mindlessly swinging.
''It is strange. It feels like I am bing one with that person although I don''t know her life. I feel like we are merging in a way.'' Shaman had noticed this as the things she was doing would not be possible if she was her old self.
''I guess I should be grateful as I would have just locked myself in a room.'' Shaman had finished and was able to move around freely.
She exited the room just to be greeted with food.
''I am d that I get to have a wonderful wife that can cook food.'' Shaman had a content smile as she made her way to the table.
"Oh you can walk now" Elysia sounded slightly disappointed.
"Oh did you want to dry me off and clothe me as well and even maybe feed me?" Shaman had said this in a cheeky tone although in the back of her mind she kind of wanted Elysia to pamper her.
"n-no not at all." Elysia''s face went red but then Shaman patted her head.
"Maybe another time." Shaman was not opposed to the idea so she did not want Elysia to back down from it.
Shaman, Wolfy and Elysia all sat down and ate.
"Is it just me or is Wolfy bigger?" Shaman finally noticed Wolfy after they ate and he had seemed to grow into the size of a small puppy.
"He did grow and he can''t sit on our heads now, you should have seen the sad look in his eyes when he couldn''t." Elysia giggled a little while patting Wolfy.
"Oh okay well I assume that is because he levelled up, I wonder what level he needs to be to evolve." Shaman was also curious as she did not know what the requirements to go to tier 5 were.
"Time will tell I guess." Elysia shrugged as there was no use in thinking about it.
"True but anyway I guess to more important topics, are you 100% sure you want to date me because I am pretty awkward." Shaman wanted to rify with Elysia just as reassurance.
"Such a dumb question, of course, I would, I could never trade you for anyone else." After Elysia spoke these words a system message rang out.
[User Elysia has be Shamans lover, more benefits have been unlocked]
[Shared inventory space]
[new skill]
[Lovers call]
[no matter where you may be use this skill and teleport to the person''s side, it will automatically be used if user is in danger]
[cooldown: 1 week]
Both Shaman and Elysia had looked at each other as what they had read was amazing and would make things really convenient.
"Well now looks like we get more inventory space and we get a free teleport every week, I just hope it never has to auto-activate." Shaman was very epting of these rewards as it will help them a lot when it came to hunting and it also implied that if Elysia was across the world they could use the same inventory and deliver items in an instant.
"I think this calls for a little celebration~" Elysia had a suggestive grin and Shaman gave in.
"Oh fuck ite here." Shaman then pulled Elysia up and put her on the bed.
Chapter 24 Passionate Time With Elysia (R18, Optional)
?A/N: Just a quick note this is my first time writing any sort of R18 so it is going to be shit so please do understand that this may not be my forte.
Also this chapter is optional since I feel like some people may not want to see this kind of stuff so chapters like these will be skippable as it will only have the spicy scene in it
anyway hope you enjoy my shitty writing
------------------------------------------------
After pulling Elysia up and putting her on the bed, Shaman was standing in front of Elysia with a smirk.
Although it did notst long as Elysia grabbed Shaman pulling her in the bed.
Elysia had jumped on top of Shaman and had a cheeky grin on.
"hehe~ I''ve been waiting for this" Elysia spoke in a seductive tone.
"Well, let''s get the show on the road." Shaman was smiling and was getting excited from Elysia''s actions.
Elysia leaned in for a kiss, their lips connected and shortly after their tongues intertwined with each other.
Slight moans could be heard from both of them.
Elysia was the first to attack as she reached for Shaman''s breasts and started ying with them.
"Ahh~" A loud moan could be heard from Shaman as the things she was feeling was a first for her and never knew it felt so good.
Elysia grinned when hearing Shaman moan, making her more aggressive.
but before that, Elysia had taken off Shaman''s shirt revealing a ck bra.
"ohh, A pure white maiden with a dark inside~" Elysia thought it was very cute and wanted to tease Shaman.
Shaman hid her face and softly spoke.
"I did it because it was the same colour as your hair." Elysia heard this which made her heart stop for a moment.
"Well let me show you something." Elysia had also now taken off her top showing a white bra.
Shaman looked at her but looked away again as her entire face was now red.
"hehe~" Elysiaughed a little at Shaman''s reaction as it was extremely cute.
Elysia had continued to undress Shaman and so she undid her bra letting her chest flow out.
Shamans breasts were now on full disy to Elysia. Shaman was still covering her face as she still could not believe she was doing this and was still a little shy despite her bold actions.
Elysia then went on to start sucking on Shaman''s nipples which caused Shaman to jump a little as she was not expecting it. After the shock Shaman could only feel pleasure as Elysia tongue wrapped around her nipple letting out more moans.
"AHHH~" Shaman could not help it as down below started to get wet.
Shaman had started breathing heavily and Elysia had stopped.
"May I~" Elysia had pointed down below. Shaman instantly knew what she wanted.
"YES." Shaman had instantly spoken as she was now wanting more and could only let her body talk for her.
"oh my some is eager~" Elysia lightly giggled as she started undressing Shaman even more.
"oh my you are already quite wet Shaman~" Elysia was quite surprised as she was not experienced at all but she has already made Shaman feel like she was in heaven.
"Shut up, this is my first time, what did you expect?" Shaman was quick to retort as she was starting to calm down a little from Elysia''s previous attack.
"hehe~" Elysia then continued and started licking Shaman.
Shaman had instantly let out a moan.
"Ahhhh~" Elysia did not stop her advances and got even more aggressive.
After a couple more minutes Shaman had finally released straight into Elysia''s mouth.
"Oh my, you should warn me next time" Elysia was shocked by how much there was. She had also sat up and started licking the juices off her face.
Shaman who was heavily breathing saw this but she was too horny and exhausted to care.
Elysia had also fully undressed at this point as she knew what wasing next.
Shaman had caught her breath and she sat up and her body started moving on its own.
"now it''s my turn~" Shaman then pounced on Elysia as it seemed her fox instincts were going crazy and telling her to go after Elysia.
Elysia let Shaman do what she wanted and resigned to whatever Shaman was going to do.
Shaman who had watched porn in her old world knew some ways to pleasure somebody and decided it was time to give them a try.
Shaman then started to suck on Elysia''s breasts causing her to moan even louder than Shaman, as Elysia was much more sensitive than Shaman.
"AHHH~" Elysia could not control herself as she started to leak.
"Hehe~ looks who is making embarrassing sounds now." Elysia could not respond beyond her moaning as Shaman continued to assault her.
Shaman then slowly moved her hand down Elysia''s body sending waves of pleasure throughout her body. Shaman then used her fingers to enter Elysia cave causing Elysia to shake as Shaman was ying with her breasts and her vagina.
"Ahhhhh~" Elysia continued to let out more and more moans and she even came once. Shaman then decided to start licking her fingers in front of Elysia causing her to bite her lips as she just wanted Shaman to continue.
Elysia who was being teased then had an idea.
''lets see if you can continue.'' Elysia then moved her hand and started to finger Shaman which caught her by surprise and let out a moan. Shaman had also fallen on top of Elysia because of this.
Shaman then looked at Elysia and then they started to passionately kiss. Elysia continued her assault and Shaman also decided to fight back by doing the same thing.
They both were at each other for a few minutes until they both came.
They had finally finished as they were now too exhausted to get up.
Shaman was using Elysia''s chest as a pillow as they embraced each other.
"thank you" Elysia spoke quietly as she just had the best time in her life.
"No, thank you" Shaman also thanked Elysia as she was grateful to have somebody to love.
After that they both fell asleep in each other''s arms.
Chapter 25 Tier 3 Gear
?Morning hade and 2 girls were currently in bed sleepingfortably in each others embrace.
Elysia was the first to wake up as she felt something on her chest.
She looked down to see a drooling Shaman who currently looked very adorable. Elysia started to pat Shaman''s head and ears.
''She has really soft fur.'' Elysia was a little mesmerized by Shaman''s softness but due to foxes ears and tail being sensitive it woke Shaman up.
"Elysia, why are you already touching me, do you want to go at it again?" Shaman was still half asleep and was not really thinking.
"No, no I was just feeling your fur plus it is too early and we need to do some cleaning." Elysia panicked a little as she did want to do more but she did not think she could go another round.
"Oh okay, the magic formations are really convenient so we can just instantly clean them anyway." Shaman then snuggled back into Elysia.
"Gosh you are too adorable." Elysia''s eyes were full of love as she did not expect her life to turn around so suddenly just because of one person.
"hehe, Although I wasn''t sure if I wanted to be in a rtionship with another woman I will say I do not regret it." Shaman was shy at first and did not want to be in one but the more she thought about it the more she started to like Elysia. If it wasn''t for the obvious signs of Elysia falling in love with Shaman, she would not have considered it but the spiral of thoughts started and she ended up rolling with it.
"That makes me happy to hear that you decided to ept me." Tears started to form in Elysia''s eyes.
"Oh don''t cry." Shaman wiped away the tears and gave Elysia a quick kiss.
"There, feel any better." Shaman had a cheeky grin which warmed Elysia''s heart.
"I love you Shaman." Elysia then pulled Shaman closer, muffling Shaman in her chest.
"I love you too." Although Muffled by Elysia''s chest she still managed to respond.
*
After hugging they finally got up.
"Feels weird not hugging each other." Shaman had gotten quite fond of Elysia''s embrace and now she just wanted to jump right back in.
"I know, but we have many nights ahead where we can hug all night." Elysia also blushed a little as she reverted back to her shy self.
"true but we should probably evolve first." The sooner they evolved the quicker they could leave this city so they could further their growth.
"We should probably go hunting for those tier 3s today." Shaman nodded in agreement.
"Anyway, let''s get ready." Elysia was about to get ready then Shaman interjected.
"Well shall we bathe together." Shaman knew that Elysia wanted to but never really got the chance.
"YES!" Elysia did not think before responding.
"Alright let''s go." They both got their clothes and entered the bathroom.
After they were in the bath Elysia started to touch Shaman admiring her skin.
"Oh my god your skin is so soft Shaman how do you keep it like this." Elysia''s eyes were shining as she wanted to know how Shaman stayed so good looking.
"I didn''t do anything, I am just naturally like this but I still do wash my hair but that''s all." Shaman also wondered why but did notin as now she could truly bezy and beautiful.
"I''m jealous, you look so good no matter what you do." Elysia pouted a little jealous as Shaman was able to keep her good looks no matter what.
"What, I''d say you look better than me, just look at you massive chest and your slim figure, after you evolved you outssed my beauty." Shaman pouted and crossed her arms.
"That''s not true." Both Elysia and Shaman argued about who looked better for half an hour but came out to be a draw.
"After we evolve we will see who the winner in looks will be." Shaman was confident Elysia would only look more beautiful and would definitely outss her.
"We will see about that after we evolve." Elysia was ready to prove her wrong.
With newfound determination they both set to go hunt tier 3 beasts.
*
After upgrading their map to show where tier 3 beasts were they made their way over. They were hunting a cross breed of a lion and an insect which horrified Shaman a little as she could only imagine what it might look like.
The 2 girls casually talked as they made their way to the beasts forest, they even held hands along the way.
Upon approaching the forest, Shaman could see 3 dead bodies.
"Uhh there are some dead bodies ahead." Shaman was not too worried but was rather curious since one had a burnt spot at his crotch area.
"Oh, I killed them." Elysia recognized the man as he tried to pull down his pants thinking that was a good idea.
"uhhh what happened." Shaman was really curious what happened as the scene looked a little ridiculous.
"This bastard here wanted to r*pe me so when he started taking off his pants I shot him right in dick and killed his two friends." Elysia had a cold re and Shaman felt like the temperature dropped a little but she stillughed as she could imagine the whole scene.
"HAHAHA, nice one Elysia." Shaman then patted Elysia causing her to break out of her cold re and start blushing.
"Anyway let''s continue no need to worry, plus I want to test out some new skills." Shaman really wanted to test out her domain to see what it looked like and also see what Elysia hade up with.
*
After going through the forest they were able to kill a couple panther cross rabbit type beasts that were tier 3 giving Elysia 2 extra levels but Shaman was unable to gain any due to how many levels she got from the tier 4.
"I should really try to make a new wind skill as wind sh is getting a little old." Shaman has been trying to think of new ways to apply her wind.
"Should I do a cyclone." it was basic but it would be effective.
"I don''t see why not, you can try to think outside the box but you should just get some basic skills before that." Elysia who went through the same process did not want Shaman to go through the same thing.
Shaman did a few experiments and was able to create a few skills.
[Slicing tornado level 1]
[-50MP create a tornado that will cut your enemies and pull them in]
[Sword gale level 1]
[-15MP propel your sword to faster speeds]
[Wind crescent level 1]
[-25MP creates an arc that slices through a wide range, slower than wind sh.]
"Hell yeah, its nice to see some new skills." Shaman was proud of herself. Elysia pped as she had created 3 elemental skills in 30 mins.
"Oh yeah I should check the inventory to see how much stuff we have gotten." Shaman opened her inventory and noticed 6 boxes.
"huh?" Shaman then went to inspect them
"What is it?" Elysia also opened it up as she hadn''t bothered to really look at it till now.
"holy shit tier 3 gear has just been sitting in our inventory and we haven''t even used them." Shaman pped herself in the forehead.
"Why did we not check sooner?" Elysia asked this question but forgot something.
"Well I was out for 2 days, how could I have checked and honestly I forgot what the rewards were until the system mentioned them to me but it never said anything about these." Shaman cursed the system as it liked to y games on her but could not me it since it did not do anything.
"Well instead ofining, let''s open them, we''ll take one each." Shaman then took out one of each box. Both Elysia got a tier 3 of their respected weapons.
[Katana (tier 3)]
[Rarity: epic]
[Skill: Harness an element within the sword and unleash a powerful attack, takes 5 seconds to charge]
[bonus]
+10 INT
+15 AGI
+10 DEX
"HOLY SHIT THIS SWORD IS COOL." Shaman was amazed as her previous katanas looked average.
The katana had a white handle and a ck hilt. The de it self had a ck outer edge around the sword and a white inside, it also had a ck ribbon hanging off it.
On the other hand Elysia was also shocked by her bow.
[Bow (tier 3)]
[Rarity: Rare]
[bonus]
+30 INT
''I can shoot so many arrows now.'' Elysia''s eyes were shining as this bow greatly improved her INT and ability to stay longer in a fight.
"Looks like we have hit a jackpot." Shaman was impressed and was excited to see what else they got.
They continued to open the other boxes but separated to keep it a little surprise for each other.
Shaman had opened the clothes/armour box. and decided to get an overcoat because she thought it would look cool
[Overcoat (tier 3)]
[Rarity: umon]
[bonus]
elemental resist 10%
Shaman had received a white overcoat which was ck on the inside which fit her perfectly and matched really well with her sword.
''Damn I look cool.'' Shaman was impressed with the system as it was making her look like a cool anime character with techwear.
''okay time for the essory.'' Shaman already decided to go with a ring to match Elysia as a sort of sign of their rtionship.
[Ring of vitality (tier 3)]
[Rarity: umon]
+20 VIT
''Perfect'' after putting on the ring she went over to check on Elysia.
When Shaman looked around the tree she saw Elysia''s new items.
Elysia had gotten a white flower essory for her hair which was on the side. She also had gotten a pair of ck leather boots which made her look more sexy and contrasted well with her white stockings.
Shaman had bit her lip as now Elysia looked even better now.
Elysia noticed Shaman and started to blush a little.
"How do I look?" Elysia was curious what Shaman thought of her choices.
"You look even more sexy now." Shaman did not hesitate to answer.
"But I think we are due for some new clothes once we get back." Shaman thought this would be a good idea to go shopping as they have been wearing the same clothes for a while now and wanted something different.
"Really?" Elysia blushing had vanished and now had glowing eyes as she always wanted to go clothes shopping before.
"Yes, but first we have some monsters to kill." Shaman also purposefully waved her hand to show off her ring.
Elysia noticed this and her heart warmed up and she looked at her own ring.
''Really feels like we are married, I wonder If I should propose.'' Elysia was stuck in her own head while following Shaman. Wolfy was also there but he was justzily walking as he could no longer jump on any of their heads and would roll around the floor trying to get attention but ultimately failed, even when they were having their moment he had left for another room and slept as they were being too noisy.
After traveling for a little bit a roar could be heard and they got ready for battle.
Chapter 26 Sword Domain
?A loud lion''s roar could be heard from behind Shaman and Elysia as the sound of rustling was fast approaching. Shaman withdrew her sword and Elysia had jumped back ready to fire, Wolfy had stood next to Shaman ready to pounce.
After a few more seconds a dark figure could be seen.
''So far it looks like a normal lion.'' Shaman calmed down a little as she was worried she would see some disgusting cross breed and was not looking forward to looking at it.
The lion had jumped out revealing itself. It had a Lions head and body but it had legs that were of a spider and had arms of a prey mantis.
Shaman almost convulsed as it was worse than she had imagined but she still managed to open the inspect screen.
[lionsect]
[Tier 3 leader]
[merging of 3 species has good attack power and speed but has terrible flexibility]
"Alright Elysia we have 4 of these to hunt so lets make this quick." Shaman had shouted as she remembered that they need 4 tier 3 leader crystals to evolve.
"Okay~" Elysia understood and prepared her new arrow.
"Shaman, stand back and let me show you my new skill." Elysia thought it would be a great opener for their battle but then Shaman spoke up.
"Hold on, I have something that will make it better." Shaman then stabbed the ground with her katana.
"Domain." Shaman spoke softly.
Then the surroundings started to change as flowers started to sprout and blossom into a beautiful field of white dahlias covering the area around them.
Elysia was in Shock as it was the same flower as her family name but hers was based on the ck one because of her hair.
''It''s beautiful.'' Elysia could not help but think of these words.
"Elysia, use your arrow now!" The lion who was confused by what was happening regained his wits and was about to attack.
Elysia broke out of her daze and shot the arrow, She had also used multi shot, shooting either side of the lionsect. To Elysia''s surprise the shot was more powerful and she had assumed that it was whatever Shaman had done.
The arrownded and exploded into des and since Elysia could influence its direction all the des headed towards the legs.
The Lionsect thought she had missed so it ignored the arrows but that was a fatal mistake as the des sliced it leg getting rid of half its legs. Due to the des going through the flower field petals flew up and were coated in the red blood of the lionsect. The Lionsect had roared in pain and fell over, Shaman seeing this took advantage of the immobile lion andbined a few skills.
She used Sword gale with her sh and activated zing sword Causing an arc of fire as she shed do on the lion decapitating it. Although the skill was shy, it used too much energy.
Shaman had managed to kill the Lionsect in one go but it was overkill and a waste of energy. She also had fallen on her back buffed out as the effects kicked in instantly. Elysia saw this and panicked a little.
"Jeez Shaman, The first thing you do after recovering is almost get your mana circuits fried again." Elysia pouted a little as she knew Shaman had used too many skills.
"It''s fine but I must say it was fun using so many skills at once." Shaman smiled and the flowers around her started to vanish as the skill was deactivated. Elysia only sighed and sat next to Shaman. Wolfy had alsoe over and sat in Elysia''sp.
"That skill of yours was amazing, I wonder why it looked like that." Elysia was curious as the flowers were the same as herst name.
"Well the description said that the looks vary so I assume because I am in a rtionship with you it took the form of a flower and the white is just a representation of my hair." Shaman had guessed this as it made sense it would take a form that represented her.
"Well anyway I''m fine now, we can continue." Shaman jumped up as the initial exhaustion was gone and her passive regeneration made it easier to recover quicker.
"Let''s get back to hunting." Shaman offered her hand to help Elysia off the ground.
They continued to hunt the Lionsect and repeated the same process but instead of Shaman killing them she had allowed Wolfy to kill them, bringing his level to 24.
"Alright we can now evolve into tier 3." Shaman was satisfied as they acquired the cores they needed.
"Seeing as we are moving to tier 3 do you think we should move to a different city, especially not a human one." Elysia wanted to leave this ce as soon as possible since it seems like humans are always on the hunt for them no matter what they do.
"It''s going to be hard to get to Alfheim as its on the other side of Elysium so we may not be able to avoid human cities for a while," Shaman had bit her lip as she too wanted to leave but since she wanted to avoid the fox realm for now the only option was Elfhiem.
"Ugh this sucks but I guess we should look for a city that has a high poption of tier 4 and 5 beasts." Although reluctant they had no other choice.
"Well we should head back, after that we can continue to n about moving." Shaman wanted to evolve as quickly as possible since she does not know how long it may take them.
"Yeah you''re right." Then they both started walking back to the city.
***
"Sir, they n to leave the city soon and are close to tier 3." A man in ck robes could be seen holding a stone of some sorts.
"Don''t attack them yet, we will strike them tomorrow when they leave to hunt again." The same nobleman''s voice rang through the rock.
"Understood." Then the ck robed man vanished from his spot.
***
Shaman, Wolfy and Elysia all arrived back to the city rtively early and had some extra time, so as they said before they would go clothes shopping.
"Hmm I wonder what I should get." Elysia was quite fond of her current outfit and was a little unsure on what to change about it.
"Maybe you should get ck stockings and a shoulderless top but keep the skirt." Shaman''s suggestion made Elysia''s eyes shine brightly. Without realizing it Elysia grabbed Shaman''s hand and started dragging her into a clothes store.
After getting the mentioned clothes Elysia walked out of the change rooms.
"How do I look?" Elysia was now wearing ck stockings with her old ck skirt. The shoulderless top was white but had a ck outline although it did show a little bit of cleavage it was not enough to attract stares.
"You look... beautiful." Shaman was a little slow as she was a little stunned by how she looked.
"Okay I''ll buy this, Now it is your turn Shaman." Shaman jumped a little as she was not particrly picky with clothes and was just going to get something simple but after looking at Elysia she felt like she had to get something a bit more extravagant.
After looking around a little, Shaman found a ck skirt that caught her eye.
''I like this, now let''s see if there is a shirt.'' Shaman then went hunting for a shirt. After a while she found something. It was a white and ck shirt that had a unique design. It had the ck shirt underneath, then the white shirt went over the top but then split just below the chest going to either side of the ck shirt. Shaman liked the design and headed for the change rooms.
When she walked out Elysia froze as she felt like she saw a goddess appear, although a bit of an overreaction Shaman still could not help but blush.
Shaman had worn ck boots with thigh high socks, The ck skirt fell down just above her knees showing barely any skin. She had worn her overcoat with the shirt which made her look like an elite soldier. Shaman was rtively happy as she was going for an elitist look and Elysia''s overblown reaction made her even more happy.
After Elysia recovered They paid for the clothes and headed towards their apartment.
After arriving they both dived into the bath straight away as they wanted to evolve as soon as they could.
After arguing and toying with each other in the bath they finished off with some dinner and were getting ready to evolve.
"Although it may not be smart to do it at the same time I''m sure Wolfy can protect us plus we will be able to leave sooner the quicker we evolve." Shaman was worried they would get attacked during the night but tried reassuring herself.
"It will be fine and if anything I might end up finishing earlier than you so at least one of us can stay guard." Elysia was told that Shaman had taken longer so it was safe to assume the same would happen again.
"Well I guess we should start." Elysia nodded and so they both went into an egg and began to evolve to tier 3.
Chapter 27 The Man Behind The Cult
?It was the middle of the night and Wolfy had gotten himselffortable on the bed watching over the 2 girls, he was peacefully resting but then Elysia eggs started to shake and crack.
Shortly after Elysia emerged from the egg, She had grown a third tail but her looks did not change as she looked the same.
Elysia headed for the bathroom to look and was a little disappointed.
''Damn I did not get more beautiful but at least I got another tail.'' Elysia started wagging her 3 tails .
''I wonder, it is kind of inconvenient to have 3 tails, let''s try to make it one.'' Elysia tried to concentrate on her tail and to her surprise the other 2 tails disappeared.
''Well that was easy, I guess I only would need to show off my tails if I wanted to show my power.'' Elysia guessed that it was a status symbol to have more tails rather than appearance.
''Well anyway let''s see if the egg is just as tasty asst time.'' Elysia had a greedy grin as she went over to eat the egg shell.
''Mmm, It is even sweeter thanst time.'' Elysia was sitting down munching on her egg shell with a blissful smile. She also got system notifications about the changes and was very happy.
Shortly after finishing the egg she went to bed to sleep for the rest of the night.
Once morning came Shaman''s egg had finally hatched and just like Elysia she only grew an extra tail.
''Looks like Elysia woke up first, I wonder if anything changed.'' Shaman had also wandered into the bathroom and saw that nothing changed.
''god dammit I swear I will never return to my former glory.'' Shaman gritted her teeth as she wanted to return back to her old physical appearance.
''Speaking of which, I wonder if I could bring Wolfy and Elysia with me back home.'' Shaman fell into deep thought as she had made a special connection with Elysia and was unsure if by the time she could return home Elysia could join her.
''Ahhh, I don''t want to think about it, it will only make me depressed.'' Shaman got rid of these thoughts as now she was unsure if she wanted to return home, now that she had met Elysia.
''anyway I should probably wake Elysia up.'' Shaman had gotten changed and decided jumping on Elysia was a good idea.
But as she was falling Elysia had dodged making Shaman go face first into the bed. Shaman had turned over to see a grinning Elysia who had now jumped on her.
"Elysia, what exactly is it you were going to do?" Elysia kept her grin as now she was in control.
"uhhh, I was going to jump on you to wake you but as you can see it seems like I am the one who has been jumped on." Shaman let out an awkwardugh as she was unsure what Elysia was going to do.
"hehe~" Elysia let out a smallugh but then leaned in for a kiss. Shaman epted and so they passionately kissed for a minute.
"Jeez if you just wanted to do that you did not have to pin me to the bed." Shaman pouted a little although she found it a little hot but just did not want to admit it.
"Where is the fun in that?" Elysia had hopped off Shaman and ran to the kitchen to escape Shaman.
*sigh* ''She did not have to run away.'' Although a little disappointed it ended there but she could notin.
''Alright let''s eat this egg and see the changes.'' Shaman then began eating and opened the system.
[Attribute points will now be 30 per level]
[level up to 35]
[300 attributes given]
"HOLY SHIT!" Shaman shouted as it was an insane amount of points and she now understood why she got so many levels from Raven.
"Shaman you okay?" Elysia heard this and got a little worried.
"No it''s fine, I just got 300 attribute points since I got extra levels."
"HOLY SHIT!" even Elysia screamed out causing Shaman tough.
"Looks like I get a bit of a boost." Shaman was super happy and so she got allocated.
Vitality: 55 -> 95
Agility: 85 ->155
Intelligence: 100 -> 140
Strength: 80 -> 150
Dexterity: 40 ->80
Defense: 35 -> 75
[HP 950/950]
[MP 1400/1400]
After allocating Shaman fell back savoring the feeling of her body upgrading. Elysia had walked out with breakfast and to her surprise Elysia had done the legendary sexy apron.
"Where did you get that apron?" Shaman was stunned as Elysia was now just teasing her at this point.
"Oh just a little something I got when we went out yesterday." Elysia giggled and posed in a way that Shaman could not quite see everything, further teasing Shaman.
Shaman bit her lip and looked down and started eating her food trying not to give Elysia any attention.
Elysia saw this and giggled but then went to get changed.
Shaman sighed as she felt like pouncing on her but she wanted to leave this ce before they continued their nightly activities.
After eating and washing up they started to discuss what to do next. Shaman also noticed Elysia had one tail and asked her how.
"Oh just think about it really hard and then poof they vanish." Elysia exined and Shaman did exactly that and it worked.
"oh it actually worked, that makes things easier." Shaman was also finding that having 3 three tails got ufortable at times.
"Well anyway do we want to test how strong we are at tier 3 first before we head out, it will also be good to get a little more gold just in case." Although Elysia was eager to get out she wanted to try out her capabilities and also get a few gold coins to make sure they had enough.
"Sure, let''s see how much we can kill in one day as a way to gauge how much we have improved." Shaman agreed although having over 100 gold, she can imagine that going to higher tier cities means more money so she did not want to be homeless as soon as they entered the city.
After agreeing they both set out in their new clothes and made their way to the gate but Shaman had noticed something was odd. All the guards and people were missing around the gate and she whispered to Elysia.
"I think we have some guests." They both drew their weapons and Wolfy became vignt. After pulling out their weapons a group of people came out. Shaman instantly got to work inspecting each of them, getting her inspect skill to level 2. It did not improve it much other than give her a HP counter.
''Seems like upgrading it is worth it if it is going to give me details like these.'' Shaman continued to examine the 30 people and to her relief they were all either tier 2 or 3. After getting surrounded a man had spoken up.
He had a handsome face and well kept hair, he also had red robes with golden essories showing off his nobility, he walked confidently and had a creepy smile stered on his face.
"Well now girls, you have caused too many problems for my operation and fortunately your end is here as we need you to finish the ritual." The man spoke of his ns and Elysia hearing this now gave a cold re as the fluffy attitude has now disappeared. Shaman noticed this as it always happened when a human was threatening her.
''Hmm this is either good or could turn into a problem, It should be fine as it seems to toggle rather than something uncontroble.'' Shaman was a little worried as she did not want her to develop any split personalities but thought that the switch was more Elysia turning on kill mode rather than a shift in personality.
"We can do this the easy way or the hard way. Youe with me obediently and I will forget what you have done or I can have my men brutally beat you." The man turned them with open arms waiting for a response. Shaman was the first to respond.
"SUCK A DICK." Shaman yelled this out and instantly activated her domain sprouting a flower field. Elysia also prepared a multi shot of powerful de arrows ready to fire.
The man looked in fear as a domain skill was rare and only very few people can achieve it.
''Who is this woman and how does she have a domain skill?'' The man trembled a little as he thought he had the upper hand but now he felt hopeless. Unfortunately the guards did not know this was rare and thought it was a party trick so they started to rush in. The noble man had screamed internally.
''NO! they are all going to die.'' The noble man fell down in fear as he was about to witness a massacre.
Chapter 28 Massacre At The Gate
?[Quest: Kill all 30 men]
[You have been surrounded and the only way out is to kill them]
[Rewards]
50 attribute points
2x skill level ups
1x fortune wheel
Both Shaman and Elysia ignored the message as the oing crowed was more important.
"Elysia, No mercy." Shaman spoke to these words as any restraint could kill them.
Shaman opened up using her [Slicing tornado] as a distraction so that she could take care of one side and also due to her domain the attacks were more powerful, also due to her evolution it had risen to 30% for her and 15% for allies.
The men attacked by the [Slicing tornado] were dead as it was a lot more powerful than they thought.
Shaman activated her sword harnessing the fire element within her sword, Shaman still had time before they were close so the 5 second dy was not an issue. Also why activating it she had also spoken.
"I shall paint your blood over this field of flowers as you shall pay for hurting my girlfriend!" Shaman yelled these to try to sound cool and intimidating as she heard it from some movie. The men halted for a second hearing this and what came after was a powerful wash of killing intent that had erupted from Shaman and could not help but sweat.
The sword was ready and so Shaman used her [sword dash] closing the gap. The sound of the sword leaving the sheath could be heard as mes erupted from the de. Shaman shed out causing a whip of fire killing 5 men who were not quick enough to dodge. The blood sprayed out from their bodies dyeing the white flowers red.
The other men were terrified but still went to attack. Shaman used [wind crescent], although slower she intended it to be. The men saw the slow sh and were able to easily dodge it however they were met with Shaman''s de. Shaman had activated [zing sword] and stabbed a man in the back, burning his heart to ash in an instant.
Sensing danger from behind Shaman used [iron skin] causing the attack to bounce off making the man''s hands go numb. Shaman deactivated [iron skin] and turned around with her zing sword and cut the man in 2. Due to Shaman''s ratherrge MP she had only gone through a quarter and could still use her skill rather freely but she still deactivated zing sword as it would suck it all up if she used it for every single person.
So far Shaman had killed 10 people and there were 6 left for Shaman to deal with. Shaman dashed forward throwing out a [Wind sh] causing the closet one to fall over. Shaman then jumped on the man''s back and propelled herself off him but due to the amount of force used, it broke his spine killing him.
While in the air Shaman used her [sh] with her wind making [Wind sh] stronger. Although the man tried to block it, it went right through his weapon and decapitated him. Shaman now was falling towards a man who was ready to attack her. Shaman expected this so she used [Shadow cloak] to obscure herself, This confused the man as it looked like she vanished but could feel like something was still there. Shaman was also lucky as it was still morning and the buildings were casting a shadow over the battlefield. In his confusion Shaman was able to stab the man right through the neck and used him to cushion her fall without him realizing.
''Now 3 more to go.'' Shaman saw the 3 men trembling as they saw 13 of them being murdered effortlessly. Shaman did not pity them as the image of all the dead girls appeared in her head.
''This is for all those you have harmed.'' Shaman screams internally letting out a [wind crescent] killing thest 3. A system notification also popped up.
[level up to 36]
[Wind tier 1 has now evolved to tier 2]
[All wind abilities are now stronger and tier 2 wind skills have been unlocked in the skill select screen]
Shaman raised an eyebrow as she noticed a lot of options were blurred out fromst time and so she could not wait to choose some new skills when the opportunity arises.
*
Elysia had been on a rampage as her [de arrows] killed 5 of the men instantly, their heads had fallen on the flower field painting more of the battle field. The men were now cautious of her arrows and were also afraid of Elysia.
"Come on boys I''m sure you want to ravage me, why the cold feet now." Elysia had licked her lips as she enjoyed seeing the despaired faces of the men. Without letting them answer she had used [Power shot] killing another and due to the force, made the man go flying into the building causing him to hang there with an arrow lodged in his heart.
"hahaha, filthy pigs." Elysia now was one by one killing them while running through the field as some started to run after her.
"Look at you trying to catch your prey." Elysia was taunting the men at their futile attempt at catching her.
Elysia had an idea while being chased and pulled out the tier 2 dagger Shaman bought for her. She activated [fire coat] which caused the de to be covered in fire but unlike Shaman''s it was contained and not freely burning.
Without wasting time she quickly turned and dashed towards the man causing the men to halt in their steps. While adjusting their bnce Elysia had already appeared, killing the closet man by stabbing him in the neck . A sizzling sound could be heard from the stab as the [fire coat] had made a 1000 degree dagger.
Elysia enjoyed this feeling and so she continued to fight the men one on one with her dagger. She had managed to melt through some of their weapons giving the opportunity to kill them.
"hahaha, is this all you got you pathetic pieces of shit." Elysia was now toying with them but she saw that Shaman was finishing up so she decided to end it. She disabled [fire coat] that got to level 2 and found the de had melted so she disregarded the de. Elysia took out her bow and used [multi shot] killing thest of the 14 men that were after her. System notifications had also rang out.
[level up 29]
[Fire tier 1 -> tier 2]
[Fire skills are now more powerful]
Elysia was satisfied but also realized something.
''We need to hunt tier 4 people if we want to level up quickly but to be fair their was only a few tier 3 so we need to experiment a bit more.'' Elysia found killing 14 people for 2 levels was too much effort and so they needed to hunt stronger people to rise quickly.
*
On the Wolfy side of things he decided to go for the noble.
The noble thought it was a stupid pet as its appearance represented more of a dog than a wolf at the moment.
"Stupid dog go away." The noble tried to kick away but Wolfy dodged it.
"huh?" The noble was now confused as he was sure he had hit it. but before he could do anything else Wolfy had attacked the man''s jewels causing him to squeal.
"YOU PIECE OF SHIT DOG!" The man then tried to swat away the dog but Wolfy started to dodge again. Due to the noble being a tier 1 and not having power himself he was unable to defend himself well. Wolfy also understood that Shaman wanted him alive so he was not outright killing him.
The pain from the chomp from earlier got too unbearable so he started to throw up and cough. Wolfy also took this opportunity to use [Shadow w] on the man''s legs making him paralyzed in the legs.
Wolfy with his job done sat nearby keeping an eye on him and watched his mother and Elysia battle.
*
The questplete sound was rung and so Shaman and Elysia made there way to the noble who wasying on the floor in pain. Shaman was a little shocked but could see Wolfy near him and could only assume that Wolfy had done this.
"Good boy Wolfy." Shaman then pampered him and gave him pats. Elysia however started to pull back an arrow.
"Hold on Elysia, let''s ask some questions before we do that." Shaman''s word had pulled out of Elysia''s ''kill mode'' and stopped what she was doing.
"Okay." Elysia looked down at the pitiful man in front of her with a cold re as it was the same man she met when she first arrived at the underground facility. The man had shivered and was now terrified.
"So Mr. Noble, tell me why are you collecting bodies of young girls." Shaman got straight to the point as she had the temptation to melt his face away. Due to his weak will he spilled about the ns for summoning an anchor and was told by an unknown person to do it for arge sum of money.
Shaman gathered that it was quite arge sum of money and the group behind this was doing this in other cities and maybe other territories but she thought it was not her problem as she is rather weak in the grand scheme of things and would not be able to do anything at the moment.
After stealing what he had on him which was about 700 gold plus what was on the men Elysia and Shaman went to have a little fun.
"Shall we burn him together and melt his face." Shaman wanted to get her revenge for Elysia and Elysia wanted to remove his existence.
"Yes!" Elysia was happy and so they both activated mes in their hands and started burning him to death, very slowly. After 10 mins of screams and burning he had finally died, Shaman and Elysia were satisfied but Shaman noticed Elysia was enjoying it a little too much.
''Did I pick up a sadistic girlfriend? I hope it does not corrte to our nightly affairs.'' Shaman gulped a little as she was no masochist and hoped Elysia would not try something without at least asking.
They had also burnt the bodies of the men to try to cover the scene. The flower field also was good at getting rid of the blood as it vanished with the flower so there was little blood. After they cleaned up they wanted to head home as they also were able to test out their tier 3 bodies and also get a lot more gold so they were ready to move on to the next city.
"Well looks like we should have enough to livefortably in the next city, we also got quite the workout." They had both arrived home and were preparing to leave.
"Yeah, to think we would be targeted like that but it definitely saved us time." Elysia was packing furniture in the inventory and was making sure they had everything.
"Well we should be able to get a carriage to the next city which I think is called Cholden and is a city with a lot of cksmiths and a higher beast man poption." Shaman had also picked up information on cities to the west that were tier 4 - 5. She had found Cholden as it seemed like the best ce since it had a higher beast man poption.
"Well lets hope we are not targeted likest time but since we can hide our tails which show our tier people are going to think we are an easy catch." Elysia sighed as ve traders were everywhere and since they were heading to a higher tier city it only means more daring people to kidnap them.
"It should be fine but if we run into anyone higher than tier 4 we might want to run." Shaman let out an awkwardugh as she was a little traumatized for her mescion skill and did not want to use it even in a desperate situation.
"Anyway no useining and let''s hurry up and get going." Shaman shook her head.
"Yes" Elysia had just finished packing and was ready to set out.
So Shaman, Wolfy and Elysia had left the apartment to hitch a ride to Cholden to further their levels and to slowly make their way to Elfheim.
Chapter 29 Traveling To Cholden
?The group made there way to west gate to hire a carriage to Cholden
"let''s hope we can get there by tonight" Elysia was not eager to camp out and let alone with a stranger.
"From what I know the beasts they use provide fast travel so we should arrive by nightfall." Shaman really did not know but wanted to reassure Elysia.
"I hope so" Elysia had grabbed a hold of Shaman''s hand as they finally arrived.
They approached the reception desk and asked for a carriage for Cholden, the man pointed at a carriage and so they went over.
"Excuse me, we would like to go to Cholden" Shaman asked the man who was dozing off and looked like an old farmer.
"oh? that will be 2 gold." The man offered his hand to take payment.
Shaman dropped 2 coins and hopped in the back.
"How long will the trip take?" Shaman asked this as it seemed like certain people went to different cities.
"We will arrive just before nightfall, this baby here is fast so we will get there in no time." Shaman was relieved it would not take long but it was just hitting the afternoon so it was at least 7 hours of travel.
"Elysia this trips going to take a while but at least we arrive before night" Shaman had leaned into Elysia''s shoulder.
"Well at least it looks like it will just be me, you and Wolfy" Elysia had started pat Shaman''s head and felt like she was going to die of cuteness.
The carriage started to move and we''re now off. Luckily they were in an enclosed carriage so as long as they were not loud they could do what they wanted.
"Can I use yourp as a pillow?" Shaman. turned her head to Elysia and could see her nodding. Shaman fell in herp with a smile as the rumors of thep pillow were true.
Elysia also continued to pat Shaman and her ears, Shaman did not resist and enjoyed the sensation of her ears being pat. She curled up into Elysia with a satisfied smile as their journey continued.
***
Guards arrived at the scene as they could see that there were many marks of fighting and blood, there was also a melted dagger and many weapons.
"What happened here, judging from the weapons here, there were at least over 30 people here that have died." The guard examined the amount of weapons but then he saw a coat in the middle that was red and gold. The guard approached it and spotted the insignia telling him a noble had been killed.
"Boys, One of the major noble families of this city has been killed. Please take this insignia and inform the family of his death,unch an investigation on what happened and why there were no guards at the gate." The guard ordered his men and so they got to work.
***
The carriage was moving at a good pace and Shaman had fallen asleep on Elysia''sp.
''I hope we can find a ce to stay when we arrive, I would rather not stay in an inn.'' Elysia sighed a little.
''At least I have Shaman.'' Elysia smiled lovingly at Shaman who was now fast asleep on herp.
''I will say her fur is so soft I cannot stop patting it, I might be addicted to it. Do I dare touch her tail but I feel like that would wake her up.'' But before she could make up her mind the carriage stopped suddenly causing Elysia to catch Shaman from falling off. Shaman had woken up rubbing her eyes.
"Shit we got bandits!" The old man yelled to tell the girls the situation.
Shaman shot awake hearing those words and looked at Elysia.
"Looks like I get a little exercise, lets just hope they are not that strong." Shaman then headed out of the carriage to see the situation and could see a group of 5 people with knives.
''this looks clich and typical.'' Shaman was a little baffled by how stereotypical this situation was.
"Hey Elysia, can you just use your bow and shoot one in the leg." Shaman thought if they injure one of them they would run away.
"okay~" Elysia jumped out and used a weak arrow shot and hit one right in the leg causing the man to scream in pain. The other bandits looked at her with fear and picked up the wounded man and ran away, they did not realize that there were higher level adventurers as usually the trail was used for low security supplies.
"Thank you girls." The old man gave a small bow to the girls.
"No worries." Shaman liked the man as he did not take advantage of them and left them alone so she was willing to show some respect. They both entered back in the carriage and since Shaman was awake Elysia took the opportunity to ask.
"Can I touch your tail?" Elysia looked a little dejected as she thought she would get rejected.
"hmm? of course, I''ll make it 3." Shaman then released all her tails and presented it to Elysia. Elysia''s eyes widened and she went in to pat them.
"Oh my god, they are so soft and fluffy, I wish I could pat them forever." Elysia was having a blissful time but Shaman was trying not to moan as it was quite pleasurable for her tail to be patted in such a way. After a minute Shaman finally got used to it and the patting became more of a satisfying feeling than a pleasurable one.
''Good thing that man from the guild got his teeth punched in because this feeling is paralyzing.'' Shaman remembered when her tail was about to be vited and knocked out a man for it.
After 5 minutes Shaman asked Elysia to stop as it was getting a little too much for Shaman. Elysia woke up from her excited daze and awkwardlyughed as she waspletely lost in Shaman''s tails.
"haha, sorry Shaman." Elysia was scratching her head with a weak smile.
"It''s okay, so how about you sleep on myp because I''m sure you are curious about what it feels like." Shaman retracted her 2 tails and patted herp to tell Elysia toe sleep on it.
Elysia smiled brightly causing Shaman''s heart to tighten a little. Elysia went over and nted herself on Shaman''sp.
''Now let''s see how soft your fur is.'' Shaman had a grin and started to pat Elysia''s ears like she would her 2 pet dogs at home.
Elysia who was surprised at Shaman technique caused her sensitivity to touch to ovee her letting out a small moan.
"ah~" She quickly covered her mouth but Shamanughed and continued to attack Elysia.
Elysia after trying hard to resist finally got used to it and started to fall asleep. Shaman continued to pat her slowly till she fell asleep.
''I will say her fur is beautiful, it is really hard to stop patting.'' Shaman had to internally fight with herself to stop as she wanted to use the attribute points she got and use the wheel of fortune she got.
[Attributes]
Vitality: 95 -> 100
Agility: 155
Intelligence: 140 -> 150
Strength: 150
Dexterity: 80 -> 100
Defense: 75 -> 100
[HP: 1000/1000]
[MP: 1500/1500]
[Slicing tornado lvl 1 -> 2]
After allocating the 60 points she got and using her 1 skill level up, she asked the system to open the wheel of fortune. In her mind a wheel had formed and could see vague names for rewards. Without wasting time she spun it.
The Wheel had finally stopped and hadnded on an item.
[Ring of marriage]
[rarity: legendary]
[Give this to a loved one to bound them to you, any sexual act against them that they do not allow will activate a shield stopping any advances]
Shaman''s lips twitched when reading the description and could not help but think that the system is toying with it.
''YOU BASTARD SYSTEM, WE ONLY JUST STARTED DATING AND YOU ARE GIVING ME THIS REALLY GOOD SHIT!'' Shaman screams internally and raises a middle finger at the system as she did not want to marry Elysia yet and was way too soon to do so.
[hehe~]
''YOU DID THIS ON PURPOSE!'' Shaman screamed even more as the response told the wheel was rigged and just an borate way to give her this ring.
Shaman sighed in defeat and looked at Elysia.
''I guess I can put it on her finger, it is not like I have to propose yet.'' Reassuring herself she put the ring on Elysia''s finger and a system notification went off.
[User Elysia is now bounded to Shaman]
[Item affects are now in use]
''Well at least she is protected in some regard.'' Despite her rude words to the system she was rather happy with it, she only had the issue with the system as it was pushing their rtionship and Shaman wanted to take it slow and not jump to marriage.
''Oh well, let''s hope she does not check it and just epts it.'' Shaman leaned back in her chair and started to pat Elysia again.
Chapter 30 Cholden
?After a few more hours traveling the carriage finally arrived at the gate of Cholden. The guards checked their identities and were allowed through. Shaman was a little surprised that they did not have to pay any sort of tax but was d she didn''t. She also thought it was because Elysia and her were adventurers, so they got a free pass.
"The city really does look like a cksmith city, if it feels so industrialized." Elysia was confused as she had never heard of the word industrialized before but ignored it as she did not get much of an education and thought it was just some big word she did not understand.
The carriage had finally stopped and so they hopped out and thanked the man. After saying their goodbyes they made their way over to the guild house to check in and so they could ept missions. After doing so they asked where they could rent an apartment and were given different locations depending on wealth.
"We should head to the middle ie area to see the prices and if it is rtively cheap we shall stay there. As much as I would like to get high ss I feel like it would be a little too much." Elysia nodded in agreement so they made their way to an apartmentplex and found thendlord.
"Hello we would like to rent an apartment." Shaman asked the man nicely as she knew to never get on the bad side of thendlord but she also did not overdo it so as to not make thendlord think she was weak.
Shaman nned work as he got straight to business and did not ask any favors so they could have a cheaper stay, he had also seen their rings and thought that the 2 girls were married.
"Okay it will be 3 gold coins a month but you have to buy your own furniture and if there are no questions here is the contract for the apartment." The man handed over a sheet of paper, Shaman read through it to make sure nothing was amiss and signed happily. After getting the keys and handing over the 3 gold coins they made their way to the top floor.
"I''m d we got to the top floor as I really enjoyed the view at ourst ce." Elysia was a fan of high ces and so she was content with getting a room on the top floor.
"It is quite enjoyable but we have to set up the furniture before it gets toote so wait till after to enjoy the view." Although Shaman wanted to embrace the view she knew that nothing would get done if they were to get distracted so it was better to get it over and done with.
"We are probably going to be here for a while as leveling is going to get slower and slower since the gap between levels to evolve grows." Shaman noticed the threshold to evolve was getting higher and higher and could only assume it was only going to get steeper.
"True and since we can hunt tier 5 as well we could be here for a few months trying to level up." Elysia looked a little sad as she did not want to be in the human city for long as she felt like only problems could ur if they stayed too long.
"It should be fine plus who says we have to stay here, at most we will stay here for a month and then move cities." Shaman also did not want to stay in Elysium as it was ruled by humans as they have tendencies to enve beast man and usually the cities turn a blind eye although it is illegal.
"Maybe we should eradicate them, then our problems will be solved." Elysia''sment had Shaman shiver a little as killing an entire race was a bit overboard.
"Hey now, not all humans are bad, we just need to get rid of the scum and treat all the others as equals." Shaman wanted to make sure Elysia did not turn into a cold blooded killer and hurt innocents.
"Oh yeah that is true and now that I think about it, many of the humans are nice." Shaman sighed a little as she just saved many people from dying.
They finally arrived at the top as they had to walk up a flight of stairs since elevators do not exist.
"finally it felt like forever to get up here." Elysia could not wait to get inside.
"Well let''s get to work." They both entered and it was around the same size as theirst apartment. It had a bathroom and kitchen with the bare minimum. All the enchantments to make things work like water and fire were all in ce and it was only missing furniture like the man said.
"Good thing you packed everything." Shaman thought it would not be necessary but it looked like Elysia was correct to bring everything.
After unpacking and getting everything in order they went to take a bath and took Wolfy with them as he started to smell and was in need of some cleaning.
Wolfy epted and started to swim in the bath happily. Shaman and Elysia had entered and started washing each other and had a little fun as they were able to finally rx. After washing up they went out to get some food for Elysia to cook.
After getting some food they went back and enjoyed a meal together. Elysia also noticed that another ring had appeared, she touched it to read what it was but was shocked to see what it was.
[Ring of marriage]
[bounded to Shaman]
[Any sexual acts towards you that you do not allow will create a barrier and stop their advances]
''oh that sly fox, I guess she did it in my sleep and is not quite ready to openly marry me yet.'' Elysia was happy and had a massive grin, she also realized that Shaman did want to marry her but was not ready to do it openly so she made sure that she would wait for the day that Shaman would propose to her.
''At least I know she will stay with me.'' She was also sure it would happen otherwise she would not have given her this ring so she was willing to wait.
Shaman had noticed that Elysia was in a good mood and could only assume she saw the ring.
Shaman could not help but blush a little and scream internally.
''I can''t believe I did that, this is my first rtionship and I am already going to get married.'' Shaman who was in the bed was rolling around with her hands covering her face.
''Nough, we are not married yet and that ring is for her protection although it had marriage in the name, it was only the system toying with me.'' After making an excuse for herself she stopped rolling around.
Elysia entered the room as they were about to go to sleep as they were mentally exhausted from unpacking. Shaman, knowing that she was in a good mood opened her arms to give Elysia a hug.
Elysia jumped into Shaman''s arms and so they hugged each other to sleep with Wolfy sleeping soundly at the foot of the bed.
***
-Underground-
"We have identified 2 tier 1 fox girls who have entered the city and have taken residence here."
"Hmmm good, thest ingredient to the ritual can bepleted now." The man had a sinister smile as the cult that was in the previous city was also here and were only missing a fox girl.
"We shall let them settle and so they feel safe and let their guard down, so prepare to kidnap them and in 2 weeks we shall strike." The man knew that if they were moving cities and had an encounter with them, they would be on guard so to be safe he would let them getfortable before they strike.
"As you wish sir." The old man left the room.
"Finally we can get our payment and put this damn anchor down." The man turned to leave the room as well.
***
Shaman and Elysia who were snuggling with each other were oblivious to this would have only more trouble toe and their worries would be realized.
Chapter 31 A Dungeon?
?Shaman and Elysia woke up early in the morning and did their usual morning routine. After getting ready they made their way back to the adventurer guild so they could get some maps for tier 4 beasts.
"We would like to get a map for tier 4 beasts please." Shaman spoke to the receptiondy.
"Oh we do not provide maps as all the tier 4 beasts are in the dungeon." Thedy knew they were new and was getting ready to exin it to them.
"A dungeon?" Shaman moved her head to the side with a questioning tone.
"Yes, in this city the monsters we hunt are in the dungeon so if you want to hunt them you have to go north of the city as the dungeon is in a building by the gate." The receptiondy gave a quick exnation and could see that Shaman understood.
"Okay thank you, we will see youter." Shaman and Elysia walked off and waved.
"Did not know dungeons existed." Shaman thought they would not exist in this world and wondered if it was like the ones in video games.
"Really? I was told that it was a phenomenon that urred one day and all the gates rose up and inside was a never ending flow of beasts but I also did hear they were more like monsters than beasts." Shaman understood and it was like she thought.
"So it is like a game." Shaman muttered under her breath and was excited to live out an experience that was in video games.
"At least we do not have to travel far to get levels." The dungeon was also close to were they live so they were able to stay in it longer.
"It is rather close so we should be able to get tier 4 rather quickly." Elysia also came to the same conclusion and was excited to start hunting.
*
After traveling to the dungeon they could see groups of adventurers outside so they knew they were in the right ce. They went to walk up to a guard to ask questions.
"Are we able to enter with just the 2 of us?" Shaman did not include Wolfy as it was more a pet than a person.
"No you must enter with a group of 5 or more and must all be at least tier 3." The guard answered honestly.
"Okay thank you." Shaman cursed inwardly as she really did not want to team up.
Shaman walked back to Elysia and told her. Elysia had sighed as she had the same thought.
"Let''s try to team up with at least beast men." They could notin but before they could start looking a group approached them.
"Hey there girls, it looks like you''re in need of a team." Wolf man hade up to them and was relieved that it was beast men that approached them.
"Yes we are." Shaman was the first to respond as she knew Elysia was quite socially awkward.
"Well would like to join us, we are about to head in and need a couple more people." The Wolf man was kind and offered an invitation.
"Sure." Shaman epted and so they walked off with him to his group.
"The name is Gerald." The Wolf man introduced himself.
"I''m Shaman and my girlfriend here is Elysia." Shaman made sure to put emphasis on girlfriend.
"Nice to meet you and here we are." Gerald had stopped and they saw 3 other beast people.
"Oh Gerald, you found some more people?" A cat girl had spoken up and looked happy to see he brought more girls.
"Yes" Gerald nodded then he started to introduce each other
"The cat girl is Jessica , The minotaur is Max and the panther is Gemma." Each of them waved
"Nice to meet you, I''m Shaman and this is my girlfriend Elysia." Again Shaman had put emphasis on the girlfriend part which also made Elysia blush a little.
"oh? are you a healer?" Gemma asked this as she knew shamans was a known healer ss.
"No, I am a close ranger fighter and I know magic." Shaman eyebrow twitched a little as she did not expect this world to also have Shamans as healers.
"You know magic?" They all said in unison as it was rather umon to have people at low tier to know magic.
"Yes, me and Elysia both know magic." After saying this Shaman conjured up wind and Elysia showed her fire. Shaman purposefully did not use her fire as she knew people knowing more than 2 elements are rare and would only give her more attention.
"WOW! this dungeon run is going to be a lot easier." The group were impressed and were happy they were going to join them as it would make their runs quicker.
"Well I''m d you epted but are you sure you want to bring your pet with you?" Gerald noticed that they had a pet with them.
"Oh Wolfy? don''t worry, he is strong." Wolfy then proceeded to show off a little, he did not use his Shadows as he could feel through the connection with his mother telling him not to use it.
"Seems like I misjudged but onest question: what tiers are you?" This was just to confirm as he knew that they were probably tier 3 but it did not hurt to check.
"We are indeed both tier 3." Shaman spoke with a smile.
Gerald and the rest smiled as they picked up some gems and were hoping to make a meaningful friendship with them.
"alright now that introductions are over I think it is time to head into the dungeon." Gerald, who seemed to be the leader, made their way to the dungeon inside and everyone else followed.
A system notification rang out for Elysia and Shaman.
[Quest: Conquer the dungeon floor]
[Defeat the floor boss]
[Rewards]
500 attribute points
4x skill select
8x tier 4 boxes (A/N this is just abination of armour, weapons and essory boxes)
6x skill level ups
Both Shaman and Elysia looked at each other with a greedy grin as the rewards were amazing.
"This is not going to happen today but at least we have a goal now." Shaman was happy to get a sort of incentive for the dungeon as it would keep motivation high.
"Let''s also try to make it 50/50 so the points can be divide as well as the skill stuff." Elysia knew the quest rewards were bigger to amodate the 2 of them so it would be smart to try to make even.
"Good idea." Shaman agreed and so they continued to walk with the group.
Jessica had walked up to the 2 and started to chat.
"So how long have you two been together?" Jessica was curious about their love life as it was not everyday you see a same sex rtionship. Elysia was also the first to respond.
"We have been dating for about a week but we came together as Shaman saved my life and then I saved her hers so after that we kind of just got together." Although leaving out details it was pretty much the situation.
"oh so it was a case where you fell in love as you experienced a life and death situation and it brought you together, That is so cute!!!" Jessica''s eyes were glowing as she saw it was a really sweet way they got together. This caused both Shaman and Elysia to blush.
"Yeah but it feels like we have been together for ages despite being such a short amount of time." Shaman had spoken as it felt like she had known Elysia for years.
"I guess that is a sign of true love hehe~." Jessica had teased them a little as she found the duo cute and sweet.
"haha thank you." Both Shaman and Elysia were red and embarrassed at Jessica''sment.
After some small talk they finally arrived in front of the dungeon as they got approval from the guards to enter.
"Alright we are about to enter the tier 4 dungeon, we are only hunting the monsters within and we are not taking on the leader so make sure you avoid getting it''s attention." Gerald was giving a quick briefing before they entered.
''Hmm that makes sense since the leader is much stronger it would be best to avoid them and just hunt the small fry to build up power.'' Shaman liked Gerald''s leadership as he knew the limits of the party and was not going to take risks.
"Alright if there are no questions, let''s go hunting." Gerald finished with a smile and so they entered the dungeon doors.
''Seems like it is not another dimension and just an underground tomb and if that is the case how do the monsters respawn.'' Shaman had many questions about the dungeon as it was odd how it worked but all she could do was shrug and not worry about it. Shaman had grabbed Elysia''s hand and followed the group down.
Chapter 32 Dungeon Crawling
?After walking for 5 minutes they finally arrived in a massive open area that had no end in sight, there was a massive crystal on the roof illuminating the entire area acting as the sun.
"Amazing isn''t it." Gerald spoke as she could see Shaman''s and Elysia''s shocked faces.
"How big is and how does it even fit underground." Shaman was now even more confused as the roof went higher and would be above ground.
"Ah, that is because when we went through the door we entered a separate space so think of it as a gateway." Gerald exined and Shaman instantly understood.
"It is very subtle." Shaman was amazed that the transition was so seamless.
"Well anyway we need to get hunting, we will be going for ogres in the swamp region." Gerald spoke up and pointed in a direction where a bunch of dead trees could be seen.
''Huh is this why we haven''t received another movie of a particr ogre.''
The group started to move as the swamp was rather close so it only took 20 minutes of walking, after they arrived they could see a group of ogre''s eating.
"They really do look like a typical game monster." Shaman muttered under her breath as they looked rather familiar.
"Okay everyone get ready for battle." Gerald spoke and everyone pulled out their weapons. Shaman took the vanguard with Max the minotaur, Elysia had taken the back with Jessica. Gerald stood behind Shaman and Max while Gemma took to the trees nearby.
Gerald signaled Jessica to shoot the ogres to get their attention. After firing the 7 ogres looked over with angry expressions and started to rush to the group.
Elysia took the initiative and fired a normal [fire arrow] with [power shot] killing one of the ogres instantly. The group were in awe as it was impressive to see. After waking up from their daze Shaman could already be seen running up to an ogre.
Shaman wanted to show off a little and so she shed the ankles of the first ogre causing it to kneel on the floor. using the 2.5 meter tall ogre''s back as a springboard she jumped up in the air and spun in the air. She activated [sh] with her wind and fell beside the kneeling ogre decapitating it with her spinning sh. Shaman quickly dashed back to avoid the other ogres.
The group again was amazed to see the show.
"Pick up your jaws, there are still 5 more to go." Shaman spoke to wake them up as she did not want her newly acquired teammates to die.
"Oh yes." Gerald fumbled a little but regainedposure. They began their usual protocol at attacking the ogres. Shaman and Elysia stayed back to watch and support when things were going a miss.
"I have to admit they are efficient even without magic." Shaman was analyzing the group''s capabilities and was impressed that they were well coordinated.
"they are good but it would be much quicker if it were just us plus Wolfy is kind of useless without his shadows." Elysia was right as Wolfy without his Shadows would have just been a cute small Wolf so it was hard for him to fight ogres without it.
"Hmm, maybe we should use a shadow cloak and sneak in." Shaman thought of this but was thinking there was some way to detect her.
"We could try but I do not want to get caught." Elysia was a little anxious and would rather stay out of trouble.
"Do you know if stealth skills aremon?" Shaman was unsure how rare ormon things were so she had to be careful when using her skills not to reveal too much.
"I don''t know but as far as I know there is nobody famous for their stealth abilities so I''m sure it is notmon." Elysia had some knowledge but it was definitely not up to date.
"I think we need to buy some books and do some reading." Shaman had a droopy expression as she really did not want to spend her money on books.
"Oh well, it would be for the best if we know these sorts of things." Elysia had also resigned to her fate as it would be much more beneficial for them to learn.
"Anyway tonight I will try to sneak in myself and if I can enter and leave without anyone noticing we will start doing these just us 3. Plus I rather not involve other people as it could be putting them in danger." Shaman liked the group so it would be better if they did not cooperate more as it would do them more harm than good.
"True it would be sad that we would drag them down since we probably still have a target on our backs." Elysia had a sad expression as she also had grown fond of them as it was not often adventurers would be kind.
"Let''s try to help them this run and make sure they return with a little bit of fortune just as a little gift." Shaman thought by giving them a boost would help them greatly and allow them to get stronger.
"That''s a great Idea, Should we tell Gerald that we are going on a quick hunt on our own." Elysia''s eyes glowed as she thought it was a great idea and if they were able to hunt on their own it would be a great opportunity to level up and get some cores for them.
*
The group had finally killed thest ogre and feel on the floor with exhaustion.
"Thank you for the help." Gerald looked at the 2 girls and was thankful that they helped but also did not interfere and take the kills.
"No worries, we know it is important for everyone to get experience so after the first 2 we stood back to make sure nothing went wrong." Shaman wore a cheerful smile as she could see Gerald''s sincerity. Gerald had smiled as their group had been taken advantage of in the past by higher tiered adventurers and was d that he had found some good hearted ones.
"Speaking of hunting, while your group rests, is it alright if me and Elysia go hunt on our own." Shaman knew that it would probably be a yes as it was rtively safe as not many monsters venture out of their territories from what she could see.
"Sure thing, just be careful and if it is okaye back in 30 minutes to an hour." Gerald was fine with letting them go as he did not want to hold them back but he also did not want them to be gone for long as their presence made them feel safe.
"Thank you~" with that Shaman and Elysia went deeper into the forest to kill some ogres.
*
Shaman, Wolfy and Elysia were on a killing spree as the sound of ogres dying could be heard throughout the swamp. Gerald''s face paled a little as she knew they were strong but he was starting to question if they were even tier 3.
"looks like the swamp will be empty." Jessica spoke up with an awkwardugh.
"We might be able to finally fight some of the other beasts today." Max looked excited as he always was a fan of fighting but fighting ogres all the time got boring for him.
"True, we might be able to fight the orcs now." Gerald let out a smile as it felt like they finally made some progress in their lives.
*
On the other hand Shaman, Wolfy and Elysia had all leveled up. Shaman hit level 39, Elysia got 33 and Wolfy got level 30. Shaman had managed to raise her remaining skills to level 2, Shaman also allocated her points straight away.
[Attributes]
Intelligence: 150 ->170
Strength: 150 -> 170
Dexterity: 100 ->120
After collecting all the cores they made their way back to the group with 50 ogre cores in hand. They arrived back with a massive bag.
The group looked at them with shock as it was the biggest haul they had seen.
Shaman had put 35 of the 50 cores in the bag and gave them to the group.
"here are some of the cores, take them and sell them and use the money to improve yourselves." Shaman had a grin as the faces of the group were in disbelief and were pinching themselves to see if it wasn''t a dream. Jessica started crying and ran over and gave Shaman a hug. Elysia froze a little as seeing the hug made her jealous, Shaman noticed the temperature started to drop and quickly pulled Jessica off.
"hey it''s okay, I figured you guys have it hard so I just wanted to help you out a little that''s all." Jessica had wiped her tears away and showed a smile.
"Thank you so much, we are forever indebted to you." They all bowed to Shaman and Elysia.
"I think we did the opposite of what we wanted." Shaman had whispered to Elysia as they now both had an awkward smile.
Chapter 33 D Rank Adventurers
?Due to the massive haul that Elysia and Shaman brought back the group had decided to leave the dungeon.
"Again thank you so much." Gerald could not stop thanking them.
"It''s okay you already said thank you over 20 times." Shaman was ready to snap as it was progressively getting more annoying. They had finally got out of the dungeon and could see that it was around midday.
"Well thank you Gerald and everyone else, it has been a pleasure hunting with you but me and Elysia have some things to do so make sure you stay safe." Shaman gave a small bow and so did Elysia.
"No worries but if anything we should be thanking y-." Jessica was interrupted abruptly by Shaman
"nope, not another word." Shaman stopped Jessica from saying thank you as if she heard another one she was going to hurt someone.
"Anyway, good luck and make sure to spend wisely." With that said Shaman, Wolfy and Elysia vanished using shadow cloak. Shaman picked up Wolfy and Elysia and dashed for the guild house.
The group were confused but did not question it and so they made their way towards the adventurers guild.
"I''m d I was not being thanked, otherwise I would have lost my patience long ago." Elysia chuckled as she knew that Shaman was close to bursting out.
"As much as I enjoy helping and getting thanked for it, there is a limit to how much I can handle before somebody won''t exist." Shaman''s mouth twitched in annoyance.
"Well moving on, do you want to go buy some books so we can start reading?" Shaman agreed with Elysia as she was curious if the system will allow her to cheat and just copy and paste it in her head.
"Well, let''s sell these 20 cores and use that to buy a ton of books." Shaman was praying that the system would allow her and Elysia to not even spend a second reading.
They arrive at the adventurers guild and hand in their cores. Thedy at the desk was a little shocked at the amount as it is not often many people bring that many. After selling them all they got 100 gold for the 20 cores. They also had risen their ranks to D.
"Now that you are D rank Adventurers you can now ess more missions and you only need a group of 3 to enter the dungeon."
"Sweet but what rank do you have to be to enter the dungeon alone?" Shaman wanted to ask to see if it was easier to hunt a tier 5 to rank up so that she did not have to bother sneaking in.
"It depends on the dungeon but for this one it is C rank." The woman answered honestly as she knew that the next time She saw them it was probably going to be with tier 5 crystals.
"Thank you and we will see youter." Shaman and Elysia waved goodbye.
Elysia and Shaman then made their way to a bookstore to purchase books so they could at least know the state and history of the world.
"I am not looking forward to all this reading." Elysia wasining along the way.
"It is okay as long as we own the book, The system should allow us to know everything inside it without us even opening it." Shaman wanted to reassure Elysia and stop herining before she taped Elysia''s mouth shut.
Elysia''s eyes had shone as she was excited to actually get books for once in her life .
They finally arrived at the bookstore and got to buying, Elysia even brought a few recipe books for herself. Shaman had decided to get a few more books about magic as well as history, she thought by getting magic books it would help her learn another element since she noticed that her cap for elements had risen by one when she had evolved.
''I wonder which element I should learn, maybe I should get the first 4 basic elements and go for water next and then earth.'' Shaman wanted to learn more advanced elements but thought by having the fundamentals it would make using the advanced elements easier as they are a branch off the base 4.
"Alright that should be everything." Shaman went to the counter with Elysia and payed for the books which was a total of 50 gold. Shaman had winced a little at the amount and felt like she had been shot as spending this much on books was something she never thought she would do.
After paying they stored the books in their inventory and headed back home.
After arriving theyid out all the books on the floor.
"Alright, let''s see if it works." Shaman picked up the book about magic and then a system notification rang out.
[Do you want toprehend the contents of this book]
[Yes/No]
"YES! it works, now Elysia you try." Elysia did what Shaman did and she got the same notification.
"This is amazing." Elysia could not help but let her jaw drop as she did not even open the book and the information was filling her mind.
After spending 30 minutes absorbing the information they felt exhausted and wereying on the floor as they now had a splitting headache from the information and could not take anymore.
"Maybe we should slow down, I feel like my head is going to explode." Shaman hadid next to Elysia and started hugging her as a way to distract her from the pain.
"Let''s not do this again, this pain is just too much." They did not realize this would happen and so now are suffering the consequences.
''Maybe I should learn ice instead.'' Shaman was now considering getting ice instead as her next element as it was the most needed thing right now.
Afterying there for an hour the pain had finally vanished but they were too exhausted so they fell asleep on the floor .
Wolfy had taken ce on a few stacks of books and was happily sleeping.
***
"So Gerald, what are we going to do with all this money?" Max was rather curious since they have never had so much gold before.
"I think we do what Shaman said so let us upgrade our equipment and also enough for us to live a stable life for a bit and we will continue our dungeon runs." Gerald was grateful and he was not going to allow this opportunity to go to waste and since they had be D rank adventurers they no longer needed a group of 5.
"Sounds great and since there are a ton of cksmiths here I''m sure everyone can find something." Jessica was in a great mood and could not wait to gather some new equipment.
***
"Sir we have located a group of beast men that are somewhat close to the Fox girls, do we want to do something with them?" A rather young man was in a study talking to someone.
"hmm we will do something with them but not yet, find out their rtionship and if they are friends we will act." The man had spun around in his chair with a sinister smile.
"Although I would like to wait if they are close to them, we can use their dead bodies to put the girls in despair and then we can strike." The man spoke o/f his ns and the young man smiled.
"Will do, if they are friends do you want me to murder them right away or report back to you."
"You can murder them and store them in the ring so we can use their bodies." The man reached under his desk and chucked the man the ring.
"you have time so there is no rush but sooner the better." The young man smiled and exited the room.
"Now let''s see how you handle this."
***
It was the middle of the night and Shaman had woken up, she tried to move but was stopped by someone hugging her. Shaman internally sighed as they actually fell asleep on the floor.
''Well not much I can do now, I should probably get me and Elysia in bed.'' Shaman then carefully maneuvered and lifted Elysia up.
''I feel like a dad who is putting their child back in bed after they fall asleep in the living room.'' After chuckling to herself she put Elysia into bed. Shaman then wandered to the balcony they had.
The moon was full and was illuminating the outside.
''It is very beautiful, I never got this kind of view from my room.'' Shaman then started to think about home and how the whole reason she was getting stronger was to go back.
''Do I even want to go back now.'' Tears started to form as she was now stuck in a dilemma.
''I have someone I love now and I am having the time of my life so why do I bother to go home.'' tears started to fall.
*sniff* "I still have family back home but it is not like they are in trouble, so even if I were to never return they would be okay." *sniff* Shaman continued to cry although she did not want to return home she wanted to let them know she is okay.
"Mum, Dad and little sister please be okay." Shaman spoke these final words out loud and let herself cry for 10 minutes.
Elysia, who had woken up, was watching Shaman cry. Although she wanted tofort Shaman it did not feel right and so she just let Shaman cry it out. Elysia had also heard what she said and was a little confused by it as it sounded like her parents were somewhere they can never reach. She would not question her further about it and wait for Shaman to tell her.
Shaman had finished and went to the bathroom to wash her face. Shaman then hopped into bed. Elysia who was pretending to sleep then hugged her as all she wanted to do was get rid of all of her problems.
After 10 minutes or so they fell back to sleep.
Chapter 34 Sneaking In The Dungeon
?Morning hade and the 2 girls were awake as the headache from yesterday was long gone and now they could look through the information.
"Seems like there is 4 main religions and they each represent the regions." Shaman wanted to know more about powers of the world and assumed there was a church that had power alongside the royal family.
"Seems like there is only a church in the human territory which we are in and they praise a god that does not have a name." Shaman was a little worried as she does not know if gods exists and if they do, are they able to interact with the world.
''Since I have a system it would be right to assume there is a higher being but I would say they are not gods but just people with a lot of power.'' Shaman had dwelled on this thought as she was always a scientific person so the concept of gods was hard to believe.
"Hey, Elysia, have you found anything interesting?" Shaman wanted to see if Elysia had found anything worth noting. Elysia who was actually looking through the cooking recipes woke up out of her daze.
"huh? no, I have not found anything." Elysia tried to hide the fact that she was not gathering information and was actually worrying about tonight''s meal. Shaman sighed and turned around to ignore her, causing Elysia to go red as she had been found out.
"Anyway the other regions follow other gods like the elves they follow the tree of life while the fox realm is just a beast man god. Not much is known about demons but it assumed they believe into some supreme power rather than a god." Shaman also noticed tales of these gods blessing someone and were great heroes of the continent.
''Maybe they had a system as well?'' Although unlikely it was not out of the scope of possibilities.
''I guess there is only one way to find out and actually achieve hero status and then maybe I can meet these so-called gods.'' Shaman now had a lead on what she was going to be getting into in the future and was a little excited.
Shaman continued to sift through all the information which was mainlymon sense.
''oh? the 4 guardians?'' Shaman hade across some information about where all the regions came together to create an elite 4 to protect against the world''s threats. Surprisingly the demons also had one but they were still secretive.
''I see so at least I have some people to worry about when I get to the top as these people seem to be either peak tier 9 or tier 10.'' After knowing who not to piss off, Shaman took a break . She was facing away from Elysia and so she fell back into herp. This shocked Elysia a little as she was still in deep concentration about what they should eat tonight.
"Will you stop thinking about food?" Shaman then flicked Elysia''s head.
"ow!" Elysia grabbed her head as the flick was quite strong due to Shaman''s level.
"Did you have to do it so hard?" Elysiained as she thought it was uncalled for.
"hehe~" Shaman giggled at Elysia''s protest.
"I''m going to try to break into the dungeon and if Ie back undetected we will go back and do some leveling." Shaman felt like killing something so she was eager to go to the dungeon.
"Okay but be safe and make sure they do not see your face. Also maybe release a tail just to throw off your looks." Elysia proposed a great idea which Shaman followed.
Shaman got up and gave Elysia a quick kiss before leaving.
*
Shaman is currently above the dungeon ready to activate [shadow cloak].
''Okay I just need to run in there quickly, if there are no problems then I just need to leave an activate [Shadow cloak] when I exit.'' Shaman''s heart was nervously beating as she really did not want to get caught.
Shaman then finally made a move and quickly dashing through the guards and into the gate with her [Shadow cloak], The guards looked a little confused but nheless ignored it.
''YES! okay now I just need to bring Elysia and Wolfy and we can go do some trio dungeon runs.'' Shaman was happy and the nerves she was feeling were no longer there. She exits with no issues and her theory if there was any form of detection magic was false which reassured her even more.
''Alright time to skedaddle.'' Shaman dashes away heading back home to pick up Elysia for their dungeon run.
***
"It is unfortunate that Shaman and Elysia are not here." Jessica had a dejected expression as she was hoping to find them again
"Oh well but at least we can enter with just us so there is no need to worry about getting teammates." Gerald was also hoping to see them again but expected them to not be here.
"Gerald is right Jessica plus we have to rely on ourselves not them." Gemma, despite her quiet attitude, spoke up which shocked the group as she was a woman of few words.
"Your right, guys, let''s not be disheartened and get hunting, we have new gear and it will only be a matter of time till we get as strong as them." Max had a fire in his eyes and was eager to use his new battle axe.
"Alright let''s enter." And so the group entered on Gerald''s lead.
*
''Hmm seems like they are close since the 2 fox girls helped them but aren''t they tier 1 how are they meant to survive in a tier 4 dungeon'' The man was confused as it was said that the 2 fox girls were only tier 1 and could not understand how they survived.
''No matter, I am here to kill some people.'' The man had a sinister smile and followed the group down to the dungeon.
***
Shaman entered her apartment through the window as a way to surprise Elysia but found that she was not in the bedroom.
''She must be in the kitchen.'' Shaman then made her way to the kitchen but as she passed the bathroom she heard something.
"Shaman~~" Elysia cried Shaman''s name out in a moan which caused Shaman to halt her steps.
''Please don''t tell me she thought that I was going to be gone for a while.'' Shaman''s mouth twitched as she now knew why Elysia did not bathe with her in the morning and it was to pleasure herself while Shaman was not around.
''She could have asked, but why the hell is she so damn horny.'' Shaman wanted to know but would rather not know the answer.
''Do I wait or do I knock on the door?'' Shaman was now in a dilemma as she wanted to go to the dungeon but she did not want to interrupt Elysia''s private session.
''I''ll wait for a little while but if she isn''t done soon, I am barging in.'' However because she was deep in thought and was not facing the door and so Elysia had finished and was standing behind Shaman.
Elysia walked out to see the frozen Shaman standing outside the door. Upon the realization of what Shaman might have heard she quickly went back to the bathroom. Shaman had realized Elysia was done and was currently slowly shutting the door.
Shaman caught the door causing Elysia to jump.
"Now can you please tell me why you were screaming my name in such a lustful way and never thought to ask your girlfriend to attend to your personal matters." Shaman was not angry but was rather a little frustrated that Elysia did not ask her to have night for them.
Elysia was bright red again and was happy about what Shaman said but also felt too embarrassed to say why.
"u-uu-hh I did it because you were busy and I just did not want to bother you with my selfish desires." Elysia spoke the half truth as she did not want to bother Shaman but also the other half was just because she was really horny and needed a way to relieve herself.
"I see, I respect that but at least ask me first." Shaman was now a little embarrassed and was starting to pout. Elysia brightened a little and thought to tease Shaman.
"Well maybe I should do it while you are home." Elysia had a grin and was implying for Shaman to catch her on purpose.
Shaman on the other hand did not understand and shut the door on Elysia''s face.
"Fine, don''t ask me then, We are leaving at 5, hurry up and get ready." Shaman crossed her arms and walked off
but after walking off she realized what Elysia was implying and now felt like she had gone too far.
''Dammit why am I so stupid.'' Shaman face palmed. Elysia walked out and saw this and despite her red nose from the door she could not help but giggle a little.
*
After getting ready Shaman was a little shy as she felt like an idiot. Elysia did not mind and was acting like normal.
? "alright we just need to enter really quickly and then we are fine so once we are there I will carry you and Wolfy." Shaman spoke of the n to sneak in and Elysia nodded.
After agreeing they made their way to the dungeon.
Chapter 35 Water
?Shaman and Elysia with Wolfy in hand had [shadow cloak] on and were able to sneak into the dungeon with no issues whatsoever.
"Alright now that we are inside, we can get to grinding." Shaman was d that no issues had arised.
"Do you think we could get to tier 4 with this run?" Elysia was curious as it seemed like they were sting through the tiers.
"I don''t think so but if we do conquer this dungeon I can only assume that the floor boss is a tier 4 leader or maybe even a tier 5." Shaman was sure that the boss was special so she was debating if they should fight right now or wait till they reach tier 4 to take it on.
"Well we should start grinding anyway." Elysia did not want to face the boss of the floor yet and rather kill a bunch of monsters then struggle.
"You''re right, so let''s just start rampaging through this floor." Shaman had a grin as she knew she had an advantage and also wanted to see if she could get her hands on a new element.
*
Shaman and Elysia were currently sting through the different regions killing ogres, orc, goblins and kobolds. Blood was shed everywhere and the two girls were leaning on each other''s backs breathing heavily.
"Now who said it was a good idea to make out while we kill enemies since it was bing boring." Shaman and Elysia had gotten bored so they thought it would be a little difficult but after trying out Elysia''s idea Shaman wished she did not agree.
"Well I thought making love while killing would be fun and romantic but I will admit it was a hassle to use my bow and now that I think about why the hell did we do that." Elysia hade to the realization that it was a stupid idea and was surprised that they pulled it off.
"It was interesting but still never again." Although Shaman did enjoy it, it was not worth the risk.
"Well now that we are both level 45 and Wolfy hit 40 I think we should leave it at that." Elysia also now had the ability to see Shaman''s status due to the system thinking they are married.
"I agree but I want to try to harness another element while I am here and since we are in a swamp a lot of magic water particles are in the air." With that said Shaman started to meditate and started to let the magic flow out of her core. After reaching tier 3, within her body a small crystal started to form which was the container for her mana. Although she cannot see it she can still feel that something is there.
''I guess this is how someone is able to gauge someone''s magic ability.'' After noticing the core she went back to gathering the water element to her hand.
After 5 minutes or so water started to spin in her hand and Elysia who was watching was amazed again how Shaman is able to harness the elements so quickly, she even thought she might be able to harness another element.
Shaman then suddenly opened her eyes and a smile crept up as she saw a ball of water in her hands.
[Element - Water tier 1]
[Maxed elements learnt]
[3/3]
[please tier up to raise the cap]
Shaman was satisfied and threw the ball away. She looked over at Elysia who had her jaw open.
"What''s with that face you literally saw me master fire right before you and we were about to be killed." Shaman had a grin as the books she had gathered found out that not many people are able to master the elements and only high tier magic casters are known to be able to use different elements. She also noticed that people rely on formations to use magic and is the reason why the technology is almost that of a modern world.
"It is just that you are only tier 3 with 3 elements which has never been done before like seriously are you from another world or some god who has descended just for a little fun." Elysia was being sarcastic and had a grin on her face but Shaman was internally freaking out because she was half right.
"haha, no I am not but when you have a system it makes things a whole lot easier, you should try and learn another element as well." Shaman let out a dryugh and tried to change the subject.
"I wonder which Element I should learn." Shaman had sessfully changed the subject and so Elysia started to seriously think about it and so Shaman let her be and assigned her 180 attribute points.
[Attributes]
Vitality: 100 -> 130
Agility: 155 -> 185
Intelligence: 170 -> 200
Strength: 170 -> 200
Dexterity: 120 -> 150
Defense: 100 -> 130
[HP 1300/1300]
[MP 2000/2000]
[more memories have been uncovered]
Shaman raised an eyebrow as she had forgotten about the previous owner''s memories and so she had not checked on them for a while.
''I should probably have a dive and see what has been uncovered.'' After assigning her points Elysia came up with an answer.
"I want to learn lightning and wind." Elysia thought since Shaman had learnt three why stop with just learning one and try to master more elements.
"I see, we can easily do wind but lightning may be more difficult as it is a variant of wind but we can definitely give it a shot." Shaman liked Elysia''s choices and Shaman also wanted to learn lighting but felt like it won''t be as simple as the basic elements.
"Well anyway we should get a move on and sell these cores and maybe we will be able to upgrade our rank but I think we still need a tier 5 core before we can do that." Elysia nodded and although they had over a 100 cores of different monsters they would still need to provide a tier 5 core so they can rank up to C rank.
"Oh well but lets head out." Elysia wanted toy down on a soft bed in Shaman''s embrace, she even started to hug Shaman''s arm as they walked towards the exit.
But as they arrived at the entrance they were horrified by what they saw.
There was a young man covered in blood with 4 bodies of beast man around him, he licked his lips and put his des away.
"Jeez they were annoying but nothing too difficult, I should store these bodies and leave quickly." The young man started to store the bodies in the ring.
But when he lifted one, Shaman got a good look at the face.
Something within Shaman snapped, and what seemed like another person inside her started to take control over Shaman. Despite Shaman being fully aware she was unable to control what she was doing and was overwhelmed by something in her and could only let it happen.
"no no no no no, this can''t be." Shaman was in disbelief as she saw one by one the dead faces of a group of beast men that they were apanied by. Elysia was also staring in shock but did not feel much for them as she hardly talked to them unlike Shaman.
''Why, why, why does this happen, what did they even do, why is that we beast men are always targeted, why does it feel like a life and death situation just to survive in a city.'' Shaman was screaming internally as she had a form of friendship with them and seeing them be brutally killed really hurt her mental and made her start to spiral as images of all the innocent dead girls had appeared again.
Although their time was short Shaman felt a connection with the group and really liked them so after they left they made sure not to see them so they did not get dragged in but it seems like her attempts to not get others involved was futile and so Shaman started to break down.
''It''s all my fault, I am the one to me, why did I make friends, who''s next, will it be Elysia will she die just because she is my girlfriend.'' Shaman''s started to spiral down and soon started to turn to anger as she came to a conclusion.
''No, it is not my fault, it is these shitty human organizations that allow this to happen.'' Aftering to this conclusion a seed of hatred for all humans was nted as she would not trust a single one unless they showed kindness and would give equal treatment to other races.
Anger started to well up inside Shaman and her mana started to go haywire. Elysia saw this and tried to calm Shaman down but it was toote. The anger and Sadness welling inside Shaman exploded alerting the young man. The young man looked over to see the fox girl and paled slightly.
"You need to die." Shaman expression changed to a dead look as she stared right into the eyes of the man in front of her.
Shaman who had a dead expression released a huge amount of killing intent causing the man to buckle. Shaman''s hair also started to change colour to green, blue and red which represented all her elements. The man looked up at her to try to speak but the suffocating pressure from Shaman did not allow it.
Shaman was in a state of rage and sadness and tears were starting to fall down her face. Elysia was mesmerized by how Shaman looked but then a notification rang out.
[user Shaman is in danger please stop her or else she may kill herself]
Elysia became vignt as now her beloved was in danger from herself so she needed to get rid of the problem which was this man.
''I need to eradicate him before Shaman does something she won''t recover from.'' Elysia then pulled out her bow and aimed at the man. Shaman was slowly walking to him, giving Elysia time to kill him.
''I need an explosive arrow, let''s see if this works.'' Elysia then condensed fire within the arrow and made sure to use an extra powerful shot to make sure to kill him.
''Alright, let''s hope this attack is enough to kill him and dispose of his body.'' Without wasting time Elysia shot the arrow Whizzing past Shaman and entering the man''s neck. with the arrow in his neck a fire explosion rang out and the man was instantly turned to ash.
Shaman who was blinded by rage could only see the man in her sights so now she could only see that he had turned to ash and so she started to revert back to her white hair. but upon reverting back she passed out.
Elysia dashed to grab her and sessfully caught her. Elysia got a few notifications of her new skill [explosive shot] and rescuing Shaman. She was relieved that the emergency notification about Shaman was gone. She sighed and sat on the floor with Shaman in her arms and could not help thinking that she had sessfully stopped whatever cmity was about to befall on this dungeon.
Chapter 36 More Memories
?A huge mana fluctuation was felt outside which alerted all the guards to gather at the dungeon as they believed that an anomaly may have appeared within the dungeon. The reason they think it may be a monster breaking out or dangerous is because they log everyone that enters and their tiers.
"The fluctuation has disappeared." A guard had yelled out as the intense mana waves had died down, another reason was also a bit of Shaman''s killing intent leaked out of the dungeon due to them being near the entrance.
"Stay guard and wait for the adventurers toe out and see if any have encountered the anomaly in their instance and if not let them go." A guard wearing a general uniform was giving orders.
After 30 minutes or so a guard came up.
"General Zak, all groups are out except for 5 people." The guard gave the report and Zak was scratching his chin.
"looks like they are the group that encountered them, I think we may need to investigate as they may be all dead since they most likely were the people that encountered the dangerous being." The general ponders for a little bit longer before standing up.
"Send in groups of our men and try to get into the dungeon with the five remaining people and if they are dead leave and report back, if you encounter the being that caused the mana fluctuation retreat straight away!" After giving that order the guards got straight to work getting into groups of 15 and entering one by one in order to get into the dungeon space that Shaman and Elysia are in.
***
30 minutes ago
"Jeez Shaman, why do you always have to be the one who almost get themselves killed, if anything you should be more worried about yourself rather than the enemy." Elysia currently had Shaman in herp and was sitting by the entrance. She was waiting for Shaman to gain consciousness so they could leave.
''Although Wolfy can use Shadow cloak I don''t know how long.'' Elysia wanted to leave but she did not know the mana capacity of Wolfy so she was not sure if they could leave quick enough before Wolfy ran out.
"Shaaaammaannnnn please wake uuuuuup." Elysia had shook Shaman and gave her small ps in attempts to wake her up but there was still no response. Elysia also knew that she was fine as the system had not given her any missions to heal her so it was just a matter of time before Shaman wakes up.
After 10 minutes of trying to wake Shaman up with by any means necessary She still did not wake up and so Elysia ended up patting Shaman while daydreaming and imagining various scenarios with Shaman. Wolfy looked over at Elysia and could see a goofy grin on her face while patting Shaman. He ignored this and decided to take refuge on a nearby rock to take a nap.
***
Meanwhile Shaman was having a dream of the past user''s life.
She had no control and was an observer while in the body of a younger version of the previous owner.
''gosh this feels weird not being in control.'' Shaman was trying to move but was unable to take control and it took a while for her to get used to it.
''looks like I am looking at life before I took over.'' Shaman could see that she was in a rather grand room and could tell that she was a noble beforehand.
''oh yeah why am I here, was I not on the way to the entrance.'' But upon recalling what happened before she fell asleep the faces of the dead group shed through her mind. Tears wanted toe out but were unable to.
''I remember now, although I do not feel close to them but it seems like the previous owner was the one that triggered that mode but why did she have such a strong reaction.'' Shaman pondered for a while as it seems like the soul of the previous owner is still in her.
''And it seems like the previous owner is apanying me, they must have died and I took over her body but she still resides within me.'' But before Shaman could specte more the previous owner started to move outside.
She began to run down the hall and maids could be seen bowing to her as she ran by but Shaman ignored them and continued to run. She eventually reached a massive door and pushed it with all of her strength. After pushing through, it was a massive golden throne room fitted with statues of warriors and previous rulers.
''Shit, I really am a runaway princess.'' Shaman was now dreading her circumstances as now she had to be more careful about her identity.
''There is also that ck box. If I remember from a dream I was told not to open till I reached tier 10 but why?'' Shaman contemted on the issue but could note to a reasonable conclusion.
The younger ''Shaman'' continued to run towards the throne where what seems to be the parents of the previous owner.
"Mum, Dad, can I go y with my friends." The younger Shaman shouted out with a cheerful voice, the parents smiled and nodded.
"Just be careful Shaman and make sure youe back before sunset." The mother smiled, giving ''Shaman'' instructions.
"Okay!" Then ''Shaman'' ran off once again.
''So this girl is also called Shaman, I wonder how simr we are because surely this is no coincidence and I guess I should refer to this person as another me since it seems like we are the same.'' Shaman now was thinking that she was deliberately chosen to take over the body.
''Still why was I the one to be chosen, I just used to y video games all day and read fantasy novels.'' Shaman was arguing with herself but came to a stop when the girl finally reached outside the mansion to see a group of kids.
Shamans eyes widened as it looked like the same 4 people she joined up with.
''What the hell, if they are the same person how did they not recognize me.'' Shaman questions were shortly answered as the girl yelled out their names.
"Sherry, Georgia, Alex and Kaleb, how are you!" The other Shaman had a smile on her face as she ran up to them, the group also returned a smile.
''ah I see they are different people but since the group I met looked simr the soul within me had a strong reaction.'' Shaman got the answer to why she got berserk as it was something she could not control.
''So if the soul has a strong emotional response it seems to influence me and my actions.'' Shaman continued to think back to before she lost control.
''Oh yeah I need to see how my skills are doing since I did not check.'' Since the other Shaman was ying and nothing interesting, she tried to check on her skills.
[Wind sh lvl 4]
[Slicing tornado lvl 3]
[Sword gale lvl 3]
[Wind crescent lvl 3]
[Shadow cloak lvl 3]
[zing sword lvl 3]
[Sword dash lvl 4]
[sh lvl 4]
''Seems like everything leveled up which is good, I need to improve my water skills as well.'' Shaman was satisfied as everything had leveled up.
''I hope this dream ends soon, I would like to leave since I''m starting to miss Elysia''s and Wolfy''spany.'' Shaman had a bored expression as nothing was going on but then it cut to a bloody battlefield.
''What the hell?'' Shaman was confused but the scene in front of her was morbid. The 4 friends were all skewered by wooden spikes and the other Shaman was sitting in front of them crying. After a short while a man in armour came and picked up Shaman.
"NOOO Please bring them back, *sob* please *sob* go back." The other Shaman screamed in protest as she did not want to leave her dead friend''s side but as the screams continued they were cut off as the dream suddenly cuts off to ck.
''Well I was not expecting that the memories would be revealed to me when I hit INT 200.'' Shaman remembered the message she got about more memories being revealed and it seems like this time it was a movie rather than snipping it.
''I guess I''ll wait now, I hope Elysia is okay.'' Shaman sighed and floated around while waiting.
After a few minutes or so Shaman felt she was gaining consciousness again.
"Finally."
Shaman slowly opened her eyes and could see Elysia''s face with a goofy grin and could feel that she was being petted.
''Maybe I should go back to sleep on thisp pillow and petting feels nice.'' Shaman was about to close her eyes again but Elysia broke out of her daydreaming and smiled awkwardly at her.
"Hey darling, how are you?" Shaman was happy to see Elysia again.
But before Elysia answered she leaned in for a kiss.
Elysia pulled back with a smile which entranced Shaman a little.
''I really have fallen in love.'' Shaman returned her smile with loving eyes.
"I''m doing great now that you are awake." Elysia was cheerful as she was screaming internally of how cute Shaman was and the gaze she got told her that Shaman loved her even more now.
"That''s good, but should we head out of here and get some rest, I could do with a bath right about now." Shaman let out augh but was shortly cut off by the sound of metaling from the entrance.
"Seems like I woke up just in time and judging from all that metal it is either guards or some high level adventurers so we should probably hide." Elysia nodded and Shaman got up and so they got ready to leave the dungeon.
Chapter 37 Escaping The Dungeon
?The sound of guards continued to get louder and louder and Shaman and Elysia are running out of time.
"Elysia pick Wolfy up and I will carry you both." Elysia did what Shaman said straight away and once that was done Shaman quickly swooped Elysia up in a princess carry and dashed a bit further away from the bush.
"Lets hope they don''t search the area and leave once they see all the blood on the ground." Shaman spoke her intentions as she guessed that her rage mode may have caused some issues up top causing people toe down.
After hiding for a while Shaman did not stop carrying Elysia as it was easier to hold her just in case. Elysia on the other hand was enjoying the moment despite them potentially getting arrested.
The group of people finally entered and Shaman''s fears were correct as it is guards that seem to havee to investigate. They walked a bit forward and halted as they saw the pool of blood.
"Looks like we found the instances, there are no bodies so they may be alive we shall continue but if they are not found we will assume they are dead." The guard at the front gave the order and so they continued in a triangle formation moving through the dungeon.
"Oh yeah Shaman, I have the ring for the bodies so when you are ready we can give them a proper burial." Elysia had picked up the ring from the dead man as it was not damaged from Elysia''s [explosive arrow].
"Thank you." Shaman gave Elysia a kiss on the cheek as she appreciated that Elysia recovered the bodies for her so they can burry it.
"Anyway enough chit chat lets get out of here." Shaman now had the opportunity to leave safely with her [Shadow cloak].
Shaman activated [Shadow cloak] and dashed for the entrance. After sessfully getting to the entrance they made there way back up to the surface.
"i have a feeling that there will be many people waiting for us." Elysia was nervous as she knew that Shaman''s [Shadow cloak] is not perfect so if anyone was a higher tier they would be caught or at least their presence would be revealed.
"I know and I am sure we will be seen so that''s why we will run as fast as we can and go by rooftop and hopefully my mana does not run while we are being chased." Shaman gave Elysia a smile to reassure her.
"Okay well lets hope this works." Elysia sighed as she wished it was just as easy as leaving.
Shaman activated [Shadow cloak] again with Elysia in her hands. They exited the gate but the general outside saw a shadowy figure move outside.
"UNIDENTIFIED SUSPECT HAS JUST LEFT THE DUNGEON CHASE AFTER THEM!." The man yelled these orders and began to chase the shadowy figure himself. The guards scrambled a little and followed the general as they could not quite see what he was chasing.
''Tch, of course they would notice.'' Shaman clicked her tongue and quickly jumped up. Shended on the roof and continued to dash away. The general continued to follow Shaman, although he was a higher tier it was still hard for him to see.
Shaman looked back and could see him not quite looking at her, she turned to Elysia and whispered in her ear.
"he seems to not quite see us so we can probably lose sight for a second and then just blend in with the crowed." Elysia nodded back and now it was just a matter of merging with a crowed, Shaman also took a look at her MP
[1400/2100]
''I can run for a lot longer but still I need to get a move on and lose this guy.'' Shaman was starting to get a little worried as she does not want to be caught and kill the guard.
''lets look for an alley way.'' But before she could start looking general Zak had caught up.
Due to Shaman sharpen senses for the other ''Shaman'' She could feel the killing intent and able to easily dodge. The man clicked his tongue and continued to run.
''that was to close.'' Shaman sighed as Zak was rather urate.
''I have to lose him quick otherwise my Mana wontst.'' Shaman started to sweat as the consumption of [shadow cloak] was causing fatigue.
Shaman then finally found the opportunity to drop into a alleyway. But before she went down she stopped suddenly and dodged General Zak causing to go past her. Shaman with this quick moment she dashed down and ran towards the street. The general followed but when Shaman went out to the street he lost sight.
When he ran out of the alley way he could no longer see it but then he idently bumped into somebody. He looked down to see 2 fox girls hugging each other.
"Hey watch where you are going." Elysia yelled out as the man touched Shaman which Elysia did not like causing her to get a little angry.
"Oh, sorry." Zak did a small bow and quickly continued to dash off to look for the shadow figure but did not realize he just bumped into them.
"Elysia that was to close." Shaman now was in Elysia''s arms as she was exhausted as she went through 3 quarters of her mana.
"As much as I love that skill it defiantly cost a lot when you have to carry an extra person." Shaman was buried in Elysia''s chest and was getting patted.
"it is a great skill but still did you have to touch that man." Elysia pouted as she was trying to hug Shaman to get rid of any traces of the man.
"Jeez it is not that bad okay no need to be obsessed and sometimes it may need to happen in order for us to live." Shaman was screaming internally as Elysia was turning into a yandere.
''please don''t be a yandere I rather not deal with all the murders, As much as I love the idea I realize how much it can be a problem.'' Shaman now could not understand why people were obsessed with the idea of a yandere.
''Well lets hope it does not turn out that way.''
"Still Shaman, It made feel like killing him when he did that." Elysia exined how she felt causing Shaman to curse herself a little. Shaman then flicked her head.
"No, you have to control that otherwise that will cause problems and if you turn out to be a person to kill someone because they are close I might take that ring away." Shaman''s threat straightened up Elysia as it was thest thing she wants.
"I-I understand." Elysia dropped her head as now that she was thinking about it, it was definitely unreasonable.
"Good." Shaman smiled causing Elysia mood to rise again.
''phew, really dodged a bullet there..... hopefully."
After Shaman caught her breath Wolfy walk beside them and Elysia and Shaman walked back home hand in hand looking like a happy couple.
***
"Dammit where did it go." Zak was now panting as he had been running for hours now and could see it again. His men also caught up to him.
"Report this to head chief that a shadowy figure escaped and we do not know its tier and could be threat, don''t make it public but if you see any reports of it immediately notify me." Zak gave his orders and the soldiers ran off.
"lets just hope it is nothing dangerous or this city could be in trouble." zak caught his breath and went off back to HQ
***
A man in his study was impatiently tapping his desk.
"Why has he not returned yet." The man was getting impatient as he should of been back to report with either dead bodies or just some irrelevant group but suddenly a man barged in.
"Sir Byron''s life me has gone out." The man was sweating profusely as he was ready to get beaten by boss.
"WHAT!!!!" The man stood up and walked up to young man and grabbed him by the cor. The young man shut his eyes tightly in fear.
"TELL DO YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENED!!" The man was now strangling him.
"h-hh-he entered the dungeon with the group and he never came out but a huge mana w-wwave was felt and all the guards were outside, the oo-o-only people that did note out was him and the 4 beast man." The young man was now struggling to breath now but was able to finish the report. The man shoved him to the floor.
"Great we lost a good assassin because of a stupid tier 4 dungeon." The man mmed his desk scaring the young man.
"Leave or I wont hit the desk." The man red at him causing him to run away in fear.
"Great looks like I have to go back to the original n but if the fox girls found out I may need to move forward that n." The man cursed himself as things were in shambles now.
***
Meanwhile Shaman and Elysia were having a great time in the bathroom as the long awaited special night hase for them.
Chapter 38 Shower Time (R18)
?A/N: Another R18 and again it is not my forte but stillment any feedback as I hope these kind of scenes get bettertter on.
Don''t forget you can skip this chapter if you are not a fan.
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Shaman and Elysia had entered the bathroom full of lust as they have not done anything since they moved.
"Now that we are getting into it, all this pent up lust is finally caught up to me." Due to Shaman not really being able to rx, the desire to ravage Elysia had not really hit her.
"Now you know how I have been feeling." Elysia let out a chuckle as they both got undressed.
"Well shall we shower now." Shaman decided it would be easier to do things in the shower as the bath was not big enough for 2 people to get wild.
Shaman started the shower and pulled Elysia into a passionate kiss. Their bodies were closely touching and as they kissed waves of pleasure starred flow through their bodies. They interlocked tongues letting out muffled moans.
Shaman started to caress Elysia breasts causing Elysia to stop and let out a moan.
"Ahh~"
Shaman had a cheeky grin and went down to suck on Elysia''s nipples. She wrapped her tongue around it shocking Elysia.
Elysia was feeling constant waves of pleasure from Shaman and had already came but due to the shower Shaman did not notice.
''damn why am I so sensitive.'' Due to Elysia''s sensitivity to touch she was already feeling immeasurable waves and was finding it hard to control herself. Elysia continued to loudly moan as the sensation continue to run through her entire body.
Shaman also started to suck on Elysia''s other nipple and pinched her other one. Elysia started to hug Shaman pulling her even closer.
"Oh~ please suck harder!!" Elysia cried out as she was feeling like she had ascended and wanted the feeling to continue. Shaman obliged to her wishes causing Elysia to cum for a second time.
Elysia was heavily panting as her body was still tingling and could not get rid of the sensation. Shaman''s tail started to wag as she was getting quite excited from Elysia''s expressions and started to feel a hot sensation down below.
Elysia caught her breath and could see Shaman looking at her with anticipation. Elysia grinned and pulled Shaman in. They continued to kiss and Elysia also started to y with Shaman''s small breast. Shaman let out moans as they continued to kiss. Elysia also pulled the same trick and started to pinch Shaman''s nipples causing Shaman to stop kissing and let a loud moan.
Due to Shaman not being as sensitive she was able to hold back the urge to cum. But before Shaman could recover Elysia pushed Shaman against the wall and slowly brushed her hand down Shaman''s body reaching down below. Shaman felt tingles go through her entire body as Elysia slowly approached her cave down below.
Elysia reached below an started to rub Shaman causing Shaman to bite her lip as to not try to moan. However Elysia started to kiss Shaman again while rubbing her cave causing Shaman to tremble a little.
Elysia then inserted one of her fingers in Shaman''s cave causing a wave of pleasure to rush through Shaman. Elysia started to move her hand and so Shaman''s moans got louder. Their kiss had been broken as now she was trying her best to not explode. Elysia started to get faster and faster and inserted another finger.
Shaman then finally could not hold it any longer and let out her juices. Elysia removed her fingers and started to lick her fingers causing Shaman to hide her face with her arms as she found it really embarrassing.
Shaman was breathing heavily trying to regain some stamina so she could get her revenge on Elysia. After Shaman recovered enough she switched positions with Elysia pinning her against the Shower wall and Due to them being at the edge the water was not quite hitting them.
Shaman then knelt down in front of Elysia.
Elysia knowing what she is going to opened her legs a little so Shaman could dig in. Shaman pushed her face forward and started to lick Elysia''s cave and consuming Elysia''s juices.
"Hehe~ you taste sweet." Shaman giggled but was stop when Elysia pushed her head back in her crotch to make her stop talking. Shaman did not mind and continued.
Shaman then lifted Elysia by her legs and was now standing up and due to Shamans strength it was easy to lift her. Elysia had yelped a little from the sudden pickup but then quickly turned into a moan as Shaman started to insert her tongue inside of Elysia.
Shaman then started to explore Elysia''s cave with her tongue sending waves of pleasure through Elysia. Shaman also made her cum already and was able to swallow it all not letting a drop out. Shaman continued her attack as she was not satisfied and also found that Elysia was extra sensitive.
Elysia who was in heaven moaned even louder and their neighbors could probably hear her but that did not matter as she was having the time of her life once again. She also started to push her thighs against Shaman head locking her in.
''I see why so many guys want to be crushed by thighs, it is kind of nice.'' Shaman had seen many things about thigh crushing and could now get behind it.
Shaman continued her assault and became more aggressive causing Elysia cum for a 4th time. Again Shaman consumed all that was let out and Elysia started to shake a little from the pleasure and so Shaman stopped and gently put her down.
Elysia currently in the clouds regain her wits panting and looked at Shaman full of lust. Shaman giggled a little as she took the time to wash her fur a little, while Elysia was recovering. Elysia managed to stand up and pulled Shaman in hugging each other.
After a short embrace they both slowly moved their hands to down below as they wanted to go for one more round.
*
After finishing each other off they were both sitting in the shower next to each other heads leaning on each other.
"I love you." Shaman spoke causing Elysia heart to beat loudly and almost escape her chest.
"I love you too." Elysia responded back making Shaman feel satisfied and happy.
And so they sat together holding hands while the water fell on them.
After 10 mins of silence and enjoying each otherspany they finally finished up showering and left.
"Well I definitely needed that." Despite being exhausted Shaman felt relieved and was a little surprised at how much pent up lust she had.
"I did to but I got to say your mouth is amazing~" Elysia teased a little as Shaman''s technique to Elysia was heavenly despite theirck of experience.
"Well it is probably due to you being extra sensitive!" Shaman retorted back and went red as it was embarrassing to hear praise about her crappy technique.
"hehe~ but does it not make it better, I saw your face when you were looking at me after you vited me vigorously." Elysia wanted to tease Shaman more as her current expression was really cute and could not get a enough of it.
Shaman covered her face out of embarrassment as thinking back on it now she never thought she was into those kind of things let alone doing things like this.
Elysia walked up to Shaman and gave her hug.
"No need to be embarrassed now after we just ravaged each other." Elysia giggled but this did not help Shaman''s embarrassment.
"STOP!" Shaman pushed Elysia and jumped in the corner to hide as the embarrassment was getting too much. Elysia felt a little bad and thought she went to far.
"At least I did not cum in the first 2 minutes." Shaman spoke softly and her statement cause Elysia to go red as well, as she thought Shaman did not notice as it was quite embarrassing for her.
"What how did you know." Elysia wanted to know how as she was sure the shower water washed it away.
"I didn''t I just guessed but you just confirmed it hehe~." Shaman started to giggle as she finally got Elysia back for some of the embarrassment.
Elysia was now bright red as she fell into Shaman''s trap and now also wanted to hide in a corner.
Shaman stood up and Walked over to Elysia and hugged her from behind.
"Now that we are even shall we go to sleep as I don''t know how much longer I can stay awake for." Shaman let out a yawn as the tiredness was kicking in and was ready to crash. The embarrassment had vanished and wasughed off.
Elysia nodded and so they made their way to bed. Wolfy was at the end of the bed happily sleeping without a care in the world.
They both jumped into bed and almost instantly fell asleep in each others arms with Shaman using Elysia''s breasts as a face pillow.
Chapter 39 Paying Respects
?Morning crept into the apartment slowly illuminating a small part of the bedroom. The 2 snuggling fox girls started to slowly open their eyes. Elysia was the first to wake up but still was drowsy asst night events really had exhausted her. Elysia looked down and saw Shaman smothering herself in Elysia''s chest with a grin.
''this really isn''t a dream.'' Elysia smiled and gave a small kiss on Shaman''s forehead causing her to wake up. Shaman pulled away and sat up rubbing her eyes with a yawn.
"goood morning." Shaman was still half asleep so her speech was slow.
"morning." Elysia was still lying down in the bed smiling at Shaman.
Shaman fully opened her blues and looked over at Elysia and returned her smile with her own. Then Shaman leaned in and gave Elysia a morning kiss. After pulling away Elysia also sat up and started to pat Wolfy who was an arms reach away.
"So what''s the n for today?" Elysia was not sure what they would do as they had not quite recovered from the dungeon and nightly affairs''.
"I''d say we go bury the bodies and pay our respects first and then we can take the day off as I really do not feel like going in the dungeon at the moment." Shaman was also worried that they would have the dungeon under stricter restrictions and it would be hard for them to enter, especially if they ced higher tier guards at the entrance.
"Fair enough, well shall we take our morning bath and head outside the walls to bury the bodies." Elysia saw the sad glint in Shaman''s eyes and understood that it was important for her to send off the group of beast men properly.
*
Shaman and Elysia had gotten ready and wore more casual clothes with Shaman just in a white top with ck shorts. Elysia had gone with a ck skirt with a shoulderless top. They made their way towards one of the city gates as they intended to go into a nearby forest to bury the bodies.
"Feels nice wearing casual clothes for once." Elysia felt free as her battle wear was more tighter on her, althoughfortable it was refreshing not wearing it for once.
"It feels too nice and now I feel ufortable." Although Shaman enjoyed it, she had gotten so used to her battle wear as now it felt weird going into casual clothes for once.
"We need to go out more with just us 2 and Wolfy and rx." Although Elysia wanted to get stronger her motivation was not as strong as Shaman''s.
Shaman pondered for a bit as it did feel like all she has done has been fighting with just 5 minute breaks.
"Maybe I should slow down." Shaman did not want to slow down as she wanted to return back home as soon as possible but that could take years and so maybe taking time off to just enjoy herself might not be a bad idea.
Elysia also spotted a sad look on Shaman''s face and was curious why she looked sad.
"What''s with that sad look, you know you can tell me anything if something is wrong." Elysia was a little concerned and wanted to learn about Shaman''s origin as at times it seemed like she was not familiar with the world.
"I''ll tell you about it once we are in the forest." Shaman decided to tell Elysia about her predicament as she now fully trusted Elysia and did not want to hide anything from her anymore.
Elysia nodded and was feeling happy as Shaman was starting to open up more about herself, she also wanted to tell her own story to Shaman but decided to wait a little bit longer.
Shaman and Elysia continued to walk hand in hand and went through the gate with no issues.
They entered the forest and found a clearing. Shaman took out the spatial ring from their inventory and looked at it. Tears started to form as she was not quite mentally ready to see their dead bodies. Elysia came behind Shaman and hugged her as a way to try to console her.
Although Shaman did not want to cry, the soul within her was reacting causing her emotions to go wild. After sobbing in Elysia''s arms for a little while they started to dig 4 holes. Surprisingly Wolfy''s [Shadow w] was good at excavating the ground and so it did not take long to prepare the graves.
Shaman had also asked onest question before she buried the bodies.
"Can I revive them?" Shaman wanted to see if there was a way to revive them and was it possible for them.
[Yes but it is something that you cannot achieve]
These words from the system hit Shaman right in the heart causing it to ache. Her tail dropped and so did her face. She looked at the ring one more time and started to pull the bodies out one by one putting them in their respective graves.
Shaman started to cry once again as the thought of not being able to revive them although there is a way really hit her and so Elysia took over so Shaman could be left to cry.
After the bodies were buried Shaman knelt down in front of them and gave silent prayers to them as although there was a way it would be impossible to save them. The will in Shaman was crying out as it wanted to save them but was unable to do anything while inside Shaman''s soul.
Elysia also sat next to Shaman and cried along with her as the group was not all that bad and was sad to see such good souls die.
*
After mourning for 30 minutes they walked a little bit away from the graves so that Shaman could tell Elysia about who she really is.
They found some boulders to sit on, although it would not take long they would rather sit down. Wolfy had also taken refuge inside a log and was exploring a little, killing all the tiny insects.
"One thing before I start talking. I am still Shaman and always will be. It is just the circumstances I have found myself in." Elysia looked at Shaman confused as now she had no idea what Shaman was going to say.
"I am not from this world and I used to be human." Shaman got straight to the point which left Elysia a little dumbfounded by the straightforwardness.
Elysia thought about it for a moment but aftering to a conclusion she responded.
"So?" Elysia did not actually really care as Shaman was here now and it did not really matter to her if she was human or not.
"Wait, so are you not going to freak out or ask any questions or anything." Shaman was expecting a strong reaction from Elysia but instead got a very nd reaction like nothing had changed.
"huh? why would I have any questions, is it not self exnatory." Elysia cocked her head to side causing Shaman to feel a little dumb.
"But the whole reason I am telling you this is because the reason why I want to get strong is to be able to go back home." Shaman stated her motive to Elysia and she finally got a reaction.
"WHAT! but can you take me with you?" Shaman was dumbfounded now as it was the opposite of what she thought. she expected it to be an outburst and Elysia crying telling her not to go but it seems like it hase to a more favorable oue.
"I-I don''t know and I was hoping that would be the case but are you sure you want toe with me." Shaman also realized that she did not know about Elysia''s past and was now getting curious why she was open to leaving this world with her.
"Because you are the only family I have and I am sure where you are from is a much better ce than this." Elysia pouted a little.
"Oh, so can I assume that your parents are no longer around." Although reluctant to ask this she still wanted to know. Elysia sighed as it was a touchy subject for her but she was fine with disclosing some details.
"Yes, my parents and little brother died in a raid on our vige from a group of mercenaries and because I was ying in the forest I avoided the attack. I will talk about it more but I am not quite ready to talk about it." Shaman nodded and was happy that Elysia was willing to share a little bit of her past.
"Well anyway the thing about my home is that there are only humans, no beasts, no monsters, just animals. There is even no magic." Elysia''s interest was now peaked as it was a world that sounds like it should not exist.
"So if we were to return I don''t know if we keep out fox features and if we do, it could be a lot worse than it is here." Although it would not be as bad, Shaman thought the poprity they would gain would be too much.
"Oh well, as long as it is better than here I do not mind but no matter what I am going wherever you are going." Elysia had now jumped at Shaman hugging her.
"Fine." Shaman gave up and felt really happy about Elysia''s response and so she hugged Elysia back.
"hehe~ you can never escape me." Elysia was acting a little yful and wanted to have some fun before they headed back.
"jeez we just had a funeral isn''t a little too soon." Although Shaman understood the vibe she felt like it was too disrespectful to Gerald, Jessica, Max and Gemma.
"Fair enough plus we still have a bit of talking to do about your circumstance." Elysia also noticed that Shaman still had not told her everything yet.
"Yes there is one other thing that I need to bring up, although I am not 100% sure there may be bigger problems ahead of us."
Chapter 40 Im Dating A Princess?
?"I may or may not be a princess as the previous of this body seemed to have used to live in a pce but had to run away." Elysia was staring nkly at Shaman as although she expected more she did not expect a runaway princess.
"Wait, but you said you were transported here?" Now Elysia was confused as Shaman said she came from a different world.
"That''s because I took over this body, I did not physically teleport into this world." Shaman exined and it clicked inside Elysia''s head.
"Wait so I am dating a runaway princess who has had their body taken over and now you have to deal with being a runaway whilst also trying to return home." Elysia''s mind was going wild as the princess news shook her as the Fox Realm royalty was one of the strongest families in the entire continent.
"Pretty much but as I said I have no idea if I am a part of the royal family or I was a noble so unless someone recognizes me I will have no way of knowing." Shaman still had no confirmation if she is the runaway princess of the current royal family.
"It also seems that my parents hid my existence so not many people know they had a daughter but that is just spection on my part." Shaman also thought that her parents did hide her but the events of the previous owner''s childhood counter that.
Elysia nodded as she was speechless and had no idea what to say as this was big news and if people were to find out it would probably cause an uproar within the fox realm.
"Well with that out of the way I feel better now that I am no longer hiding anything." Shaman let out a sigh and felt relieved that Elysia took it so well and even suggested to head back to her home world with her.
Elysia was stuck in thought as now she felt kind of bad for not telling her much about herself. Shaman noticed this and could tell what she was thinking.
"Hey, don''t beat yourself over it, take your time and tell me when you are ready." Shaman did not want Elysia to feel obligated to tell her about her past as she guessed it was something very traumatic and something she does not want to recall.
Elysia looked at Shaman and had a feeling of relief that Shaman was willing to wait. Elysia also leaned in for a hug.
"Looks like I am a princess now too." Elysia was now back to her usual self with her bright smile.
"I don''t even know if I am the heir to the throne so hold your horses but if it makes you feel better I see you as my queen." Shaman knew where Elysia was going to take it so she retaliated to Elysia''s advances.
Elysia had gone bright red as thement made her chest pound. Shaman let out a cheeky giggle at Elysia''s reaction to herment.
Although Shaman wanted to continue her little tease they had better things to do.
"Enough games we should head back and enjoy ourselves a little, despite not fighting it feels like we have been through a lot already." Shaman was eager to go on a little date with Elysia as she hasn''t really enjoyed this world''s customs.
Elysia shot up with excitement and her glowing brown eyes shined.
"It''s a date!" Elysia wanted to get going as soon as possible and started to drag Shaman by the hand. Shaman was not quite ready to get off the rock and stumbled a little but she still smiled as Elysia''s reaction made her feel warm. Wolfy saw they were moving and so he stopped his rampage on killing ants and followed them.
They arrived back in Cholden and made their way to the main square. Elysia was taking charge as she wanted to be the one to treat Shaman.
Shaman had grabbed onto Elysia''s arm as it was something she wanted to try. Although they got many strange looks as it was notmon for same sex rtionships to ur but both the girls shrugged it off and continued their journey through the city.
They enjoyed themselves and since Elysia was a cook they visited some food ces to see if Elysia could learn how to make the food. They also went to some parks that were made and enjoyed the atmosphere.
Shaman also thought back to her previous life.
''There really is not much to do without the inte, Now I have no idea what I can do for fun as it would have just been video games.'' Shaman started feeling a little homesick as the things she enjoyed were now gone. Elysia could see that Shaman was deep in thought and took this great opportunity to poke Shaman in the ribs.
"EEEEEKKK!!!" Shaman screamed and jolted back. Elysia burst outughing as the reaction was super cute and could now see a pouting Shaman looking at her.
"jeez did you have to poke there, felt like I was going to die." Elysia continued tough but was interrupted as Shaman got her revenge.
"2 people can y that game." While Elysia wasughing she did not see Shaman approach and so Shaman was able to poke Elysia in the side causing her to jump as well.
"hehe~ I am an expert at poking people, are you sure you want to go against me." Shaman always poked people in the side and had developed the best ways to poke people. Elysia looked at Shaman and was unsure if she would challenge Shaman as it felt like an electric shock went through her body but in the end she still wanted to challenge Shaman despite how well her technique was.
"You say you are the best but is that really true." Elysia wore a massive grin.
They both stood up staring each other off waiting for the first move.
Elysia moved in for the first jab but was easily blocked by Shaman, leaving her open for a counter attack.
''Shit'' Elysia prepared to get poked but despite being ready, the shock from the poke in the ribs was still too much causing the same feeling of tingles wash through her body.
Elysia regained her footing and stared down Shaman. Wolfy thought they were ying and so he was running around them trying to get their attention.
Shaman decided to go on the offensive as the defensive was getting boring and she wanted to show off a little.
Shaman dashed forward appearing in front of Elysia giving Elysia a small shock. Shaman went in for the attack but noticed Elysia''s shocked expression had actually turned into a grin. Shaman realizing it was a trap she tried to pull back but it was already toote.
Elysia was able to grab a hold of Shaman''s arm and take her down to the ground. Elysia wrapped her legs around Shaman, getting her in a hold. Shaman was unable to move no matter what.
"hehe~" Elysia let out a giggle as one of her hands started to slowly approach Shaman.
Shaman tried her best to squirm around but efforts were futile. Elysia went in for a poke attack stabbing Shaman many times causing Shaman to jerk around trying her best to avoid it.
"You can never escape me darling." Elysia had started to tease her as now her statement from before is now being proven wrong.
"You.. threw.. me to.. the ground, how... is that... fair." Shaman had broken sentences as the shocks from Elysia were getting more intense.
"Well I am extra sensitive so I have to use some unhandled tactics to ensure I do not instantly lose hehe~" Elysia thought her n was full proof However Elysia arm who was restraining Shaman''s arms got lost. Shaman seized the opportunity and broke her hands free but when she went to poke Elysia instead of ribs it was something big and soft.
Elysia let out a small moan and stopped her attack briefly. Shaman realized it worked and attacked the same spot again, causing Elysia to try to get away from Shaman.
"No stop that''s my- ahh~" Elysia tried to tell Shaman what she was touching but was interrupted by her own moans.
"huh? where is all that smack you were talking about before." Shaman still had not turned around but when she did she halted instantly. Elysia was heavily breathing and Shaman''s hands were only a few centimeters away from Elysia''s chest.
"oh" Shaman realized what she had done and quickly looked around to see if anybody saw. Wolfy on the other hand ran over and jumped on Elysia and started to lick her face which woke her up from her daze.
"Jeez Shaman, that is meant for the bedroom not the park." Elysia was still panting and felt really embarrassed as right now they were in a public park.
"Whoops." Shaman had a sarcastic tone as Shaman found it quite fun what she was doing but still had to admit Elysia was right.
"Well I surrender so please no more... for now." Elysia would like to continue but felt really hot and bothered and did not want to cause problems due to any idents.
"Okayyy~" Shaman still had her cheeky attitude as now all she wanted to do was poke Elysia in the ribs.
"Let''s buy some ingredients. I want to try some of the new dishes I learnt." quickly trying to change the subject Elysia was able to distract herself.
*
After they went and brought the things they needed for tonight''s dinner they walked hand in hand on the way home.
They both got washed up and Elysia started to work on dinner. Shaman had also decided to talk to the system, despite being a little like a voice assistant back in her world but it was more self aware it was fascinating to talk too.
"Hey system, are you an actual person or is someone else behind the messages.
[I can not tell you]
"hmmmm okay, I am just going to assume that someone else is behind the messages." Shaman wanted to test the limits of the system but due to it having an attitude she did not want to do anything that may offend it.
"What should I be doing?"
[I rmend youplete your quest]
Shaman thought about it and agreed, since the boss should only be a tier 4 leader or maybe a tier 5 and with her and Elysia level they should be able to easily kill it.
"Thank you system~" Shaman wanted to thank the system but the response was not what she was expecting.
[hehe~ no worries but if I may request is it alright if I get a name]
Shaman had rubbed her eyes a little as she thought she was dyslexic.
"I can but what do you want to be called?" Shaman decided to y along as it may be some fun.
[I don''t know maybe you can name me]
Shaman nodded and thought about it for a moment.
"how about Rea." Shaman did not put much thought into it and gave the system a simple name.
[hmmm Rea, I like it]
Rea had agreed with its name, although there was no way to tell if it was happy at all as it was just a wall of text.
"d you like it." Shaman was happy as the system may be more useful than she thought and was kind of ashamed of not taking advantage of the AI within the system.
Elysia had finished cooking and the aroma of meat filled the room. Shaman''s mouth started to water as Elysia''s cooking was heavily for her. Elysia giggled at Shamans face and served the food. They both dug in and Shaman exined what happen with the system.
"Rea?" Elysia called out to see if it was the same.
[Yes]
A message popped up confirming that their systems were one of the same.
"This is so cool we need to do some testing." Elysia''s eyes were glowing as the system was something foreign and unknown which piqued Elysia''s interest.
"We should but I think we should clean up and head to bed first." It was starting to gette and although they wanted to y around with Rea it was best to leave it till the next day.
Elysia nodded and so they went to bed.
Chapter 41 More Friendly Adventurers
?After a peaceful night''s sleep Shaman, Elysia and Wolfy had made their way over to the adventurers guild to hand in all of the monster crystals.
The receptiondy saw them and got ready for the bombardment of monster crystals from the 2 fox girls.
The receptiondy''s guess was right as they handed in 368 crystals which almost made her pass out as the amount of gold was almost a thousand. This also attracted them a little attention as it was rare for anyone to get so many in a short amount of time. A group of people also approached them to ask questions.
"Are you a tier 3?" They wanted to know as usually only a tier 5 or higher would exin how.
"oh? we are only just tier 3" Shaman thought she was rather normal when it came to dungeon runs but the reaction across the guild house had their jaws dropped. Elysia, who was more aware that they were abnormally strong, wanted to stop Shaman saying anything but could only shake her head and face palm.
"What? We may be tier 3 but we also know magic." Shaman then conjured up some wind. Some people understood while others were just amazed.
"wow! you don''t even need magic circles to use magic, no wonder you could kill so many." Someone of the group of adventurers spoke up which gave Shaman a little bit of insight.
"Well if you study hard enough it bes pretty easy you know." Shaman wanted to throw some excuse as to why, as she knows it can take some people years to learn magic without using formations.
"Fair but whenever I read those kinds of books my head just starts to hurt." Everyone who had tried to learn magic looked down as it was a hard concept to master.
"Well enough chit chat I have some more dungeon runs to do." some of them paled as that would be another few hundred crystals. Also some of them realized that she would be a great teammate and wanted to recruit her but before they could turn to ask Shaman and Elysia they had already disappeared.
*
Shaman and Elysia were currently on the rooftops making their way to the dungeon.
"Thank god we left, otherwise we may have been trapped in there all day." Shaman did not want to stay talking for long as more questions would lead to others.
"Yes but you need to remember that we are abnormally strong and can''t be telling people our tier." Elysia karate chopped Shaman''s head to scold her as it could cause more problems for them in the future.
"Ow!" Shaman grabbed her head and her tail and ears dropped down.
"Oh don''t give me those eyes." Elysia knew what Shaman was trying to do, so before she took advantage of her cuteness Elysia chopped down on Shaman''s forehead again.
Shaman fell backwards as her strategy failed in trying to convince Elysia with her cuteness.
"Fine, I''m sorry, it is just that I do not know how this world works fully yet so there is somemon knowledge I am not quite ustomed to." Shaman understood that not all themon knowledge gained from the previous owner was urate since she lived in a pce.
"I know but be more careful next time." Elysia patted Shaman as she was worried that they would be targeted again and did not want it to be because we had a slip of a tongue. Shaman''s tail was wagging from the head pats. Elysia tried to look away so as to not be consumed by Shaman''s cuteness.
"I understand" Shaman had a grin as she could see the temptation on Elysia''s face and knew she was close to caving in.
Elysia finally pulled the courage together and started to walk away and stop patting Shaman.
''Wow she actually did it.'' Shaman was surprised at Elysia''s self control as she thought Elysia would finally give up but it seems that she was able to pull herself together. Shaman was rather proud since at times Elysia''s fluffy personality gets in the way when they are battling monsters.
Shaman caught up with Elysia and held her hand giving her a loving smile showing that she was proud of her. However Elysia on the inside was going crazy.
''AHHHHH! I just want to just pamper her all the time, why does she have to be so cute. it should be illegal and the way she is looking at me makes it even harder to control myself.'' Elysia let out internal sobs as it was taking all her willpower to not glue herself to Shaman.
They continued to travel by rooftop and finally made it to the entrance of the dungeon.
This time they were not going to break in as they saw that the security had tightened.
Shaman and Elysia looked around and saw a bunch of groups organizing themselves. There were not many groups that weren''t already full and the ones that had extra space were all human and Shaman and Elysia would rather not just be a safety precaution for themselves.
After walking around a group of 3 walked up to them, 2 women and 1 man. They were beast men but something seems fishy about their appearance. Shaman was rather ignorant to the different races so she did not notice but Elysia saw this and became a little vignt and would keep an eye on them.
"Hey fellow beast man, did you want to enter the dungeon with us?" The man had a friendly smile and so did the 2 girls behind him.
Shaman looked at him for a second and nodded as she saw why not.
"Names Shaman, what are yours?" Shaman introduced herself but this time she would not get too close to them but she found the soul within her was not reacting at all to them so she knew if they died it would not cause her to go on a rampage again.
"My name is Sam and these to lovely catdies are twins, Ava and Ada." The two girls showed their features both having the same face but different colour fur. Ava was red while Ada was blue, after they quickly Showed it they hid them.
"Why do you hide them?" Shaman was a little confused as every beast man always had their features on disy.
"Well that''s because we have had some unfortunate encounters." Sam had a sad look and Shaman nodded knowing what might have happened was something she should not know.
"Anyway, what race are you?" Sam still had not revealed his and Elysia was getting curious so she asked Sam to show them.
Sam showed his face and tongue and it could be seen that he was that of a snake.
"wow! I have not seen a snake beastman before." Shaman was a little fascinated as she was unable to imagine what one would look like.
Sam had scales like a snake down his arms and had the same eyes and tongue of one. After the brief showcase he covered his arms and the only thing you could see of his snake features was his eyes.
"Anyway, shall we go inside?" Sam wanted to enter the dungeon as they have been waiting a while to pick up 2 people.
"Sure thing and also this is Elysia, my girlfriend." Shaman was eager but also realized that Elysia had not introduced herself, she also wanted to make sure Sam did not pull any moves on her.
Sam raised an eyebrow and did not expect the 2 fox girls to be in a rtionship and saw them as just 2 sisters. Shrugging it off they walked into the dungeon, after getting their names registered they walked down the stairs and Shaman took this opportunity to look at their stats.
''Rea show me their stats.'' Shaman also began addressing the system as it felt right to do so from now on.
[Sam]
[Snake man]
[Peak tier 3]
----
[Ada and Ava]
[Cat girl]
[Tier 3]
----
[There is something wrong with the information so I was only able to pull up this much]
''How so?'' Shaman was a little confused but also could see that the information was a little too basic.
[I am not sure but all I can say is that this information could be fake]
Shaman became cautious as the first thought went through her mind was that it was the cult and these were assassins. They were either going to capture her or kill her. She also moved closer to Elysia and was d she said they were girlfriends as it would look normal for them totch onto one''s arm.
"I think they may be assassin''s, Rea show Elysia." Shaman had whispered into Elysia''s ear and had Rea exin what Shaman thought.
''Rea is amazing, I can send information to Elysia whenever I want.'' Shaman was surprised even further With Rea''s capabilities.
[hehe~ thanks]
Shaman went a little red as she forgot the system could read her thoughts but thanks to the darkness of the stairway her face was hidden enough.
Elysia nodded and so they became more alert and were now considering killing them and making a scene to hide the fact they killed them.
''Since the rules are ratherx anything can happen in the dungeon so it should not be hard for me to dispose of them if they do try to attack.'' Shaman ryed this message to Elysia through Rea and so they began to discuss possibilities on how to deal with them as they ventured further in the dungeon.
Sam had looked at them a few times but was unable to see anything suspicious as they were not talking. He turned back and continued with a grin as to him everything was going as nned.
*
They finally reached the bottom of the staircase and stood in a circle to discuss what to do next.
? "We will head to the troll area" Shaman and Elysia were a little surprised as Sam was nning to take them to the boss territory.
"Okay, so does that mean we are going to fight the boss." Shaman wanted to confirm some things as if they were to kill the boss the quest she received would give her and Elysia a huge boost.
"No, we won''t hunt the boss, just the tier 4 leaders, that''s it." Sam could not fight the boss and would rather not deal with it so he wanted to wear the 2 down before they attacked.
''damn.'' Shaman wanted to get the quest done but she wanted to wait till she was tier 4 to take it on as a way to be safe. Elysia also had the same thought as they did not know what they would be getting into if they were to fight it by themselves.
"Well shall we begin our hunt." Sam smiled and started to walk off in the direction of the troll territory.
''let''s hope this won''t be a hassle and maybe we can even reach tier 4 by the end of this.'' Shaman sighed as she really did not want to deal with them but it had to be done and so Shaman and Elysia followed behind making sure to not let their guard down.
Chapter 42 Captured?
?The troll territory had many protruding rocks andrge caves within them. There were many open areas and seemed to be used by the trolls. A massive rock could also be seen which was assumed to be the bosses location. Most of the rocks were overgrown and outside only had some trees in sight within the t grass nes that surrounded all the rocks.
The group of 5 would either split and go into the caves to kill the trolls or they will all enter at once if it was arger cave. The trolls were also somewhat intelligent as they created fire as a light source within the caves.
Currently in one of the many caves Shaman and Elysia were currently hunting trolls down. Shaman had told Elysia to not use any magic to hide their capabilities and so they have a trump card against them. Although they were not using magic, their killing did not slow down.
Shaman had actually leveled up her [Sword dash] and [sh] to level 5 and Elysia also leveled all her base skills by 1 making them all level 4.
Sam, Ada, Ava were amazed by how strong they were as he was told they were supposed to be tier 1 but he could not believe that especially after watching them hunt the trolls with ease. Sam had gone over to the 2 twins.
"After they are done killing, use your gas and get at least one of them." Sam gave them a signal to attack.
Shaman noticed they began to do something and sent a message through Rea to tell Elysia they are up to something. They both became wary and finished killing off the rest of the trolls.
They both managed to get to level 47 but Wolfy did not gain anything since they were unsure if it would cause more problems if they found out it could use magic.
Shaman instantly allocated her points.
[Attributes]
Points: 60 -> 0
Vitality 130 -> 145
Strength: 200 -> 245
[HP: 1450/1450]
''let''s hope if I do get captured the restraints can be broken out of with sheer strength alone.'' Shaman wanted to boost her strength as she was unsure how she will be restrained if she was to get captured.
After making sure the trolls were dead Shaman noticed a gas wrap around the area. Shaman''s eyes widened as she knew it must be from the 3 suspicious group members. Elysia was not in range and was with Wolfy and had yet to turn around to regroup with Shaman.
Shaman was hit with drowsiness and felt her head spinning. The gas effects took hold of Shaman a lot quicker than she anticipated and could feel her conscious fading so she quickly put her things in her inventory before she passed out.
''Shit.'' Shaman could not do anything and so her vision went ck and copsed on the floor.
Sam saw this and grabbed a hold of Shaman, He also pulled out a talisman and Ada and Ava stood next to him.
Elysia came over and saw Shaman about to be taken away. Something inside Elysia Snapped as scenarios of what could happen to Shaman yed in her head. In an instant Elysia made a bow out of fire and made an enormous arrow and pulled it back.
Due to the system''s help she was able to exclude Shaman from the arrow''s heat and st as she had gotten a ring from the system when she opened the essory box and used the flower pendant she got as a decoy. The ring allowed whoever used it to be excluded from the spells of their lover by a thin magic barrier. She was surprised when she got it as it was only a tier 3 but when that thought urred a system message winked at her.
This also confirmed that the system had to be a person or something that is able tomunicate with them consciously. Although a little creepy she was happy it was giving her things to protect the most important person in her life.
Elysia had nned to give this to Shaman as a proposal but wanted to wait till Shaman was ready but right now she needed it more than anyone else so she had the system to take it out of the inventory and put it on Shaman''s finger.
Elysia saw the ring appear on Shaman and so she could go out without hurting her.
The heat from the fire bow started to melt the surroundings and the three assassins'' clothes, this also revealed that they were human as well.
Elysia noticed and the intensity of the me became hotter and hotter as the rage inside her intensified.
currently Ada was using the teleportation talisman they had but it took time to activate but finally they were able to activate it. She called out and so everyone grabbed a hold of each.
Elysia had finished and fired the arrow heading straight for the 3 and the thin barrier around Shaman could now be seen. But before the arrow could hit they teleported away.
Elysia saw them disappear and tears started to form but before she could cry she passed out. Wolfy, who had retreated, walked up to Elysia and tried to wake her up but any attempts were futile. So Wolfy started to whimper and was in a little distress and still kept trying to wake her up.
***
Shaman was slowly gaining consciousness but shot up when she suddenly remembered the events before she passed out but was stopped by chains.
''FUCK'' Shaman saw that she was in a cell and was currently cuffed against the wall. The cuffs were tight but just enough to keep cirction through her hands. Shaman also found herself sitting with cuffs on her feet with a chain going to the wall like her arms.
''looks like they do not have materials to restrict magic.'' Shaman was d as she could still use her mana and so she had a way to leave if she wanted.
Shaman also started to calm down a little since she had a way to leave.
''I hope Elysia is okay and isn''t currently turning the entire city upside down.'' Shaman was actually more concerned for Elysia as she felt like Elysia could snap since there seemed to be a reliance on her presence.
''Oh yeah I have Rea, I should send her a message.'' Shaman then got Rea to send a message to Elysia but Shaman only got more worried as she was not responding and she started to panic a little.
[Shaman do not worry Elysia used to much mana and is currently passed out]
Shaman sighed as at least she was safe but also thought why did Elysia use too much mana but before she could ask Rea already started answering.
[Elysia created a new spell and powered it with her mana but she went overboard causing her to pass out]
''ah okay, so she did try to save me but I guess they managed to leave before Elysia got to them.'' Shaman smiled as Elysia''s willingness to harm herself had left a little impact on her but also did not like the thought that she was hurting herself for her.
''I really did pick the right one but did she really have to hurt herself.'' Shaman admired Elysia a little but still felt that Elysia was going too far as it was unnecessary to use that much mana.
''Anyway I should be trying to think of a way out instead of thinking about Elysia.'' Shaman knew that in order to get out she had to move as well but she needed to wait for Elysia to wake up.
''I guess I can wait and see if anyone shows up.'' Shaman waited in the cell to see if anyone woulde and see her but after an hour Shaman was getting really bored and started to spam Elysia with messages.
''pleeassseee somebody hurry up.'' Shaman''s whining was answered as footsteps rang out.
''Finally lets see who it is.'' Shaman had a grin but quickly got rid of it so as to not raise suspicion.
A noble looking man that looked like the city lord walked in front of the cell looking at Shaman.
"Good you are awake." The noble man grinned.
"As you may see I am the city lord and so any attempts to rescue through authorities is useless." The man giggled a little at Shaman''s despaired face.
However Shaman was acting as now she had crucial information. She was in the city lords castle dungeon.
''What a dumbass, he should have not said anything but now you just cursed yourself.'' Shaman was internallyughing while trying to keep the act up.
"Anyway in 2 days you are going to be sacrificed so enjoy yourst days, I''ll make sure to make it pleasurable." The noble man walked off and startedughing. Shaman had actually paled and hoped Elysia would wake up soon so she could n a way to leave.
''Although I can leave I really don''t want to take any risks without Elysia.'' Shaman then sat and waited and was ready to burn anything that came remotely close to her, even the food as they could have been drugged.
***
3 hourster
Elysia had finally woken up and shot up in a panic. Wolfy had jumped away in shock as he was sitting next to Elysia
"SHAMAN!!!" But when she called out Shaman was not there. Elysia started to panic and her head started to throb but a system notification rang out.
[69 messages pending]
Elysia opened the messages and fell on her knees in relief.
"Thank god." Elysia had started to read the messages and was d Shaman was okay. Once she reached the bottom she became happy but also furious.
"So it is the city lord who has you." Elysia had a cold re as she now had a target and knew where Shaman could be.
She also looked at the other notifications.
[ming bow]
[create a fire bow than amplifies and fire abilities used with it]
[-10mp a second plus any fire arrow skills used]
Elysia was ted as it felt like an ultimate move. Elysia also turned around and was shocked to see the destruction she caused. the surroundings were smoldering and everything near the path was charred back. She also managed to shoot through the cave and cause a hole at the other end with melted rock which had settled that slightly covered the hole.
Elysia jawed and was amazed by the capabilities but remembered she had passed out as a result of this. She shook her head as right now she need to go and help Shaman break out and murder everyone who was apart of it.
"Alright, Rea send a message to Shaman."
Chapter 43 Escape Plan
?In an old looking cell with bars blocking the entrance a fox girl who was extremely bored was rocking back and forth lost in thought.
Shaman wanted to send more messages to Elysia but since she had sent her so many already she did not want to bother her when she woke up.
''Fuck, how do people stay captured for so long, it is the most boring thing I have experienced.'' No one hade down to see Shaman and was waiting patiently for Elysia to respond so that they could talk further about escaping as they may have to flee the city.
Shaman continued to whine mentally but then a system notification rang out causing Shaman to jump up in excitement which caused the shackles to loosen off the wall slightly.
''Whoops.'' Shaman panicked a little as it would blow her cover.
''Well at least it is still attached.'' Shaman thought it would not be an issue as the cell itself looked old and had dust everywhere so it should not raise suspicion.
Shaman then clicked on the message but was a little shocked as it was the size of a break up message.
[Thank god you are okay Shaman but like seriously did you have to send 69 messages. Like the one about how funny the number 69 was in message 69 and it was a position we should try, I am all for trying new things but I don''t think now is the time, also that thing about you being so bored that you were about tomit mass genocide just for fun. I thought I was bad but it seems like you might be the one with the issue here hehe~. Anyway that is beside the point, we need to get you out of the city lord castle but how the hell am I am going to get past the shit ton of guards that are probably there plus from the sounds of it you can leave anyway so why don''t you do that plus you have your shadow skill so what''s the worry. Although I would like to get you out myself but frankly this entire city would be burnt to a crisp because the stress of you not being here is really kicking in so I don''t think I should leave the dungeon as I might just go on a rampage. Anyway you should try to leave yourself and if there are any problems let me know and I will try to help but I think the best way for me to help is not causing the destruction of this city :)]
Shaman had a nk expression as it seemed like she was about to snap if she were to leave the dungeon.
Shaman sent a message back asking if she was okay and why would she destroy the entire city.
Shortly after another reply came.
[Oh yeah, I''m fine but the fact that humans have kidnapped you makes me want to melt anyone I see till you are by my side and it is taking a considerable amount of will power to sitting here while patting Wolfy]
Shaman took a moment to process what Elysia said. Shaman also found it reasonable why Elysia would act that way as she has been giving off yandere vibestely so she did not put it past Elysia that she would murder everyone for her.
''lets hope she is not a yandere that will murder somebody just because I bumped into somebody.'' Although deep down Shaman was kind of into it She really did not want innocent people being killed for no reason.
''I guess at this point it would be better to nurture her instead of stopping it as it seems she is to far gone in the yandere path.'' Shaman had resigned to her fate and would ept Elysia''s yandere side but would try to make it not so violent so they can at least travel without Elysia killing anyone who only nces at Shaman.
Shaman sent onest message to Elysia saying she is breaking out now and got ready to leave.
''Alright I guess I just smash my way through and try to conserve my mana.'' Although she had many hours to n she did not even bother to think of a way out.
Shaman ripped the restraints off the wall causing the walls to crack.
''Well that was easy.'' Shaman continued to break the restraints and stood in front of the metal bars.
Shaman went to pull on them lightly but ended up pulling the entire thing out causing the old cell to shake a little.
''These cells really are not meant to keep someone strong locked up and did the guys that kidnap me not tell the man that I was strong or is he too arrogant to think I am strong.'' Shaman was almost right but it turns out it was because the city lord saw she had one tail which indicated their tier and only thought Shaman was a tier 1 so he did not believe the kidnappers report about her being strong.
''oh well let''s get out of here.'' Shaman started to make her way up the stairs which were beside her cell. Once she got to the top she seemed to enter a bedroom that looked like a typical noble room with gold everywhere and everything was white. What shocked her the most was that currently something was on the bed.
The city lord was currently having a great time as moans filled the room.
Shaman had a face full of disgust and was d she could not hear them in the dungeon.
Without giving it much thought she used [Wind crescent] killing him and the girl in the bed and due to the instant death no screams were made. Shaman also spat on the bodies as a way to pay her ''respects'' to the city lord.
''My god he really got himself killed because he thought I was weak and did not need guards, what a fool.'' Shaman started tough at the situation, as it was too surreal for her.
''oh well I guess that was easy, now I just need to leave right?'' Shaman started to go to the window as the door probably had guards outside.
Shaman looked out and could see a massive courtyard and then a stone wall that was 5 meters high with a few guards patrolling on top. However when Shaman pushed on the window an rm went off that resounded through the entire castle like home.
''Shit, did not expect rms.'' Shaman was not expecting that magic circles had the capabilities of being rms so Shaman was rather carefree.
''I need to leave, it is toote now to be sneaking and if my guess is right only a few people should know who I am so I should not be a wanted person.'' Shaman hoped they would not chase after her as she still had a quest to do.
Shaman activated [Shadow cloak] and jumped out the window. She could see all the guards rushing into the building as it seemed to be an internal rm.
Shaman continued to rush through the courtyard and ran up to the wall. She scaled the wall and jumped over and so far had not raised any suspicion but when shended she encountered a familiar face.
It was general Zak who had chased her down before.
Zak, who was running halted as he saw the shadowy figure again and now knew the reason for the rms going off.
Shaman panicked a little as she really did not want to kill him but to protect her identity she may have to.
"YOU AGAIN!" Zak had called out and dashed at Shaman with what seemed to be a rapier unlike the sword he usedst time.
Shaman did not dare to take off shadow cloak and had to either run away or kill him off. She was also in a dilemma if she should speak as it could give her away in the future. Shaman had continued to dodge and used the shadow skills that Wolfy had shared with her. She also managed to level it up [Shadow cloak] to lvl 4 which helped with the mp cost of the skill.
Shaman was also surprised no quest popped up but she guessed it was due to her unwillingness to kill him.
''I need to do something to disable him.'' Shaman could not hold up for long as the mp drain was still too much for her to handle for long term use.
''Fuck it domain.'' Shaman activated her domain as a way to ensure she could hurt the general.
Zak was shocked as the shadowy figure suddenly created a white flower field and could not believe his eyes. Shaman noticed this and used that slight distraction to use [sword gale] with her [sword dash] making her arrive by the man in an instant shing at the man''s leg disabling him.
Zak screamed in pain as the shadowy figure disappeared instantly and the next thing he felt was his legs filled with pain. Zak had tried to stand up but found that the figure disabled his legs and was unable to move. He had epted his fate as the thought of death crossed his mind but it never came. When he came back to his senses and opened his eyes he found the field of flowers was gone and was slightly confused about what happened.
"Did it spare me?" he was even more confused but was d he was alive.
"I need to get a healer." Due to them being near the wall not many people were actually around making it a rather quiet ce so nobody was around to help him get him to the medical ward.
Zak after waiting for a minute pulled out a talisman with a magic circle on it and activated it. It vanished upon activation and sat there quietly with his paralyzed legs.
"Just what is that thing?"
Chapter 44 Rampage
?While Shaman was breaking out Elysia found a way to relieve her stress.
Wolfy was on a small rock by one of the troll caves having a nap while Elysia was keeping herself upied.
Currently Elysia was causing a massive fire out of the dungeon while screaming.
"FUUUUUUCCCCCKKKKKK." Elysia shot another massive explosive arrow in the middle of the orc forest causing her to get a few notifications with her system.
Due to them going straight to the troll area the monsters were still alive so Elysia was able to finally push to level 50 and get tier 2 fire without even realizing it as she was killing hordes of monsters with her arrows.
Elysia continued this but finally stopped as she was getting low on mana and could feel she was getting tired.
Elysia let out a sigh and walked to Wolfy who was chilling on the rock to join him in waiting for Shaman to escape.
not even a minute had passed when another message came through from Shaman.
[Elysia pleasee home. I am safe but I need you right now]
Elysia panicked a little as it sounded like something was wrong.
"I swear to fucking god if they did something to her!" Elysia screamed out while picking up Wolfy. Elysia starts to dash out of the dungeon going past the fiery mess she has made.
*
7 minutes ago
Shaman still had [Shadow cloak] on and was constantly running towards her house trying her best to get back but since they lived at the opposite end from where the city lord lived it would take her a couple minutes of rooftop running at max speed to get there.
Shaman looked at her mana pool as she had used a couple skills and was unsure if her mana wouldst.
[MP: 750/2100]
''Shit I don''t know if [Shadow cloak] willst.'' Although Shaman felt she was now safe she did not want to take any chances and wanted to ensure it was safe before she deactivated [shadow cloak] since she did just kill the city lord.
''Speaking of the city lord he was tier 4 as well.'' Shaman did not notice at the time but she got 2 levels from the city lord making her level 49.
''Just one more level which I should get from the dungeon boss but I need to get back home before I start thinking about killing the boss.'' Shaman was lost in thought as she could now rx since she was far enough away from the castle.
Shaman continued to run for another few minutes but was getting more sluggish.
[MP 400/2100]
''I am almost there, I need to send Elysia a message.'' Shaman could see the apartment in the distance but knew when she arrived she would pass out if her mana reached 0 so she wanted to message Elysia before that happened.
''Alright now that Elysia knows I will be home I can truly rx now.'' Shaman had a smile but the fatigue was getting worse and worse.
Shaman finally arrived back home as her mana ticked down to zero, She stumbled her way in but copsed as the door behind her shut.
*
Elysia had rushed out of the dungeon and was running as fast as she could back to their apartment with Wolfy in her arms.
''Please be okay.'' Elysia''s mind was going wild as her wild imagination made her think of the worst case scenario and she believed it.
Elysia was also too tunnel visioned about Shaman, her anger towards humans was forgotten and just wanted to be by Shaman''s side.
After rushing through the streets not caring if she bumped into anybody she finally arrived back home and continued to rush up the stairs.
Elysia mmed the door open but when she did she could see a passed out Shaman on the floor.
"SHAMAN!" Elysia quickly rushed to her side dropping Wolfy and picked her up, tears also started to form as she thought Shaman was hurt. But after looking at her she realized she was peacefully sleeping and let out a sigh of relief.
"Thank god you are okay." Elysia started to cry while tightly hugging Shaman.
After hugging Shaman for 5 minutes She picked her up and went to bathe to give Shaman a wash.
"We will get rid of all the germs from those bastard humans." Elysia started to undress herself and Shaman.
*
After cleaning Shaman, Elysia had put Shaman to bed and started to cook for herself and Wolfy as she was starting to get hungry. She also took this opportunity to look at her own system.
''Holy shit, I am level 50 now.'' Elysia was shocked to see that her rampage made her able to level up and felt a little embarrassed since she felt like a different person when going on that rampage.
''It also looks like I can evolve to tier 4 now.'' Elysia was also getting excited as they were now a step closer to tier 10 and getting stronger has always been a life goal for Elysia since her family died.
"We also have the cores for the next tier as well since we hunted so many tier 4s and leaders during our runs we now have enough to evolve right away.'' Elysia checked the requirements and was the same as usual.
[tier 4]
[tier 4 cores 24/10]
[tier 4 leaders 13/5]
[Do you wish to evolve]
[Yes/No]
Elysia wanted to wait for Shaman so she closed the window.
After eating her food and feeding Wolfy Elysia wanted to fall over and sleep as she was exhausted from today''s events which was all too stressful for her. She got in morefortable clothes and snuggled next to Shaman to sleep with a content smile and the feeling of worry that gued her had disappeared.
But while the 2 girls were sleeping an uproar was going on in the city.
***
"THE CITY LORD IS DEAD!" Guards were shouting and freaking out as it was huge news for the entire city.
Zak, who had finally recovered from the attack, was making his way through the guards that were rushing around the ce. After walking for a while Zak had approached a rather old looking muscr man.
"I heard you got attacked by Zak by that shadowy figure you reported the other day." The old man had a serious tone with a hint of lightheartedness.
"Yes I did sir but once they paralyzed my movement they left me which I am thankful for but this also gave us a clue." Zak knew that the figure killed the city lord but was not mindless so he could only assume it was targeting the lord for a reason.
To them the city lord was a ''good guy'' and had a great public image but for him to die to an assassin they now had a bit of doubt fill their minds.
Since the city lord was gone themander of all the guards was temporarily in charge of the city and could lead his own investigation to see if the city lord was doing anything suspicious.
"Yes this is true and there always seemed to be a distance between us and him so maybe he was hiding something that is a lot worse." The old man was rubbing his chin as the city lord always kept his distance from anyone and so it was enough to make him think something was up.
"Despite having a good reputation it seems as though we need to lead an investigation just to make sure." Zak proposed the idea as he was never a fan of the city lord and was somewhat d he was gone but he knew to never voice his opinion Infront of the old man.
"Your right, after we clean up here and figure out how to deliver the news, we will see if we can find any clues if the city lord was delving into anything illegal." The old man made a decision and Zak saluted.
"Yesmander."
***
Underneath the city castle a group of people were freaking out and rushing around trying to destroy evidence.
"Shit, Shit why did he have to get himself killed." A hooded man spoke and was biting his nails out of nervousness.
"It is because he thought that dumb bitch of a fox could do nothing just based on her tail and even had the audacity to put her in his personal cell but he did not listen to our report and thought there was no way she was strong." Sam who knew exactly what happened could do nothing but wait in terror as the fox girl was extremally strong and could do nothing to stop the city lord.
"How are we going to get rid of the bodies we collected?" Since they had been down there for over 6 months there were many incriminating pieces of evidence in the underground room.
"We can''t burn it since the smell will lead them here and we would have to leave straight away before they arrive." Due the location being under the castle it could attract the guards which were probably right above them.
"We could try teleporting with the few talismans we have." Ada, who was also there, threw the idea out there but was instantly shot down.
"No you idiot they are one way teleports back here, so how are we going to get rid of bodies that way." Sam had retorted as what Ada said was stupid. Ada felt ashamed and kept quiet for the rest of the conversation.
"Well they won''t find us straight away so lets wait till nightfall and never return here." Sam finally came to a decision.
"What about the evidence?" Ava was curious as the evidence in the room could lead back to them.
"We burn it just before we leave and use it as a distraction for our escape." Sam spoke of his n and everyone nodded in agreement as it was their only chance of escaping.
Nightfall hade and so they put their n into action.
Chapter 45 Information
?Shaman had woken up from her mana deprivation and was fully recovered. It was currently morning as the sun could be seen creeping through the curtains of the room.
Shaman had tried to sit up but stopped when she felt something on her chest was stopping her from moving. Shaman looked down and could see Elysia was on top of her, trapping her on the bed.
''Well at least I was kept safe.'' Shaman could not help but giggle as she could tell Elysia must have been really worried about her.
Shaman freed her arm from Elysia''s hug and started to pat her. After petting Elysia, Shaman had a great idea on how to wake her up.
''hehe~ lets hope this does not back fire.'' Shaman then slowly moved her hands to Elysia''s side and got ready to poke her. After making sure her hands were in position Shaman jabbed Elysia lightly in her ribs causing Elysia to jump up in an instant.
"Ahhhh~" Elysia had let out a moan and shot up and was now sitting up straight on Shaman.
Shaman had a nk expression as it sounded like Elysia felt pleasure instead of a shock.
"Jeez Shaman, you know I am sensitive and whenever you touch me like that I can''t help but moan." Elysia let out aint and turned red since she did not like being woken up in such a way.
"Well I did not expect my girlfriend to be so damn horny." Shaman then jabbed her again causing Elysia to fall back and almost fall off the bed.
"Ahh~" Elysia had let out another moan but now Shaman was free and was able to get out of bed.
Shaman stood over Elysia with a grin and could see a red faced Elysia looking at her with a begging expression to stop as she had only woken up and was not mentally prepared for the attack that was about to happen.
Shaman then proceed to continue her jabbing assault no matter how much Elysia protested.
*
After several minutes of torture that felt like an eternity to Elysia, Shaman''s assault was finally over.
Elysia was out of breath and was nowying on the floor covered in sweat. Shaman had a grin as she now had satisfied the urge to poke Elysia.
''Feels good again to poking people just like I did back at home.'' Shaman began to reminisce on all the times she had annoyed her high-school friends by poking them in the ribs.
''Those were fun times.'' Shaman had a grin but the more she thought about home the more depressed she got.
''I should not think about home, it will make me homesick and I would rather not.'' Although Shaman did want to return home, thinking about it made her feel sick and also made her feel depressed which she did not want especially in front of Elysia.
Shaman shook her head and left Elysia to rest and went for a bath so she could get ready to go to the dungeon.
Elysia saw Shaman go to the bathroom and let out a sigh of relief as the torture was over. Elysia was now debating to jump in with Shaman since she did not want to go through the same torture but in the bath.
Out of nowhere, Shaman somehow read her mind and yelled out of the bathroom.
"I won''t poke you while in the bath, now get your ass in here." Shaman spoke with lightheartedness.
Elysia became happy as it sounded genuine so she mustered up all the energy to stand up and walk over. Elysia''s legs were shaking and when she entered the bathroom Shaman noticed this and straight away supported Elysia.
"Sorry, did I go too far." Shaman now felt bad as Elysia could hardly walk.
"No it is fine, but please do not be that intense." Elysia was not against the idea but it was too much for her to handle due to her extra sensitivity.
"Alright I''ll make sure to tone it down." Shaman was happy that Elysia would continue to be her poking bag and gave Elysia a small hug.
*
Shaman and Elysia finally washed up and even gave Wolfy his weekly bath. They were now ready to head out and clear the first floor of the dungeon. But before they left their apartment Shaman wanted to ask Elysia for a favor.
"Alright now that you are level 50 is it alright If I solo the boss, I want to test how much I have improved." Shaman had improved a lot and wanted to see her capabilities on her own. Another reason was also to make some water spells as too much had happened for her to make some.
"That''s fine but I will jump in as soon as you are in trouble." Elysia was a little worried as her protective nature towards Shaman kicked in and would rather help her than let her be in danger.
"That''s okay but please you got to trust me more." Although they trusted each other greatly Shaman noticed that Elysia did not trust her alone since she always felt the need to be by Shaman side.
"I wasn''t the one that got kidnapped." Elysia had a grin as it was an irrefutable point. Shaman pouted a little as Elysia had got Shaman stumped a little but still managed to throw an excuse out.
"Well at least I can keep my temper and not destroy a city just because I am not next to you." Although Shaman thought it would not throw Elysia off, it was super effective as Elysia''s face became bright red.
"sh-shut up okay, I could not control myself , I even turned the dungeon into a fiery pit." Elysia was squirming a little and was fidgeting.
"Oh my lord." Shaman spoke under her breath as she was amazed she did that and now knew why she hit level 50.
"I guess your message about you being more helpful if you stayed in the dungeon was no joke." Shaman gulped a little as she was considering forcing Elysia out to help but since she could easily leave she did not bother.
"You think I would lie to you." Elysia broke from her shyness and was now pouting.
"No, I just thought you were joking and not being serious." Shaman waved her hands in protest.
"anyway we should get going to the adventure guild as I want to buy information on the boss." Shaman wanted to hurry as she wanted to evolve to tier 4 as soon as possible so they can either go into the next floor of the dungeon or move cities.
''Alright fine." Elysia took a deep breath and let the yful attitude disappear.
"No need to lose the energy, we still have plenty of time before we enter." Shaman was quite fond of Elysia''s yful side as it gave her a fuzzy feeling when they yed around.
Elysia would usually be yful but thought that it would be better to keep her distance out in public so as to not draw attention. However after hearing what Shaman said she had turned to Shaman with a bright smile as she was able to stick to Shaman like glue and be yful once again without worry.
"Hehe~" Elysia let out a small giggle as she was now acting like a child but Shaman did not care as she was enjoying the attention and happy look on Elysia.
"alright let''s go." They both left the apartment and made their way to the adventurers guild.
*
They arrived at the guild and went to the information desk.
"Can I get information on the tier 4 dungeon boss?" Shaman spoke to a man who had raised an eyebrow as it was not everyday people would attempt to challenge the boss. But when the man saw it was the 2 fox girls he was no longer surprised as they have be mini-celebrities amongst the adventurers.
"Sure thing, that will be 50 gold." The man did not beat around the bush and got straight to the point.
Shaman winced a little on the inside but when she saw the 1600 gold in her inventory she felt a lot better about spending that much.
Shaman handed the man the coins and was given a small booklet about the boss.
"Thanks." Shaman and Elysia walked off and started to make their way to the dungeon.
Shaman was currently invested in the book and found something interesting.
"Oh okay, so apparently we can encounter an elemental troll depending on which dungeon instance we are in." Shaman was surprised that the dungeons had some form of variance between the different instances.
"Wow okay, how can you tell?" Although it sounded like a self exnatory question she was implying if anything with the dungeon itself changed to indicate what type of boss they got.
"Well from what it says if the boss cave entrance has no grass and is just void of nature it is fire. If there is marshnd around it the troll it will be water. If there is a flower field it will be nature and if it is just grass it will be wind." After Shaman exined, Elysia nodded.
"I hope it is the fire troll so I can use my water magic and test out some new skills." Shaman was praying that luck would be on their side and get the fire troll.
"Well I am pretty much useless." Elysia had taken a hit since she mainly used fire so she would only be able to use her basic arrows she had in her inventory.
"haha, don''t worry I am sure we will be fine plus I have the water element so it should not be a problem." Shaman wanted to reassure Elysia since she can use water and by having a direct counter they should be able to win with ease.
"I guess you are right." Elysia sighed and hugged Shaman''s arm as they made their way to the dungeon.
Chapter 46 Water Skills
?Shaman and Elysia arrived at the dungeon and were surprised to see theck of guards. The guards that were there looked worried and constantly on edge.
"This must be because I killed the city lord when I escaped." Shaman whispered in Elysia''s ear of what happened during her escape. Elysia was shocked and could not believe Shaman would do such a thing.
"He was also in bed with a woman, which was something I did not want to see so I killed him out of pure disgust." Shaman giggled a little as she found the situation rather funny. Elysia on the other hand started to switch to her rampage mode.
Due to Elysia now being more attuned to her element of fire the temperature started to rise.
"Wait, Calm down, he is already dead and he did not touch me." Elysia woke up from her angry daze.
"so-sorry, just when you said he was with a woman I only assumed he had also tried to touch you." Elysia was looking down fidgeting as it was unreasonable for her to react that way.
Shaman started to pat Elysia''s head as a way to ept her apology but this also showed Shaman that Elysia''s yandere tendencies are only getting worse.
"Elysia, we really need to work on this behavior of yours." Shaman sighed a little and Elysia nodded in agreement.
"It is just whenever I am alone or hear something that happens with you I can not help but think that something horrible is happening." Elysia continued to look down in shame as it was rather embarrassing for her.
"It is also something I cannot not help with either." This made Shaman raise an eyebrow and thought it was more of a behavior problem that could be easily treated with some therapy but it may be more than that.
"How so?" Shaman wanted to know more about what Elysia meant.
"I just get this splitting headache and something inside me snaps and then I just continue to spiral until I hear from you or see you." Elysia had shut her eyes as she thought Shaman would scold her.
"oh? how about we find a magic item in the auction house that allows you to see how I am going so when you are alone you can use it to calm down." Shaman thought there must be magic that can allow it to check on Shaman''s status and it would be a temporary measure to help Elysia.
Although Elysia could check the system it did not update and was more like a status sheet not a live feed of Shaman''s HP or her current state so Shaman wanted to get something that could do that for Elysia.
Elysia''s eyes lit up, breaking from the shame she felt before as it sounded perfect for her.
"Alright, we will go buy you one after the dungeon." Shaman smiled as Elysia''s reaction warmed her heart.
"Alright let''s kill that damn boss." Elysia had fire in her eyes and wanted to get this dungeon over and done with.
"Oh yeah let me check on that quest just before we head in." Shaman realized that she could check on the quest and wanted to see what the requirements were to make sure it was killing the boss.
[Quest: Conquer the dungeon]
[Defeat the floor boss]
[Rewards]
500 attribute points
4x skill select
8x tier 4 boxes (A/N this is just abination of armour, weapons and essory boxes)
6x skill level ups
Shaman was shocked once again by the rewards and felt bad she was going to take all the rewards if she soloed it.
Shaman also asked Rea mentally to ask how the reward distribution worked.
[It depends on how much the person contribute to killing the boss which includes damage and various factors that may help defeat the boss]
Shaman sighed as the system rewards were based on contribution but was d it was not based on damage.
"uhh Elysia, I think we should both kill the boss. I really don''t want you to miss out on the rewards from the quest." Shaman was a little embarrassed from this little slip up.
"Oh okay fair enough." Despite Elysia''s calm reaction she was very d she would be able to help Shaman and not sit around and wait.
"Well before we do fight the boss I should make some water spells." Shaman was going to make them during the boss fight and use the boss as a punching bag but now she was going to do it beforehand so they were fully prepared.
"good idea." Elysia nodded in agreement and was curious what Shaman woulde up with.
"Well lets sneak in shall we?" Shaman was confident they could sneak in as the main forces would be at the city lord''s castle and not the dungeon.
"Yes." Elysia then prepared herself to get picked up by Shaman
Shaman then swooped Elysia up in a princess carry and let Wolfy jump on top of Elysia.
Shaman then dashed into the dungeon with [Shadow cloak] without any issue and so they entered the dungeon without raising any suspicions.
They arrived in the dungeon and met with the familiar scene of all the split territories of the races that resided in the dungeon.
Shaman had put Elysia and Wolfy down and spoke of her ns.
"Alright we will head for the orc forest and hunt them down first so I can test my water magic." Elysia nodded in response and so they made their way to the orc forest.
After traveling for 10 minutes they arrived at the orc forest and found a clearing that had a group of orcs sitting around eating.
"Alright let''s see what I can do." Shaman wanted to use her water as a way to trap people and use it as a more defensive/trap against her enemies.
Shaman started to conjure up a massive ball of water and once it was as big as the orc she sent it flying to an orc while keeping control of it. Shaman started to sweat as it took a lot of energy to keep the massive ball intact.
Once it made contact with the orc the ball had enveloped him and started to drown him. The other orcs had now stood up and tried to free him from the ball of water but their clubs only got sucked into the bubble of water.
A system notification rang out recognizing what Shaman had done.
[Deep sea lvl 1]
[MP -100]
[Must make contact to trap anything in the ball of water and drowns any living things inside]
Shaman felt relieved as the control over the ball was now handled by the system since it was now a recognized skill.
Elysia was impressed and gave Shaman a kiss on the cheek as a congrattions.
"We are not even done yet." Shaman straight away started to make a tidal wave and sent it towards the remaining orcs. The waves came in like a truck causing the orcs bones to break and go towards the trees. Many of the orcs got crushed by the wave killing the rest. The orc in the bubble was long dead and his corpse crushed into another orc finishing it off.
System rang out again and Elysia was watching in amazement.
[Tidal wave]
[MP 10-150]
[cost varies on size and power]
[Create a destructive wave to push enemies back]
Shaman had a smile and had thought of another spell she could create.
"Alright now to create one more skill." Shaman stood out from the tree line into the open area where all the dead orcsy.
Shaman then started to conjure up walls of water around her and even a hollow bubble.
"Elysia shoot me with one of your arrows, it does not have to be strong but put a little force into it." Shaman wanted to see how effective a water shield would be and thought Elysia would be a good benchmark.
Elysia looked a little worried but stillplied and trusted Shamans judgement despite her inner voice telling her not to.
Elysia prepared the arrow at half strength and shot it at Shaman. The arrow whistled through the air for a short moment and made contact with the water. To Elysia''s surprise the arrow got stuck in the water and waspletely halted without the water sshing.
"YES!" Shaman yelled out as it was a sess.
[Water Shield]
[MP 50-100]
[manipte water to your will to create a shield, the more powerful the attack the mana it takes]
Shaman was satisfied with the results and felt ready to go face the boss with Elysia.
Shaman dispelled the water and ran up to Elysia to get a hug as the excitement took over her and wanted to be praised. Elysia returned the hug and enjoyed the embrace.
After a quick hug they decided to head out towards the troll territory. They also let Wolfy hunt some orcs and trolls along the way as Wolfy wascking in levels. Shaman had also taken the opportunity to spend the 60 points she had from when she murdered the city lord.
[Attributes]
Agility 185 -> 215
Intelligence: 200 -> 230
*
After arriving near the were the boss resided Wolfy managed to get to level 50 but still no evolution. Wolfy also did not change in size much which surprised Elysia and Shaman but they shrugged it off.
"Alright now that we are here it looks like we got the wind variant of the boss as I am only seeing a grass field around the massive rock." Shaman was observing the outside of the cave and was looking at the information in the booklet again to confirm it.
"Well at least my fire arrows will be effective." Elysia was d as if it was a fire troll she would pretty much be useless.
"It should not be hard but there is only one way to find out since the booklet does not describe his attacks sadly." Shaman was a little annoyed that the booklet did not describe the skills it had so they had to find out themselves.
"oh well, we should just go in and try to kill it as quick as possible." Elysia had a grin as she was thinking about the item that Shaman mentioned earlier and wanted to leave as soon as possible.
"Maybe but let''s see how things go." Shaman could finish it early but would rather try out her new skills and have a little fun instead.
Chapter 47 Dungeon Boss
?The group walked into the cave that was 5 meters high and was lit up by glowing crystals.
"I wonder if we could sell them for some extra coin." Elysia was fascinated by the crystal as it was a blue colour instead of the usual yellow that the light crystals were.
"We could try to break it after we defeat the boss." Shaman was also curious and would not mind the extra cash as she was unsure how much the item she wanted to get Elysia would cost.
"Well lets get this boss over and done with so we can evolve and get that sacred item." Elysia was eager to fight as she already had drawn her bow with an arrow ready to attack.
They continued to walk down the cave with the stones illuminating the path. They soon approached a 2.5 meter tall troll who was sitting down as visible wind could be seen swirling around him causing a current of wind to flow throughout the cave.
"I thought it was a little chilly when we were walking." Shaman had noticed the wind in the cave but thought nothing much of it.
"Well it seems like we found our target." Elysia already drew her arrow.
"Alright Wolfy make sure you protect Elysia." Shaman noticed that Wolfy would always take the rear and would y a more defensive role.
Wolfy licked Shaman''s hand and was happy since he was being recognized, Wolfy then walked next to Elysia and prepared himself.
"Alright let''s do this." Shaman started to walk towards the troll who was oblivious to their presence.
Shaman took advantage of this and activated [Shadow cloak] to get as close as she could to the troll. Once she was 5 meters away the troll finally noticed and turned around in a panic, due to Shaman having [Shadow cloak] The troll was unable to see Shaman properly and was confused. Shaman had also inspected the troll to see if She could find any weaknesses.
[Wind troll Garroth]
[Tier 5]
[A troll that has acquired the use of wind but other than that it is a normal troll with extra strength]
[There are no major weakness expect for earth magic to counter the wind]
''tch''
Shaman clicked her tongue as she would have liked to exploit its weakness but she did not learn earth magic. Despite not having a major weakness, Shaman was happy to see it was a tier 5 which would allow Elysia and her to enter the dungeon alone without sneaking in.
Shaman looped around the troll and activated her domain skill changing the grassy floor to a white flower field. The troll looked around in confusion but all of sudden felt heat on his side, but before the troll could react the fire arrow pierced his body causing a small explosion to his side ripping out chunks of the troll''s flesh.
"ARRGGGG" The troll screamed out in pain from the arrow and was now kneeling over.
Shaman activated [Deep sea] and shot it towards the troll to trap him. The ball managed to trap the troll and so it started to drown but to Shaman''s surprise the troll broke out of the spell with a wind st.
The wind st did not stop there as it continued towards Shaman.
Shaman had to use [Water shield] to protect herself as she was rather close to the troll when it broke free from the ball of water. After the wind de hit the shield, Shaman could feel the impact and saw her mana drop significantly
[MP 1800/2400]
''Shit'' Shaman got worried as she won''t be able to defend against the trolls attack in a long-term fight.
The troll stood up and it''s eyes started to glow red and the wind around the troll became more violent. Shaman understood the troll went into a berserk mode which would mean trouble for them as the explosive power may be too much for them to handle.
"ELYSIA BE CAREFUL AND DO NOT GET HIT!!" Shaman was worried about Elysia since she isn''t a tank and is probably more of a ss cannon at the moment. Elysia nodded as she felt the aura from the troll and knew it would be bad news if she were targeted.
Shaman during the troll transition used [Sword gale] and [zing sword] to attack his ankles to make him immobilized and give Elysia an easy shot.
Shaman used [sword dash] and shed across the trolls ankle, The troll tried to dodge but the immense speed of the dash and [sword gale] made it impossible for him to react. Shaman also raised [sword dash] to level 5 making it faster.
The troll''s feet were cut off which was more damage that Shaman expected. The troll fell over on its knees still screaming in pain. The troll continued to let our wind shes causing Shaman, Elysia and Wolfy to be constantly on the move.
''This bastard''s wind is so annoying.'' Shaman was getting more agitated as the wind attacks were just a nuisance.
''Could I take over the wind des and use it against him?'' Shaman was not sure but since she had control over the elements, theoretically she could use the troll''s wind and conserve her mana. However, Rea would answer this for Shaman.
[It is possible but you need to have a greater control over the element in order to steal control]
Shaman formed a grin as it was exactly what she needed and she could tell by how the troll is using its magic, it does not have very good control.
Shaman then got to work as the next de was iing. Shaman began to feel the ambient mana around her and could feel the cluster of mana within the wind de. Shaman concentrated on that mana cluster that formed the wind de and tried grabbing onto it and taking control of it. The troll could feel that its mana was being taken and so it concentrated its wind shed to Shaman. But before The troll could start Elysia had shot another arrow through the troll''s hands making them exploding and disabling its hands. The boss was even more enraged but was unable to send out strong wind des since it lost its hands and needed them to activate the spell properly.
Elysia giggled and backed off but when she turned to look at the troll she could see a massive wind de which was twice the size of the troll, cut him in half. Elysia was shocked by this as the wind de created a deep crater in the cave wall and cut the troll like butter.
Elysia looked over at Shaman and could see her drenched in sweat and heavily panting. Elysia and Wolfy rushed over to the Shaman side.
"WAIT IT IS NOT OVER!!" Despite her Cleary seeing the boss get cut in half Shaman did not get the notification and knew it was not quite over. Elysia halted her steps and tuned to face the troll but was terrified by what she saw.
The troll was elevated in the air by wind and could see that the missing body parts were now turned into wood. It looked down on Shaman in rage and was ready tounch a massive attack.
"Shit it is the special variant of the wind boss." Shaman cursed herself as in the booklet there was a rare chance for there to be a variant of the boss but thought it would be too rare for them to encounter but here it was staring at them.
"Elysia sees if you can create an arrow storm with your fire as it also seems to know wood magic. I will keep it busy while you try to make the spell." Shaman was not betting on the spell for victory but it would help greatly if Elysia was able to create a mass aoe attack.
Shaman also used to heal herself to get rid of the fatigue.
''I should conserve my mana and try to regenerate as much as possible during this fight.'' Shaman wanted to save her mana till Elysia was done and so she could save herself if something went wrong.
Elysia got straight to work as she knew it was important that she got the spell done. Shaman on the other hand created a skill with her fire.
[Fireball]
[MP cost varies on size and power]
[Create a condense ball of mes]
''Although I did not want to learn this as I do not want to build such a huge amount of skills it could not be helped.'' Shaman thought that if she had too many skills it would be troublesome to remember them so she avoided making too many basic skills.
Shaman shook her head and threw weak fireballs at the troll to keep its attention away from Elysia.
"Hey you mossy bastard, why don''t you just kill me." Shaman also taunted the troll and wagged her tail towards the troll. The troll looked at Shaman and instantly charged at her while also throwing wind shes.
Shaman activated [Shadow cloak] and dodged the attack but to her surprise when the troll crashed into the ground a circle of wooden spikes rose up. They extended out for a few meters just stopping to where Shaman had dodged.
Shaman paled a little as she was extremely close to death.
''note to self don''t piss off the boss too much.'' Shaman continued to run around and throw weak [fireballs] and waited for Elysia to finish her spell.
*
Elysia was currently trying to manifest multiple fire arrows but was unable to shoot them like a storm.
"How the hell am I meant to do this?" Elysia was currently stumped and confused on how to create a storm of arrows.
"Maybe I should ask Rea." Elysia thought Rea might just give her the answer since she seems to know a lot about the world and magic.
[Try to condense the arrows into one then shoot it up in the air and then let your control over the arrows go and it should create a rain effect]
Elysia''s eyes widened as it inspired her and felt like she got the missing part of the puzzle.
"Alright let''s give it a try." Elysia created the condensed arrows and pulled her bow back. Elysia started to sweat as the control over the arrows was unstable. Elysia shot the arrow and let go of the control causing the condense arrows to burst out creating a rain effect. A system notification rang out and Elysia had a grin as she just created a new skill.
Chapter 48 [Arrow Storm]
?[Arrow storm level 1]
[Depending on which fire arrow used MP will be consumed for the amount of arrows used]
[Shoot down 3-10 arrows at once of any type of arrow the user has created]
"YES!!" Elysia jumped up in celebration and without wasting any time started to make her way back to where Shaman was keeping the troll busy. Wolfy had also followed behind Elysia and shared the excitement despite not understanding what happened.
*
"SHIIITTT!!" Shaman was currently trying to dodge wooden spikes that wereing out of the ground and had moved into arger part of the cave. The troll on the other hand was keeping its distance constantly shooting wooden spikes towards Shaman.
''Please hurry Elysia.'' Shaman was crying internally as there were multiple asions where she almost got skewered but due to Shaman being able to activate [Shadow cloak] before the troll threw the wooden spike, she was able to avoid death.
The troll also continued to get more and more aggressive trying to throw anything it can except its wind since it knew Shaman could steal its wind and use it against it.
The troll decided to finally get close to Shaman and flew straight at her. Shaman saw this and got ready for the massive spike burst that would happen.
However the troll did something different thannding with a bunch of spikesing out the ground and instead it put its hand on the ground and did nothing for 5 seconds which confused Shaman. But all of a sudden the ground had started shaking and Shaman could feel the vibrations and was getting a terrible feeling.
''I need to get in the air now.'' Shaman thought that the troll was going to release a massive spike from the ground under her feet and due to how violent the vibration was she assumed it was massive.
Shamanunched herself in the air whilst also moving away from the troll. Due to the prolonged battle, they had moved deeper in the cave making the roof rise to 50 meters tall and the size of multiple football fields. The cave was also lit up by a massive crystal illuminating the entire area as if it was day time.
''Why was the troll outside the clearing? Is there a treasure or something it is trying to protect here.'' Shaman noticed this detail and could only guess that the troll was protecting something in here that is valuable. However Shaman could not think anymore about why the troll was just outside the open area within the cave as the ground below started to break.
Shaman had used her wind to propel herself away from the area so she could gain distance from the troll and whatever was being summoned.
When Shaman did onest push to the edge of the cave she turned around as the earthquake was getting more and more violent.
Shaman''s jaw had dropped, as a 25 meter tall wood version of the troll was erecting from the ground. The wood had a green and blue glow through the wood and had green glowing eyes. It could be seen the wood was wrapping around each other creating the body. It had no mouth and had this green gas slightly flowing out from the wood.
"WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS SHIT." Shaman screamed out as this did not feel like a tier 5 boss and they were fighting some end game boss something you would fight after years of grinding.
''Maybe we should retreat as I am not confident we can take it down.'' Shaman was losing confidence as it would be better for them to leave then face this troll.
''I will wait for Elysia and if her spell is effective against the troll itself then we kill it but if things don''t go smoothly I am leaving right away.''
*
Elysia could feel the tremor and was getting worried as there were many wooden spikes in the ground as she ran further down the cave.
''Please be okay.'' Elysia started to sweat as again the thoughts of Shaman dying were guing her and her transition into a killing machine started to begin.
''No stop it Elysia, Shaman is fine, you need to trust her.'' Elysia was challenging her thoughts as Shamans words from before rang in her mind and knew if this continued it would only cause problems when they are outside the dungeon.
Elysia began to calm down a little and focused on running and was creating excuses like Rea would tell her if Shaman died or in major danger which helped her mental significantly.
Elysia continued to run as she could see an entrance to arger area. The tremors had stopped and Elysia ran out to the open area but was petrified by what she was seeing in front of her.
"What the actual fuck." Elysia was stunned by the size of the wooden troll and could not believe something this big could be created. Elysia had also seen Shaman to the side and could see her just as shocked as she was.
''I need to find that troll and kill it before this thing reeks havoc.'' Elysia regained herself and remembered why she created the skill.
''After creating something like that it should be some where recovering since this is something that would require a stupid amount of mana.'' Elysia thought process was correct and she began to look around to look for the troll. Due to Elysia being to the side of the giant wood troll she was able to see the troll in the distance which was kneeling on the ground barely holding on as it took all of its energy to create the summon.
Elysia quickly started to dash towards the troll as it was up to her to save Shaman from the giant summon.
*
''How the hell am I going to dodge this.'' Shaman''s mind was spinning as the sheer size of it would make it hard to dodge and since it had not moved she could not tell if it was fast or not.
''I should go under it but what if it can just conjure up spikes from the ground and how am I going to dodge it.'' Shaman was worried that the summon would be faster at casting and did not want to risk getting close.
Shaman tried to think of a conclusion but was unable to as the summon started to move. It was not slow like what Shaman had hoped for but it was still slow enough for Shaman to dodge.
''Thank fuck it is not fast.'' Shaman moved out of the way and the punch the summon did went straight into the wall causing a massive crack in the wall and creating a small earthquake.
Shaman had paled a little as she was not sure if her body would be able to be recovered if she were crushed by it. However before Shaman could get ready, a wooden spike shot out from the arm heading straight for Shaman.
''Shit'' Shaman was unable to dodge properly causing some of the wood spikes to graze her shoulder taking a chunk with it.
[HP 1300/1750]
''Fuck.'' Shaman cursed herself as it was really painful as this was the first time she had actually been hit.
''This is not looking good, I need to get Elysia and leave this cave.'' Shaman had used heal but was not able to fully restore her hp.
[1550/1750]
''I need to use this skill more.'' Although the skill had no level she still had to use it to be more proficient at it.
''Although I guess it is a drawback since I only have to use the skill without doing anything special for the spell to work.'' Shaman could activate the spell and it would just heal her but was not as effective as proper healing spells that required time to cast.
Shaman began to run along the side of the wall and was able to properly dodge the spikes this time. However when dodging one of the spikes she could see a fast approaching fist from above. Shaman looked over and could see the troll''s arm stretched out all the way to the roof.
''Fuck this may be the end of me.'' Shaman was unable to move midair and the fist would hit her before she could do anything. Although she had her wind, her momentum was too fast for her to change direction.
"Elysia lets hope you don''t do anything stupid." Shaman had not given up but said her final words just in case.
Shamannded on the ground and activated iron skin as onest effort to block it. Shaman braced herself from the impact but the impact never came and was confused.
''Did I die that quickly?'' Shaman opened her eyes and could see the fist only a few inches away from her which was also followed by the sound of explosions and a system notification.
*
"DIE YOU BASTARD." Elysia was shooting down rains of explosive arrows down on the troll turning it into mush. Elysia could see Shaman was struggling with the summon and noticed she was heading for the exit, so she knew she had to quickly kill the troll.
The troll took a couple of [Arrow storms] as it used what remaining energy it had to conjure up wooden shields. After She exhausted the troll''s mana by burning through its wood she was able to finally kill it.
Elysia had charged up an extra powerful explosive arrow and shot the troll without hesitation. The troll had died while also creating an explosion that reverberated throughout the cave. A system notification went off indicating they did it.
"I don''t see the point why Shaman wanted me to create this skill but I will say it is a lot of fun." Elysia giggled as the spell was a lot of fun and was to her tastes but she did not understand why Shaman wanted her to create it.
"Well I should go find her and ask her." Elysia could not be bothered to check the rewards and headed straight towards Shaman as she was more worried about her.
*
Shaman had fallen over and was breathing heavily since it felt like she had not gotten a good breather since the start of the fight.
"Finally it is over." Shaman ignored the system and was more focused on healing her wounds that she had received.
"Never knew that I would experience death so close up." Shaman could feel death was gripping her just before the punchnded and it was something Shaman was not a fan of experiencing.
"I never want to go through that again." Shaman hoped things would continue to be easy as it seemed like things were rather easy and not really challenging.
"I should not get my expectations up." Although hopeful Shaman did not expect things to continue to be easier as it would be stupid if things were always served on a silver ter.
She shakes her head andys on the floor waiting for Elysia to arrive.
Shaman continued to rest on the ground for a few minutes and finally could hear someone shouting in the distance.
"SHAAAAMMMAANNN!!!" Elysia could be heard shouting which made Shaman smile as her rescue had came.
''finally we can leave.''
Chapter 49 Secret Quest
?Shaman had tried to sit up but her entire body ached and was forced to continue toy on the ground as she waited for Elysia to arrive.
Elysia continued to call out Shaman''s name trying to get a response.
"ELYSIA!" Shaman yelled out and the yelling from Elysia had stopped and the sound of running could be heard slowly getting louder. Soon Elysia had arrived and saw Shamanying across the ground near the wooden troll''s arm that was currently frozen in ce.
"There you are, Shaman I thought you were dead for a second." Elysia had knelt down next to Shaman and had a smile as she finally found her precious partner.
"Well I almost did but thanks to you I lived." Shaman also cracked a smile as it felt like forever since she saw her beautiful ck fox girlfriend.
"Oh yeah, why did you want me to create that skill?" Elysia was rather curious as it felt like it was unnecessary.
"Well it was originally to kill the boss before he made that giant wooden monster since he was made out of wood I thought a hail of arrows would be more efficient than single arrows." Shaman initially thought she could distract the boss long enough so Elysia could learn the skill and send a barrage of arrows making the boss an easy kill but things turned out a lot worse than she imagined.
"Ah okay I understand now but why are you like this now?" Elysia wanted to know why Shaman could not move.
"Well thats because I got injured and it seems like using my heal spell heightened my natural healing rather than ''heal'', so right now I have no energy to move." Shaman did not notice at the time but her heal spell used Shaman''s mana and her own body resources to heal any wounds so it took a lot of energy to heal the wound on her shoulder.
Elysia giggled as right now she could do anything to Shaman without her being able to do anything. Shaman saw the goofy grin on Elysia and gulped down a little bit of saliva but then remembered she still has mana.
"You do anything I do not approve of and you will be a fried fox tonight." Shaman sparked up mes around her body as a warning to Elysia.
Elysia looked at her disappointed since her ns to harass Shaman a little had been foiled.
Wolfy on the other hand had walked up to Shaman and started licking her face. Elysia started to get jealous but when she got near Shaman, she would put her mes where she would touch. Elysia pouted and Shamanughed.
"Okay I will stop ying. We need to check all these notifications and see what the hell we got." Shaman looked at Elysia with apologetic eyes and Elysia could not refuse and nodded her head.
"Alright let''s see what we got."
[Quest: Conquer the dungeon (Complete)]
[Defeat the floor boss]
[Rewards]
500 attribute points
4x skill select
8x tier 4 boxes (A/N this is just abination of armour, weapons and essory boxes)
6x skill level ups
[contributions were 50/50 so rewards will be divided in half and given to each user]
"YES!" Elysia was happy as they had contributed equally enough for them to get half each.
"I was worried I did not contribute enough." Shaman was half expecting to not get half but it seems like the system took into ount everything and not just how much damage was done.
The notifications did not stop there.
[Fire tier 1 -> tier 2]
Shaman nodded as she was happy her element had finally upgraded but the next notification caught both Elysia''s and Shaman''s attention.
[tier 5 leader Wood troll killed]
[7 extra levels]
[1x tier 5 leader wood troll core]
Shaman blinked for a second as they had killed a leader and was not surprised that was the case.
Elysia also got the same notifications and due to the 50/50 contributions she also got an extra 7 levels.
"Holy shit no wonder I almost died." Shaman did not know how to feel about it being a tier 5 leader as she was relieved she knew why it was hard but was terrified as she almost died because of it.
"Never again till we are a higher tier." Elysia shook her head as this fight would have been a lot harder if it wasn''t for the boss being a wood type making Elysia and Shaman a perfect counter otherwise they may not have lived.
The notifications continued as there was something else that caught their eye and left them both dumbfounded.
[Secret questplete]
[kill the wood troll Windswood]
[rewards]
1x legendary crate
Shaman and Elysia looked at each other a little confused but happy at the same time.
"Hey Rea, what is a secret quest?" Shaman asked Rea as this was unheard of and wondered how they worked.
[They are rare quest that can ur mainly during dungeons and are one of the hardest quests toplete but offer some of the best rewards but do keep in mind if you are too high level for the secret quest it will not be given]
Shaman nodded and believed Rea''s words were 100% true.
"At least our efforts were rewarded but I wonder what is in the legendary crate." Elysia was thinking they would get some legendary treasure that only tier 10 powerhouse could get their hands on from the crate.
"Well shall we open when we get home, I could really use a soft bed as this hard ground is getting ufortable." Shaman was really keen to open it but was unable to move at all.
"Alright let''s hurry and leave this ce then." Elysia stood up and supported Shaman up who had recovered enough to move a little. Elysia lifted Shaman on her back and started to make her way to the entrance. Due to the area being t and only having some boulders that rose up no higher than 2 meters she was able to see the rather big entrance in the distance. Wolfy had also started to follow while trying to jump boulder to boulder when he could.
Elysia giggled at Wolfy as it seemed like hiszy nature had turned more into a yful one.
"Wolfy seems to be growing, I wonder if she will be able to get a humanoid form." Shaman was rather curious if the beast were able to evolve into beastman. However when Elysia heard this she paled a little as she wondered if Wolfy would remember the nights Shaman and her had spent.
"I-it would be cool but lets not have Wolfy nearby when we are getting down to business." Elysia let out a nervous chuckle and Shaman also paled a little as she had the same thought Elysia did.
"That sounds like a good idea." Shaman agreed with Elysia as it would be awkward if Wolfy became more human rather than just a beast and was able to remember all the shameful things Shaman had done with Elysia.
The conversation fell quiet as they slowly made their way towards the exit of the dungeon.
*
They soon finally made it to the entrance and the only problem was escaping.
"I can still use a Shadow cloak but you are going to have to do the running." Shaman had regenerated enough of mana for them to be able to leave safely without her exhausting herself.
"Alright just call out when to run." Elysia had picked up Wolfy and since he was able to activate his own Shaman did not worry about concealing him.
"Alright go." Shaman gave Elysia the signal and she activated [Shadow cloak]. The escape was clean as nobody noticed their presence and it seemed like the fight with the troll did not attract any attention so they were able to easily escape without the entire city guards waiting for them.
Elysia made it out and had stopped in an empty alley but when she stopped she realized something.
"Shit we forgot the crystals in the cave." Elysia had a dead expression as the crystals seemed to worth a lot butpletely forgot they existed.
Shaman''s face palmed as she could now move her arms and could not believe they could forget something like that.
''Despite my high intelligence, I sure still feel rather stupid right now.'' Shaman really wanted the crystals but could only hope if they were to enter the dungeon again it would be the same cave.
"maybe next time?" Shaman tried to get Elysia back as she seemed to be more affected by it than Shaman. Elysia came back from her daze but looked rather sad as it was the money that would fund the item that would track Shaman''s wellbeing.
"Hey it is okay Elysia surely we have enough money to buy plus we just have to go back in and get their crystals." Shaman started to pat Elysia which seemed to brighten her mood.
"True, we don''t even know how much it costs so there is no reason for me to be upset about it plus we just need to re-enter the dungeon." Elysia with her new found hope walked out to the street and walked towards their house.
''let''s hope we can afford it.'' Shaman was really worried as she had no confidence that an item that tracked her wellbeing in real time would exist and if it did it would be extremely expensive.
*
They finally returned home and Elysia had put Shaman on the bed, although Shaman had recovered enough to move when she tried to stand up she would fall straight to the floor so she epted her fate and became bedridden for a short time.
Elysia had also cooked some soup and since Shaman was stuck in bed Elysia insisted on feeding her.
"You are not going to feed me, I can do it myself." Shaman looked at Elysia annoyed as she now felt like she was a kid being fed by her mother.
"ah, ah, ahhh you need to open your mouth so I can feed you." Elysia had a spoonful of soup and was trying to put it in Shaman''s mouth. Shaman continued to dodge the spoon as it was rather embarrassing for her to do it.
"Come on, isn''t this what couples do and plus I find it really cute, hehe~" Elysia had a grin as she was having a fun time with Shaman.
"Fiiine." Shaman gave in and finally let do what Elysia wanted and so she opened her mouth.
Elysia was giggling to herself and was having a grand time while feeding Shaman and was d Shaman was ying along.
They finished eating and Shaman was now finally able to walk around after a hour''s rest.
"Alright shall we open the spoils we got from the dungeon." Shaman could not wait to open the crate as she was curious what the legendary crate had instored for them.
"Yes!" Elysia fist bumped the air and so they brought out the legendary box.
Chapter 50 [Kotetsu]
?Shaman and Elysia looked at the long ck box that was on the floor. It waspletely ck and had a lid that could be lifted up.
"It is as long as a sword. I wonder if I will get an upgrade." Shaman interest was piqued and really wanted to see what was inside.
"It was a legendary crate so it has to be good." Elysia''s eyes were shining with excitement as the anticipation was getting too much.
"Alright I am opening it now." Shaman ced her hand on the crate and lifted the lid. Shaman fully opened the lid which revealed a katana with a white handle wrap and a hilt that resembled a long sword. The hilt was fitted with a blue gem and was slightly glowing. The de was covered in apletely ck scabbard.
Shaman''s eyes lit up and could not take her eyes off it and Elysia was also in a simr trance state as Shaman.
Shaman without realizing it reached her hand towards the sword and grabbed it out of the box. A system notification could be heard.
[Kotetsu wishes you to be its owner]
Shaman did not think and epted right away and the blue gem on the sword glowed brightly painting the entire room in a blue light.
Shaman could feel a strange connection in her soul and could feel like the sword was talking with her but was unable to make out what it was. Elysia on the other hand looked around the room as the light from the sword turned the room into a night sky.
[Connection made, Shaman and Kotetsu are now soul bounded]
[congrattions on obtaining your first legendary weapon]
[Kotetsu]
[Rarity: legendary]
[A legendary sword that is notorious for it strength however the sword only gets it strength from the user so it is up to the person that wields it to nurture the sword as it takes the shape of the person''s true nature and the closer the user is to their true nature the more powerful the sword is]
[currentpatibility: 75% (Subject to change)]
[Due to user Shaman being a lower tier the swords power is significantly reduced]
[Skills: --Locked--]
[Special: --Locked--]
[Compatible with all elements and can shift to suit the element]
The sword stopped glowing and tattooed a katana with a flower behind it, printed itself on the back of Shamans hand and faded away. Shaman was shocked and was frozen still as she read what the system presented to her.
"Rea where did you get this sword." Shaman could not believe she had obtained such an item so it had to be in possession of some high ss family and had to guess the system somehow stole it.
[We sto- I mean it was in our possession of many items that we own which also include things that never existed in your world.]
Shaman looked at the message suspiciously but shrugged it off as she wanted to see the de.
Shaman unsheathed the sword slowly and could be seen that the base started like a normal long sword but then the sword transformed into the katana shape making it a sort of hybrid but Shaman could only assume that it was due to the sword taking the form of her true nature.
The de was fully revealed which showed a pitch ck de with white edging making it contrast with the white. Shaman got into a stance to feel how it felt in her hand and it felt perfect. She felt like she was one with the de and was rather an extension of her body rather than just a sword in her hands.
Elysia was watching Shaman and was memorized once again and could not stop staring.
Shaman finally stopped swinging her sword and looked at Elysia who was staring right at her.
"I''m not that good looking." Shaman had a smirk as she put the de over her shoulder.
Elysia shakes her head and breaks out of her daze and starts to take what Shaman said seriously.
"Well you are the most beautiful person I could have ever met and plus you look really cool with that sword just now." Elysia blushed a little and Shaman let out augh.
"No need to be shy, I was just ying but I will say this sword was not what I was expecting." Shaman examined the sword and was paying attention to the ornaments and details on the weapon.
"Who would''ve thought you would get your hands on a legendary weapon." Elysia pouted as she was a little jealous that Shaman got a legendary weapon and she did not get one.
"I am sure we will get another one but I am not so sure how we will be able to activate a secret quest like that again." Shaman also wanted Elysia to get one but they either had to find one or activate a secret quest like they did in the dungeon.
"I guess we just have to try." Elysia felt a little depressed but nheless did not give up hope on getting one herself.
"Sadly though the sword is limited as it seems to corrte to the tier I am and seeing as I am only a tier 3, all the skills and this thing called special is locked for now," Shaman continued to exin what the system told her about the sword.
"So it will grow as you grow, so does that mean you never have to change swords?" Elysia did not know how to feel as the sword was nerfed but it could also grow making it a weapon that never needs to be reced.
"seems like it and honestly I am d that I got something like this." Shaman smiled while looking at the ck de and she could feel that same connection again with the de as if it was responding to her.
''hmm it seems like this sword canmunicate but is unable to, maybe if I get a higher tier I will be able to speak with it.'' Shaman was unsure what the encrypted feeling was but could only assume that her tier was in the way of her understanding it.
"That is so cool and it said it was soul bound as well, so does that mean you can recall it and make it disappear without the inventory?" Elysia continued to ask questions as she was getting more and more curious of the capabilities the sword had.
Shaman did not answer but remembered the tattoo she saw and thought about storing the sword away. The next moment the tattoo revealed itself and glowed for a brief moment and the sword was gone in an instant.
Shaman then thought of taking it out and the sword materialized in her hand in an instant. It seems to be faster than the inventory and to Shaman it was more convenient to have a de like this.
Elysia was shocked as her jaw was dropped and the jealousy she felt before grew. This did not go unnoticed and so Shaman did it again Infront of Elysia. This was Shaman''s biggest mistake as Elysia pounced on Shaman shaking her by the cor.
"Where is my weapon?" *sob* Elysia cried a little while vigorously shaking Shaman as all she wanted to do was steal the sword but knew she could not since it was soul bound.
"I''ll stop now, no need to get riled up Elysia plus who said you cannot use the sword as well but I will warn you the sword must like to be wielded I think." This sparked the fire again in Elysia and the Shaking turned into hugging.
''jeez this girl is such a roller-coaster.'' Shaman shook her head as Elysia was having mood swings left and right and all Shaman wanted to do now was sleep.
"Thanks Shaman." Elysia thanked Shaman as she knew she was being annoying but could not help it at all.
"It is okay but I am getting really tired so I want to sleep before we evolve and use all of our rewards." It was well into the night and they were in no hurry to go anywhere so they decided to sleep before they would open the rest of the boxes they obtained.
"Sounds good to me plus I''m starting to feel the fatigue from that troll fight." Elysia yawned as now that Shaman mentioned sleep all she could think about was sleep.
Shaman dismissed her sword and both Shaman and Elysia went to bed.
Chapter 51 New Equipment And Tier 4
?The next morning arrived and Shaman shot up awake.
''Did that really happen.'' Shaman felt that yesterday''s events were unreal but when she looked at her stats and saw the legendary weapon it confirmed that it was indeed real.
''I hope we can get Elysia a weapon soon. It would be good if we do not need to upgrade weapons.'' Shaman let out a sigh as it seemed like Elysia was getting the short end of the stick. However Elysia who was now clinging to Shaman''s waist while drooling seemed like she was having the time of her life.
Shaman could not help but chuckle while looking at Elysia, as so much has happened to her in the past few weeks.
''I feel like things are moving way too quickly and easily.'' Shaman felt a little uneasy as even though there were many times she felt like she almost died things never went wrong.
''I swear there is a god of fate pulling the strings, because this is just ridiculous now that I think about it.'' Shaman looked up at the roof seeing if there was a response but as expected nothing happened.
''Damn I was hoping I could kite a god to give me a response.'' Shaman looked away and carefully got out of Elysia''s grasp and made her way to the bathroom.
***
"Oh my she is onto something." A 12 tail Fox in a ck yukata with dark purple flowers was sitting back in a violet cushioned seat looking at a massive TV screen that spans across the entire 10x15 wall. The fox had long White hair with purple highlights and was lounging around while watching Shaman on the screen.
"I better be more careful or she might actually guess who I am hehe~." The Fox girl continued to talk to herself and giggle as Shaman''s attempt to get her attention was all for naught.
"I wonder how she would feel if I knew everything she was thinking." The fox girl began to ponder, as all the internal thoughts were broadcasted to her.
"Oh well, let''s see how they ovee the next challenge." The fox girl giggled and continued to roll around on the couch while watching Shaman.
***
Shaman and Elysia were now both awake and are currently sitting on the floor with all the boxes they received from the quest.
"Okay so we have 8 tier 4 boxes and we have each 2 skill selects and 3 skill level ups, Shall we start with the boxes." Shaman read out the quest rewards and they began to open the tier 4 boxes.
"Yay~." Elysia was excited as she was really wanting some new gear as they are about to evolve to tier 4 and was due for an upgrade.
They split the boxes so they each had 4 and began to open them. Shaman mainly focused on getting essories as armour was not really necessary and it would make her heavy which is something she does not want.
[Earring of the Swordsman]
[Strength +50]
[Belonged to a famous swordsman who was known for his great strength in battle]
It was a small sword that hangs off a tiny chain and on closer inspection it could be seen engravings on the sword but too small to tell. Shaman shrugged it off but realized she has to pierce her ears to put it on. She panicked for a moment but remembered the system would probably be able to equip it on her without a problem.
Shaman then used the system and was able to to equip the earring without having to pierce her ears herself.
[Bracelet of protection]
[Defense +50]
--
[Charm of speed]
[Dexterity +25]
[Agility +25]
--
[Ring of the schr]
[intelligence +50]
Shaman opened the rest of the boxes and was able to get a general boost in her stats which she was satisfied about. She also discovered that as long as she had it in her equipment slot she did not need to wear it, which was a relief as she was unsure if having 1 ring for each finger would look appealing.
''Well at least I can keep the looks up without looking like a jewel freak.'' Shaman let out a sigh and looked over at Elysia.
Elysia could be seen wearing a pair of ck gloves and what seems to be a flower ornament that sits Infront of her shoulder. This was all the changes Shaman could see but assumed Elysia got a new weapon and maybe another essory.
"Looks like you''re done." Shaman called out as she was ready to go through the evolution.
"Yeah, I am done as you can see I got this Flower and gloves, I also got a new bow and a ring." Elysia showed off her items with a bright smile.
"Nice, well should we evolve since I know when I was choosing a new skill a lot of options were locked because I was not high enough tier." Shaman suggested this as it would be the better option to open up more choices before they used the skill select and if they picked any leveled skills they could also use the skill level ups.
"Sounds like a good idea and since we have nothing better to do, why don''t we do it right now or do we want to go out first." Elysia preferred if they went out on a date but there was not much she could do as she was too embarrassed to ask Shaman at the moment.
"I think we can evolve now and then we can go on a date or something afterwards." Shaman was also keen to go out with Elysia but thought it would be better to get stronger before they go out again.
"Alright!" Elysia brightened as her thoughts of a date were proposed and could not wait.
"Well shall we evolve, sooner the better." Shaman opened the menu and saw they had all the cores they needed to evolve. Elysia nodded and they made their way to the bed. They also made sure to feed Wolfy and left him to guard the house while they evolved.
"Alright ready." Shaman looked at Elysia and Elysia gave her the okay, so they both pushed yes and began to evolve into tier 4.
***
A round table with 15 men shrouded in darkness could be seen with the only light source being a few candles which lit up the table.
"This meeting here is to discuss the disturbance we have had in the Elysium territory of setting up the anchors." One of the figures who sat in a taller and grander chair spoke which suggested he is the leader.
"Apparently it was 2 Fox girls from the report I got from the city of Victoria."
"I got the same report from Cholden however thest thing I got from them is that they caught one but ever since then I have received nothing so we can only assume that they were either killed or the military of the city managed to catch the operation."
2 figures spoke up to give their reports of the situation.
"Hmm, send over some men to Cholden to track down these 2 fox girls and bring them back to me, it is rare for a powerful fox to leave the fox realm so unless they are abandoned or a runaway we need to catch them before they get too strong." The man in the grand chair gave orders and the 14 people surrounding the table all walked out of the room leaving the ''Boss'' in the room alone.
***
Sunset had arrived and it could be seen in the city lords castle an old man slumped over on the desk.
"Why did that bastard city lord have to die, now I am left with all this paperwork." The old man mmed the desk since the city lord died the responsibility fell onto him to run the city.
"Are you okay sir?" One of the guards came in to see if he was okay but he could see the stacks of paper which answered the question for him. The old man red at him and the Guard instantly fled back in the hallway.
"I hope we can find a new city lord soon otherwise I am going to wither away to dust by the time I am finished with all this." The old man sighed and lent back in the chair.
"Maybe I should pass on leadership to Zak." The old man rubbed his chin as the idea of passing all the work to someone else sounded very pleasing to him but finally came to a conclusion.
"No not yet, I must kick the bucket before I give up this role." The old manughed at himself, as he had held the leader of the guards for thest 60 years of his life.
***
It''s the middle of the night and 2 fox girls finally break out of their shell and now have be tier 4 fox girls.
Chapter 52 Moving Forward
?Inside Shaman and Elysia''s apartment 2 eggs began to shake and slowly form cracks. After 5 minutes of shaking Elysia was first to break out and a few secondster Shaman broke out as well.
Elysia let out a yawn as evolving took a considerable amount of energy despite being asleep for many hours. Shaman had also done the same thing and stood up and to Elysia''s surprise it looked like Shaman had grown in height which was about 6''1 making her a half a head taller than Elysia.
Shaman nced over and was wondering why Elysia had a confused expression. Her first conclusion was that something went wrong with the evolution but could not see or feel anything wrong with her body. However Elysia was looking at Shaman in awe as the added height Shaman gained made her more elegant and defined her body more.
"She is beautiful." Elysia muttered which caught Shaman''s attention.
"What was that?" Shaman looked at Elysia looking for answers as she was curious why Elysia who was sitting on the floor was being so unresponsive and was entranced by something.
"You''re beautiful!" Elysia spoke in a louder voice and Shaman ended up blushing at Elysia''sment and became a little shy.
"Well I can say the same about you." Shaman responded as now that she was not worrying about herself, she could see that Elysia looked more mature.
"Well I don''t think I had that big of a change unlike you hehe~." Elysia looked at herself and could not spot any major differences and was more curious about how Shaman would react to her new gained height.
"What? Tell me, what has changed?" Shaman knelt down to Elysia grabbing her shoulders wanting answers.
"jeeez go look in a mirror and see if you can see yourself." Elysia waved her off as it was not as big of a deal that she was making it.
Shaman dashed off to the bathroom and went to look in the mirror to see what Elysia was talking about.
"MY HEIGHT IS COMING BACK." A shout could be heard from the bathroom and Elysia could not help but crack upughing as that was not the response she was expecting. Shaman heard herughing and poked her head through the door.
"What''s so funny?" Shaman was not impressed as she thought Elysia wasughing at her and so she red at her.
"Oh my I did not expect that reaction out of you I thought you would have hated being tall but instead it was the opposite." Elysia stopped rolling on the floor and sat up and looked at Shaman.
"hmph." Shame looked away as her reaction was a little absurd and could not get annoyed at Elysia so instead she exined herself.
"Well that''s because I used to be really tall before I got transported and was one of the things I took pride in." Shaman was happy that she gained some of her height but also still a little disappointed that she was not back to how she was back at home.
"Fair enough but how tall were you, surely you were not that much taller than you are now." Elysia had not seen many tall women so it was odd for her to imagine.
"Well seeing how this door is probably just over 2 meters tall, if I was in my old body I would be almost hitting my head on it." Shaman casually exined her height as the door was a good reference to imagine her height.
Elysia on the other hand could not believe what she heard as it was unheard of for people to be that tall unless they are a descendant of the giants..
"It''s nothing that special, it is just how I was and let me tell as the races evolve they tend to grow taller and taller so expect a lot more people to eventually get as tall as me naturally." Shaman saw Elysia''s shocked expression and she could tell that in today''s age it was unnatural to be as tall as she was.
"oh okay." Elysia snapped out of it and finally stood up.
"Shall we eat this egg and go for a bath?" Elysia wanted to head to bed but felt dirty.
"Sure." Shaman did not see why not and so they went for a bath.
*
After the bath Shaman Realized that her clothes do not fit her as well and is going to need to go out to buy some. Luckily her coat and some small pieces of clothing fit but her T-shirts and some pants she had.
"uhhh Elysia, I''m going to need to go get some new clothes since it seems like I have out grown them." Shaman called out to Elysia who was already dressed and was waiting for Shaman to finish up.
"Yay! is it okay if I choose your clothes?" Elysia was eager to go shopping as it was something she never got to do and really enjoyed it whenever she did, so the opportunity to pick out clothes for Shaman was a dream.
"Sure but as long as it is nothing too fancy or extravagant, just some nice clothes and a bit of casual wear will do." Shaman was a little worried as Elysia''s fashion sense was not something she wanted to trust.
"okaayyy but hurry up, I want to sleeeeep." Elysia was excited but was too tired to show it and wanted Shaman to hurry up and get in bed.
Shaman finally came out with her top looking a little small on her giving her a mid drift. Elysia could not help but chuckle a little which made Shaman go bright red of embarrassment.
Shaman lightly tapped Elysia''s head to get her to stop and jumped in bed.
"Hurry up and sleep." Shaman snuggled into Elysia as it was now her favourite ce to be. Elysia hugged Shaman and they both went to sleep for the rest of the night.
*
The afternoon arrived and the 2 girls were still fast asleep. Wolfy, who had been chilling on the bed minding his own business, walked over to Elysia and Shaman. Wolfy knew they should be awake by now and so he decided to jump up and try to wake them up. Wolfynded on Shaman''s stomach causing Shaman to shoot awake dragging Elysia with her. This caused Elysia to wake up as she had just been flung by Shaman and was now disoriented.
"What was that?" Shaman was confused but then she saw Wolfy who was looking at her with happy eyes trying to hide the fact he did it.
"It was you." Shaman red at Wolfy which made Wolfy start to run away. Shaman got out of bed to chase Wolfy around the apartment but due to wolfy being a beast he was a lot harder to catch than just a normal dog. Elysia however was still dizzy from being suddenly woken up andid in bed, in an awkward position while she recovered.
*
After Shaman finally caught Wolfy she was able to tell him off.
Shaman, after telling Wolfy off, dragged Elysia out of bed since it was already the afternoon and they needed to talk about what to do next and what skills they should get.
"Okay so we need to decide if we stay here to take on the tier 5 dungeon or we move to a different city since at this rate surely someone who is running this weird cult has caught onto us and we may need to move once again." Shaman was worried that they may take notice which was the opposite they wanted.
"I feel like we could move cities as I do want to leave this region as soon as possible as being in a human dominant territory makes me ufortable." Due to Elysia''s horrible experience with humans she would do anything to get out of Elysium.
"Fair but where should we go since we need to make sure we go to a ce where we can level up and get stronger." Shaman pulled out a map she acquired of all the ces and by pointing at it the system was able to give small details about the city and the general tier of the ce.
"Oh how about Ebonscale, that ce is tier 5 and also gets us closer to the elf territory." Elysia pointed at the map showing what seemed to be a ce with a lot of forest and mountains.
"This ce seems alright but the travel time is a bit much so we should take today to prepare and get supplies needed and head out tomorrow or the day after." Despite it going to be a couple day trip it was better than staying in one ce.
"That sounds like a n, so about those clothes." Elysia had a grin as she had not forgotten Shaman was in need of some clothes so she wanted to go out shopping as soon as possible.
Shaman got worried as the grin on Elysia''s face scared Shaman a little as she was unsure what toe when it came to Elysia choosing clothes for her.
Chapter 53 Preparations For The Next City
?Currently Shaman is being dragged along the street by Elysia to the shopping district of Cholden.
"You don''t have to drag me!" Shaman protested as being pulled along by the arm was notfortable.
"But as soon as I let go you will just run away, it was already hard enough to get you to leave." Elysia gave Shaman a grin which caused Shaman to have shbacks to just before they left.
--10 minutes ago--
"Alright Shaman, it''s time to go clothes shopping." Elysia went to grab Shaman by the arm as she usually snuggles up to Shaman as they walk around but this time Shaman dodged her.
Elysia looked at Shaman with confusion but only saw Shaman''s normal rxed face.
Elysia went to grab Shaman again but Shaman continued to dodge, so Elysia got more and more aggressive till they were basically running around the apartment.
"Why won''t you let me grab you?" While still chasing Shaman around Elysia began to ask questions but never got an answer as Shaman kept dodging without a word.
Elysia continued to chase Shaman and was able to finally corner Shaman.
"I have you now." Elysia had a grin and Shaman started to panic a little but before Elysia could get ahold of Shaman, Elysia prepared for another trick and anticipated Shaman to use a skill.
Due to Elysia''s magnificent hindsight Shaman did use her skills as she activated [Shadow cloak]. However Elysia prepared for that and was able to grab Shaman''s foot as she jumped in the air in an attempt to go over her.
Shaman tried to get loose but due to her being in the air her next destination was the ground without being able to break her fall.
*BANG*
Shaman hit the ground which did not hurt much but when she turned around she was greeted with a smiling Elysia.
"Now, let''s go on that Shopping trip shall we." Elysia grabbed Shaman and started to drag her out the door
--Present--
"Well it''s because I feel like I will be a dress up doll and that grin you do just send shivers down my spine." Shaman finally spoke of why she was avoiding Elysia.
"Jeez I was not going to make you a dress up doll alright, I was only imagining in some sexy clothes no need to panic." Elysia let out another grin which was the same grin Shaman had been talking about. Shaman''s face had also turned red as the fact that Elysia was thinking about her in such a way made her embarrassed.
''How the hell did I end up with her.'' Shaman questions her life choices as she could not believe she was in this predicament.
"Because you love me since I will never treat you wrong and be willing to do anything for you." Elysia as if she read Shaman''s mind. Shaman stared at Elysia with shock and felt her heart tightened.
Elysia saw Shaman''s expression and internally thanked the system for telling her what Shaman was thinking as she just earned herself some more wife points.
Shaman finally gave in and did not struggle anymore and let Elysia lead her along.
*
They made it to one of the clothing stores and Elysia got straight to picking out clothes while Shaman waited at one of the dressing rooms while munching on her egg that she is using as a snack.
After a few minutes Elysia came back with some clothes to try on and Shaman got to changing.
Shaman walked out of the dressing room a little embarrassed and waited for Elysia''s opinion.
Shaman wore ck thigh high Socks that had a floral pattern engraved on the side of the socks. She also wore really short shorts with a white top that slightly went over her shorts. Shaman grabbed a hold of the bottom of the shirt as she felt rather exposed.
"You look amazing!" Elysia loved what she was seeing and felt the urge to jump on Shaman as her curves were more defined.
"Yes but this feels like too little, would not this be better as sleep wear." Shaman had to admit she looked good but she felt like it was too alluring to wear out in public.
"That''s fine and I agree only I should be seeing this." Elysia agreed and instantly got back to getting more clothes.
*
Elysia returned for more clothes and Shaman went to put them on.
Shaman walked out this time with ck stockings with ck shorts that go down just above her knees. Shaman also came out with a white top that tightly wrapped around her which defined her curves. Shaman did not mind this as it would be good to wear while fighting.
Elysia pped as it fit Shaman''s style and could see this outfit a part of her battle wear alongside her coat.
"This is definitely going in the battle wardrobe." Elysia had a smile as so far she was 2 for 2.
"Can we get some casual clothes now?" Shaman was happy with what she got so far and all she needed was some casual clothes to wear while not fighting.
"Do you want to try them on?" Elysia''s eyes were beaming but soon to be shut down by Shaman.
"No need just anything that looks good." Shaman did not want to waste anymore time as they needed to prepare to move but right now it seems like they were on date.
Elysia looked disappointed but understood what Shaman was intending.
They found some more clothes and went ahead to purchase them. They headed out and made their way around town buying necessities needed for a couple day trip and due to the inventory having a way to preserve food they were able to get things that would not usually be able tost.
After traveling around they made their way back to the apartment so they could discuss what skills they should get as they are now tier 4 and should have ess to more of the skills.
"Alright now that we have got all we need for the trip we need to decide on some skills that will be beneficial and that are not attainable through a little training." Shaman outlined what they were going to do as getting skills is not hard and if they were to get one that they could easily get by training it would be pointless.
"Fair enough." Elysia agreed and has already begun to think of what skill she would want.
"Seeing as we have 2 skill selects each we can try to get some cool skills and plus we are not really in need of any skills so it does not really matter but it still would be good if we pick up some useful stuff." After thinking about it, Shaman realized that they did not really need any skills.
They began to look through the list of skills and Elysia was not coping as her head looked like it was going to explode as she only has 2 skill selects and she wanted to make it count. Shaman on the other hand was casually ying with Wolfy while the list of skills scrolled down till something caught her eye.
"Elysia, it is not that bad and plus we have many more quests ahead of us so don''t worry too much about it." Shaman could see Elysia struggling and felt a little bad for her.
"ughhhhh, why are there so many skills like half of these are so worthless." Elysia was amazed by the sheer amount of skills with most of them being useless and just small talents that you pick up when you are a kid.
"You know you can filter them right?" Shaman looked at Elysia with worry as the unfiltered list of skills is full of junk and not useful skills.
"There... is... a.... filter?" Elysia looked like she was about to snap and Shaman panicked a little as she was unsure what would happen if Elysia started to rampage through the city.
"uuhhh yes if you say what you don''t want it will filter it out so how about giving it a try." Shaman tried to exin it and slowly approached Elysia as physical touch is generally the only way to calm her down.
Shaman managed to get close enough to hug Elysia and when she did Elysia returned back to normal and was back to her normal self.
"Thank you for telling me." Elysia got up with a smile and returned to looking through the list with the new found knowledge.
Shaman let out a sigh as she just saved the apartmentplex from blowing up and them having to push forward their trip to the next city.
''I think we are going to need to get a stress toy and I need to get that item that tracks me so Elysia can stay calm.'' Shaman had almost forgotten about getting something for Elysia to track her health so whenever Elysia was alone she could track Shaman''s health.
''I think we need to make onest trip to the auction house before we leave.'' Shaman sighed as she was expecting this to take up most of their money.
Chapter 54 [Bracelet Of Wellbeing]
?[coins: gold 1651 silver 50 copper 42]
''I hope this is enough to cover the costs of the item I am looking for.'' Shaman gulped as she looked at the amount of coins she had collected and was unsure if the item that allowed to track Shaman''s status was in her price range or even existed.
''Well so far things I did not expect to exist have so who knows.'' Shaman tried to reassure herself as she was unsure what she could do to keep Elysia''s mental state in check.
''Why did she have to be so troublesome?'' Shaman held her head as it was rather annoying and stressful for her since she has to always keep in mind that Elysia could snap and cause unnecessary problems.
''Hey Rea, is there a way to buy the item I am looking for from you?'' Shaman was hoping maybe the system could provide a shop but seeing as she wasn''t able to summon up a menu of sorts she assumed it was not possible.
[Yes you can but you are too poor and do not have the necessary funds to purchase it]
Shaman halted her steps as she was walking through the middle of town, making her way to the auction house.
''That kind of hurts you know.'' Shaman felt her heart ache a little as the stress was building up.
[We only provide the best quality so it is reasonable why you cannot afford an item that is 1 billion gold coins]
Shaman''s jaw dropped as that amount of gold was unthinkable to her.
[Do not worry the item you seek does exist and is not that expensive so keep going, Rea is cheering for you.]
''You know it is very hard to get expressions from text so if you can work on getting a voice that would be great.'' Shaman felt after thestment that Rea was being sarcastic but due to it being text the message just went over Shaman''s head.
[....]
''Why go silent now, is it because you are embarrassed to speak since you actually do have a voice.'' Shaman began to get suspicious that it had a voice but it was just unwilling to use it.
"NO!"
Shaman was shocked as she actually baited Rea to say something and was not expecting a reaction. However Shaman did find the voice to be rather cute.
"Heh cute." Shaman muttered those words but Rea heard it loud and clear.
''So what was that about not having a voice?'' Shaman began to get cheeky as now she felt like she had the upper hand against Rea.
''Wait you heard that.'' A female voice that sounded like they were in their teens spoke out in disbelief as she seemed to be unaware that she could talk in the first ce.
''uhh yeah.'' Shaman was a little confused by Rae''s reaction.
''Wait that means the administrator allowed me to talk, this is amazing.'' Rea began to talk to herself as it seems that her voice was only just now released.
''Administrator?'' Shaman began to think she was a part of a game and that these higher beings are the ones pulling the strings.
''I said too much, don''t worry about it.'' Rea dismissed what she said and Shaman knew not to question further as she knew that it would either get censored or Rea would not budge.
''Okay but this is great news, you can actually talk to me and Elysia.'' Shaman was rather happy with this new development, having a personal assistant in your head sounded like a great idea.
''Yes and don''t worry, whenever you and Elysia have your bonding time I turn away and don''t watch.'' Shaman instantly became red as the thought of being watched by higher beings while Elysia and her indulged in each other was a creepy thought.
''HAHAHA, do not worry it is just me watching from what I know so I need to panic.'' Rea giggled in Shaman''s head as Rea could see Shaman''s embarrassment.
''Well thats a relief but I need to hurry up before Elysia tears up the apartment from anxiety.'' Shaman remembered the whole point of going out and was now wasting time.
''Alrighty~'' Rea spoke in a floaty tone as the ability to talk has put her in a really good mood.
*
Shaman made it to the auction house and began to look for the item she was looking for.
''Although I do not know the name I am d the search function they have looks for keywords not for the item.'' Shaman appreciated that despite the technology looking old it was just like she was back at her home world.
After searching through a list of items and trying to find the right one, Shaman managed to find a bracelet that matched what she wanted.
[Bracelet of wellbeing]
[A person is able to bind their soul to this weapon and whoever wears this is able to see the wellbeing of the person that this is bounded to]
[Currently not bounded]
[Price: 1500 gold]
''FUCK'' Shaman looked at the price and her worst fear came true were it would take most of their money to purchase it.
''Well some sacrifices need to be made.'' Shaman felt her heart sink as she pushed purchase on the item.
''It is not all bad, just kill a lot of monsters, plus everything is super cheap since you are an adventurer.'' Rea''s words were true as an adventurer was one of the highest paying upations and was the reason why a lot of things were rather cheap despite the amount of money they were making.
''I guess that would exin prices for some things.'' Shaman sat and waited for the item to be delivered and began to talk to Rea.
Shaman finally received the bracelet and made haste towards her apartment.
She arrived and was met with Elysia who was upside down looking bored out of her mind.
"Are you good there?" Shaman was a little amused by what she was seeing and even got a chuckle out of Rea.
"Wha-" Elysia tried to quickly get up but ended up flopping over on the floor.
"You sure do love the floor." Shaman could not help herself butugh at Elysia.
Elysia sat up and pouted at Shaman since it was rather embarrassing for her.
"Anyway I have a gift for you." Shaman pulled out the bracelet which she had bound to herself on the way back and threw it at Elysia.
"What is it?" Elysia was a little confused as she knew Shaman went out but did not know why.
"Put it on and find out." Shaman hoped the item was the real deal and was not scammed out of 1500 gold coins.
Elysia went and put on the Bracelet and when she did a small holographic screen was projected out of it and disyed how healthy Shaman was and what effects she had on.
Elysia''s eyes brightened as it was exactly what she wanted and so she ran over to give Shaman a hug. Shaman returned the hug and was rewarded with a nice feeling.
"I love you so much Shaman." Elysia gave Shaman a kiss on the cheek.
"I love you too but I feel like you are overexaggerating a little." Shaman felt like this was over dramatic and felt like she was in a romance movie.
"hmph fine then don''t take my love." Elysia pulled away and crossed her arms.
"No need to be like that, Elysia." Rea finally spoke which scared Elysia causing her to jump back and look around.
"Who was that?" Elysia continued to look around wanting an answer as she could not pinpoint where the voice came from.
"That is Rea, the system that we talk to." Shaman gave a quick exnation which made Elysia rx but she was still rather confused.
"Well instead of me sending text I can instead talk to you now hehe." Rea found Elysia rather funny and wanted to keep teasing her.
"So that was you Rea, it is now to speak to you but may I ask did you see anything?" Elysia wore her grin which sent shivers down Shaman''s spine.
"Not at allll, I made sure I was asleep or not looking." Rea gave an honest answer.
"Good." Elysia returned back to her cheerful smile and went to sit on the bed.
"Have you picked your 2 skills yet?" Shaman was curious if Elysia had made up her mind yet.
"I have one in mind still trying to find a second one." Elysia was stumped on finding another skill and due to the huge amount of options it was hard for her to choose.
"Well we have till tonight and plus I still haven''t chosen mine yet so I guess we should hurry up and get to it so we can move." Shaman had actually not even started to look for a skill.
"I agree." Elysia nodded and so they both got back to choosing a skill.
Chapter 55 New Skills And Moving
?Evening arrived and Shaman finally decided on some new skills.
[Spatial rift]
[enter a separate space for a short period of time. Can be used to cover a short distance]
[100 MP to open a rift]
[25 MP a second when in use]
[Chains of earth]
[Root a person who is in a 5 meter radius for 1 second]
[cost: 50 MP]
''Oh yeah, did I not get extra levels for killing that nature troll?'' Shaman opened her status and found a stockpile of points.
[each level up give 40 points now]
Shaman Shiroi
[Age: 18]
[Gender: female]
[Race: Four tailed Fox Girl]
[Level: 57]
[Attributes]
Unspent points: 280
Vitality: 145 -> 185
Agility: 215 -> 265
Intelligence: 230 -> 280
Strength: 230 -> 280
Dexterity: 150 -> 200
Defense: 130 -> 170
Shaman felt a surge of energy through her body and could feel the effects.
''This feeling never gets old but I''m surprised I do not need to get used to the effects of my stats upgrading.'' Shaman wondered why she never needed to adjust since her stats seemed to be increasing at an absurd rate.
''That''s because the system does it for you.'' Rea interjected and answered Shaman''s question.
''I guess thank you then.'' Shaman was surprised by the response but was notining.
''No worries~'' Rea, still being in a cheery mood, responded with enthusiasm but also seemed to vanish.
''I should check on Elysia and see how she is going.'' Shaman walked into the bedroom and could see Elysia was packing.
"Are you finished choosing your skills Elysia?" Shaman was curious if Elysia was cking off or she had actually chosen some skills.
"Yes I have and before you think I am cking you can check yourself cant you." Elysia answered confidently which made Shaman a little more suspicious and went ahead to check Elysia skills.
Elysia Dahlia
[level 57]
[Skills]
[Fire arrow lvl 4]
[Fire wall lvl 2]
[Fire coat lvl 1]
[de Burst Arrow lvl 3]
[Explosive shot lvl 2]
[Arrow storm lvl 1]
[Multi shot lvl 4]
[Quick shot lvl 4]
[Power shot lvl 4]
[Archers Mark]
[Hunters prey]
"I see you did pick up some skills, want to tell me about it." Although Shaman could see for herself she wanted Elysia to exin it to her.
"Well my mark skill allows me when I hit someone, it applies a marker and whenever I hit them again I do extra damage. My hunter prey skill works with my mark were I am able to track anyone who has been affected by a mark skill." Elysia was rather proud of her selection and looked at Shaman with a proud smile.
"I like it, good work Elysia, despite all yourining you got something good." Shaman was rather impressed and patted Elysia''s head.
"hehe~" Elysia enjoyed every second of it and did not want Shaman to stop.
Shaman stopped patting Elysia and could see Elysia''s sad face and so she continued to pat her. Shaman continued to stop and keep patting Elysia, getting amused by Elysia''s change of expression.
"STOP TEASING ME." Elysia finally snapped and told Shaman to stop.
"HAHAHA, Sorry it was just amusing seeing your face change when I stopped." Shamanughed and could see Elysia pouting.
"Anyway we should pack everything and get ready to leave for tomorrow." Shaman began to help Elysia pack things into their inventory and Shaman''s Shadow space.
They both got to packing and eventually they cleaned up everything besides the bed as they would sleep the night before they went to leave for Ebonscale the day after.
"We have everything ready for tomorrow." Shaman looked at Elysia to see if they had prepared everything and nothing was missing.
"It should be everything." Elysia was confident they had packed everything as they did not have much to store.
"Alright well, shall we go to sleep, we should have enough money and since we are adventurers since we get a lot more money than the average person." Shaman still felt the hole in her heart when she spent 1500 gold but due to how cheap living was as it still had to ount for normal civilians, it was easy to get a house and buy food.
"Well, let''s hope we have a smooth trip." Elysia sighed and flopped onto bed with Shaman following suit.
They both snuggled up to each other and went to sleep.
***
2 hooded men arrived in Cholden in the middle of the night.
"So we are looking for 2 fox girls, one with white hair and the other ck hair." One of the hooded figures spoke.
"Yes from what our boss says they should be tier 3 at least and they seem to hit up the dungeon every day ande out with a lot of spoils, so they must be strong despite their tier." The ck hooded man had pulled out a piece of paper that seemed to detail the information about the 2 fox girls.
"good thing we are tier 5, we should be able to handle them easily and that''s if they do not have any legendary gear or something that can annihte us." The brown hooded man disregarded the 2 fox girls as it seems like they were either rich or had outside help.
"I would not underestimate them as we could seriously get in trouble and they are not afraid to kill so we must show some vignce and get it done properly." The ck hood man scolded the other guy as it has been shown that they are very capable despite them being a tier 3.
"Fine but I really don''t think they are a problem." sounding like an annoying teen the brown hooded man still brushes them off.
"Do what you wish but do notin when you are at death''s door." The ck hooded man had enough and would rather if he got himself killed.
They continued to walk through the city and entered the building and waited till morning rose.
***
"WAKE UP."
A loud shout could be heard in both Shaman and Elysia''s causing them to both shoot out of bed hugging each other. They looked around trying to figure out who it was but when they heard Reaughing they instantly knew who it was.
"What was that for?" Shaman shouted out in protest as it was a rather rude awakening.
"Well you usually get up at this time so I thought I could be your rm clock." Rea sounded confused like she did nothing wrong which made Shaman and Elysia''s eyebrows twitch.
"Please never do that again and if you please do not do it so loudly." Shaman was fine with Rea being an rm clock but it was a little much getting yelled at first thing in the morning.
"fine but the reaction I got was so funny." Rea enjoyed the reaction she got and would like to do it every morning.
"NO!" Elysia and Shaman spoke in unison as they did not want it to continue.
"ok" Rea went silent and both Shaman and Elysia let out a sigh.
"Well I guess we are awake now." Elysia still wanted to sleep but she was wide awake now.
"Well we do have to move to a new city today so I guess the earlier the better." Shaman felt the same way but also the sooner they could get to the next city the better.
"Well, let''s get the move on then." Elysia hopped out of the bed and began to get ready.
"I guess so." Shaman followed Elysia''s lead and they both got ready.
Chapter 56 Tricked
?Shaman and Elysia had started to make their way towards the west gate of Cholden towards the stables.
"Despite all this magic, they still have very inefficient ways of travel." Shaman figured they would have teleport magic that would allow them to instantly go to ces.
"I think it is because there is not enough magic to supply such a thing, since we use our own mana there isn''t a source of power to allow for teleportation since magic is not widely avable to the average person." Elysia recalled information from some of the books she scanned into her brain and tried toe up with a usible reason.
"I guess when people spend years specializing in one type of magic, it bes hard to branch out to other things." Shaman felt it was reasonable but could seem to shake the feeling that something was fishy about it.
"Well not much we can do plus what says that we can''t learn it ourselves." Elysia knowing how the system made learning things a lot easier was not a far fetched idea that they would be able to teleport themselves.
"You are an actual genius, Elysia." Shaman was amazed by what Elysia said but also felt stupid since it was a rather easy conclusion toe too.
"I can also confirm that you can learn spatial magic." Rea chimed in since she is the system herself and can confirm what is and what''s not possible.
"Well that confirms but I assume that is something we won''t be able to unlock till the future since I did not even see it in the skill list." Shaman was happy but also realized it was far out of reach and is something that they will most likely achieve until they are a much higher tear.
"Do not fret, all you have to do is work hard." Rea tried to encourage Shaman but Shaman still felt a little depressed at how far that goal was.
"One day Elysia we shall travel across the in a sh." Shaman looked at Elysia pleading forfort as the use of a teleport would make things so much easier.
"Let''s not think about it and hurry up and get a move on." Elysia was also feeling the same way but was trying to think about it.
They both continued to make their way to the stable with Wolfy exploring the streets while also keeping guard from any dangers.
**
"I have visualized 2 fox girls who match the description." A man in a brown hood could be seen on the roof of the house near Shaman and Elysia.
"Good now you need to tail them and find out where they are going." A voice was hearding from a stone which had a magic circle engraved on it.
"But I could capture them right here and now." The brown hooded man let out some killing intent and was getting ready to pounce put the voice from the stone resounded out.
"NO! If you do that you can ruin the whole operation and we would need to search for them again." The man sounded furious and the brown hooded man backed down instantly.
"okay." The brown hooded man restrained himself and listened.
"Good now make sure you do not lose sight of them." The connection to the stone seemed to be cut off.
"damn it, they are just tier 3 fox girls, how hard could it be." The man scoffed and continued to watch passively from the sidelines.
**
''We are being followed.'' Shaman was able to pick up killing intent behind but was unable to pinpoint where.
''Rea do not say anything to Elysia, it seems like they are not here to kill us but to follow.'' Shaman was not sure but due to how brief she felt the killing intent the person following them must have been stopped from continuing, so either they are going to follow them or capture them.
''Alrighty'' Reapiled and kept quiet about it.
''If they want to follow us I guess I could lead them the wrong way and give them a false clue.'' Shaman thought of ideas to try to find a way to mislead or trick them into going somewhere else.
After thinking on it, Shaman came to the conclusion to give them a fake map of where they are going to mislead them and give them false information which should hopefully allow them enough time to get stronger.
Shaman pulled out a clean map which confused Elysia but paid no attention since it was normal to double check the route they were going.
Shaman got to work and started to add fake notes to the map and highlighted a city called first of the fourth which was in a simr direction but went further into the Elysium empire .
''Alright, this should do it.'' Shaman was happy with her work and as a way to not seem suspicious shetched onto Elysia''s arm and pretended to put the map in her pocket but actually dropped it. This also distracted Elysia so she would not get suspicious and so their followers could pick up without an issue.
**
"Are they not meant to be in a dungeon? Why the hell are they on this side of the city." The man was getting impatient and was wondering why their daily schedule was different today.
"They do not look like they are moving so they must not be leaving." The man continued to follow them, still trying to figure out why they had gone to the edge of the city.
The man silently continued to observe them and noticed the white hair fox pulling out a map of sorts.
"Are they nning to move?" The man got a little worried as he needed to obtain that information as soon as possible so they could deploy more people in that area and catch them when they arrived.
"Only if I could pounce right now!" The man was getting frustrated but he knew he would get harsh punishments if he went against orders.
To his surprise though the white hair girltched onto the ck haired one and dropped the map she was holding by ident. The man did not waste time as it was crucial intel and made his way closer and went to snatch it as soon as the 2 girls were far enough away.
"You dumb bitch." The man was mocking the girl as the information he was getting would lead them to their capture.
He dashed out and picked up the map in one swift motion and instantly went back into hiding.
"Now let''s see where you are heading." The man opened up the map and could see the markings and notes that were scribbled on the map.
"I see that they are heading to the first of the fourth, a historical city." The man had a mad grin on his face and his mission wasplete.
"Although I would like to do the job myself, this intel should be enough to impress that old man." The Brown hooded man stopped following the girls and contacted someone through the stone.
"Why are you calling me so soon, you better have something good to tell me." The man on the other side did not sound impressed.
"Do not worry, I just got a map from the girls of their next location and I will be sending it your way shortly." The hood man sounded proud and was ready to leave.
"Good work, I expected a failure but for once you have done something good, hurry up so we can get this over with." The connection was cut off and the brown hooded man quickly made haste away from the area.
**
On the other hand Shaman could not hold herughter as she was imagining how the enemy is going to react when they find out that the information she gave them is useless and get baited.
"What''s so funny?" Elysia was confused as Shaman had started to cling onto her and startedughing and was unsure what was going on.
"Nothing, just remembering what you said in your sleep." Shaman came up with an excuse that somewhat sounded reasonable.
"Wait what, tell me what did I say." Elysia was now curious as she wondered if any of her true desires came out while she was talking.
"Well now that is a secret for me to enjoy." Shaman had a grin and could see the confusion and curiosity on her face.
"Rea please tell me." Elysia thought she could get the information from Rea since she is rather honest.
"Sorry but Shaman told me not to tell hehe~." Elysia looked at Shaman in disbelief but all she got back in return was Shaman sticking her tongue out at her.
"PLEASE TELL ME." Elysia shook off Shaman and began to chase her the rest of the way to the stable with Wolfy following behind them thinking they were ying a game.
Chapter 57 On The Road To Ebonscale
?The west side of Cholden a stable was by the gate could be seen and inside there were many metal fences blocking out whatever they had contained. Shaman and Elysia walked in as this was the ce to hire a mount to travel.
In the stable where Shaman expected horses and a rather normal interaction she was instead faced with giant lizards that had really long tongues which tried to reach out and lick Shaman.
"EEEEK!" Shaman screeched a little as she was not a fan of the massive lizards and was now dreading the trip to Ebonscale. Wolfy had also hid behind Shaman as he was not fond of the giant lizards.
"Its not that bad, if anything they are kind of cute." Elysia showed no reaction and went to one of the lizards and started to pat it. Shaman however tried to stop Elysia approaching it but was unable to stop her.
"see it is not that bad, once you pat it your fears will go away." Elysia looked at Shaman with a smile in attempts to convince Shaman.
Shaman had a hesitant look as she stood behind Elysia contemting if she should pet the lizard.
"Are you sure my hand wont be bitten off and be used as their breakfast." Shaman shot Elysia a spective gaze.
"yes, yes it will be fine, see it is even presenting its head to you." The giant green lizard bowed it head so Shaman could pat it. This had made Shaman a little morefortable and reached her hand out.
Shaman began to pat and could see the happy expression on the lizards face and began to see why Elysia thought it was cute. However to Shaman surprise the lizard looked up and licked Shaman''s hand which caused Shaman to jump back.
Elysia began tough as Shaman had jump back and fallen over.
The lizard did not understand why Shaman had jumped back and looked at her curiously.
"jeez no need tough at me, I was not prepared for it to lick me thats all." Shaman''s face had gone red and tried to exin herself to theughing Elysia.
"Anyway we should get going, we have a few days ahead of us." Shaman did not want to stay any longer so she picked up Wolfy tofort herself and went to the end of the stable.
Elysia caught her breathe and caught up to Shaman who had walked off.
They approached a desk which had a ripped man that had a whited long beard and had their hair tied back which made him look like he was a body guard for the mafia. Shaman and Elysia were a little intimidated by his appearance as his hands alone looked like they could crush somebody.
However the scary ripped man who was wearing a white singlet and blue shorts let out a smile which gave off a grandpa vibe to Shaman and Elysia.
"Well what mount will you be hiring today youngdies." The Ripped old man spoke with a friendly tone and the scary image they had of him now turned into a friendly bear.
"We are heading to Ebonscale so any mount will really do." Shaman spoke up first and due to herck of knowledge she was unsure what mount would be a good choice.
"HAHA, well depending on how much money you are willing to spend you can get there by the end of the day." The old man let out a loudugh just like a grandpa would if a someone young did not know how something worked.
"Well how much will we need to be spending." Shaman got a little worried as they were quite low on gold and was not sure if the prices were scaled down for normal people.
"100 gold for a day travel, 50 for 2 days and 25 gold for 3 day travel." The old man gave it to them straight and Shaman looked at the amount of gold she had.
[coins: gold 151 silver 50 copper 42]
''Well at least it is affordable but since we are heading to a higher tier city I should probably save as much money as I can because who knows how much I''m going to need.'' Shaman began to contemte as the prices have been stupid cheaptely and was unsure if she went to a higher tier city, so would the prices since they amodate more adventurers.
"What do you think Elysia." Shaman was set on getting the 25 gold option as it would save them gold and they were not in a hurry to leave.
"Well I think the 25 gold option is alright since we can spend more time together plus there is no need for us to rush." Elysia spoke Shaman''s thoughts and so they had made their decision.
"Alright follow me, I''ll take you to your mount." The old man stood up and Shaman and Elysia were surprise to see how tall he was. The old man was over 2 meters tall, dwarfing both Shaman and Elysia. The old man saw their expression and let out augh as it was a normal reaction whenever people had met him.
They continued down the stable and eventually they stopped in front one of the metal fences.
"Alright you will be having betty, She will take you to Ebonscale within in 3 days, You do not have to return here as you can just drop her off at the stable there." The old man exined and opened the gate. it could be seen a dark purple lizard which was the size of a big car.
"Betty should be able to carry the 3 of you and only needs to be fed at the end of each day and some rest." The old man finished exining and started to pull out a saddle.
After the saddle was put on the girls approached the lizard and Elysia started to pat it.
"There is no need to learn to ride so enjoy your trip." The old man passed food and a badge to Shaman and in return She handed him the 25 gold coins.
Shaman, Wolfy and Elysia climbed on top of Betty and gotfortable. Elysia sat at the front and Shaman sat behind hugging Elysia from behind.
"Well you girls be careful and follow the main track." The old man waved and signaled Betty to move.
"Cyater!" Elysia cried out as they began to to exit the stable towards the gate.
Shaman finally rxed as she has never rode an animal before but to her surprise it was rather smooth due to how Betty moved.
"Why such a scaredy cat although I do not mind you hugging me like this there is no need to act like this." Elysia began to tease Shaman''s behavior as it was rather cute.
"Shut up! its my first time doing this sort of thing." Shaman pouted as she was no longer scared and was starting to getfortable now.
"hehe~" Elysia let out a cheekyugh as she wanted to continue to see this side of Shaman and was now thinking of ways to make it happen.
They approached the gate and Betty halted her movements letting 2 guards approach them.
"badge please." The guard asked for a badge which Shaman had received and handed it to the guards to inspect.
"Alright all good, you may proceed." The guard handed back the badge and They continued beyond the walls of Cholden officially leaving.
"Well that was easy, now for our long trip towards Ebonscale." Elysia looked out seeing fields of grass and patches of tress.
"I feel like this is going to be a long 3 days." Shaman felt like she was either going to be tormented by Elysia for the entire trip.
"Well I''m sure you can improve some skills plus you still need to use your skill level ups." Rea tried to improves Shaman''s mood as it looked like she was already not enjoying it.
"Well Its not like I do not enjoy it but there is only so much I can handle and you are right Rea I should probably use them." Shaman opened her menu of skills and began to use her skill level ups.
[Deep sea lvl 1 -> 2]
[Tidal wave lvl 1 -> 2]
[Water Shield lvl 1-> 2]
Shaman chose her water skills since they were at their basic level and falling behind her other elemental skills.
"Hey Elysia make sure you use you skill level ups." Shaman was unsure if she had used them.
"I already have don''t worry." Elysia responded saying she had however she quickly opened her menu and used them as well.
After they used their skill level up they continued to embrace the view and continued their journey to Ebonscale.
Chapter 58 Why Are Bandits Bad
?Shaman was resting on Elysia''s back as it was rather boring riding on the back of Betty.
"Gosh I wish we had phones in this world, it would make things less boring." Shaman began to think back on her world and came to realize how much of a reliance we have on technology for entertainment.
"What is that?" Elysia knew it was something from the world Shaman came from but had no idea what it could be.
Shaman began to exin what a phone was since she forgot that she was not in her world anymore.
"Wow! That sounds so cool to have such a small thing that is able to do so many things at once, is there anything else?" Elysia began to ask questions about where Shaman came from as it was really interesting to hear all of this technology that was created without magic.
Shaman continued to exin things of her world and even went on about how many stories are written that are just like this ce and it is actually a fantasy many people have to be in Shaman''s shoes.
"I really can''t wait to go to your world if possible. It sounds like such a great ce." Elysia was getting excited as it sounded like a very peaceful and wonderful world.
"Trust me you don''t, even though we have all this cool technology we are also destroying the earth and there are many corrupt people. If anything I would prefer it if we stay here but I''m still not entirely sure." Shaman did not like thinking about whether she would stay or return home as she enjoyed both but every time she started to think about it she felt like crying.
"Well I guess we can decide when we get there." Elysia felt a little bad for bringing it up as she felt Shaman''s hold tighten and could tell it was something she was not ready to talk about.
They continued to ride for a few minutes in silence since it got a little awkward. However the awkwardness did notst long since a mount with a carriage behind it took up the trail and was blocking the path.
Elysia had a feeling it was bandits so She tried her best and redirected Betty around the carriage ignoring them.
They had gone back on track avoiding the carriage and mount and when Shaman turned around she saw a bunch of men staring at them in disbelief and angry faces.
"HAHAHA, they actually were bandits, how stupid are they." Shaman let out augh as their setup was predictable and so easy to avoid.
"Well usually people hop out to see what is happening but clearly that did not work out this time hehe~" Elysia was amused by the bandits attempts but due to theirck of organization what they thought was going to be an easy steal turned into an utter failure.
"But damn we don''t get the stereotypical scenario where we get surrounded and get saved by our prince charming." Shaman kind of wanted to get caught in the trap as it would have been some exercise since they have been riding for a couple hours now.
"But I thought I was your princess charming." Elysia looked back at Shaman with an innocent look.
"HAHA, I think we are beyond that stage now, we are more like queens than princesses." Shaman shot Elysia a yful smile but was interrupted as shouting could be heard behind them.
They look back and see that the bandits from before are chasing them in their carriage.
"Looks like we get to have some fun after all." Shaman got excited as the boring trip was bing fun.
"Let''s see, how should we toy with them, we could use magic and put down some obstacles and see how they handle it." Shaman began to think of ways to toy with the bandits and make their lives as hard as possible.
"I mean I think the real question is why are they bandits, it is not hard to earn money." Elysia proposed a very valid question.
"I don''t know, maybe they were rejected by society or they are mad they did not get the girl they wanted." Shaman now became curious why bandits existed in the first ce since from her experience it is not hard to make a living.
"I guess they just wanna be bad because it is what they enjoy?" Elysia and Shaman continued a deep and in depth discussion about the bandits as they slowly caught up to them.
"I guess we should deal with them now." Shaman looked back and red at them causing some of the bandits to shiver.
Shaman used her water element and ced blockades in front of the mount''s legs causing it to slow down and some of the bandits to fly forward due to the sudden stop.
"HAHAHA." Shaman broke outughing as it was amusing to see the bandits fly through the air even Rea joined in theughing. Wolfy tried to join but due to hisck of skills and unable to really do anything, he sat there watching the show.
Elysia was too busy trying to get Betty to speed up so they could lose them as it would be a nuisance if they kept following them.
The Bandits kept going, leaving behind the fallen as they could see they were speeding up and could not afford to slow down.
This time Shaman used her fire and shot it at the wheels of the carriage but due to it being more obvious the bandits tried to maneuver around the fireballs that were being sent by Shaman.
Some of the bandits were petrified as one of them was using magic and regretted chasing after them however the leader who had scars all over them did not give up and couldn''t care less about the magic.
Shaman continued to throw fireballs at the carriage, eventually hitting one of the wheels. This made it look like wheels of fire which was amusing to watch as the bandits on the carriage began to freak out since they had no way to put out the fire.
The fire slowly spread to the carriage causing the rest of the bandits to jump off. The bandit leader however did not give up and jumped on the mount cutting off the connection to the carriage making it just him and the mount.
"Someone is persistent." Shaman was enjoying herself and was now thinking of a way to stop this stubborn bandit.
''Although I want all the base elements first, maybe I should see if I can change the temperature of the water and get the ice element.'' Shaman began to wonder how she would go about getting the variants of the elements and since a slot opened up for another element she was curious to experiment despite wanting the earth element before exploring the other options.
''Screw it, why not, there was no need to wait plus I just need to get to tier 5 so I can unlock another slot.'' Shaman really wanted to get the ice element so she discarded the idea of getting earth and started to y around trying to manifest the ice element.
Shaman summoned a water ball in her hand and shaped it into a spear for a base of the ice. After she manifested the shape of a spear she began to try to cool water to freezing. Due to her knowledge from her old world and having a fundamental understanding of how cooling and heating worked she was able to easily imagine the process of cooling water and slowly the water in her hand began to freeze over.
Elysia felt the coldness and did not appreciate the cold and turned around to say something however before she was about to speak she was shocked at what Shaman was doing.
The water spear Shaman manifested was slowly freezing however it was sapping her Mana like crazy due how unrestrained she was using it.
Eventually the spear was created and system notifications went off.
[Ice tier 1 has been learnt]
[Ice spear lvl 1]
[Cost 50Mp (cost may vary due to how big or small the spear is manifested at)]
[a frozen spear that can be thrown and is great at piercing enemies]
Shaman grabbed a hold of the spear and to her surprise it was not cold and ratherfortable.
"Now let''s see how strong this spear is." Shaman had a grin on her face and as she looked over to the bandit, she could see the terror on his face as he saw death was fast approaching.
Shaman got ready to throw the spear and used [Sword gale] to enhance the throwing power. Shaman threw the spear and at incredible speed, the [ice spear] cleaved a hole right through it without a problem.
The mount crashed into the ground and so did the bandit leader, however instead of continuing the chase he looked up in horror as he was surprised he was still even alive.
Chapter 59 First Night Part 1 (R18)
?Shaman was surprised at the power of the ice spear and was rather excited for the new skill she created.
"Holy shit Shaman, that was insane, did you really have to add wind to that attack." Elysia could feel the power of the [ice spear] and could tell she reinforced it with one of her wind spells.
"ahahaha, well I did not expect that to happen but at least they are gone now." Shaman let out an awkward chuckle as it was a lot more extravagant than she anticipated.
"yeah well, we need to stop soon since it is getting dark and I can feel Betty is getting tired." Elysia looked down at Betty and could see the exhaustion building up on her face.
"Fair enough, let''s find a ce safe to sleep." Shaman could see the sun was getting low and they would need a ce to rest due to Betty.
**
After another hour of traveling they finally found a spot in a patch of trees to set up camp. Shaman and Elysia hopped off Betty and began preparations for the night.
"It''s really handy having an inventory, I can literally bring the kitchen with me." Elysia was starting dinner and was grateful to have the inventory since it allowed for food to be preserved and there was no weight limit to it either.
"I mean we could just go for instant noodles." Shaman felt it was not needed for Elysia to bring a whole kitchen with them and would have been easier to eat instant food.
"NO!! I am not allowed to eat that, you are having my cooking since it is actually healthy." Elysia responded strongly as Shaman''s habit of eating easy was not something Elysia liked.
"Okay Mum." Shaman felt like Elysia was acting just like her mother who had always forced her to eat healthy and never allow her to eat anything unhealthy under her watch and from her experience it was never a good Idea to incur her wrath when it came to food.
"Hmph." Elysia turned away and began to cook.
''Yep never going to protest against Elysia when she is in charge of cooking.'' Shaman could tell if she even attempted to have anything else, Elysia woulde crashing down on her about it.
''Well surely it is not that bad.'' Rea spoke to Shaman and was curious why she backed down so easily.
''Trust me Rea you do not want to incur the wrath of someone like Elysia when ites to food, it will only end in a lecture and ears go numb.'' Shaman was surprised Rea could not see Shaman''s memories but guessed it was due to it being from her old world.
''And you are correct.'' Rea responded to Shaman''s thought which made Shaman jump a little as she kept forgetting that Rea can read her mind and how she is feeling.
''I swear I will never get used to that.'' Shaman let out an awkwardugh as she was unsure if she would ever get used to it.
*
After talking with Rea to pass the time Dinner was finally ready and they began to ate. As usual Shaman basked in the amazing cooking of Elysia and had a blissful grin. Elysia on the other hand had a proud smile, as seeing Shaman with her smile made her feel happy that she had once again done a good job.
Betty was also given her food and had fallen asleep off to the side out of the way of the girls. Wolfy had also snuggled up to Betty which confused Shaman and Elysia but they assumed it must be a monster thing and they somehow bonded.
"Well shall we get busy in the tent since everyone is asleep." Elysia had a seductive smile and Shaman knew exactly what she meant.
"Well what are we gonna do?" Shaman shot a confused look at Elysia to y dumb
''Hey Rea, it''s your queue to leave.'' Shaman quickly shoved Rea away mentally as she could not bear to have someone watching.
''okay~'' Rea left as Elysia began to approach Shaman
"Follow me to find out." Elysia grabbed a hold of Shaman''s arms and started to pull her towards the tent.
They entered the tent which was the size of a normal room with a mattress that covered the entire floor. It was a dark blue all over the room, with nkets all covering the mattress. A crystalmp hung from the roof illuminating the room, Elysia turned the brightness down causing it to be dimmed.
"Well we are sure to be moody today." Shaman found it quite romantic how Elysia was ying it.
Elysia however did not say anything but put her lips up against Shaman''s to stop her from talking.
Shaman felt shivers go down her spine as this was a scenario Shaman fantasized a lot about and now it was actually happening.
They shared a deep kiss as their tongues intertwined with each other. They let out soft moans as the kiss went on and got more intense.
Elysia picked Shaman up while still kissing her andid her on the mattress, Shaman was shocked at first but still held the kiss not letting go of Elysia.
They both began to undress till they were both fully naked while trying to break the kiss.
Elysia began to y with Shaman''s breasts causing her to stop the kiss and let out a loud moan.
"AHH~" Shaman tried to hold it in but was unable to control the moansing out. Elysia had a grin as she could see the flushed face of Shaman and knew she was struggling.
Elysia lowered her head and began to suck on Shaman''s nipple while ying with the other one. Elysia moved her tongue around Shaman''s nipple and sucked harder and harder on it.
Shaman began to moan uncontrobly as the sensation of pleasure flowed throughout the body and was already on the verge of releasing, however Elysia suddenly stopped. Shaman was annoyed as she was on the edge but was suddenly cut off.
"Hey... why did you... stop." Shaman was out of breath so her sentences came out broken.
"Well pent up lust can cause a better reaction." Elysia winked at Shaman which made Shaman want to get up and ravage her but due to her already being exhausted she was unable to fight back.
''Dammit, when did she get so good at pleasing me.'' Shaman was surprised by Elysia''s technique but was also d she was experiencing it. However before Shaman could continue her thought Elysia began her attack again but this time down below.
Elysia entered Shaman''s cave with her tongue causing her to let out a loud moan. Shaman felt an overwhelming wave of pleasure wash over her again as she could feel Elysia exploring her insides making her constantly moan.
Elysia also began to add a finger alongside her tongue which was thest push for Shaman causing her to cum into Elysia''s mouth.
Elysia sat up and swallowed as much as she could with some of it leaking out of her mouth.
"You taste quite sweet hehe~" Elysia had a grin as the sweaty Shamanid on the mattress heavily breathing trying to catch her breath.
"no.. fair.. how are you... so good." Shaman became curious at how Elysia became so good and wondered how she would have practiced.
"That''s a secret." Elysia did not tell which made Shaman a little annoyed but she could notin as she felt like she ascended to a new realm entirely.
*
After a few minutes Shaman finally regained enough strength to move and began to crawl to Elysia. Shaman''s tail was wagging furiously as she had a seductive look and had lust fill her eyes like a switch had been flipped. Elysia bit her lip as she could see Shaman''s desire to ravage her which turned her on even further.
Shaman pounced and started to kiss Elysia. Shaman slowly brushed her hand down Elysia''s body eventually reaching Elysia''s cave and started to finger her. Elysia let out moans but was unable to break the kiss due to Shaman locking her in with her other hand.
Shaman progressively got more aggressive going faster and adding more fingers. As Elysia was just about to reach her climax Shaman halted and finally broke the kiss.
"No.. fair." Elysia felt cheated as she was now heavily breathing and could not believe Shaman would pull the same trick.
"Well I was told by someone it''s better when you have pent up lust." Shaman gave Elysia another seductive re and licked her lips causing a shiver to go down her spine.
"hehe~ shall we continue." But before Elysia could respond Shaman began to finger Elysia once again causing a wash of pleasure to flow through her.
"AHHHH~" Elysia let out a moan and due to her extra sensitivity the feeling was enhanced causing toe straight away.
"A, look at this, you got my hand dirty." Shaman pulled her hand away and looked at it.
Shaman however did not lick her hand but began to put her fingers in Elysia''s mouth.
"Let''s see, how does tasting yourself feel?" Shaman seemingly had a switch flip and now Elysia could do anything butply.
"I taste... rather... nice.... You should... try it.." Elysia had a grin as this side of Shaman was getting her even more excited than before and could not wait to see what the rest of the night had in store for her.
Chapter 60 First Night [Part II] (R18) And Wolfys Stroll
?The moon was high, slightly illuminating the outside alongside the stars of the universe that seemed like an endless stream going across the sky.
"AHHH~" moans inside a tent could be heard filling the night sky.
2 fox girls were having the time of their lives in a peaceful forest without any disturbances.
"Fuck Shaman, you are going to make me go crazy."
Currently Elysia was being vited by Shaman as a switch has been flipped in Shaman and now she had now be lust herself in Elysia''s eyes.
''I swear I saw hearts in her eyes.'' Elysia the victim of this was just hanging on bearing through this new Shaman that appeared out of nowhere
Shaman continued her assault, hitting the most sensitive parts of Elysia and taking advantage of the extra sensitivity she has. Elysia had already lost count of how many times she had orgasmed and was now focusing on staying awake.
''I need to fight back but I don''t know if I have the strength, my limbs feel so weak.'' Elysia was struggling and despite wanting to let Shaman continue she was unsure if Shaman would ever snap out of it.
However, to the surprise of Elysia who thought it would never end, Shaman stopped and began to present herself to Elysia inviting her to return the favour.
Sheid back slightly sitting up and looked at the exhausted Elysia.
Elysia''s heart skipped a beat as Shaman reached her hands out calling for her.
"El-ys-ia~~ your turn~~."
The soft voice turned into a very seductive call which caused Elysia to swallow her saliva and began to slowly approach Shaman.
Shaman held a smile of excitement while she spread her legs open for Elysia.
Elysia got to work with her tongue trying her best to please Shaman just the way she did.
"AH~" Shaman let out small moans and bit her lip in order to try to contain them.
She also closed her legs, locking Elysia in ce and making her go deeper.
Shaman orgasmed and finally let Elysia free from the leg lock. Elysia fell back and caught her breath as she was starting to struggle to breath due to head not being able to be pulled away.
Elysia locked eyes with Shaman''s bright blue eyes and was 100% sure she could see hearts in her eyes despite them being faint. Elysia instantly became suspicious and was now wondering if it was a skill that has caused the sudden change.
However before Elysia could continue her thought Shaman jumped at her and pulled her in for a kiss. Shaman was now lying on top of Elysia, pinning her to the floor.
They held the kiss enjoying the moment but this allowed Elysia to think.
''I either pleasure her out of it, or there is some way to break her out of this lust state.'' The kiss continued getting more intense as Shaman began to start ying with Elysia''s breasts causing her to lose her train of thought.
Elysia adjusted and was able to recover allowing her to reach down with her hand to Shaman''s cave. This caused Shaman to break the kiss to let out a moan. Elysia did not slow down and got more intense right away.
Elysia could tell one of her ideas of pleasuring her out of it was working as the pink hearts in her eyes began to slowly fade away. Elysia did not stop until the pink hearts were gone and once they were gone Shaman had passed out.
''ah crap.'' Elysia was now stuck underneath Shaman and did not have the strength to move her away due to how exhausted she was.
''looks like I am sleeping like this.'' Elysia epted her fate and due to the adrenaline starting to fade, tiredness washed over her and soon fell asleep with Shaman in her embrace.
***
--Outside--
"AHH~"
Moans could be heard from inside the tent and Wolfy who was peacefully sleeping woke up and thought it was dangerous.
However when Wolfy looked over and saw the silhouette of his mother with Elysia he understood they were doing their nightly activities.
Now that Wolfy''s sleep had been disturbed he had decided to move deeper in the forest.
He looked back at Betty and was a little surprised that she was sleeping through the noise but headed no attention to it. Wolfy kept walking through the small forest in order to find a ce to peacefully rest.
Wolfy eventually was far enough away from the tent where the noise was not too loud and could peacefully sleep but unexpectedly an unforeseen visitor was approaching.
It was the bandit leader who looked like he had been through Hell and back.
The bandit leader had ripped clothes and what seemed to be a broken arm, he was slowly walking looking like he was about to pass out however he could slightly hear moaning in the distance.
He was confused at first but then realized who it was and what they were doing.
Wolfy could visibly see the bandit turn red with anger but due to the state of his body and bursting a vein he fell over on the spot. Wolfy was very confused on why this had happened but slowly approached him.
Wolfy pushed his paw on the bandit leader to see if he was dead but it turned out he passed out.
Wolfy pondered on what to do and decided to jump on the bandit leaders back. But when wolfynded on his back it made a crunch sound which Wolfy found amusing.
Wolfy then began to jump up and down causing the crunching sound to get louder and louder but all of a sudden the Bandit leader that had passed out screamed in pain.
"ARGGGGGGHHHH."
Wolfy got scared jumping off with all his might from the bandit leader causing onest crunch and another scream. However when Wolfynded and looked back at the bandit leader, he was limp.
Wolfy once again approached the bandit leader and pushed his paw on the bandit to see if he was alive but it had seemed Wolfy finished off the bandit leader with thatst jump.
Wolfy did not care and continued his walk as now his spot was now upied by a dead body. But due to them being in the forest there were still monsters out hunting.
The reason why monsters did not approach them at the tent was due to Betty''s presence causing the other monsters to hide.
But since Wolfy is outside that radius Wolfy was under threat of being attacked.
Eventually Wolfy found a spot in a tree to rest but when he began to climb that tree he could see a long taile out from behind it. Wolfy jumped down from his climb and got ready for battle.
The tail realized that Wolfy jumped off the tree and retracted it back behind the tree. Soon after that though a monkey which was the size of a human bodybuilder came out. It had brown fur and bulging muscles with pure glowing red eyes. It had the build of what seemed to be a gori but the features of a normal monkey making its attacking potential unknown.
Wolfy understood it was dangerous and due to it being a full moon his power potential was at its highest making him much stronger than normal.
The monkey let out a puff of air and looked at Wolfy with his unchanging angry face. Wolfy got ready to pounce as he enjoyed battle but due to hisck of skills and unable tomunicate with his mother, he was unable to participate.
The monkey moved at a speed that Wolfy was barely unable to follow and appeared behind him with his fist crashing down onto Wolfy.
Wolfy was able to activate [Shadow cloak] and push himself with [Shadow w] out of the way.
The punch left a deep hole where Wolfy stood and the monkey got confused as to him he had hit Wolfy dead on but instead punched the ground.
Wolfy took advantage of this confusion and was able to use [Shadow bite]. Wolfy jumped up in the air with [Shadow cloak] still active making his presence almost invisible. Due to the Monkeys lower intelligence it did not realize that it was Wolfy and took a [Shadow bite] to the shoulder ripping out a chunk of flesh.
"ARRGGGGGGGG" a loud screeching sound from the monkey could be heard causing Wolfy to fall down to the ground and try to use its paws to cover his ears.
The screaming eventually stopped and Wolfy was able to move again but when he looked up he could see the monkey had changed.
The monkey now had pure blood red fur and its eyes began to glow brighter, Wolfy recognized this as a berserk state and became a little worried at his survivability. However that was not the only thing as more glowing red eyes began to light up behind the trees.
Chapter 61 Wolfy Vs The Mob
?Wolfy instantly sensed danger all around him, the 15 or so pair of red eyes all locked into him. Wolfy became nervous and was now trying to think of ways to escape because if they are all like the angered monkey Infront of him, he is unsure he will be able to get out by fighting.
Wolfy activated [Shadow cloak] in order to give him more time to think on what to do.
The monkeys saw him disappear and began to frantically run about in order to find him while Wolfy dodged their movements. Although they could not see Wolfy, his presence was still there which allowed the Monkeys to know his general direction and follow him.
Wolfy thought back to when his mother created new skills with her elements and wondered if he was able to do the same with his shadows. He also knew that his mother had a thing called a system that helped her but did not understand what it was and wondered if he had his own.
Unfortunately any attempt to call upon the system thing failed so Wolfy gave up long ago.
The monkeys began to get agitated and Wolfy could see that their fur began to transform into a red colour. Wolfy was running out of time and needed to to think of something that could help escape or kill them easier.
Time went on and all the monkey''s fur were almost all red and their speed was increasing alongside it, making it harder for Wolfy to evade. However Wolfy had finally got an idea which involved using his shadow to store things.
Despite the skill not being very useful for carrying things since they have an inventory it would be nice to store unimportant things in it to keep the inventory clear from clutter. But what Wolfy thought was to hide himself within that shadow inventory and be able to use the shadows around him to move across the surface.
Wolfy quickly went behind a tree and activated his shadows below him and began to sink into it like quicksand. Wolfy pushed himself deeper and was now in the ground with his shadow.
The monkeys that were chasing him pulled out the trees from the roots but found nothing there and were now even more confused and angry since Wolfy''s presence seemingly disappeared.
Despite not having a system Wolfy had created a skill.
[Shadow Walk]
[Anywhere a shadow is casted or no light is present be able to hide within the darkness and move around and appear anywhere from the darkness, your presence is hidden while within the shadow walk and the use of a ability will force you out of shadow walk]
Wolfy did not get the system message but Shaman who was now passed out in Elysia''s arms did but due to their bond Wolfy was able to vaguely understand how the skill worked and instantly got to work.
At this point all the monkeys were in an enraged state and were tearing up the terrain to find Wolfy.
To Wolfy he could not feel his body and felt like a pair of eyes on the floor but was able to move around freely like it was his own body. He started to move towards the injured monkey as he was the easiest to kill due to his injury.
Due to it being nighttime Wolfy was able to use his [Shadow walk] on the monkey''s body and go behind its head. Wolfy also took this opportunity to make a new attack skill.
Wolfy took inspiration from his mother and made a katana out of shadows. Due to Wolfy using his shadow to make something he was ejected out of [Shadow walk] and was now behind the injured monkey''s head.
[Shadow sword]
[Create a sword made of shadows that gets more powerful depending what cycle the moon is in]
Wolfy uses his mouth to hold the shadow sword and decapitates the monkey in one swing, killing him.
All the other monkeys turned around to look at Wolfy however he was nowhere to be seen other than the limp body of the monkey and his head rolling on the floor.
Instead of getting more angry they were terrified and wanted to get as far away as they could. The fur on the monkeys began to revert back to its brown colour.
However when one of the monkeys that had begun to run all of a sudden they got decapitated. The group of at least 10 monkeys that had yet to run grouped up next to each other looking around frantically trying to find where Wolfy will appear next.
Wolfy had also found a key weakness to the monkeys and how they had monstrous speed, he realized that they require to stand still and charge like they are storing power within themselves. So by staying out of sight the monkeys are unwilling to use their strength and are just normal monkeys.
Due to the monkeys grouping up who were under the belief that Wolfy could teleport, this allowed him to get in the middle and do a surprise attack from within the group.
Wolfy jumped out in the middle of the monkeys and extended the shadow on the sword to increase its length. Wolfy had also taken advantage of the pushing force of [Shadow walk] kicking Wolfy out of the shadows to add extra power to the de.
This resulted in the decapitation of half the monkeys getting killed while the remaining 5 used their stored strength to dodge.
Wolfy used [Shadow walk] straight away and went after the remaining monkeys that had began to run away. Due to Wolfy being in a shadowy state he was able to move at incredible speeds and catch up to the monkeys.
Wolfy went to exit [Shadow walk] but when he was about to leave from a tree that was ahead of the monkeys he was chasing, they halted and attacked the spot Wolfy was exiting using their stored strength. This scared Wolfy but luckily due to him not using a skill and was jumping out normally he was able to pull back and not get pummeled.
The monkeys looked at each with confusion but kept running.
Wolfy realized that the monkeys now know how his skill works but this did not deter Wolfy as an idea sprouted inside his head.
Wolfy got to work and attached himself on one of the monkey''s faces and began to exit his [Shadow walk]. But just as Wolfy expected, due to the monkey''s frantic state they did not care where Wolfy was, they just punched wherever they sensed him.
So the other 4 monkeys punched the 1 monkey killing the one instantly. This shocked the monkeys as they just killed one of their own and were now in a more distressed state. Wolfy also did not stop as he appeared behind the 4 monkeys and once again used [Shadow sword] to finish them all off in 1 sweep.
Wolfy sessfully was able to kill the remaining monkeys but due to the excessive use of his skills, he was on the verge of passing out.
Wolfynded on the ground and looked at the bodies of the monkeys and felt proud that he had survived this endeavor. Wolfy had also wanted to take the cores has his mother always took them from monsters but due to him not being able to carry anything he had to leave them there. He also did not have the energy left to extract the cores and just wanted to go back to the camp.
Wolfy began to slowly walk back towards the camp trying his best to stay awake and not fall over from mana exhaustion.
After walking for about 10 minutes or so, Wolfy could see Betty and the tent and felt relieved that he had made it back in one piece. Wolfy walked up to Betty and settled himself in front of her and finally let the exhaustion take over him.
*
Wolfy could hear the sound of Betty walking and slowly regained consciousness from his exhausted state. However when he woke up all he could see was his mother''s face looking at him.
"How the hell did you get so big overnight?" Shaman looked at Wolfy with curiosity but due to Wolfy not being fully awake he was unsure what his mother was talking about.
"You''re almost the size of an actual Wolf, your fur is so much softer now and when the hell did you learn the skill Shadow walk?" Shaman kept asking questions despite Wolfy not being able to answer. Nheless Wolfy tried to respond to Shaman''s questions but to his surprise it worked.
''I killed some monstersst night.'' Wolfy looked up in shock as he was very confused why he could hear a male voice in his head but he somehow was able to telepathically speak to Shaman.
Shaman looked around in confusion.
"Who was that?" Shaman tried asking and Elysia who was still recovering was now confused on what was happening.
''I think it''s my mother.'' Wolfy tried to speak once again and this time Shaman''s eyes locked on to Wolfy.
"WOLFY YOU CAN SPEAK NOW!!!!!"
Chapter 62 What Happened?
?The morning sun rose and Shaman''s eye twitched as the little amount of sunlight that crept into the tent invaded her eyes.
Shaman slowly woke up and sat up with a yawn stretching herself out.
*Yawn*
''What happenedst night, all I remember was Elysia giving me a heavenly time.'' Shaman tried to recall what happened but her memories fell nk after a certain point.
''Where is Elysia?'' Shaman still had yet to see Elysia in the tent but when she put her hand down she heard a moan.
"Huh?" Shaman looked down and saw that she had grabbed one of Elysia''s Breasts.
"Jeez Shaman, it''s so early in the morning." Elysia was still in a half asleep state.
Shaman quickly got off Elysia and went to her side as she needed answers on what happenedst night. Shaman began to poke Elysia''s cheek repeatedly and gradually with more force till she woke up. After poking Elysia for about 30 seconds she finally woke up and grabbed Shaman''s hand.
Shaman got spooked and tried to pull away but Elysia''s grip was for some reason too strong.
"Now that''s not how you wake your girlfriend up, especially after what you put me through." Elysia had a bit of an annoyed tone but also a seductive undertone to it.
"ahahah, well would you believe me if I say, I don''t remember." Shaman was now extremely curious on what happened to cause such a reaction from Elysia.
"Surprisingly yes, because something did happen and I am unsure how to exin it." Elysia loosened her grip on Shaman letting her go.
"huh? what happened, thest thing I remember was when you were giving me a good time but I nked out after that." Shaman had a very confused look and was now worried.
"Well...."
Elysia went on to exin what she saw to Shaman and Shaman could not believe what she was hearing as it seemed like she had fallen under a spell of some kind.
"Damn, I wish I did not ck out." Despite being under a spell, Shaman''s major concern was the fact she did not remember what happened.
"pffftt" Elysia could not help butugh at Shaman''s response.
"What are youughing at? I would have loved to see your desperate face." Shaman let out a grin as herment only made Elysiaugh more.
"Anyway, we have Rea who might be able to tell us, especially if the system did it." Shaman suspected that the system was involved and something had unlocked in the middle of the night.
"Rea reporting for duty."
"Can you check if anything has changed specifically with the system." Shaman thought it was either a new passive had unlocked or Elysia had unlocked a new skill.
"No, nothing was out of the ordinary." Rea reported back with no finds.
"Then what the hell happened to me." Shaman looked at herself to see if there were any markings but there was nothing.
"Well something happened because I swear you became the Goddess of love or something." Elysia who was trying to hold back augh could not help make a joke out of Shaman''s situation.
"God dammit I swear if there is a goddess that did it to me I know who I am killing when I meet them." Shaman looked at the sky as she knew what Elysia said could be true. But as expected no response came.
"Well I mean I do not mind going through that again but uhhhh, my legs are kind of dead fromst night." Elysia who was stillying on the floor tried to move her legs but was unable to move.
"oh~ looks like somebody is stuck." Shaman looked at Elysia with a yful smile as right now Elysia was immobile.
"This is not fair, why do I have to be the one to be stuck with leg pains." Elysia began to whimper as her situation was not looking good.
Shaman slowly crawled to Elysia while she tried to push her away but Elysia''s feeble attempts to stop Shaman were futile and now Shamans face hanged over Elysia''s.
"Hey sweetie~" Shaman had a sweet smile but Elysia was sweating buckets as she was unsure what devilish n she had in store for her.
"uhhhh hey there." Elysia let out an awkwardugh while trying to find a way to get out but due to her legs not being able to move she had endure what torture is about toe.
"Now let''s see what kind of ''punishment'' I shall give you for no apparent reason." Shaman positioned herself on top of Elysia once again and could see the panicked face on Elysia.
''Please god someone save me.'' Elysia prayed internally as she tried to frantically think of a way to stop Shaman.
Shaman began to move her hands to the sides of Elysia but before she could make contact, Elysia shouted out.
"If you torture me more who is going to cook your food." Elysia quickly spoke but this caused Shaman to freeze.
Elysia saw that Shaman was conflicted on what to do and was relieved that it had somewhat worked.
"Hmmm, you do make apelling case." Although Shaman could have instant noodles, Elysia''s cooking was too good to miss.
"I''ll make anything you want if you let me go." Elysia looked up at Shaman with puppy eyes causing Shaman to hesitate even more.
Shaman pondered on it for a moment but finally came to a conclusion.
"Finnne, you win this time." Shaman gave Elysia a flick on her forehead before getting up.
Elysia let out a sigh of relief as she just escaped torture from Shaman.
***
"HAHAHAHA" the same 12 tailed fox girl from before let out augh that resounded out through the in white hall.
"I can''t believe it, she was dead on with that answer, I have to tell Aphrodite that she is too easy to figure out." The fox girl continued to roll around on the floor as the situation with Shaman was actually affected by a god.
"Hey, HEY APHRODITE THAT FOX GIRL GUESSED IT WAS A GOD THAT MADE GO INTO A LUSTFUL CRAZE!!!!" The fox screamed out as if calling for someone but then all of a sudden a girl with long pink hair appeared Infront of her.
"You''re not serious right." The girl had a very soft and seductive voice and was surprised about what the fox girl said.
"Here, look." The fox girl swiped her hand and yback the footage.
----
"God dammit I swear if there is a goddess that did it to me I know who I am killing when I meet them."
----
"Oh shit you were not kidding." Aphrodite looked in shock as the fox was correct.
"better watch your ass otherwise it may not be pounded by what you expect, hehe~" The fox girl added a massive grin while Aphrodite froze.
"YOU BITCH THIS WAS YOUR IDEA." Aphrodite went on to chase after the fox girl hurling insults at her as originally it was her idea to do it to Shaman but it seemingly had its consequences for the future.
***
"How are your legs?" Shaman was lying about as she was waiting to see if Elysia''s legs were get better.
"I can somewhat move them but if I stand up I''ll just be a poorly built stack of sticks." Elysia looked at the Bored Shaman who was trying to fix her boredom by rolling around.
"Wait can''t I use my healing skill." Shaman felt stupid as she had a healing ability.
"Oh yeah, you do." Elysia could not believe Shaman as this entire time she could probably heal her.
Shaman knelt next to Elysia and put her hands out and activated the skill [Heal]. A green light went out and wrapped around Elysia''s body.
Elysia could feel that her muscles in her legs were getting healed which was apanied by a warm feeling.
"Wow this feels amazing." Elysia was enjoying the feeling of the warm light and wished it would never end. A few secondster though Shaman finished and Elysia''s legs were healed.
"NOOOOO, it''s finished." Elysia had a sad look as it was a really nice feeling.
"Well too bad, you have food to cook for me."
Elysia sighed and got up and headed outside the tent.
"OH MY GOD." Elysia screamed out causing Shaman to jump out.
"What happened?" Shaman looked around in confusion but could not see any monsters.
"Look at Wolfy." Elysia pointed at Betty where Wolfy was resting and Shaman locked onto where Wolfy was.
"What the hell, when did he be so big?" Shaman walked over and could see a peacefully sleeping Wolfy who was almost the size of a normal wolf.
"My question is what did he dost night for this to happen?" Elysia figured Wolfy must have gone out during the night but was unsure how Wolfy would have gotten so big.
"I guess we wait till he wakes up?" Shaman was poking Wolfy but there was no response.
"I guess so." Both Shaman and Elysia walked back confused but they could do nothing about it, so they went on to have breakfast.
Chapter 63 [Redacted]
?Shaman And Elysia finished eating breakfast and Betty had finally woken up.
? "I guess we will get a move on." Shaman and Elysia had no reason to stay and with Betty fed and awake they could continue their journey to Ebonscale.
They began to pack everything in their inventories and got ready to leave the small forest. Once they were all packed up, Shaman picked up Wolfy and got on top of Betty and ced him in herp.
Elysia climbed on top with a little bit of struggle as Shaman''s healing ability only healed her muscles not her fatigue so she was still rather exhausted.
Once they were both on, Betty began to move and they continued onwards.
*
Sometime passed and Shaman began to get a little worried for Wolfy as he was yet to wake up.
"I hope he is okay." Shaman had a worried look on her face as so much had changed with Wolfy and was unsure if anything bad had happened.
"I''m sure he is okay, plus can''t you check his stats." Elysia, who was lying on Betty''s back, was not too worried and figured just Wolfy needed the rest.
"I can only see his skill and level." Shaman did not think that it would be that useful as it showed minimal details.
[Wolfy (cub)]
[Tier 4]
[Level 75]
[Race: Shadow moon wolf]
[HP: 7500/7500]
[Skills]
Shadow dash lvl 4
Shadow w lvl 4
Shadow Bite lv 4
Shadow cloak lvl 4
Shadow Walk lvl 1
[Passives]
[Redacted]
"hang on, he is level 75 and has a new skill called [Shadow walk]." Shaman looked at the system screen with shock as this was a drastic change in such a short amount of time and what caught her attention was the passive that was [Redacted].
"WHAT?!!?!?" Elysia could not help but scream out as this was an insane jump.
"Rea, why does this one say redacted?" Shaman was even more curious about the mysterious skill.
"Oh that was my doing and I know how you guys like surprises, so you have to wait and see before you know what it is." Rea spoke in a cheeky tone and Shaman could not help but be agitated.
"God dammit Rea, why do you have to hide it from us."
"hehe~"
"Wait, I''m missing something here." Elysia was confused about what Shaman was asking.
"Oh, Wolfy has this passive skill but Rea made it so we cannot see it''s name." Shaman quickly exined to Elysia about what Rea had done.
"God damnit Rea, you are going to make me pray to Lucifer for your demise." Elysia shared the same annoyance with Shaman but Rea went silent.
"Not much we can do now." Shaman sighed as Rea always keeps her word so getting information out was impossible
"urggghhh, I wish I could go and drag Rea out."
"Understandable, anyway what do you think it could be?" Shaman still wanted to specte what the skill could possibly be.
"There is no point in thinking about it, just wait till Wolfy wakes up." Elysia could not be bothered to specte and went back to resting.
"I guess you''re right." Shaman looked out in the distance at thendscape which was filled with hills and popted by trees.
''Damn, if this was back home all of this would have been free real estate.''
However Shaman''s admiration was halted as Wolfy began to move.
"He is finally waking up." Shaman felt relieved that Wolfy was okay.
Shaman hovered over Wolfy''s face till eventually he opened them.
"How the hell did you get so big overnight?" Shaman began to question Wolfy despite not being able to respond she could not help but ask.
"You''re almost the size of an actual Wolf, your fur is so much softer now and when the hell did you learn the skill Shadow walk?" She did not stop her pursuit for an answer but to her surprise she would hear a voice in her head other than Rea.
*I killed some monstersst night.* A young voice of a boy rang out inside of Shamans head.
Shaman looked around as she was unsure where it came from and could not believe what she was hearing.
"Who was that?"
"Who was who?" Elysia looked over to Shaman who had a confused look and was frantically looking around for something.
"A voice, did you not hear that voice?" Shaman thought she was going crazy.
Elysia looked back in confusion however the voice rang out again.
*I think it''s me mother.* This time the voice could also be heard by Elysia causing her to look at Wolfy.
Shaman looked back at Wolfy and instantly opened up his skill menu.
[Passives]
[Telepathy]
"WOLFY YOU CAN SPEAK NOW!!!!!" Shaman and Elysia screamed out in unison as they both heard Wolfy''s voice.
*uhhh, I think so.* Wolfy was unsure how he could speak in the first ce.
"Oh my god, your voice is so cute." Shaman could not help herself but hug Wolfy.
*ahh that hurts!* Wolfy cried out as the hold Shaman had him in was notfortable.
"Oh I''m sorry, anyway do you want to exin what you didst night." Shaman instantly pulled away from Wolfy and got back to the topic at hand but her hands were trembling with excitement as this was wonderful news.
*i don''t really know why this happened, but I killed a bunch of monkeysst night and passed out when I got back to the camp.* Wolfy tried his best to recall what happened.
Elysia, who was lying down, now had crept up behind Shaman and looked over her shoulder.
"So you killed a bunch of monsters and all of a sudden you became like this." Shaman could not believe her ears as the monkeys must have been a higher tier in order to allow Wolfy to level up so quickly.
*Sounds about right.*
"I... have no words." Shaman could not help but stare nkly at Wolfy and Elysia shared the same reaction.
"I can answer this, Wolfyst night fought with tier 6 Rage monkeys which were native to the area we were in and since Wolfy is a Shadow moon Wolf, the moon was full that night increasing his power to the level of that simr to the monkeys." Rea came out of nowhere and exined what happened despite saying she would disappear for the night.
Shaman and Elysia look at Wolfy in shock as if it was not for Wolfy''s race he could have diedst night.
*What?* Wolfy was confused as he could not hear Rea and the Looks on his Mothers face and Elysia''s concerned him.
"YOU COULD HAVE DIED LAST NIGHT." Shaman began to hug Wolfy again as his life was really in danger but her and Elysia were too busy having a good time.
*it is okay Mother, plus I survived and even became stronger.* Wolfy tried to lick Shaman''s face to console her.
"hahahaha I guess you are right but I can''t believe it, you can speak and you don''t even need to learn either." Shaman was more surprised at the fact that Wolfy did not need to learn how to speak anguage.
"Let me guess Rea has an answer for that." Elysia had gotten used to Rea randomlying in with an exnation to what was happening.
"You are correct Elysia, it is because of the system that allows him to not need to learn the humannguage and understand what you are saying. I also made it so Wolfy can hear me." Rea once again injected again like Elysia predicted.
*Oh wow, I can hear Rea in my head.* Wolfy was still not ustomed to being able to speak and hearing Rea in his head.
"Great, well this will make fighting so much better but first you have to tell me, what is this [Shadow walk] Skill." Shaman was really curious about Wolfy''s night adventure and so was Elysia as it would alleviate the boredom of the trip.
Wolfy then went on to exin what happened and even told them about killing the bandit leader by jumping on him too hard.
"PFFFFFTTT." Shaman and Elysia could not help butugh as dying by being a trampoline is such a shameful way to die but also hrious way to go out.
*I was having a st as the sound of the crunch was so satisfying.* Wolfy tried to exin himself but this caused them tough even harder.
"I can''t believe it, you are so cute and the way you killed him is just the best." Shaman could not believe such a cute Wolf could be such a "deadly" killer.
"I think we can try to employ some of Wolfy''s techniques to our own." Elysia was quite impressed with Wolfy and just imagining a small Wolfy jumping on someone''s back and killing them was amusing.
"Pfffthahahaha."
They continued tough about the bandit leader''s death and continued to hear Wolfy''s story while they waited for nightfall once again on top of Betty''s back
Chapter 64 Ebonscale
?The journey continued without any issues, allowing them to have a rxing trip to Ebonscale.
"I''m kind of sad that we did not run into any trouble." Shaman was rather disappointed that nothing special was happening as it got rather boring sitting on Betty''s back.
"Yeah well, you were the one that decided to go for a three day trip not the 1 day one." Elysia was affected by the boredom greatly and had not stoppedining thest 2 days of travel.
"It was cheaper and who knows how expensive living will be since we are going to a adventurer based city." Shamans'' major point of concern was that they would not have enough money since the cities they lived in were for the ordinary, who did not pursue being an adventurer and could not earn a high ie.
"You don''t know that!" Elysia did not think like this and assumed that everything would be the same price like everywhere else and only adventurer specific benefits would be expensive.
"There is something called intion and I can guarantee the higher tier city we visit, the higher the prices." Shaman wanted nothing more than to bonk Elysia as Shaman''s financial decision could have saved them a ce to stay for the night.
"hmph." Elysia looked away as Shaman made a valid argument but she still did not want to admit defeat.
"I swear all you do is bicker, let me sleep in peace." Wolfy, who now had the ability to speak telepathically, could not help butin.
Shaman and Elysia both turned to Wolfy with a dead look.
"Just because you can talk now does not mean you get extra privileges now." Elysia had a innocent smile which scared Wolfy
"yes ma''am." Wolfy instantly resigned and went back to trying to tune out the conversation.
"No need to be so rude, Elysia." Shaman felt bad for Wolfy as it seems like nothing changed and Wolfy started to be a ghost once again.
Wolfy brightened up a little after hearing his mother defend her and was hoping that Shaman would punish Elysia.
"Still." Elysia tried to keep the tsundere act up but it came to a halt when Shaman used the de of her hand to chop down and hit the top of Elysia''s head.
"Oww." Elysia grabbed the top of her head.
"Stop being annoying, we are almost there." Shaman felt good after hitting Elysia as the built up frustration of Elysiaining had been released.
"fine." Elysia rubbed her head as the pain from the chop lingered. Luckily Wolfy could control whether he was able to broadcast his thoughts as he wasughing at Elysia and knew he might get the same treatment if she could hear him.
"Also how is Wolfy able to speak the Englishnguage so fluently?" The thought never crossed her mind and was curious if it was the systems doing once again.
"As you may have guessed, it was the system that allowed Wolfy to talk andprehend what is being said, since he is connected to you through the system. Also nice pump on your head Elysia." Elysia used her hands to cover her head as Rea''sment made her embarrassed.
"I thought so, but why all of a sudden." Shaman still did not get why specifically at level 75 Wolfy was granted the ability to speak.
"Well Wolfy could have gotten it since he was born but certain perquisites had to be met before he was able to obtain the skill and here is a hint, this also applies to you and Elysia."
[ ;) ]
Rea left a wink and seemingly vanished once again.
Shaman let out a sigh as this means there are secret missions that she canplete but what really hit her was the fact she has notpleted a single one yet.
"That wink does not help." Elysia was more annoyed at the fact that Rea sent a wink through the system.
"Not much we can do." Shaman was a little bummed out by it but if anything she just has to let it happen.
"I guess so." Elysia did not really care much for it as the missions were more for Shaman than her.
*
Some time had passed and the city of Ebonscale could finally be seen.
"Finally we made it." Elysia let out a sigh of relief as the mind numbing journey is finallying to an end.
"I will say this ce looks beautiful." They were close enough to see the buildings and the type of architecture and Shaman could not help but be in awe.
A gate that was decorated with golden dragons could be seen and indicated that this was the main entrance to the city.
Around the walls of the city it could be seen purple leaves, Shaman could not quite make out what type of tree it was but it contrasted from the grey city wall. The buildings went up into a spike with one tall building in the middle and the surrounding buildings slowly descending around it getting lower till it can not be seen, being covered by the city wall.
The buildings resemble traditional Chinese architecture with all the residential buildings sharing the same look with buildings that held significance being more grander and were much bigger than the rest.
To Shaman this was aplete culture shift and wondered how much this city would resemble the China of her old world. However upon that thought something struck Shamans mind.
''Is there other reincarnations that came to this world before me?'' Shaman began to seriously consider this possibility but unfortunately this time Rea did not answer.
''I guess the only way I am going to find out is figuring out the origins of this ce.'' Shaman was not a fan of research but due to her system allowing just insert information she may as well fuel her curiosity.
*
They got closer to the city and Shaman was finally able to identify the trees that surrounded the city.
"Oh my god, they are purple sakura trees." Shaman could not believe it as the sight of full blooming purple sakura trees was a sight to behold. Even Elysia was memorized a little by the sight.
"Can we just live here and not move?" Elysia really likes the look of the ce and would not be against the idea of permanently living here.
"As much as I want to say yes I have a ce I need to return to but even then I''m not sure if I want to go back." Shaman was not opposed to the idea but she needed to at least get as strong as she can and at least have the chance to return back home despite maybe never wanting to return.
"I guess so but we can alwayse back once we get to tier 10." Elysia understood that they needed to get stronger before they could settle anywhere so she could not really argue in not staying.
"Plus this is a human city, who knows how bad the situation will get between the races." Shaman remembered a crucial point and that was the fact they were in human territory.
"tsk, why do the good looking ces have to be in the human territory." Elysia clicked her tongue as she was once reminded again of the fact they would be surrounded by mainly humans.
"Oh well, let''s suck this ce of EXP and hopefully we can finally escape into Elfheim." Shaman realized this trip brought them really close to the neighboring Elfheim territory and they may no longer be surrounded by as many humans anymore.
"I can''t wait, I just feel so out of ce all the time." Elysia words were quite true as each city they have been to, there has been very little beastmen around.
*
They eventually reached the gate and were stopped by human guards that wore armour of an ancient Chinese warrior.
''So it seems like there might be another reincarnator as this looks way too simr to my old world.'' Shaman could not shake this feeling of familiarity as the ce reeked of Chinese culture.
"Badge please." The guards asked for the travel pass that was given to them by the old man. Shaman pulled it out and the guards let them through.
They entered the gate and Betty went straight for the stable that was to the left of the gate and entered it.
Once they had delivered Betty and passed back the badge to the owner of the stable Shaman, Elysia and Wolfy were free to do what they wanted.
"Well I guess the first order of business would be to find a ce to stay."
"Well Shaman, you are the one that picks the ces so I hope you don''t disappoint." Elysia let out a smile as she was clearly trying to avoid responsibility.
Shaman sighed as it was probably better that she decided since Elysia would just spend all of their money in a heartbeat.
''Oh well, I guess I better start looking.'' Shaman resigned to her fate and the group walked off into the city.
Chapter 65 Himeko Ado
?Shaman, Wolfy and Elysia were currently walking through the streets of Ebonscale, exploring the city to see how the ce operates.
They noticed that the ce was a lot more quiet than previous cities and there was always a constant patrol of guards floating around the city. The streets were always clean and no alleyway was left unlit.
"Elysia, I think we need to get some more information before we find a ce to stay." Shaman was a little suspicious of what was going on and she did not want to be caught due to not knowing the rules of the ce.
"We really should have done our research on this ce beforehand." Elysia felt uneasy about the situation too and agreed with Shaman.
"Seeming as if they were weing to us we can assume that we are safe for now so lets just ask one of the guards for directions." Shaman figured due to thex checking when they arrived means that adventurers are weed. Elysia nodded and so they approached one of the guards.
"Hey sir is it alright if I get directions to the adventurers guild or a library of some kind." Shaman tried to be as nice as possible to not incur any problems.
"If you are an adventurer and want to enter the dungeon you must go to the royal family which is the middle pce and as for the library it is located near the pce and should have a statue of a book at the front." The guard responded kindly and Shaman rxed a little as she had ordered Wolfy if the guard tried anything tounch an attack.
"Thank you." Shaman did a small bow and walked off with Elysia and Wolfy towards the middle tower.
"Thank god nothing went wrong, let''s hope the encounter with the royal family goes smoothly." Elysia was a little worried as they are forced to talk to the royal family of the city in order to enter the tier 5 dungeon they want to enter.
"If anything we could get an ally out of this so lets hope they are nice and not corrupt." Shaman hoped that they were not walking into their deaths but due to the hospitality so far, she was not worried.
"Hope so." Elysia was still on the skeptical side but trusted Shaman knew what she was doing.
They continued their way to the center for about 30 minutes and found the library that Shaman wanted to visit.
"Alright let''s find out what this city is all about." Shaman wanted to abuse her system power to absorb knowledge and quickly find out how this city operates.
''Rea, if the book is public ess I can use you to imprint into my brain right?'' Shaman was confident that she would be able to do this as usually she would have to own the book but if it is public ess technically she should be able to absorb it.
''Correct.''
They walked into the library and on the inside it looked rather normal contrary to how traditional all the buildings look on the outside.
''It''s like a cheap toy that has been wrapped in the most expensive paper you can find.'' Shaman was a little taken aback to the interior as it was just normal. Wooden floors, with clean white walls and ceiling, the walls were decorated with some pictures and patterns in the corner but Shaman could use no other word than normal.
The ck haired female librarian wearing a red qipao at the front desk saw the girls enter and weed them.
"Hello, wee to the Ebonscale Library, what can I do for you." The youngdy sounded energetic as if they were the first customers to arrive in a while. This broke Shaman out of her judgmental thoughts and responded.
"Hello, we are looking for books about the history of Ebonscale and also anything specifically to do with the royal family." Shaman once again was ready for a negative response but to the contrary nothing happened.
"Sure thing, everything involving the history of Ebonscale and the royal family is in aisle 12." The librarian smiled and Shaman nodded.
''I have read too many novels where every royal family is being a tyrant of some kind.'' Shaman felt like things were not going ording to the script and things were too nice here.
''I need to get out of the mindset that everything is just going to be like the novels I have read and just make sure I don''t die.'' Shaman shook her head and kept walking to aisle 12. Elysia was a little confused on what Shaman could be thinking as she kept pulling strange faces and eventually shook her head.
They made their way down the aisle and Shaman began to look for books that would give her a good general gist of how the city is operated as it seemed to be under a different jurisdiction other than the church or a city lord.
"Ah, found one." Shaman found a book called "The history of Ebonscale and the royal family" and despite its basic name it was exactly what Shaman wanted. Shaman grabbed the book and as expected a notification popped up.
[do you want to learn all the contents of this book]
[Yes/No]
''Yes'' Shaman instantly picked yes and all the information from the book began to transfer to Shaman''s head.
After waiting for a few minutes Shaman passed the book to Elysia so she could do the same thing. While Elysia started to absorb the information Shaman began to dissect it and go through the knowledge she just received.
Ebonscale has been one of the longest standing cities ever since the appearance of dungeons. Ebonscale was one of the first progressive cities to explore the dungeons ande back alive and even bring back new materials which caused a boost in technology. The leading people of the expeditions into the dungeons was the royal family which is called the Ado family. Due to their immense power and talent in the fire element they have been able to withstand control over the city and be one of the major 4 families to not be under the church''s control. Currently they still hold the same power but due to the increasing power of the church the Ado family is slowly losing the royalty it once had. The current head of the family which was recently given to is Himeko Ado, supposedly her powers have far surpassed that of her ancestors and could possibly rank amongst the strongest people in the world, it has been seen that Himeko embodies the looks of the phoenix during battle and that everything she faces is turned to ash. It has also been said that ever since the rise of Himeko she has been a possible contender to take over the current king of the continent with her current power however due to the church they have not been able to make a move to take that position. However despite not being able to not make a move for the position of Queen, Himeko has been able to manage her own city and has made it a sanctuary for those that don''t believe in the church and has been one of the most open minded leaders towards other races.
Shaman opened her eyes and was amazed about what she just learnt and was d they decided to travel to Ebonscale. Shaman turned to look at Elysia who was now digesting the information as well. Shaman sat on the ground with Wolfy and started to pat him.
''Hey Wolfy is there anything in particr you want with the apartment?'' Shaman thought to ask Wolfy for his opinion on an apartment while she waited for Elysia to finish with the information.
''Make the rooms soundproof so I don''t hear you and Elysia having your bonding time.'' Shaman instantly regretted asking and instantly went red. She also could not argue with Wolfy either because it was a very valid request.
''fine.'' Shaman agreed to find a room that was sound proof just so Wolfy''s ears would no longer be tainted by their nightly duties.
Shaman and Wolfy patiently waited for Elysia to finish until finally she opened her eyes. Elysia looked at Shaman with wide eyes as she was just as amazed by the information.
"Maybe we should move here." Elysia had changed her mind as this ce would be a perfect spot to live if they were to stay in the human territory.
? "As good as it sounds, we still have a mission to aplish. We have to make it to the fox realm and figure out what the hell is going on with the previous owner of this body''s family and also what happens when I reach tier 10." Shaman was once again reminded she still had to figure out what happened as the past memories of the body were still iplete and clearly something involving her was urring in the Fox realm.
"But can''t we ignore this past life stuff." Elysia felt that it was irrelevant to them and that they could continue on their own with any troubles.
"No, because if we do that it may cause trouble since I am more than likely to be recognized within the Fox realm and plus I was told by what seems to be my mother to open a box once I''m strong enough." Shaman felt the past owner once againpelling her to not give up on disregarding the Fox realm.
"I guess you''re right." Elysia resigned as she did feel bad for the previous owner and if anything it was something that is going to inevitably happen.
"Pluss who knows Mother''s heritage could earn us a massive pce." Wolfy, who does not know the full story, was just thinking about how if Shaman was really a princess he could have an entire room to himself free from all the noise.
"Maybe." Elysia was keen on the idea of owning a pce.
"That''s if I''m an actual princess but that''s something to worry about another day we have a royal family to meet." They had gotten side tracked and it was time for them to make the journey to the tower in the middle.
They walked out the library waving goodbye to the librarian and proceeded up the straight path to the tower in the middle.
***
"fufufu~ it seems they are finally making their way up." A girl with zing red hair opened her eyes leaving a slight golden glow within them spoke in a candle lit room.
"I guess I should go get ready as it seems like these guests are going to be extra special." The girl licked her lips and headed towards the end of the room. But just before reaching the wall the girl got engulfed in mes and vanished from the spot.
***
The group found themselves at the base of what seemed to be a 10 story building and screamed to Shaman traditional Chinese architecture. The tower had different levels with a balcony on each and there was also a tiny bit of roofing from the balcony and each corner was pointed up. This repeated till the top floor. The front entrance had many support beams going around the tower.
''I swear this is some coincidence or someone from my world has already been transported to this world before me.'' Shaman was still unable to shake off the striking resemnce to the Chinese culture of her world.
"Well it looks like we just entered." Elysia could not see any guards around and looked like they could walk straight through the front door.
The front door was quite the entrance as it had many paintings of a phoenix on it and this could be seen around the entire tower.
Shaman felt quite warm andfortable despite the imposing building as if she was being invited in.
The group looked at each other as they all felt the same warmfortable feeling and were rather confused on why that was.
"I guess she wants us toe in." Shaman shrugged and began to walk up to the door as they really had no other choice. Elysia and Wolfy flowed closely behind Shaman while also taking in the aesthetic of the ce as it was rather pleasing to look at all the warm colours of the pce.
They approached the Phoenix door and Shaman slowly pushed on it however the door did not open.
"Hmm?" Shaman was a little confused and looked around the door to see if she could find out why.
Shaman spotted a gem and recognized that the door had an elemental lock. Shaman only realized this because all the books she absorbed mentioned different kinds of gems, one of them being a gem that absorbs a certain element and uses the mana within it to produce a form of energy.
"I assume it is the fire element so lets try it." Shaman began to manifest fire within her hand and pushed it against the red gem that was ced within the phoenix''s eye. The gem released a red hue and mechanisms within the door could be heard till eventually the door began to open.
Elysia and Wolfy stood there and were amazed that Shaman figured out what needed to be done.
"Don''t look at me all confused Elysia, you absorbed the same books I did and so you should have easily known." Shaman could see the confused look on Elysia and could not believe she had not put 2 and 2 together.
Elysia thought about it for a second and the same information about the gem came to mind causing Elysia to get embarrassed as she really should have been able to tell as well.
Shaman sighed as the door was now fully open allowing them to enter.
"Well lets enter, no need to worry about it Elysia." Shaman could see that Elysia had gone red but Shaman did not really mind that she had not realized.
"okay."
The group walked in and as they did candles around them started to light up the open room but not filling leaving a dark silhouette in the middle.
Shaman recognized it was a person and assuming it was most likely Himeko she did not try to act hostile or be on the defensive. Elysia and Wolfy followed suit as they could see what Shaman was trying to do.
*p* *p* *p*
"I have to say, I did not expect you to be able to wield the fire element, I thought I was going to have to open the door for you fufufu~." A very seductress tone could be heard from the women in the middle as she apuded Shaman on opening the door.
"Thank you." Shaman did not want to say anything yet as she was unsure of the women''s intentions.
"Oh my, how polite." The woman giggled to herself a little till she clicked her fingers lighting thest of the candles revealing what she looked like.
She had zing red hair which was mostly tied back in a bun with sticks sticking in it keeping it together and her bangs still hanging out in front of her face, one of the strands of hair were braided and pinned by a flower clip to the side of her hair, on the other side some of the hair was lose just going past her shoulders. Paired with her yellow eyes which had a slight golden glow to them, she wore a shoulderless ck dress that exposed her chest and waist with the chest being covered in fis like covering to fill the hole. The dress went to her ankles with one leg exposed showing the stockings she wears underneath. The woman also wore a red belt that had a bow keeping it secured around her hips. She also wore red sleeves that went just below the shoulder and hung down to her legs, these ves were mainly red with the ends having a ck pattern that represented a phoenix.
Shaman and Elysia were amazed by her beauty and could not help but stare at her.
"I know, I know I''m beautiful but don''t stare for too long otherwise you might fall over." The woman kept her seductive tone as she could see the 2 girls shocked by her beauty.
Shaman shook her head and regained her senses and Elysia followed suit.
"Now with introductions." The woman in the middle pped her hands and the mes from the candles got more intense and violent.
"As you may have guessed I am Himeko Ado, the head of the Ado family, now if you are to be so kind how about you introduce yourself to girls." The candle mes died down back to a normal state however Shaman and Elysia were terrified as what they felt was a person with a tier 10 aura causing her to freeze entirely.
"oh, did I use too much, Whoops." Himeko who only intended to release a little bit of aura but idently released too much causing Shaman and Elysia to freeze.
Himekopletely got rid of her aura which allowed Shaman and Elysia to breathe once again.
Shaman and Elysia both gasped for air as well as Wolfy who was also affected by the immense aura.
"My bad." Himeko stuck out her tongue as she really did not mean to almost identally suffocate the 2 girls and the Wolf.
Shaman could not help but mentallyugh as this was the great Himeko Ado and if it wasn''t for the aura she would have not believed her.
Shaman finally caught her breath and stood up straight.
"I am Shaman Shiroi, a Fox girl, here is my girlfriend Elysia Dahlia who is also a Fox girl and Wolfy my familiar." Shaman did not know how to describe Wolfy''s situation so she hoped saying Wolfy is familiar would make it usible.
"Interesting." Himeko rubbed her chin as she entered deep thought.
"Perfect, why don''t you follow me upstairs, I have some questions for you." Himeko leant forward and stared Shaman right in the eyes. Shaman looked into them and she could see that of a phoenix flying around within them.
Shaman was about to say something but Himeko put her finger on her lips and gestured to follow her.
Shaman, Wolfy and Elysia followed behind Himeko wondering what she wanted from them.
Chapter 66 Cecilia
?The group followed Himeko, however they were confused as to why they were walking straight into a wall.
"Alright stay close to me, we are going up." Himeko stopped right before the wall allowing the girls and Wolfy to get close to her.
Shaman and Elysia held each other''s hand as they were very cautious of what Himeko was going to do as they were at the mercy of her and the point of no return had long passed.
Himeko clicked her fingers and fire began to wrap around the group, Shaman instinctively used her water element but upon it being conjured up it was vaporized.
"Oh you can use 2 elements? Also don''t worry, the mes won''t hurt you." Himeko was now even more curious about the 2 girls as it was umon for a person to be able to use 2 elements.
Shaman, Elysia and Wolfy rxed as a few seconds had already passed and they were not affected by the mes around them. Shortly after the mes vanished and they found what seemed to be a bedroom of some kind.
The room had one king sized bed and was decorated with the colour red. There were many depictions of the Phoenix on the wall with one massive one on the roof. In the middle there was a table that continuously had 3 seats and Himeko began to walk towards the side with one chair.
"Come, sit down and let us have a chat." Himeko gestured for them toe over and sit down while also conjuring up mes that seemed to teleport a tea set on the table.
''I hope I can learn that skill with my fire.'' Elysia was rather jealous of Himeko''s use of fire and would love to be taught by her if possible.
Shaman and Elysia both sat down at the table across from Himeko and waited patiently while she poured tea for the both of them. Himeko pushed the cups towards them and ced her elbow on the table and held her head and looked at the 2 girls.
"If you don''t like the tea, just leave it there." Himeko smiled at the girls and they both nodded.
"Anyway, I have a few questions and the first one being why is the Fox princess of Cecilia Shiroi doing all the way in human territory." Himeko smiled as she could see the frozen struck face of Shaman.
''How does she know?'' Shaman could not believe what she was hearing even though she hasn''t heard her mothers name yet, she could not help but feel a sense of familiarity with it and could only assume it was the past *Shaman* acting up.
"It''s okay, I don''t bite and I used to know your mother Cecilia since we were kids." Himeko let out a gentle smile giving off a motherly vibe. Shaman took in a deep breath as it seemed like she was genuine and she had nothing to lose if she told Himeko a little bit of what she knows.
"If I''m going to be honest, I don''t have all my memories but thest thing I remember was my mother telling me to leave ande back when I am stronger, It seemed like something terrible was happening back home and Mother seemed really stressed and in a hurry but thats all I can recall." Shaman intentionally left out the details of the ck box as she does not know the value of what could be inside.
"I see, so you don''t know if your parents are even alive or dead." Himeko began to hop into deep thought.
"If you know anything about them please tell me." Shaman felt like she finally had a avenue to find out more about herself through Himeko and the other *Shaman* inside her was nagging her to say something. Himeko raised an eyebrow as to her it seems like she has no idea what has been happening.
"Do you know what is happening with the Fox realm?" Himeko wondered if Shaman knew the current status of the ce.
"Wait did something happen?" Shaman was confused as she hadn''t heard anything and Elysia even had a confused look.
"tch, the church must be covering it up." Himeko clicked her tongue in annoyance.
"The church, what are they hiding?" Shaman began to panic a little as it seemed like things were a lot worse on the outside than she originally presumed.
Himeko clicked her fingers and a screen of fire appeared in front of them showing what seemed to be a pce but it was covered in this ck dome.
"Currently we have not heard of the Royal family from the Fox realm but about a month ago a dome suddenly appeared and ever since no one has been able to leave or enter, no life has been seen moving inside and we are unsure what the dome is other than it uses the dark element which is a forbidden element to use." Himeko began to exin the situation to Shaman and Elysia.
Shaman on the other hand was having trouble surprising the soul of *Shaman* and began to get out of control.
''Fuck *Shaman* now is not the time to go into a fit, for all we know they are still alive okay so please calm down.'' The unstable soul within Shaman began to riot hearing the news and Shaman knew it was not the time to let it have its way.
Shaman grabbed her head as she was trying to fight *Shaman* internally and not letting it take control like she did back in Cholden.
Himeko stood up and went next to Shaman to see if she was okay as it seemed like she was in pain.
"Sorry, I did not expect this news to affect you so badly." Himeko thought she was at fault for why Shaman was like this.
Elysia on the other hand had an idea on what was going on and began to console *Shaman*
"Shaman, it is okay, I''m sure your parents are fine, we just need to get strong enough like your mother said and go back and free them." These words worked wonders as the *Shaman* the inside of Shaman calmed down and seemingly went back to a dormant state.
"Oh its okay its just whenever a sensitive topices up I can''t help but get a massive headache." Shaman tried to y it off but Himeko was a little suspicious of what just happened and Elysia was just d that Shaman did not go into a fit of rage like she didst time.
Himeko decided to ignore it for now and went back to her seat.
"Well I won''t talk about it anymore but it seems Cecilia sent you out on your own and knew whatever that dome is, was going to happen." Himeko became frustrated as she had tried many times to break through the dome but nothing seemingly worked.
"We will move on as I need to think about it for a bit longer but seeing as you are alive and out of the dome I can only assume you came here for the tier 5 dungeon." Seeing as Shaman was on a mission to get stronger, she could only assume they came to Ebonscale to attempt the tier 5 dungeon in her city.
"Yes, that is why we came to visit you." Shaman was now back to normal but knew she had done something about the soul within her.
"Good, now I will allow you ess to the dungeon whenever you want but there is something I want from you." Himeko winked at Shaman sending shivers down her spine and causing Elysia''s face to darken like she is ready to murder someone.
"Woah there, she is way too young for my taste. I just want to train you both while you are in my city." Himeko could not help but chuckle at Elysia''s reaction as she could clearly feel the killing intent emanating from her but after saying what she wanted Elysia instantly returned back to normal.
"Wait, you will train us?" Shaman was a little shocked as she did not expect she would be getting trained by possibly one of the strongest people. Elysia on the other hand was screaming on the inside as it was exactly what she wanted.
"Of course since you are basically my niece and why would I not spoil you." Himeko poked out her tongue as she could see the confused and shocked faces of the girls.
"Are you sure you want to waste your time on us?" Shaman was a little hesitant and could not believe what she was hearing.
"Ohe one don''t be like that, let me show you to your room and we will begin your training nice and early in the morning." Himeko reached out her hand towards Shaman.
"Woah, woah hold on things are going way too fast, are you 100% sure you are willing to take us in." Shaman was failing to understand why Himeko was so willing to take them in.
"Stop asking Questions, let''s say I''m doing this because I owe a favor and I know it sounds typical but I''m doing this out of my free will." Himeko stood up and looked at Shaman with .
Chapter 67 Moving In
?"Alright let me show you to your room." Himeko was not taking no for an answer from Shaman.
"You really don''t have to, we can always rent a ce or stay at an inn." Shaman on the other hand did not want to burden Himeko with looking after them after she already agreed to training them.
"Ohe on, are you really going to reject your Auntie like that."
"But we hardly know you and this does not feel like a fight." Shaman had an uneasy feeling and was still not 100% trusting of Himeko.
''I bet she is going to die in order to save me in the future, I have to stay clear of her otherwise she will lose her life.'' Once again Shaman was basing her assumptions on novels she has read and could tell Himeko is the type of character to die in order for the protagonist to live.
Himeko walked up to Shaman and grabbed her by the cheek, Shaman began to squirm and try to fight back.
"You are staying here, end of story." Himeko began to be fed up with Shaman''s theatrics.
"Yes ma''am." Shaman had resigned quickly and Elysia began tough as the sight of Shaman being almost picked by the cheeked was amusing.
"Since you two are dating I assume you don''t mind if you share a bed and so it is easier to do your nightly duties." Himeko poked out her tongue and winked at Elysia which caused her to go bright red.
"yes." Elysia stoppedughing as she did not believe it was that obvious that they were doing that kind of thing and spoke in a low voice.
Himeko looked over at Wolfy who had been silentlyying there the whole time minding his own business.
"I''ll make sure your familiar gets a soundproof space so he isn''t disturbed." Himeko also noticed the breed of Wolfy was quite odd and could tell it was an intelligent beast but headed it no more attention.
Shaman on the other hand got a good hit on Himeko''s forehead causing her to finally get free from Himeko''s grasp.
"Ow!" Himeko was now annoyed and as she was about to try to grab Shaman to stop her from running, an Ice wall suddenly formed in front of her hand.
"Ohoh~ that''s a third element now." Himeko was even more intrigued by Shaman''s capabilities as this was now the third element she as shown.
[Ice Wall]
[Create a dense wall of ice to stop a physical attack.]
[Cost: Varies depending on the density of the ice]
Shaman created a basic ice skill and used her wind to boost herself away from Himeko. Shaman headed towards the wall and turned around to face Himeko.
However Himeko could not be seen but suddenly a hand grabbed Shaman''s shoulder from behind.
"A 4th element, you sure are a bag of treats aren''t you." Himeko was ecstatic as Shaman is one of the few people in the world who can even wield 4 elements and if Shaman managed to be a top rank adventurer she would be a monster on the battlefield.
"I already agreed to stay, no need to treat me like a child." Shaman pouted as she felt powerless and could not help but feel like she was being yed with.
"How cute~." Himeko poked Shaman''s cheek and Elysia was now on the floorughing as for once Shaman does not have the upper hand.
"Oh shut up Elysia." Shaman had gone red as she was being embarrassed in front of Elysia.
"Alright enough fooling around there is a lot I want to teach you tomorrow and I want you well rested, so follow me." Himeko began to walk to one side of the room.
Shaman went to Elysia to help her up but not without smacking her on the head forughing at her and then they followed Himeko to the side of the room.
Instead of using the ball of fire Himeko usually uses, she pushed on one of the support beams in the wall, shortly after mechanical sounds could be heard and the wall started to open.
"Seeing as you girls can''t travel like I can, you can use the stairs instead." Himeko then began to walk down the staircase that wrapped around the building till they reached the floor below.
"This will be your room and just so you know you are in the middle of the tower so you still get a great view of the city." Himeko opened the room which was rather bare, only having a bed and a basic kitchen.
"I did not expect visitors so bear with me and I''m sure you brought along some belongings so make yourself at home at home." Shaman, Elysia and Wolfy walked into the room and got familiar with the surroundings.
"I wille back tomorrow with a soundproof kennel just for you buddy." Himeko squatted down and petted Wolfy. Wolfy gave a positive response and could not wait to have a peaceful night sleep without being disturbed.
"Well if you need anything I will be upstairs so make sure you get enough sleep because I will being down to drag out no matter how much sleep you get." With that said Himeko clicked her fingers and vanished from the spot.
"Well at least we got out amodation sorted." Things still felt surreal to Shaman as they will be getting personal training from a tier 10 expert.
"Well I did not expect she would be rted to your family." Elysia had already found her way to the kitchen and began to unpack all of her cooking equipment.
"It is nice to know that I have a ce toe back to, though the news about my Fox parents being trapped does raise many questions." Shaman thought back to the ck and can only assume it might be the key to getting inside the ck dome.
"Well I guess that means we just have to get stronger before we go to the Fox realm." Elysia had already begun to cook dinner as the sun could be seen setting outside the window.
"It sucks knowing we can''t do anything till we are stronger." Despite it not being her actual parents she still felt a sense of duty to go and protect them.
"Well lets hope this training can speedrun us to a higher tier." Elysia hoped that by training with Himeko they would get a significant boost in levels.
"I don''t think we will gain levels but we definitely upgrade ourbat ability, lets hope she can also teach Wolfy a few things." Shaman only expects her skills and tier with her current elements to get a significant boost.
"It would be nice If I could get trained with my shadows to be an assassin as that seems to really fit me." Wolfy was already a fan of Himeko and hoped he could improve his usefulness on the battlefield.
"Well unless you get a human body I don''t really know how she would teach a Wolf." Elysia wanted Himeko to teach Wolfy as well but did not know how it worked.
"Well, let''s hope we can get something for him anyway." Shaman believed even though he may not get physical training he could at least learn the theory behind it.
"I can''t wait to get a human form." Wolfy was a little envious as it seemed very convenient to have one.
"We just have to wait and see and who knows it might be one of those secret missions that you have to do to get one." Shaman assumed that there had to be a prerequisite in order for Wolfy to obtain a human form.
"Why don''t we ask Rea?" Elysia figured they could just ask since Rea is the system.
"Sorry but I can''t answer that question and you are just going to have to find out yourselves hehe~" Rea responded and Elysia went back to cooking dinner.
"Just as I thought." Shaman assumed this oue as usually Rea would answer without them even asking so it was expected.
"Oh don''t be like that Shaman, I only hide information because it would just make your life too easy."
"But why?" Shaman figured that system was trying to help her not challenge her.
"Well that''s because Aki-." Rea was suddenly cut off.
"huh?" Shaman was confused but then she realized that Rea almost told them the name of what might be a god/higher being that is in control.
"Elysia what did Rea say?" Shaman did not catch what Rea had said as the realization of what Rea was saying distracted her.
"What?" Elysia had actually not been paying attention as she was too busy cooking them dinner.
"Wolfy?" Shaman looked at Wolfy but Wolfy shook his head.
"How the hell did we miss that, it could have been crucial information." Shaman could not believe it but despite not knowing the name it was confirmation that there was a presence beyond this world watching them.
"Well do you want to be worrying about that right now." Elysia did not see the point of bothering with it as they had more pressing issues.
"I... I guess you are right." Shaman could not deny what Elysia said but it was still bugging her that there was now a possibility of finding out why she was transported to this world.
"Come on don''t be all gloomy, here Dinner is just about ready so let''s eat." Elysia was also rather curious but knew that they wouldn''t be getting any information anytime soon and was better just to focus on what''s in front of them.
''I should just leave it be, I will get my answers once I reach tier 10.'' Shaman knew something was going to happen when she reached that tier so her determination to get there had grown as it may give her the answers she is looking for.
Chapter 68 Shamans Life Before It All Began
?After being frustrated and giving up on what Rea said Elysia, Shaman and Wolfy had some dinner and unpacked some of their stuff.
After gettingfortable Elysia and Shaman jumped into bed and snuggled into each other.
"I will say this is the mostfortable bed we have been in." Elysia was impressed with the bed as she has never had this kind of luxury before.
"It feels like I never transported worlds at times, since there are so many things that are just like where I came from." Shaman couldn''t help but get a sense of familiarity as it seemed like her world just seemingly merged into the one she currently is.
"Now that I think about it you have not really told what your life was like in your old world." Elysia had heard the different technologies but not much about Shaman and what she was like.
"Well that''s because it was not that interesting and the only reason why I''m so good fighting is just because I inherited the skills from the previous owner so other than that I''m not that special." Shaman was really grateful to be given such an edge in this new world as she never was anything special beforeing to where she is now.
"I don''t care about if you were good atbat, I did not even ask about that, I just want to know about you." Elysia flicked Shaman on the forehead as it was unnecessary for her to bring upbat.
"Ow!" Shaman put her hand on her forehead and looked at Elysia with an annoyed stare.
"Ohe on don''t be like that, just hurry up and tell me about yourself." Elysia smiled, causing Shaman''s heart to melt a little and forgive her for the flick.
"Okay fine." Shaman caved in as they had nothing better to do and would not hurt to tell Elysia.
"But you have to tell me about yourself as well." Shaman also realized that she hadn''t heard much of Elysia''s life before they met. Elysia sat there in silence for a moment as it seemed to be a heavy topic for her.
"I will but not tonight, how about after we reach tier 5 I will tell you my story." Elysia''s voice was rather shaky.
"Deal." Shaman did not want to push Elysia into telling her story as it seemed rather difficult to even think about.
"Thank you." Elysia let out a deep breath as she was really d that Shaman was willing to wait for her just a little bit longer despite her asking before.
"Well I guess I will start with when I got into high school as nothing really interesting happened when I was below the age of 13." Shaman had a pretty normal and mundane life and nothing noteworthy she could really think of.
"What''s high school?" Elysia what normal school was but no idea what Shaman meant by high school
"Oh it just means normal school but for when you are between the ages of 13 to 18..." Shaman went on to exin to Elysia how her world''s education system worked so she would understand some of the terminology she would use.
"Ah okay so you just finished high school before you got transported then?" Elysia knew Shaman was the same age and that they were around the end of the year.
"Yes I had actually just turned 18 when I got transported." Shaman hadpletely forgotten that her birthday was only 2 weeks ago.
"damn looks like I have to wait a year before I can get you a gift. " Elysia was a little disappointed in how long she had to wait but that gave her all the more time to think of what to get her.
"Well anyway, I was rather alone during my early years of school as I had only just moved into the town recently so I was rather an outlier when going to school."
"I was also rather tall as well so I was seen as the odd one and bullied by what you would call the popr girls and it never really bothered me." Shaman could see the annoyed look on Elysia''s face and could tell she had added a few people to a kill list.
"Anyway I usually just read books and watch shows to escape from the real world and engage in a fantasy one."
"I even wished to be a part of that fantasy world and leave the one I was currently in as it just sounded so much better than reality but that wish never really came."
"However when I was a bit older I did manage to make some friends, however it was still very surface level and I never created a deep bond with them."
"I do miss them but I would always use novels to escape and pass time and get rid of the stress I would be feeling."
"I yed a lot of video games but If I were to try to exin it to you, we may be here all night." Shaman was very hesitant to get into it as she was unsure how easy Elysia would grasp the concept of the inte. Elysia did not ask questions as it was already hard enough for Shaman to exin some of the things from her world.
"I have always been an underachiever and was just an average student so I can''t say I was anything spectacr in the long run but here I am now with you having a much better life despite being almost killed already." Shaman began to feel a little depressed as she really did have a mundane life up until now.
"So how was it, my interesting life story where I was just alone for most of it and was bullied just because I was tall." Shaman let out an awkward.
"Well I know I have to pay a visit to some people in the future and to think someone so special was so alone, I wish I could have been there with you." Elysia felt a little sad for Shaman.
"Don''t be sad, that''s in the past plus I am here now and I don''t even know if I would want to go back to my old world."
"I guess you''re right but still I can''t help but have a bit of heartache." Elysia pulled Shaman in closer, smothering Shaman in her chest.
"I really appreciate the concern but we need to get some sleep otherwise I feel like we might not get through Himeko''s training." Shaman realized it was gettingte and would rather not be sleep deprived.
"Yes but I''m not letting go tonight." Elysia pulled Shaman in even tighter now making it impossible for Shaman to speak.
Shaman did not bother and continued to enjoy Elysia''s embrace and even almost began to cry as it had been so long since someone other than her family had shown affection towards her.
''I''m so d I met you.'' Shaman held back the tears and peacefully went to sleep in Elysia''s arms.
*
The morning had arrived and a expected guest had arrived.
"A~ how cute." Himeko hade to wake the girls up and could see the two snuggling each other.
"I kind of don''t want to wake them up, they look so cute together and peaceful." Himeko was conflicted as the site of the 2 fox girls was just too adorable.
"I''m d Shaman has found happiness but traininges first sadly." Himeko shook her head and hovered over the bed.
"Now, what''s the best way to wake them up?" Himeko was thinking of a good way to wake them up and then she spotted the tail of Shaman poke out from the cover.
"Fufufu~" Himeko slightly pulled down the cover so she could see the tail of Elysia and Shaman.
"Let''s see how they feel after I pick them up by the tail." Himeko reached her hand out and quickly grabbed both tails and pulled them up into the sky.
"AHHHHHHH." Screams could be heard from Shaman and Elysia as they were lifted in the air by the tail. Wolfy had also woken up and got ready for battle as he thought it was an intruder.
After the screams Himeko dropped them from above the bed about 2 meters high.
"HAHAHAHA." Himeko screamed outughing as the reaction was priceless.
"Grrrrr~, how dare you." Elysia was really grumpy as being woken up by tail pulling was not the nicest feeling.
"You should know to never touch a fox''s tail, did my mother not teach you anything?" Shaman was not happy either as it was just like her hair was being pulled.
"Of course but I need you awake right away and it seems like it was a mission aplished, so after you have breakfast,e to my room." Himeko then vanished in a ball of fire in the air and left the 2 grumpy fox girls to get ready for the training.
Chapter 69 Shaman Vs Himeko
?After being rudely awakened by Himeko they went ahead and had breakfast. They also washed up in the bathroom and got changed. They made their way up to Himeko''s room.
They arrived at Himeko''s room and knocked on the panel to get her attention. After a few moments the door began to open to reveal Himeko who was in the same clothes as yesterday.
"What''s with the grumpy looking girls, it seems like someone grabbed your tail of something." Himeko had a smirk as she saw the unimpressed faces of Shaman and Elysia.
Shaman and Elysia both shot a death stare at Himeko causing her to let out an awkward smile.
"Anyway let''s head to the training grounds and start getting you into shape." Himeko quickly pulled them in, teleporting them to an open arena. It was t and the size of a ser field where you could see the tower they were just in on one side while the other has a view of the back end of the city.
"Here is where I will train you and make sure you are in fighting condition as the dungeons tier 5 and above begin to get abnormal with the monsters it has within them."
"If you are not prepared for the worst, you may get yourself killed as these monsters begin to have a lot more intelligence and unique abilities." Shaman, Elysia and Wolfy were all listening carefully to Himeko as it seemed like going straight to the tier 5 dungeon may have been a bad idea.
''Although I have inherited the training of this body I still don''t have that battle sense.'' Shaman was a little worried as she had been relying on the previous owners training to survive in this world.
"We will begin with sparring so I can see how well you do so we can build up on a foundation you may already have." Himeko began to walk to one end of the arena and summoned a ymore which was almost the size of her. The ymore
''Himeko is around 5''10 so that sword is huge, I would not be surprised if it''s taller than me.'' Shaman used inspect on the sword to see the details on it. The ymore had a ck handle and a rose red hilt, the de was thick and made up the majority of the height, the de had a white lining showing the edge of the de with the remaining having a red colour like the hilt. It could also be seen on the base of the sword a gem of some kind that had a slight glow.
[Scarlet nexus]
[Grade: legendary]
[A legendary ymore that it said to be able to tear through the skies with a single swing with its affinity with fire]
[----Hidden----]
[Stats hidden due to the sword being soul bound]
''Damn I want to find out what kind of gem it is but I''m going to assume it makes Himeko''s mes stronger.'' Shaman was a little disappointed in not being able to figure out the weapons stats and abilities.
"Shaman, I want you toe and attack me first and don''t worry anything is allowed and I will only be on the defensive for now." Himeko shouted and Shaman went to the other side of the arena and summoned her sword for the first time. Shaman holstered the sheath and withdrew Kotetsu for the first time. The ck and White sword shined as she got ready for battle and Himeko was quite surprised to see the sword.
''If I am not mistaken, that looks like a sword that belongs to the Hikaru n but what is it doing in Shaman''s hands?'' Himeko was rather suspicious of the origins of the sword but could not confirm it.
"Alright, ready when you are." Himeko began to get excited as she could not wait to see how Shaman uses her 4 elements in battle.
Shaman took a deep breath and locked eyes with himeko and began to dash forward.
When she got to the midway point she activated her sword domain and the white flower field sprouted across the arena. Himeko was pleasantly surprised and her anticipation grew as Shaman approached her.
Shaman was now Infront of Himeko in onest dash using her wind to give her the extra speed and used [Sword gale] on Kotetsu. The sword shed down at incredible speeds but not fast enough for Himeko to not see.
Himeko raised her ymore and mes engulfed the de and taking the shape of the de, she blocked Shamans overhead attack and the wind around the de made the fire on the de explode causing her to jump back.
"What happened to not attacking?"
"Well sweetie that''s what happens when elements collide so be more careful next time." Himeko grinned and prepared for Shaman''s next attack.
Shaman still used her wind for movement but opted to switch to the water element for her sword. Water enveloped the sword as it was one of its abilities to infuse itself with the element. A dark blue emanated from the hilt and the white lines around the sword had also turned into a dark blue.
''Damn good thing I did not do that for the wind otherwise that explosion may have been unnecessarily bigger.'' Shaman felt relieved that she did not infuse Kotetsu with the wind element and it could have spelled trouble for her.
Shaman went to the side of Himeko but did not strike but instead conjured up an ice wall on the other side of Himeko. This allowed Shaman to shoot a [ice spear] from that wall as she was still in control of it. Himeko shed down instantly, destroying the wall alongside the spear; however, as soon as she turned her back the presence of Shaman disappeared.
Himeko looked around in confusion however suddenly a wave of water shot up from below alongside Shaman came underneath Himeko.
Himeko quickly increased the intensity of the mes of the sword causing all the water to vaporize instantly but the water on Kotetsu was untouched. Shaman noticed this and continued with her strike towards Himeko''s chest but Himeko managed to parry the de before jumping back.
"I''m quite impressed, you managed to get me to move but may I ask how you were able to conceal your presence?" Himeko was rather confused as unless you were a trained assassin it was nearly impossible to do so.
"hehe~ not telling." Shaman did not want to say how she was able to use the shadow element as revenge for pulling her tail.
"I guess I will just have to fight it out of you." Himeko''s eyes glowed and Shaman felt shivers down her spine as it seemed like she made a grave mistake.
Himeko vanished from where she was standing and appeared behind Shaman.
Shaman''s instincts kick in as she barely manages to turn around and block Himeko''s sword. The sound of sizzling could be heard as the water was slowly being evaporated by the sword. Shaman tried to use her ice and fly spears towards Himeko.
Himeko pushed off Shaman and dodge the ice spears, Himeko also shed down while in the airunching a fire sh.
Shaman quickly used her wind to dodged out of the way barely escaping the explosion that came after it.
''I thought she was just going to defend, not attack me.'' Shaman began to sweat and was curious why the sudden shift urred.
Shaman quickly shifted her sword''s element to ice causing it to go back to its normal white colour but now with the white glow and ice covering the sword. Himeko emerged from the smoke that was created from the Fire sh and gestured to Shaman toe at her.
Shaman dragged the sword along the ground making a trail of ice as she approached Himeko.
Shaman jumped into the air and conjured up [ice spears] and crashed down on to Himeko. Shaman also did not stop there; she used the trail of ice to shoot spears from and aimed them all at Himeko.
Himeko smirked and all of a sudden just before Shaman and her swords shed, wings of fire sprouted from Himeko''s back causing all the [ice spears] to melt in an instant. This however did not deter Shaman and the shing of Kotetsu and Scarlet nexus caused a slight shake of the arena.
The ice on Kotetsu was starting to melt, indicating Shaman to back away but Shaman did not stop and used the remaining ice to send onest spike. The spike went straight to Himeko''s face causing her to move her head away. After she dodged it, Shaman quickly leaped away from Himeko and conjured up some ice around her as the heat from the wings was intense and needed to cool down.
"You sure do keep impressing me Shaman, you even managed to hit me." Himeko dispelled her mes and walked towards Shaman.
"How could I, I don''t see a single scratch on you." Shaman had almost ran out of mana as the constant use of her elements had made her run dry.
"Don''t you see the cut on my face." Himeko pointed at her cheek.
Shaman looked up and could see blood start to run down the side of her face.
"Well now that you are done it''s your girlfriend''s turn." Himeko looked at Elysia who was currently in shock of what she just witnessed and swallowed her own saliva as it was now her turn.
Chapter 70 Elysia Vs Himeko
?Chapter 70 - Elysia Vs himeko
''Damn if only my sword did not drain so much mana just to keep the elemental switch up I could have kept going.'' Shaman found during the fight if she used her swords elemental switch it constantly siphons out her mana and the more the element is reced on it the more mana is used.
During the fight due to the water vaporizing and the ice melting from Himeko''s fire Shaman found the sword would use her mana to replenish what was on it
"Looks like you need to train your mana a bit more since your sword has such a heavy load." Himeko found it odd how short Shaman was able to fight but could only assume her sword was the reason,
"Anyway, Elysia, it is your turn." Himeko looked over to Elysia and licked her lips.
Elysia felt shivers as Himeko called out it was her turn as being a long ranged fighter meant she would not fare well when it came to closebat.
Shaman who had exhausted her mana could see the worry on Elysia''s face and also realized Elysia is not well versed for closebat.
"I''m not scary plus I won''t be attacking first so hit me with all you got." Himeko could see the worry on Elysia''s face and felt a little bad for her.
Wolfy on the other hand went off to Shaman and dragged her by the cr to get her out of the way.
''Thanks Wolfy.''
''No worries, don''t want you being hit in the crossfire.''
Elysia swallowed her saliva and walked out to the other end of the arena and took onest look at Shaman.
Shaman smiled and gave her a thumbs up boosting Elysia''s confidence a little.
''It''s just training, just do your best.'' Elysia took a deep breath and took out her bow, when she did this Himeko also realized why Elysia had been so worried.
"BEGIN!" Himeko shouted letting Elysia know that she was ready.
Like previous battles Elysia entered this hyper focused state and began her attacks on Himeko.
Elysia opened with a normal [fire arrow] using a moderate amount of mana to feel out the kind of power she would need to face Himeko. The shot was easily deflected and due to Himeko being a master of fire it would not be very effective.
''Wish I knew another element, having lightning would be rather helpful.'' Elysia was now even more determined to learn another element as being confined to one restricted her versatility.
Elysia then began to run to the side and jumped in the air and shot a [Explosive arrow]. Himeko noticed the more dense mana within the arrow and hit it head on with her de causing it to explode in front of Himeko. This was not the end as the explosion was cover for Elysia''s [arrow storm]. A dozen of fire arrows then began to fall onto Himeko causing her to create a fire wall above her.
"Ara~, how very smart of you but unfortunately against a tier 10 senses it''s going to be very hard to get the jump on them." Himeko was rather impressed with Elysia''s thinking and use of fire.
The dust from the fire explosion was starting to settle but Elysia did not stop or attack. Elysiabined her [multi shot] and [power shot] to send 3 arrows at high speeds. Himeko blocked these shots with her sword with ease. Elysia did not stop the pressure and kept circling Himeko using [Quick shot] to send more arrows with the asion [explosive shot] to keep a smoke screen up.
However Himeko was not going to stand still forever and finally decided to go on the offensive. Himeko Dashed forward as soon as she sensed manaing from the smoke and appeared right in front of Elysia. Elysia was not surprised but actually smiled which creeped Himeko out a little.
Himeko then despite the smile went to attack but was surprised that Elysia had primed a [Explosive shot]. Elysiabined [quick shot] and fired the arrow point nk at their feet. Shaman looked on with surprise and wanted to jump in as what Elysia was doing was far too reckless but due to her still recovering she was unable to move properly.
''Shit.'' Himeko cursed herself as she was unable to react in time to protect Elysia as the [explosive shot] was much more powerful than before.
The arrow went off and a big explosion came with it, Himeko tried to cover it with fire to contain it but was unable to due to how close the shot was fired and could only step back.The explosion started to settle and Shaman quickly checked Elysia''s status to see if she was okay.
[Elysia Dahlia]
[HP 1250/1500]
Shaman let out a sigh of relief as not much damage had been done to her and somehow made it out without killing herself. The smoke cleared and a fire wall could be seen with a ck haired Fox behind it.
Elysia''s arm was heavily bleeding as she was holding onto it to stop it. Himeko quickly went to Elysia''s side to make sure she was okay.
"What are you, crazy?" Himeko could not believe the stunt Elysia just pulled but was d that she came out of it rtively okay. Elysia let out an awkwardugh as her n seeming did not go as nned and instead backfired.
Himeko then began to wrap Elysia''s arm in a weak me and on the status screen Shaman had up could see Elysia''s HP rising slowly.
"Well my n half worked but I was unable to fully cover myself in my firewall so my arm managed to get clipped by the explosion." Elysia exined what the intended n was and what happened.
"Oh you, I may be strong but I can only move so fast, don''t do something that reckless while training, it is not a life or death match." Himeko bonked Elysia''s head lightly as what she did was something that was unnecessary and not good for training.
"I''m sorry but it was a spur of the moment and I couldn''t help myself." Elysia was feeling rather shameful as when she fights, she finds it hard not to do everything she can to beat the opponent.
Himeko let out a sigh and dispelled the mes on Elysia''s arm.
"There should be healed but do not be surprised if you feel sore." Elysia nodded to Himeko and went back to where Shaman and Wolfy were.
"You idiot, you are lucky that I can''t move right now or I would have done a lot more than just a light tap on the head." Shaman was rather annoyed at Elysia for putting herself in so much danger just for a sparring match.
"Sorry." Elysia apologized and hugged the sitting Shaman.
"Ahem" Hiemko cleared her throat and got the attention of the 2 girls. Elysia quickly let go and sat up straight facing Himeko.
"Where the hell did you pick her up, Shaman?" Shaman was a little surprised by the question and looked at Elysia if she could say how they met. Elysia returned with a nod as she did not mind.
"Well I found her in a cell in an underground base." Shaman used a very sarcastic tone as thinking back on it, it was rather quite the strange first meeting.
"What?" Himeko was now very confused as she could not imagine it seeing as Elysia was rather strong.
"Well she was kidnapped and when I went to investigate I found her in the cell and broke her out, then she saved my life and I kind of just asked her out and we began dating." Shaman did a quick story exining how things came to be.
"Isn''t that way too fast, how the hell were you able to get a girlfriend before I was able to find anyone." Himeko was actually a little jealous of their rtionship as she has been alone her whole life.
"Well I get easily attached and maybe because you are too scary, that any guy or girl thates near feels like they will just get crushed." Shaman had done a critical hit on Himeko as she froze at Shaman''s words.
Himeko out of annoyance then began to pull on Shaman''s ear.
"Listen here you little shit, It''s not because I am scary I just haven''t made the effort to go out and find myself one, you hear me." Himeko shouted in Shaman''s ear causing her to beg for mercy.
"Ahh okay, I''m sorry, I''m sure that any guy will fall to your mercy if you tried, please let go of me." Himeko finally let go of Shaman''s ear causing her to slightly fall back on the ground.
Elysia on the other hand was barely keeping in herughter but when Himeko looked at her with a death stare all thatughter vanished.
"Hmph, enough about me we still have more training to do." Himeko crossed her arms and looked at the shocked faces of the girls as training had apparently only just begun.
Chapter 71 Mana Exercises
?The words of more training rang out in both Shaman and Elysia''s head as it seemed unreasonable for them to keep going.
"HAHAHAHA" Himeko burst outughing as the dread on their faces was priceless and to Shaman and Elysia this meant what Himeko said was just a joke.
"Hey now, let''s not get rxed, I was not kidding when I said we have not finished training." The slight moment of relief that Shaman and Elysia felt had vanished and their hearts began to sink.
"We are not going to do any physical training but instead some meditating to increase your mana capacity as it seems to be rtivelycking." Himeko finally exined what they were going to do which helped ease the minds and hearts of Shaman and Elysia.
"Also drink this Shaman." Himeko tossed over a bottle that contained a blue liquid, Shaman could only assume that it was a mana potion and happily drank it.
"I don''t have many of them as we have not found a way to mass produce them yet so make sure if you get your hands on some potions make sure you use them well." Himeko had indirectly answered one of Shaman''s questions as Shaman was unsure why the typical Health and mana potions were unavable.
''Looks like I am just going to have to rely on healing spells.'' Shaman was a little sad that consumables were not really a thing and would make future encounters harder but also a little easier.
"Anyway now that your mana is returned we can begin to exercise your mana and try to increase it or at least make it more efficient."
"So first we have to understand how mana actually works in our body, so can anybody answer this question for me." Himeko began to walk back and forth as she was talking.
"I believe mana works as you have a central core that is located in the center of the body and have branches that reach out throughout your entire body to send the stored mana through those branches." Shaman answered Himeko''s question as this was her understanding from the magic books she brought.
"You are indeed correct and with that mana we output it uses the ambient mana around us to create the elements of our desire. However due to environmental conditions people can be attuned to a certain element like me and have been surrounded by fire which means i''m more likely to learn fire magic."
"There is also another thing to keep note is that the only reason why people fail to learn magic is that generally they do not have the mana capacity to support the element and why gifted people who are born with a high reserve are able to pick it up so easily."
"This also does not mean that a person can''t learn it through hard work but it takes years to build the foundation to even begin to learn magic."
"As ofte though due to the increasing amount of people being so gifted the poption is currently in a transition phase where it is moremon to be able to learn magic easily."
"This means that currently a lot of people are able to use magic which has also been the indirect reason for why technology is advancing since it is now bing more essible than ever. There are also ways to artificially increase your mana capacity but those had been deemed as illegal due to its low sess rate."
"There are also magic enchantments which use the ambient mana to have a desired effect by the inscriptions on the circle which is an entirely different profession but has seen an increase in poprity as being able to use magic increases the usability of the enchantments." Himeko took a moment to rest her voice and Shaman asked a question.
"Then howe people are able to use mana crystals and still be able to use basic magic items if they are unable to produce a significant amount of mana?" Shaman was rather confused as it should be impossible for them to use anything magic rted.
"That''s because everyone has an aura which slightly admits mana and with that alone it allows the use of magic items since they depend more on the ambient mana around them than the amount of mana admitted by the person." After Hiemko''s exnation it clicked in Shaman''s head.
"Moving on to actually exercising your mana." Himeko smiled and sat down on the ground in front of Shaman, Elysia and Wolfy and crossed her legs.
"Follow my actions and listen to what I say." With that said Shaman and Elysia sat crossed legged.
"Now just getfortable but make sure your arms are outstretched and begin to take slow deep breaths." Shaman and Elysia followed Himeko''s instructions.
"Now what you must do is sense your mana core within you and feel the surging mana that it holds." Shaman could instantly feel the swirling mana inside her and fell into a deep concentration. Elysia on the other hand was slightly struggling but could still sense her mana core but could not go any further.
"Once you feel your mana, what you want to do is try to spread it throughout your body and try to embrace it within you just like how our blood runs through our veins." Shaman was able to grab a hold of the swirling mana and began to release it throughout her entire body slowly. The mana began to fill the branches that sprout throughout the body and Shaman could feel a slight warm sensation start toe over her.
Elysia was still struggling but was beginning to see her mana core and all her mana. With what she got Elysia tried to do what Himeko said and spread it through her body but her concentration was broken when she attempted to manipte her mana.
"Keep trying Elysia as this is something that not everyone can master but it seems like Shaman has been able to achieve." Himeko could see Elysia was struggling but knew that it takes time to be able to get the right effect but it seems that Shaman was able to get it on the first try.
"Now that you have filled your body with your mana you want to stay in this state for as long as you can and this should slowly improve your mana capacity and efficiency as you are constantly using your mana to exercise the core and branches within you." Himeko smiled as she was quite proud of Shaman being able to achieve such a great result in a short amount of time.
Shaman stayed in this meditative disy and system notifications began to rang out.
[User has increased mana capacity by 2]
[User has increased mana capacity by 2]
[User has increased mana capacity by 2]
.
Notifications kept ringing out every 5 seconds which felt like an eternity to Shaman as it seemed like she was in an endless space.
Shaman felt like she was floating but was unable to make out which direction she was going.
''It feels like I am in a dream and time has stopped moving.'' Shaman was rather confused but could still feel the warm sensation enveloping her body and due to her not having any time orientation she was unable to tell how long she had been there.
''It feels like I have been here forever. I need to get out of this.'' Shaman began to get a little worried as it seemed like she was in a sort of trance but then suddenly the warm sensation she was feeling began to dwindle and her concentration was broken bringing her back to reality.
Shaman opened her eyes and could see Himeko smiling at her and Elysia looking at her with curiosity.
Shaman could feel that she was sweating all over and that her breaths had begun to be raggared.
"How long was I out for?" Shaman felt like the endless space would never end and wondered how long she was actually in there for.
"I would say about 4 minutes." Himeko''s answer shocked Shaman as it did not feel like 4 minutes.
"It really felt like I was there forever and was going to die of old age." Shaman let out a sigh of relief but could not help express her worries.
"That''s a normal feeling but I did not expect you to do so well so I was unable to exin how to deal with it." Himeko let out an awkwardugh with Elysia and Wolfy listening closely
"Anyway I have to say I''m impressed as it takes a few days to be able to stay in that meditative state for a decent amount of time." Himeko was proud of Shaman but this was only the beginning as there is much more to the meditative state that can be done. Shaman was also rather shocked to hear it but felt very proud she was able to achieve something.
"Well with that out of the way I think we will go for a break and have some lunch then I have something nned for you guys hehe~" Himeko wanted to treat the girls for their effort and also wanted to found out more about them since she felt like they needed a motherly figure in their lives as the recent events must have taken a toll on them.
Chapter 72 Motherly Urge
?Shaman and Elysia were relieved to hear that they were going to get a break and wondered what Himeko nned to do.
"I will cook you guys something to eat." Himeko stood up and reached her hands out to help Shaman and Elysia up. They took her hand and Wolfy stood close as Himeko used her fire to travel back to the tower.
They appeared back in their room and Himeko let go of their hands.
"Go change into something morefortable ande to the floor below once you are ready, also does Wolfy eat anything special or will some meat do?" Himeko looked at Wolfy and at the mention of meat Wolfy''s tail began to wag and looked at Himeko with happiness.
"Yeah, meat is fine." Shaman could see the excitement in Wolfy''s eyes.
Himeko then vanished in her mes to the lower floor and began to cook a meal for the girls.
Shaman and Elysia quickly pulled out some casual clothes from their inventory and began to get changed. Wolfy upon hearing the word meat was waiting patiently at the door for Shaman and Elysia.
Shaman changed into a baggy ck top and ck short shorts while Elysia wore a pink top and a ck skirt and the top was a little too small and showed off her curves. Shaman pouted a little and looked away as she was rather jealous of her figure.
''At Least she belongs to me and I can enjoy it.'' Shaman was trying to be optimistic but since she was stuck in thought Elysia had snuck up on her. Elysia hugged Shaman from behind pushing her breasts against her back.
Elysia had a smug look and poked Shaman''s cheek, Shaman tried to avoid Elysia but did not want to get out of Elysia''s hug as it felt nice.
"Hehe~ somebody is jealous of someone else''s body." Elysia pushed herself harder against Shaman''s back and kept poking Shaman''s cheek.
"At least it belongs to me and is only for me." Shaman''s face was turning bright red from Elysia''s teasing.
"Fuhuhuhu~ and what are you going to do to this possession of yours." Elysia then licked Shaman''s fox ear causing shivers to go down her spine and start to put her in the mood.
"NO!." Shaman finally pushed Elysia away as Himeko was expecting them and it was not the time to get down and dirty. Elysia had been pushed back on the bed and quickly sat up and stared at Shaman.
"A." Elysia looked sad but then suddenly a ball of fire appeared above Elysia.
Elysia did not notice it but Shaman saw what was happening and did not warn her. Eventually a paning out of the fire fell ontop of Elysia bonking her on the head. Elysia fell back on the bed and Shaman went to the pan to see if it had a message on it.
Shaman picked up the pan and could see a fire message on it.
"Stop being horny and get your ass down here." Shaman read out the message and Elysia who was on the bed was now bright red as everything she said was most likely heard by Himeko.
"Heh it seems like the tables have turned." Shaman was now the one with a smug look.
"Let''s hurry up and go downstairs and see Himeko." Shaman dropped the pan and grabbed Elysia by the leg and pulled her off the bed.
"OW!" Elysia fell on the floor and sat up.
"How did I end up being the one bullied?" Elysia tried to tease Shaman but it ended up backfiring and her getting a pan to the head. Shaman just stuck her tongue out and walked towards the door.
Elysia pulled herself up and slowly made her way down.
They arrived at the lower floor and opened the door, Wolfy''s tail was still wagging as he was able to pick up the smell of meat within the room.
They walked in and were met with a dining area that had a table that could hold at least 6 people. Behind the dining area a kitchen could be seen taking up at least half of the room and Himeko inside it cooking. She wore a White apron and What seemed like ck nightwear but was unable to make out what it was due to the apron. There was a clear split with the dining area being wooden and the kitchen having tiles.
Shaman and Elysia went to the table and sat down on one side together while they waited for Himeko to finish up. Wolfyid down next to Shaman on the floor but his wagging tail gave away his excitement as he tried to hide it.
"Hey girls, I hope I did not interrupt anything, the food will be ready in a few minutes." Himeko yelled out from the kitchen and Elysia once again became red as it just confirmed she was able to hear anything.
"Heh." Shaman elbowed Elysia in the arm as now she has to deal with the awkwardness.
''Hey Rea are you there?'' Shaman was wondering why they have not heard from Rea in a while and assumed it was most likely because she almost said something she shouldn''t.
[I am here but I am unable to speak for a while]
The familiar text box came up and Shaman instantly understood that Rea''s ability to speak had been revoked as punishment for what she said.
''Oh okay, well I hope you can talk soon.'' Shaman quite enjoyed Rea''spany as it felt like a 4thpanion to her.
[Don''t worry, I will be able to speak again you just have to wait for a little while]
Shaman nodded and Elysia also read the same message boxes and got a jist of what they were talking about.
However their talk was cut short as Himeko used her fire to carry the tes of food and ce them in front of the girls and Wolfy.
Wolfy instantly started eating while Shaman and Elysia waited for Himeko toe out of the kitchen.
Himeko finally walked out and Shaman was able to get a good look on what Himeko was wearing as she no longer had the apron on. Himeko wore a ck dress which was rather short and started to be transparent at the ends. Shaman could also slightly see Himeko''s underwear due to the transparency but as soon as she noticed she stopped looking as it was rather embarrassing. Shaman also could see Himeko''srge chest and was disappointed again as it was a constant reminder of what she doesn''t have.
''Well at least I won''t get back problems and the more I look at myself the more grateful I am so maybe I should just ept what I got.'' Shaman was finding inner peace with her own body while Elysia did not pay attention as she was too busy appraising the food to see if it was up to standard.
Himeko finally sat down with her food and looked at Shaman who was looking at her own body and Elysia who was examining every inch of the food.
"Let''s eat." Himeko found it rather amusing but the food would go cold if she let it continue.
They were given miso steak that had been cut up in bite sized pieces with a bowl of rice, there was also some tempura on the side.
Shaman snapped out of it and picked up the chopsticks and began to eat. To her surprise the food was really good but was not as good as Elysia''s cooking.
''This is very enjoyable but I have to say Elysia wins in the cooking department.'' Shaman once again felt proud that she had Elysia for a girlfriend and was d that her habit of getting easily attached did not ruin it.
''Also despite the Chinese aesthetic I thought we would get Chinese rted food but instead we got Japanese, I guess when you are in a new world anything can happen.'' Despite the shing cultures Shaman shrugged it off as this is a different world and not hers so she can expect it all to be the same.
Elysia looked at Shaman''s face and could tell that the cooking was good but knew what Shaman''s blissful smile was and that she was the superior cook. Elysia then finally picked up the chopsticks but when she did she had no idea how to use them.
"Uhhh how do I use these." Elysia was rather confused and tried to mimic Shaman but was unable to get it right.
"Oh? Here, just use these." Himeko clicked her fingers and a Knife and fork appeared next to Elysia''s te.
"Thanks!" Elysia was d she did not have to embarrass herself more.
They all ate the food and happily ate but once they had finished Himeko spoke up as she wanted to talk to them for a little bit.
"So would you like to tell me how you two met since it must have been quite the long journey for you to end up dating." Himeko was rather curious how they got together since same sex rtionships were rather umon and her motherly urge to find out every detail was bugging her to find out.
"Well if I think about it, it really has not been that long so you may be quite surprised." Shaman thought back and it had hardly been a month, yet so much has happened.
''If Elysia did not save my life and not for me being so easily attached I don''t think we would have ended up dating.'' Shaman thought internally as the stars really aligned for her and Elysia and without Shaman''s bad habit and Elysia''s longing for love their rtionship may have taken much longer to develop.
"I don''t care how long or short it was, just tell me." Himeko was even more curious as now she wondered how long they had been together as it sounded really short but yet they seemed like they had been lovers for ages.
''I have to find out if anything is suspicious otherwise I will have failed Cecilia as a recement mother.'' Himeko needed to know as it seemed like something inside her switched on.
Chapter 73 Freya Forest
?Shaman was a little hesitant on telling Himeko their story as she was unsure if she wanted to let Himeko know of the cult that''s seemingly trying to hunt them down for their fox blood.
Shaman also took this opportunity to message Elysia through Rea if they should tell Himeko.
[Should we mention the cult that we bumped into or should we try to avoid telling Himeko about it]
Shaman was a little perplexed as Himeko would be able to provide protection and for all they know Himeko may even know about the organization running it.
[I think it is okay, if anything it would make Himeko train us even more so I think it is worth while telling her the full story]
Elysia made a great point as it seemed like Himeko was quite adamant on making them stronger so that they could protect themselves.
"Uhhh, hellooo." Himeko waved in front of Shaman''s face as she was wondering what was going on as it seemed like Shaman and Elysia dozed off.
"Oh, sorry just thinking about how to start the story, that''s all." Shaman let out an awkwardugh and scratched the back of her.
"Anyway..." Shaman went on to exin the start of her journey in the city of Victoria and how she was able to obtain Wolfy and started her adventuring journey.
"Oh okay so Wolfy is more of a bounded beast than a familiar and is able to get stronger on its own." Himeko was rather intrigued by Wolfy as it is very unusual for a low tier wolf to hold such a valuable egg.
"Well he has been a very good boy and I treat him just like apanion so I don''t know what I would do without him." Shaman was d that she obtained Wolfy and could not wait to see his growth in the future.
"So what kind of Wolf is Wolfy here and does he have any special skills?" Himeko wanted to know the breed of Wolfy as there are ns of beastman Wolves that are able to transform into a human and live in a certain forest within the Fox Realm.
"If I remember correctly I believe Wolfy is a Shadow moon wolf and is able to use the element shadows and due to our bond I also share those skills." Shaman did not think much of it but Himeko upon hearing those words dropped the ss of water she was taking a sip from.
"Uhh, did I say something wrong." Shaman was a little worried as it seemed like the information she just told Himeko was something that should not be said aloud.
"WHERE THE HELL DID YOU FIND A WOLF FROM THE FREYA FOREST!!!!" Himeko screamed as she was shocked at hearing the race of Wolfy and could not contain that shock.
"I don''t know, I killed a Wolf and he had the egg and I hatched it and that was it." Shaman was a little confused but had the idea that Wolfy''s existence was something special and that this Freya forest may be the origins of Wolfy. Elysia was lost in all this and could only wait till they exined what was happening.
Wolfy on the other hand was very curious and wanted to know more from Himeko.
''Mother, is it okay if I can talk to Himeko as I want to find out more about this Freya forest and I think being able to talk will help.'' Wolfy asked Shaman if it was okay and Shaman was not entirely against the idea but wanted to wait a little longer.
''Give me a sec, we need to find out a little more before we start jumping to conclusions.'' Shaman wanted a little bit more information in order to make a judgement.
"Ahem, sorry, I was just a little shocked, let me exin to you why this is massive news for me." Himeko calmed herself down and realized that Shaman and Elysia would have no idea of this Wolf n as it is one of the most secretive races.
"Wolfy being of the Moon Shadow n means that he must have originated from the Freya forest where they work in secrecy and are basically assassins that are hired. They do have strict rules on who they assassinate but in order to get in contact with them you must go through a trial of sorts to be able to talk to their leader." Himeko started to exin what the Freya forest was and what it entailed.
"I have only met the leader a few times but that was with your mother as she was friends with the leader but due to her distaste for humans I could only go if Cecilia went otherwise I might have ended up being killed for just being human." Himeko thought back to when she went to the Freya forest and first met the leader.
Shaman could see the dread on her face as it seemed like it was a rather traumatic experience for her.
"I''m so d I do not have to go there again but all I can really say is if you do go there, make sure you have a good exnation why you have a Wolf from their n as your bond." Himeko wanted to give them an easy way out of it but there was no other way than to face it head on and due to Shaman being Cecilia''s daughter this may help in their favour.
"Well we n to go to the Fox Realm after we travel through Elfhiem so hopefully we are strong enough then to go to the Freya forest and see if we can get Wolfy some training while we are there." Despite the warning, Shaman thought it was a rather good opportunity for Wolfy to get stronger as it may improve his skills and give Wolfy a boost in power.
Himeko was a little shocked at Shaman''s response but she could not help smiling as she could see the image of Cecilia in Shaman.
"Well, I say it would be a smart move to get to at least tier 6 or 7 before you head there as the trial is rather difficult and not impossible but if you have ess to the shadow skills then it will be rather easy." Himeko wanted to exin the trial but due to it always changing it is hard to say what will be there.
"Well I will have to see if we can go to the Fox Realm early then as I would really like if Wolfy was able to go back to his home and get some training." This was good knews as they had a proper goal and once they were tier 6 they could make their way to the Fox Realm.
"I like the idea." Elysia was onboard with it and was not opposed to it.
''Wolfy you can speak now if you want.'' Shaman figured Wolfy can talk with Himeko as it would cause them no trouble.
"Oh yeah one more thing Wolfy can speak telepathically so don''t be surprised if you hear a voice in your head." Shaman wanted to warn Himeko as it is quite the surprise to randomly have a voice in your head.
"What?" But before Himeko could understand Wolfy began to talk inside her head.
"Hello Himeko, this is Wolfy that you are hearing right now." Wolfy''s voice rang out in all of their heads and Himeko could not help but stand up to look at Wolfy.
Wolfy looked back at Himeko and could see the shock on her face.
"Hello" Wolfy raised his paw to wave at Himeko.
Himeko however quickly rushed to the side of Wolfy and began to suddenly pat him.
"Oh my god, this is amazing, I can''t believe you found yourself such a strong and cute wolf." Himeko seemingly fell into cuteness and could not help pat Wolfy.
"Why the sudden pats?" Wolfy was rather confused but he was not against the actions of Himeko.
"Because you looked fluffy and the news just keeps getting better and better by the minute so I needed a way to vent this excitement." Shaman and Elysia could not help butugh as Himeko was taking the sudden drops of news really well and it turned out to be rather beneficial.
"Okay well, stop whenever you want." Wolfy was enjoying the pats and let Himeko have her way.
Shaman shook her head as she could see Wolfy take full advantage of the situation but all she could do was sit and wait.
"Phew." Himeko stood up refreshed and walked back to her seat as she got a little side tracked.
"Anyway this is amazing as this means Wolfy is close to evolving and actually may be the ticket you need to get into the Freya forest." Himeko put her elbows on the table and held her hands together in front of her face.
"From what I know shadow moon wolves have the innate ability once at a certain level to sense the direction of the forest so you wont need an item to guide you."
"Wait really?" This was good news for them as it will save them time on having to find the forest as from all the maps she has seen the forest is notbeled on any maps.
"Yes and seeing as I wont be able to babysit you through your journey I can''t take you there straight away so by having Wolfy as your guide you can easily get ess." Himeko smiled as she could see Shaman''s group being one of the most powerful forces in the future and it made her excited to think about.
"Sweet, but I really should keep going with my story shouldn''t I otherwise we may be here all day." Shaman realized that they had gotten sidetracked although it was good and wanted to keep talking about the forest she needed to tell Himeko about the cult situation before they continue to talk about the forest.
"Oh right, I can exin more about the forestter since there are a few more things I should tell but that can wait tillter." Himeko still had some things to say but they could be told at ater time since they were not going there anytime soon.
"That would be nice." Shaman wanted to know more about the ce but also came to the same conclusion that they are not in a rush. Elysia on the other hand did not have much to say and sat there listening as the next part of the story would be her time to shine.
''I can''t wait for what Her reaction when she hears we may be getting hunted.''
Chapter 74 THAT’S NOT HOW IT’S SUPPOSED TO GO
?"I appreciate the information about the Freya forest but as I said I should get on with the story as there is still more that needs to be said that I think you should know." Shaman was a little nervous about telling Himeko about the cult that seemed to have put a target on both hers and Elysia''s head but first she was going to talk about her rtionship with Elysia.
Himeko crossed her legs and begun to listen to Shaman who begun to exin the situation with Elysia without revealing that is was the cult and calling them ve traders for the meantime.
"WAIT YOU ONLY KNEW EACH OTHER FOR A COUPLE DAYS AND YOU STARTED DATING!!!" Himeko stood up and mmed her hands on the table making it slightly crack where her hands were. Shaman and Elysia both grabbed a hold of each other as Himeko spooked them with the sudden outburst.
"This can''t be happening." Himeko grabbed hold of her face and sloped back down to her chair and began to sulk.
"Why can my friend''s daughter get a girlfriend in 2 days and I can''t even get a man to go on a date with me." Himeko seemingly began to have a mid-life crisis in front of Shaman and Elysia, but after the spook they were now trying their hardest not tough at her.
"Life does not work like that, you can''t just wake up and love someone you need to actually spend time together, tell me, HOW DID YOU DO IT!" Himeko looked intently at the 2 girls as clearly there was a secret to it and she needed to find out.
Shaman took a deep breath to get rid of theugh she was holding and now just began to hold Elysia''s hand.
"Well I have this habit of getting really attached to someone easily and to see Elysia try so hard for me my thoughts instantly went to love and i could not help reciprocate Elysia''s feelings that she clearly expressed." Shaman''s face went a little red and Elysia was very happy to hear what Shaman had to say as it seemed like she hadpletely swept Shaman off her feet.
Himeko then looked at Elysia for answers as she did not get a good enough response from Shaman and was hoping that Elysia was the answer to all this.
"Well uhhh, when Shaman broke into the underground base and I saw her break me out I had this feeling of deep gratitude towards Shaman and after she was willing to take me in all I could think about was her and so I jumped the gun and it somehow worked out despite my rushed approach." Elysia scratched the back of her head as this was the first time outloud saying how she fell in love.
Himeko could visibly be seen dying on the inside as this was the most ridiculous and boring love story she has ever heard.
"I think we may have killed Himeko." Shaman felt a little uneasy but could not help find Himeko''s reaction amusing.
"I don''t know what she expected." Elysia thought Himeko was expecting some sort of tragic story that would take a while to exin but instead she got something that was way below her expectations.
After a few minutes Himeko finally came back and shook her head.
"You know, that''s not how it''s supposed to go yet here you are." Himeko leant back in her chair and looked down on herself. She let out a sigh as there was nothing she could do orin about.
"Well I am d things are working out for you and I hope that nothing separates the two of you." Shaman was a little shocked at the sudden change in attitude in Himeko but nheless appreciated the words.
''Well if Elysia does betray me I believe she loses all her power as the grant system will strip all the acquired power through the system.'' Shaman thought back to the grant system description which reminded her that only people that pledge loyalty are able to be given one.
"Thank you." Elysia spoke up as she could see Shaman deep in thought and did not want to leave Himeko hanging.
Shaman broke out of her thoughts as there was still more to be said.
"Ahem, anyway, our rtionship was quick but honestly it was going to happen anyway plus there is one more thing which I saved forst as it is the most important." Shaman wanted to move on for Himeko''s sake and she also needed to hear the situation.
Himeko raised an eyebrow and was a little worried that the next thing could be much worse than her friend''s daughter getting a girlfriend quicker than she could get a suitable date.
Shaman saw that Himeko was ready to listen and started to exin how the past 2 cities seemingly have an underground cult and they are trying to summon something.
"The story I said before about the ve traders, well actually they were the cult and were going to use Elysia''s blood as the final sacrifice to active whatever they have under the city."
"After that we moved straight away to Cholden but they were also there and targeted us to use our blood but we manage to kill the person behind it and escape but it also seems like now we are being hunted in general as we are a valuable resource to this cult and this whole thing seems a lot bigger than just a small group." Shaman hoped that Himeko may have information about this group since she is one of the superpowers of the human territory.
"Did any of them touch you?" Himeko spoke in a stern tone as it seemed like a fuse had gone off.
"I did get captured but was able to break free since the city lord was dumb and thought I was weak." Shaman did not want to lie to Himeko but that may have been the right choice.
"I''ll be right back." Himeko got up and began to use her fire to teleport.
"Wait, I already killed the city lord, there is no reason to go over there and do anything!" Shaman quickly spoke as she felt like the maps may have had to be redrawn if she did not stop Himeko.
The mes slowed down and Himeko stopped her teleport and took in a deep breath.
"At least you dealt with it." Himeko had seemingly calm down as she nned to go to Cholden and murder the city lord that captured Shaman but it seemed like she was beaten to it.
"The reason why we tell you this, is because we were wondering if you know who is behind this organization." Shaman judged from that reaction that Himeko was not a part of it and that this is something she is unaware of.
Himeko was in deep thought for a moment as this whole situation could be a lot more serious than just a small group.
"It has to be the damn church." Himeko came up with a response and with what she has been told so far about the church it is no surprise that they would also be evil.
''Typical, they usually always have something to hide and just like other novels it seems like it is the same case here.'' Shaman half expected this to be the case but did not want to assume things as using her knowledge from fantasy novels have not always been right.
"They are against this whole beastman alliance and want to be the higher power of the entire continent but due to Elfhiem and the Fox realm being much stronger they have not been able to do anything. But if what you say is true then they could be nning something that could put everyone in danger." Himeko had grabbed her chin as this was very crucial for her since she is the only one who had not aligned with the church.
"So do you think that is why they are trying to get rid of you since you can easily interfere with their n." Shaman guessed that the church was now the puppetmaster and it was unable to get its strings around Himeko and now they are just trying to straight up get rid of her.
"Well I mean Himeko is one of the strongest people so they can''t just exile her so they must be trying to not get rid of her by killing her but just keeping her in the dark while keeping up appearances." Elysia had chimed in.
"You may be right but this is too big for you right now, you have to get stronger before taking on the church as they may have all the royal families backing them and fighting against a tier 10 is not so simple." Himeko began to tap her foot on the floor as she was deep in thought.
"Fair enough, we really should not be sticking our noses in it and focus on our own goals." Shaman realized that they should not be getting involved as they are too weak to do anything.
"Alright it is decided I am going to teach as much as I can in the next month and then I am going to have to investigate this for myself." Himeko made a deration and was determined in making Shaman and Elysia powerful warriors.
Shaman and Elysia knew how serious this could be and were ready for this month of tortures training.
"Girls I hope you are ready as this is going to be one of the hardest months of your lives." Himeko looked at the girls for their response.
Shaman and Elysia nodded which put a smile on Himeko''s face.
''Cecilia I hope I can make you proud.'' Himeko was all the more determined and began to think of how to train these girls for the next month.
Chapter 75 The Training Begins
?"AHHHHHH!" Shaman and Elysia were screaming as they were running away from a giant fiery bird that looked like a sparrow just outside of Ebonscale. Wolfy was also running along with them but due tock of vocal cords he was not able to scream like Shaman and Elyisa.
"Come on girls, you can''t just keep running forever!" Himeko was currently mounted on top of the bird made of fire. Himeko then controlled the bird to send down a rain of fire balls directly at the group.
''Shit.'' Shaman could see the oing fireballs that they have been suffering from in thest hour.
"Elysia, Wolfy, jump on." Shaman quickly created a small sled out of her ice and started to create an ice trail for it to slide on. They all jumped on at the same time which gave it the force to start sliding down the ice trail that Shaman was conjuring up was being created as they continued forward.
Elysia was given the job to deflect the fireballs as Himeko still had full control over them and could direct them in any direction.
Elysia summoned her bow and began to prepare [Explosive arrows] with multi shot to stop the fireballs. 3 fireballs started to make their way toward their sled and Elysia quickly knelt down and prepared for the shot. Once the fireballs were about 50 meters away Elysia finally fired her shot colliding with all the fireballs causing them to explode.
"Let''s see how you deal with this." Himeko smirked and began to send over 10 fireballs at once towards them.
Elysia''s heart sank a little as she was unsure if she would be able to deal with it but she still had to try as Shaman is relying on her to keep their backs covered.
Elysia took a deep breath and instead of using her normal bow switched to a bow fully made of fire and conjured up the 10 arrows on it. Elysia opened her eyes and began to analyze where each ball was and began to fire her bow. With the little mana maniption she had she directed the arrows towards the 10 balls.
This had taken a lot of energy since directing the arrows was not an easy task and took a considerable amount of mana to use.
Himeko was rather impressed with Elysia''s ability to manipte her arrows as it is not something all mages can do.
"Shaman, I don''t think I can keep going, I think I used too much mana on thatst." Elysia began to feel the fatigue and her head started to slightly spin.
Shaman quickly grabbed a hold of Elysia and put Elysia on her back. When Elysia went on Shaman''s back she started to fall unconscious and ended up falling asleep.
''How can she sleep in this situation?'' Shaman shook her head as she had more concerning issues to take care of.
''Looks we have to go on one foot, I can''t keep this up as I have already gone through a quarter of my mana.'' Shaman began to talk to Wolfy as she needed to make sure Elysia was safe whilst fighting off Himeko.
''We can use my shadow skills but we need to find a way to bring Himeko down.'' Wolfy felt rather useless as his skill set was not good for this kind of confrontation.
''Wolfy jump.'' Wolfy followed her instruction and then they found themselves on an ice ramp that went to the ground to ease them into running.
Himeko was not idle for much longer and began to fly down with her bird.
''Damn if it wasn''t for the fact that the bird was made of fire we would have had some shadows that we could work with'' Shaman was a little frustrated as Himeko was a good counter to the shadow element.
''Well we just need to create some.'' Wolfy figured they couldbine Shaman''s ice to take advantage of the light created from the fire.
''We can indeed do that but how is that going to work against a bird of light.'' Shaman had thought of this as well but could not see a practical way to apply it.
''We need to get ice above her so that the light from below can cast a shadow and that way we can get on her body since there are plenty of shadows there and we do not need to worry about how big the shadow is as long as it is there.'' Wolfy had also found that he is not confined by the size of the shadow if he is already in it, just as long as it is there he can move freely within it.
Shaman fell into thought as Wolfy''s n was usible and if they were able to get on Himeko they would finally be able to knock her off it which was the objective of this session.
Himeko at this point finally was able to catch up and was right behind the running Wolfy and Shaman.
"Hey there, are you done nning and ready to attack?" Himeko had a massive grin as she started to create a small sword out of fire.
Himeko swung down causing an explosion with the ice on the floor forcing Shaman and Wolfy to begin their n.
Shaman continued her ice tform and then began to make a loop out of it and expanded it out to create a roof of sorts.
Himeko halted her bird and began to float close to the ground.
''I wonder what they are nning.'' Himeko wanted to allow them to follow through with their n to see what they would do.
With the ice roof now covering Himeko, Shaman made small walls along the roof to create shadows on the roof and to her surprise it was rather effective.
Shaman and Wolfy then proceed to use [Shadow walk] which was able to throw Himeko off as she saw them disappear but once they were gone it was like they were never there.
''That is one scary ability, if it wasn''t for the fact that I knew they were in the shadows I would be worried.'' Himeko still was getting over the fact that Wolfy was a Shadow moon wolfy as his potential is insane.
''Anyway I should try to mess up their n a little and see how they do when it fails.'' Himeko then proceeded to use her fire sword and destroyed the ice roof they were on. The ice shattered and pieces of ice fell but Shaman and Wolfy were still not brought out of the shadows.
In the distance Elysia could be seening out of the shadows and Himeko ignored her as she knew she was out ofmission.
Himeko trying to pull them out stabbed her fire sword in the ground through her bird and due to being out of fire it was able to extend. The ground then began to rumble till eventually the ground started to crack and a bright orange light started to shine through.
Fire pirs rose from the ground all around Himeko for at least 5 seconds till they finally died down. But yet again no results were shown till she realized that they would have used Elysia''s body to hide.
Himeko quickly flew to Elysia and lifted her up with non lethal fire and lit up any area as a way to drown out any shadows.
''Still nothing where could they be?'' Himeko began to get more confused and was trying her hardest to figure out where they were, however her question was answered when she felt something around her stomach.
Ice started to form and incase her but was quickly melted by Himeko. However this was a distraction as Shaman started to pop out of Himeko''s back. Shaman could be seen holding a ball of wind and shot it towards her bird. Wolfy on the other hand came from Himeko''s head and jumped in front of Himeko. He used his [Shadow w] and targeted it towards the bird''s head.
The ball of wind hit the bird and caused a reaction as Shaman had made it a pure pall of oxygen. This aggravated the mes causing a small explosion to ur at Himeko''s feet.
''YES!'' Shaman yelled mental and used her wind to push her way to avoid the st.
Wolfy was not so sessful as Himeko used her palm and hit Wolfy in the side causing him to fly out towards where Elysia was.
Himeko now had to deal with the explosion that was urring but there was a crucial mistake made by Shaman that she failed to realize. The fire was still in her control so she was able to use the exploding portion of the bird and direct it towards Shaman.
"Shit." Shaman saw Himeko taking control over the explosion and sending the mes in her direction.
''Let''s hope this works.'' Shaman wanted to use a skill that she had not been able to use and due to her being a higher tier she was willing to try it and hope that it will help her get past the oning fire.
Chapter 76 Successful Loss
?Shaman was a little hesitant on using this skill but due to her not being far from being able to use it more regrly, she should not suffer the consequences like she did at a lower tier.
''Alright here goes nothing.'' Shaman faced the pir of fire that was aimed straight at her and gripped her sword tightly.
''[de of mesicon]'' Shaman activated the skill and the fire bursted out of the sword, Shaman had also made Kotetsu affinity to fire which amplified the mes.
zing mes began to fly out violently and Shaman could feel this time that her mana branches were not being burnt unlikest time. Himeko observed what Shaman was doing and was really impressed as she could sense the use of wind and fire to create the skill.
''It looks like a very powerful skill but it seems like it is still a little too much for her to handle but It also seems like she can almost use it but just isn''t quite there yet .'' Himeko was able to tell that Shaman''s mana core was working overtime and realized that the skill was still just too advanced for her.
The skill was fully activated and Shaman''s white hair began to turn slightly orange. Shaman lifted Kotetsu above her head and shed down at the pir of fire that was close to hitting her.
A sh of fire was sent out colliding with the pir stopping it within its tracks, with the attack sessfully being halted Shaman could feel that her consciousness was fading.
''Dammit, I still can''t use it freely yet.'' Shaman was a little disappointed but was nheless happy that she was able to use it without ruining her body but just at the cost of her consciousness.
As Shaman''s eyes began to close she could see that the de was starting to weaken till eventually it was absorbed by the fire powering it even further.
''Sh-." Shaman could no longer stay awake and fell to the floor.
But before Shaman could hit the ground Himeko caught her and quickly moved her out of the way of the fire pir.
"You did really well sweetie." Himeko smiled and patted Shaman''s head as she was really proud of the girls and Wolfy with how they handled the situation.
''They still need to be put under a lot of pressure and make mistakes so their fighting sense is fine tuned otherwise when pushes to shove the hesitation they might have could kill them.'' Himeko had noticed many times during the fight that they either hestatied about using a skill or were unsure about their own abilities which could cost them their life.
''Oh well, ites with time and I just need to beat them over and over again till they finally get it.'' Himeko had walked over to where Wolfy and Elysia were andyed Shaman down next to them.
''If I am going to put them in danger I should throw them in the dungeon unexpectedly so that way we can see how well they do.'' Himeko had a devilish smile as the idea of putting them in the dungeon before they woke up was a great way to put them under pressure.
''Of course I will watch over them but if I tell them that they might not take it seriously so I better get to work before they wake up.'' Himeko had used her fire to teleport them all away and began to make her way to the dungeon.
***
''Ahhhh shit, memory time again.'' Shaman had found herself once again in her mind space that the system gave to her.
''This feeling never gets old and it seems like my negligence of checking these memories are catching up to me since I keep forgetting to see what has been unveiled.'' Despite wanting to find out more about the past, Shamanpletely neglects the fact that memories are slowly given to her as her INT stat rises.
After being in her own thoughts for a while something began to happen as the ck wavy scenery began to change into a bedroom.
''It seems like this is my own room for when I was at the pce.'' Shaman could only assume that this was her room. The room itself was very normal and was nd, Shaman felt a little sad as the room was just marble and a window looking out to a small garden.
''This girl really needs to decorate her room.'' Shaman could not help but critique the other ''Shaman.''
Finally she lost control of her movements and began to move on her own.
''I hate this feeling of not being incontrol.'' Shaman was once again stuck with the feeling of being in someone''s head but unable to move which was rather ufortable for her.
''I hope this one does notst long.''
''Shaman'' began to move and when she looked in the mirror that was in the corner of the room Shaman was able to get a good look at what age she would have been.
''It looks like I am about 14 years old at the time but it''s hard to tell.'' Shaman examined herself and could tell that this was a much younger ''Shaman'' but could see that she had started to mature a bit.
Before Shaman could look anymore ''Shaman'' Started to move again and walked out of the room. It was the same hallway from when she saw the memories of ''Shaman'' when she was a kid. The walls, floor and roof were all marble with the walls being decorated with ornaments, vases and paintings but to Shaman''s surprise it seemed like things were iplete.
''It seems like I don''t have a fully detailed memory and only what ''Shaman'' would remember.'' Shaman half expected the memories to not all be in detail and have some aspects missing.
''Shaman'' continued to walk down the hallway and when she reached the same massive door which waspletely made of wood she had stopped and listened out for a moment.
"So when are we going to see Freya?" An unfamiliar voice could be heard in the room.
"We will soon but it seems like I have a little guest that wants toe in."
"I shall wait for you in the usual spot then Cecilia."
''Shaman'' knew she had been found and quickly opened the door to find out who it was but when she did all she could see was a little me fizzling out next to her mother.
Cecilia had beautiful pure white hair with a massive Fox tail, it could also be seen that she was wearing a blue kimono of sorts which made her look elegant. Shaman was a little dazzled by her looks and was d she inherited those genes.
"Who was that?" ''Shaman'' pouted as she just missed who the mysterious woman was.
"Just a best friend dear, so anyway what brings you here sweetie." Cecilia seemed to have avoided the question.
"Why won''t you tell me and also when is Stein going to be here?" ''Shaman'' did not give up on wanting to know who the woman was.
"First, I don''t tell you because it is important that as little people see you and know of you and secondly he is already here you just need to look more closely."
"Wh-." Before ''Shaman could finish what she was saying she was suddenly picked up from behind.
"Well if it isn''t Shaman, you have to be careful of your surroundings otherwise you may get swept up like you just did." A man wearing a ck suit with brown hair, hazel eyes and a fox tail had picked up Shaman. He also had a rather slim body and was tall, despite him looking weak he picked up Shaman with ease.
Cecilia smiled and waved at her daughter before being taken away.
"Goddammit!" Shaman screamed out as who presumed to be Stein walked out of the room with Shaman in hand.
''He looks like the guy that trained me how to use a sword and that woman who was talking with my mother was Himeko but why was my mother trying to hide my existence.'' Shaman was rather confused by this as it did not make sense as to why she had to be hidden by everyone.
''Was there some sort of incident or something.'' Despite getting an answer why she never recognized Himeko she was still left with more questions.
''Maybe I should go for these memory dives more often.'' Shaman wasing to realize how important these memories were.
''I did get the name of the shadow moon Wolf leader as it seems like the ce to find her is named after her.'' Shaman had obtained more information about the Freya forest and who she will be looking for.
''Oh? It looks like this is the end.'' Shaman could feel that the memory was ending as she began to gain control of her body.
Shaman began to slowly open her eyes and could hear the sound of fighting. The sound of arrows could be heard flying through the air and the sound of bones being crushed was echoing alongside it.
Shaman quickly shot up and found herself looking at Elysia and Wolfy who were fighting off a horde of skeletons.
"What?" Shaman was still wondering if she was dreaming till Elysia yelled.
"Holy fuck, you are awake finally, hurry up and help us kill these fucking skeletons!!"
Chapter 77 Spooky Scary Skeletons
?Shaman was confused but instantly became vignt as a horde of skeletons began rushing into the room.
The room looked like an ancient ruin and they were in some sort of side room that had a memorial of a person in it. There was a lot of overgrowth in the cracks of the bricks and many holes showing that this ce is not kept in good condition. The room was also ratherrge with one exit with no windows making it only being lit by the torches on the walls.
Elysia could be seen shooting rows of fire arrows eliminating a lot of the skeletons while wolfy picked off the remaining ones that were not hit with [Shadow w].
Shaman pulled out her sword and made the affinity with fire and stood next to Elysia.
"Tell me, what''s going on and for how long have you been doing this?" Shaman wanted to know how long she had been out for and what the current situation is.
"Well it''s been at least an hour and these skeletons have not stoppeding through that door and if you don''t destroy enough of the bones they just remake themselves like it was nothing!" Elysia shot some more arrows destroying more skeletons with Wolfy finishing the stragglers off.
"Ok well now that I am awake let''s get the hell out of this room." Shaman knew that Elysia had been protecting them for thest hour so they must be getting exhausted.
"Sounds great." Elysia felt relieved as now some of the load has been taken off her since Shaman has joined the battle.
Shaman used [inspect] on the skeletons to see what they had been dealing with.
[Skeleton puppet]
[Level 1]
[Tier 1]
[A disposable skeleton that is controlled by a puppet master]
''That makes sense why Elysia and Wolfy are not dead tired as these guys are just cannon fodder and require little energy to get rid of but if we need to get out of here we most likely need to deal with this puppet master first.'' Shaman was a little worried as the puppet master could be anywhere and did not know if they had to be in a certain range.
"As much as I want to rify what seems to be a dungeon I would say our top priority is to get out of this ce entirely." Shaman decided it would be best to leave as they had only just entered tier 4 and would not be ready to take on the boss till they were at least tier 5.
"True, we are not quite ready for the final boss." Elysia thought it was a logical assumption since the boss was most likely a tier 5 leader or even a tier 6 so it would be best to over-prepare then walk into a death trap.
''Goddammit, why did Himeko dump us in the dungeon?'' Shaman remembered that they were just training with Himeko and since they all passed out Himeko had ced them randomly in the dungeon.
Without saying much Shaman dashed towards the door where skeletons were still funnelling out. Shaman did not use any skills since the level of the skeletons was so low Shaman could flick them and they could fall apart.
Shaman shed with Kotetsu, instantly destroying many bones and clearing them out of the way. Elysia and Wolfy quickly dashed towards the door and followed Shaman through it.
There were still hordes but Shaman was able to keep swinging like she was getting rid of bushes in a jungle.
After running through a narrow hallway they finally were able to enter a hall with a lot of open space.
There were many support beams going 6 meters up around with many different entrances around the walls, what caught Shaman''s eyes was that there was a figure in the middle slumped over not moving.
She quickly used inspect to find out what it was as it could be the puppet master.
[Skeleton soldier]
[level ??]
[tier 5]
[A powerful skeleton soldier used by the puppet master]
"Careful Elysia, this one is powerful but sadly not the one controlling the skeletons." Shaman showed Elysia the inspect screen and got ready for battle. The skeletons from the hallway seemed to have also stopped and were not following them.
''That''s odd, why could that be?'' Shaman was a little worried as to why the sudden absence but she had no time to think about that as the quicker they defeated the soldier the quicker they could leave.
The soldier began to twitch and slowly rise from the ground, bones from around the ce began to float towards him and soon created a 2.5-meter tall skeleton in armour and a massive great sword. The greatsword looked rather simple but in pristine condition, just like the armour, it was wearing. The armour looked like a typical medieval set and was kept in perfect condition. A purple mist could be seen flowing through the insides of the skeleton.
Shaman got ready as the skeleton seemed to be getting ready to attack straight away. Elysia moved to the side to get as far as possible while Wolfy stayed close to Shaman.
''Well this will be our first time properly fighting together.'' Shaman was excited as Wolfy was now able tomunicate and they could coordinate attacks now without having to worry about each due to not being able tomunicate.
''Let''s hope we can make this a clean kill.'' Wolfy''s tail was wagging as this was his first real battle and could not wait.
The skeleton soldier finally finished reconstructing and instantly began to move towards Shaman and Wolfy. It dragged the great sword along the floor, destroying it slightly.
Once it had gotten close it had swung a lot faster than Shaman and Wolfy expected. The sword was going at a speed that they could almost not keep up with but luckily Elysia managed to shoot an arrow directly hitting the de mid-swing redirecting it, allowing Shaman to safely move out of the way.
''Let''s stay on the move and not let it attack first.'' Shaman regretted not moving out of the way straight away since it almost got her killed.
''I love to gather information about the enemy but it seems like I pushed my limits.'' Shaman loved getting as much information as possible so that she could make a n around it.
''Mother, I will hide in the shadows since this ce is indoors and I can pretty much go anywhere, let me know when I should attack and I will try to disable it.'' Wolfy realized that since they are indoors this allowed for free-ranged movement around the entire ce.
Shaman nodded as they continued to run with Wolfy slowly going into the ground with his shadows. The skeleton had pulled his greatsword out of the ground and instantly turned to the running Shaman.
Shaman slid on the floor and faced the skeleton who began to charge once again.
"Let''s dance." Shaman had a grin as the adrenaline of battle filled her veins and was ready to fight.
Instead of the normal swing, the skeleton had done a wide swinging in from Shaman''s left, it was not as fast as the previous attack and Shaman was able to easily leap over it but to her surprise, the de halted right under Shaman''s feet.
Shaman was worried as the de began to turn. Shaman quickly used her wind to move out of the way and as she did the de came flying up.
''This damn skeleton has some insane speed.'' Shaman could not believe the speed of the skeleton as it has been twice now that the attack has been barely visible.
The skeleton''s sword this time did not get stuck and once again looked onto Shaman but before he could move an [Explosive arrow] hit the side of its head causing it to tumble to the side. This allowed Shaman to get some distance between her.
''This skeleton surely has some other attacks.'' Shaman wanted to attack but again was stopped by her nature of wanting to find out more about her opponent before making a move.
''Let''s try to force it to do something.'' Shaman decided to go on the offensive and used the opportunity to send out a wind sh from her sword towards the skeleton.
She had also told Wolfy to aim for its ankles once the sh hadnded. The skeleton saw the sh and blocked it with his greatsword, it used both its hands and pushed on the de keeping it bay.
Wolfy on the other hand came out from the floor and with a shadow de shed at the ankles of the Skeleton. This caused the skeleton to kneel but not falter in its defence however something strange was happening.
Wolfy could tell and instantly went back into the shadows which was a smart move as the mist inside the skeleton began to move violently
It continued to ravage around the skeleton''s body till eventually it began to spew out of the body and started to form something.
"What the hell is it doing?"
Chapter 78 Mustve Drank A Lot Of Milk
?The mist that was inside the skeleton was morphing not making any sound but it could be seen violently thrashing around, till it finally took a form extending from the skeletons body and enveloping it.
The armour the skeleton wore had been covered in this purple mist till finally it gripped around the body and slowly turned into a midnight purple armour. Eventually all the pieces of armour had turned into this midnight purple armour with additional pieces, the extended parts of the mist had turned into extra arms for the skeleton.
The skeleton had dropped his great sword and the purple mist began to extend further into the hands of the skeleton creating pure ck swords. The swords were rather normal looking except the hilt, the hilt looked like a pair of demon horns and was emanating a slight purple light.
Shaman''s heart began to pound as the presence of the monster became more dense and she was terrified of what she was looking at. Her hands were shaking and sweat began to fall on her face as she checked the status screen of the transformed skeleton.
[Midnight night]
[A skeleton imbued with demonic powers as represented by its weapon, proceed with caution as one hit from the de can paralyze the body.]
''Looks like I''m going to have to go full power as this battle won''t allow me to conserve my mana at all.'' Shaman began to think of the ways to approach this as one mistake could mean she loses an arm.
She had also sent a message to Elysia of the description and told her not to hold back.
''Wolfy I don''t want you out of the shadows and only attack when I say.'' Shaman wanted to keep Wolfy safe as if he were to be a target. Shaman did not want that extra burden of protecting someone as worrying about Elysia was already stressful enough.
''Let''s try out these new skills I have yet to use.'' Shaman remembered she had acquired 2 new skills but had no reason to use it and also did not want to use it in front of Himeko.
Shaman began to run towards the skeleton as being on the defensive would not be an option.
Before Shaman got close she finally activated [Spatial rift] and entered a separate space.
The separate space was in a dark blue color looking like the sky, it also had this stary effect which amazed Shaman but she could not admire it for long as it drained her mana fast and could only stay in there for a short period of time.
Shaman ran behind just where the skeleton was as the room was still visible just with that dark blue filter over it. Shaman changed her affinity to ice and exited the separate space.
Shaman summoned ice spears and used her other skill [Chains of earth], the ground rumbled for a moment before the ground broke apart and chains came out wrapping around the skeleton immobilizing it.
''Now.'' Shaman called for Wolfy to attack.
Wolfy came from the roof with what looks like a shadow spear going straight for the neck of the skeleton where there was a gap in the armour.
Elysia had also shot a [de burst arrow] to the front side aiming for the left shoulder.
This all happened in a matter of moments and Shaman began to swing her de towards the skeleton''s back while she used the ice spears to go for the leg joints. Shaman and Elysia had used quite a bit of mana to make sure they were powerful strikes and were more than they would usually use for a strong enemy.
Shaman hit the armour and was able to slice through it just as she expected but when she came in contact with what seemed to be the ribcage the de was put to halt.
''What? My legendary sword can cut through some good looking amour but I can''t go through the bone, did this skeleton drink a shit ton of milk?" Shaman was surprised but she did not need to cut through him anyway as all she needed was to get inside the armour.
The ice on the sword started to spread inside the body and began to freeze him over.
Wolfy''s attack was unfortunately unsessful as he was unable to get past the bone as it seemed like it was more sturdy than the armour itself. Wolfy bounced off and quickly went back in the shadows to wait for Shaman''s next signal if there was one.
Elysia''s attack on the other hand was half sessful, the armor on the Skeletons armour was shredded to pieces and part of the bone had been melted away making it hang from the shoulder.
Shaman noticed the effect fire has on the skeleton and could be the key to the battle.
Shaman had now jumped away as the skeletons body was being encased in ice but she still did not let her guard down.
The ice at this point had fully encased the body of the skeleton but what Shaman hoped to be the end of the battle did not end up being true as the ice instantly began to crack.
''Of course it would not be the end.'' Shaman expected this as she had only just backed away and it was already breaking free and she had no time to set up an attack for when it was in the ice.
Shaman took in a deep breath to calm the nerves as her hand began to shake again.
''It''s okay, we just need to try a different strategy.'' Shaman began to think of different ways to attack the skeleton night during the little time she had before it broke free.
Elysia had also sent a message to Shaman as she could visibly see her stressing out just like she was.
[Since fire is the most effective against the bone how about instead of ice try to put it in a pir of fire]
Shaman had thought of this idea as well but the issue would be trying to keep it in that one spot long enough.
[If we need to keep it one spot how bout we just bombard it with spells and keep it from moving]
Shaman mentally face palmed as Elysia was making a lot of sense. They don''t need to make an borate trap; they could trap it by using spells and keep hitting it back in the pir if it were to escape.
''Alright, let''s try it.'' It was worth a shot as the skeleton did not seem very smart and was more of a muscle head kind of monster.
The skeleton finally broke free and shards of iceunched across the room destroying the walls and some of the pirs in the room. The earth chains had also shattered and turned into ambient mana slowly floating away.
The skeleton also seemed agitated as ice was still inside its armour and the sound of cracking could be heard as it moved. The damage that was also done to the armor and bone were getting fixed as purple mist floated around the area slowly repairing it.
''Damn it regenerates, we are going to have to make sure nothing is left of it when we try to burn it.'' Shaman was a little worried that they would never be able to kill it but they would not know unless they tried.
Shaman gripped her sword and Elysia got ready waiting for Shaman.
Shaman dashed forward towards the skeleton as it was still distracted getting all the ice out. The skeleton noticed however and grabbed out 3 more swords that looked the same as the first and upied the 4 arms it now had.
Due the des being light they were even faster than the great axe but since the ice still invaded the ice the arm movements were still impaired enough that she could still react to the skeletons movements.
Shaman quickly entered the rift and a secondter appeared behind the skeleton. Shaman shed down and was quickly blocked. The force of the blockunched Shaman back towards one end of the hall.
Elysia had jumped out and caught Shaman making hernding more smoother.
"I think our idea is going to take a bit longer." Shaman thought it would be a little easier but it seems like this battle is going to take a lot longer than expected.
"At this rate, yes but we can''t give up just yet." Elysia let out an awkward smile as the skeleton knight is a lot stronger than they initially thought.
Shaman got up on her feet and stared back at the skeleton that had not moved.
"Seems like it is wai-" Shaman was cut off as it vanished and appeared behind them swinging.
"FUCK, ELYSIA." The skeleton swung towards Elysia and Shaman knew that Elysia would not be able to react in time.
Shaman instinctively jumped towards her to save her but was unsure if she would be able to make it.
''Please make it.''
Chapter 79 Escaping Death
?Shaman could do nothing but helplessly reach out as she watched Elysia''s death slowly approaching. The colour of her hair began to change to all the colours of her elements.
Orange, blue, white and green could all be seen mixing in her hair as she screamed out I need to be faster, I need to be stronger. But before she could do anything her view was taken up by Elysia getting shed in the back by the demon de, blood spewed out as Elysia fell to the floor.
Tears filled Shaman''s eyes as her mind crashed and everything went nk.
[Permission to give user original powers]
[ess granted]
[Partial true form activated]
A system message appeared but Shaman was in too much pain and anguish to read it but it did not matter as they disappeared quickly.
Shaman''s hair had fully changed and began to stare down the skeleton which to Shaman just killed Elysia. Tears still fell down her cheek as she held a very subtle pained expression. Shaman suddenly dashed and screamed at the skeleton warrior while holding Kotetsu in a tight grip to the point where her hands started to bleed.
**
Elysia did not feel any pain but was weed by a warm feeling just like Himeko''s mes. She had squinted to brace for the attack as she could not move out of the way quick enough but soon realized that the attack never came.
She quickly opened her eyes and realized she was in Himeko''s embrace. Elysia quickly backed off and was confused by why Himeko was here. She looked around and noticed they were still in the same room but all of a sudden felt a sudden surge of mana behind her. When she turned around her face paled as she saw Shaman going into her berserk mode.
Himeko was intently watching but was interrupted by Elysia asking a question.
"What the hell is going on and we need to stop her." Elysia was confused why Shaman had gone into her berserk mode but she knew it was bad news and needed to calm her down.
"Well I saved you and the impact with the sword and my fire caused the fire to burst out emanating a blood like effect as it was more likeva than fire that protected you, but due to Shaman not thinking straight she seemingly thought you were just killed." Himeko exined what happened to Elysia and understood the situation but one question aroused in her mind.
"Wait, since when could you use magma?" This was an important detail Elysia did not miss as it was known that the Ado family can only use fire.
"That''s a story for another time but just know with or without it you would of been fine but it has seemingly back fired since Shaman was too dumb to realized it was not your blood." Despite slightly insulting Shaman, she could understand why, as it was the heat of the moment and things can happen all too fast.
"Well we have to go stop her!" Elysia was nervous as she could see on her bracelet that Shaman''s mind was breaking.
"It''s okay let her kill the Skeleton knight then we will get out of here, it seems like I pushed you guys a little too far by putting you in the middle of the dungeon." Himeko let out a smile while cursing herself on the inside.
''Fuck, they are just kids Himeko, there is no need to rush things.'' Himeko regretted doing what she did but felt like this was the only way to train them at a faster rate.
Elysia could not do anything as she knew Himeko would not let her go so all she could was hope that Shaman would be okay.
**
Shaman shed with the skeleton causing it to use all four swords to block the attack. They slid along the floor till they hit one of the pirs causing a bunch of bricks to fall on the skeleton. Shaman jumped away and activated her sword. This time instead of one element all 4 could be seen present apanied by a system message.
[Swordpatibility 100%]
This allowed the sword to have all elements activated at once, each element was not attached to the sword but was instead floating around the sword and took the form of something that represented the element. A snowke for ice, a tornado for wind, a ball of water and a small me. Each one slowly spun around the hilt of the de while the gem shared the different colours of the elements.
The skeleton had finally gotten up and did not waste time and instantly charged at Shaman. This time Shaman was able to see where it was going and just like it had done to Elysia it had appeared to her. Shaman lifted Kotetsu above her head blocking the strike, it had also caused the ground to cave in a little due to the sheer amount of force.
Wolfy who was still around saw what happened and was panicking on what to do as he knew Himeko saved Elysia.
''I need to talk to her and calm her down, I need to find where Elysia is and try to lead Shaman to where she is.'' Wolfy with a goal in mind began to search the hall for Elysia in hopes that Himeko did not take her too far away.
The elements around the de began to spread out till eventually they became spears of their respective elements and shot towards the Skeleton knight. Due to the speed of the spears he was unable to dodge and the four spears pierced him.
This time the bone was not an obstacle and 4 apparent holes could be seen through its chest. The skeleton backed away as the mist began to heal it again. Shaman however did not let the Skeleton rest and instantly dashed towards the skeleton. Shaman shed down and four other shes were also followed by it.
The Skeleton knight was able to block four of the des but due to not being able to block the fifth one, one of its arms had been cut off.
Due to not having a voice box it was not able to scream but it could be seen that it was in some form of pain from that attack. However the purple mist was able to catch the arm and ce it back on its shoulder.
"Tch." Shaman clicked her tongue and prepared another attack, this time she used a much bigger concentrated sh releasing abined elemental attack. This sh intertwined with all of Shaman''s elements creating a chaotic mess out of the bricks around. Shaman shed down, sending the attack.
Unexpectedly the massive attack flew at a greater speed than the skeleton could see causing him to be hit by it before he could dodge.
The skeleton flew all the way down the hall till it hit the wall causing it to cave in a little. Dust clouds also flew up causing a smoke screen around the area.
Shaman walked through the dust and stood in front of the skeleton who wasying limp and in half against the caved in wall. Tears were still falling as she looked at the skeleton in pain and anger.
Thoughts spiraled in her head as the scene of Elysia dying yed on repeat.
Shaman bit her lip causing it to bleed and raised Kotetsu in the air.
"DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE!." Shaman screamed as she shed down towards the skeleton throwing different elemental shes. Shaman did not stop and continuously did this till her mana had ran dry.
Shaman had finally run out of mana and fell to her knees, tears fell harder than before as she began to sob.
"Why, Why did it have to be Elysia." Shaman screamed out her lungs and let out all the pain she was feeling.
The body of the skeleton was no longer as it had all been turned to dust.
Notifications rang out but Shaman did not care for them and continued to cry.
Shaman''s hair also started to turn back to a pure white colour with cks tips on her tail and ears. Once it had fully turned back Shaman fell to the floor passing out.
**
Elysia and Himeko were currently running to where Shaman was as they had traveled to the other end of the hall.
Himeko wanted to use her fire to travel faster but they were still looking for a Wolf that could still be around. However they did not have to search for much longer as Wolfy came from the floor running alongside them.
''Shaman needs to see Elysia, I did not expect for them to travel so far and also did not expect this hall to be so massive.'' Wolfy told Himeko what they needed to do and alsoined how needlessly long it is.
"Well now that you are here we can travel a lot faster, just stay close." Himeko had Elysia on her back and Wolfy did as she said and stayed close.
Fire picked them up by the feet and they had started at a much faster pace.
They soon reached the back of the wall in a few seconds and spotted where Shaman was.
Elysia saw Shamanying on the floor and instantly jumped off Himeko''s back and sprinted towards her. She quickly picked her up in her arms and hugged her tightly.
"Oh you stupid dummy please be alright." Elysia embraced Shaman as she teared up
Himeko let out a deep breath as it seemed like everything was okay.
"Let''s head back." Himeko grabbed Elysia''s shoulder and Elysia nodded, Wolfy had also walked next to Himeko.
With the nod Himeko used her fire once again and transported them out towards the dungeon entrance.
Chapter 80 Mistakes
?"What was that damn old man thinking, allowing Shaman to use her power of origin!!" The same 12 tailed fox girl that had been watching over Shaman this whole time was not impressed by what she just saw.
"She isn''t capable of holding that power, luckily they had only done a partial activation." The 12 tailed fox let out a sigh and slumped down into her chair.
"If I don''t do something soon it may get too overwhelming and the whole purpose of the system would be for nothing." She shook her head as it was a tough decision on what she should do.
"Maybe I should give her a slight hand otherwise that damned old man will end up killing her." The fox girl clicked her fingers causing the room to shake violently, the fox girl''s face instantly turned sour when it had begun. .
"Oh great, what do I do to honor this great old geezer that has toe to visit me?" The fox girl rolled her eyes as she knew exactly who it was.
"You damned brat, what do you think you''re doing!" A stern voice could be heard from all directions.
"What do you think i''m doing, i''m helping the darn girl which you dragged here and making sure she does not die because of your stupid mistakes!!!" The fox girl retorted back and the voice stayed silent for a moment.
"I know it was a risky move to let her tap into that power but it was also to test if she was capable of wielding it and frankly it was a sess." The fox girl squinted her eyes as she was not satisfied with that answer.
"You know that this will backfire right if she is able to inherit it right?" The fox girl crossed her arms as arguing was not going to get them anywhere.
"There is not much we can do and since we had to start pulling people at random just to get the right candidate, it gives me hope that we found someone who has potential."
"Yeah well at least let me help otherwise that hope will all be for nothing." The fox girl stared at the roof waiting for a response.
"Fine, just make sure it''s not obvious." The man had given up as even if he said no the fox girl would have done it anyway.
"Fuhuhu~." The fox girl clicked her fingers once again this time with no earthquake and did whatever she wanted to do.
''Just wait till I break out of this damn seal, you can''t keep me physically here forever.''
***
[Shaman has been healed]
[Blessing of the fox (hidden)]
***
Shaman, Elysia, Wolfy and Himeko had all returned back to the tower in Ebonscale and were back in their room.
Elysia had Shaman in her arms as she was worried sick for her and did not want to leave her side. Elysia however did notice something strange and it was the fact that all of her mana came back, it was normal for Shaman to heal small wounds due to having a regeneration skill but for all her mana toe back it was rather odd. Elysia kept looking at Shaman''s status which only showed the little information but it did tell her Shaman''s HP and MP so she had a general idea of Shaman''s condition.
''Did she level up orplete some secret quest which caused her to heal?'' Elysia still had no idea what happened and had to wait for Shaman to wake up as she probably has a system notification.
''Although I got to level 62, I will say Shaman most likely got the bulk of it.'' Elysia looked at her system and saw that she had only risen 5 levels but she did manage to upgrade her fire to tier 3 so it was worth it in the end.
''Can you see what level I am Elysia?'' Wolfy was curious as he did not have a system and was curious about if he gained anything.
''You rose to level 76 so only 1 level from that fight.'' Elysia expected Wolfy to not have gone up much as the requirement to level up would be significantly higher and also theck of contribution they had during the fight.
''Looks like we need to go kill one ourselves.'' Wolfy was a little disappointed but he could notin much as he was already at a much higher level than Elysia and his mother.
They continued to sit around for a while with Himekoing in to give them some food and check up on Shaman as it was just a waiting game.
A few hours had gone by till eventually Elysia who was now sitting besides Shaman could see she had begun to wake up.
Elysia waited patiently and called Wolfy over, Elysia had sat on the bed kneeling while Wolfy sat next to the bed leaning his head on the mattress.
Shaman could be seen moving around a little till she finally shot up from her sleeping state.
"ELYSIA!!" She screamed out Elysia''s name and when she did this Elysia instantly hugged her.
"It''s okay I am here andpletely fine, I''m still here." Elysia was trying to reassure Shaman the best she could as the trauma Shaman would have faced definitely left an impact.
Wolfy had now jumped on the bed and was on the opposite side of Elysia.
Shaman sat there frozen as she could not believe Elysia was okay in front of her. Tears had also started toe down her face uncontrobly as she started to hug Elysia back confirming that this was real. Wolfy had also begun to lick Shaman''s cheek to show his affection to Shaman.
"B-but how?" Shaman was so confused as to how Elysia was fine.
What you saw was not my blood but the shield Himeko used to save me and due to it being ava like substance it spilled out looking like blood to you, you idiot." Elysia still could not believe Shaman saw it as blood but at the same time everything happened all too fast.
Shaman now felt a little ashamed as it seems like it should have been something easy to see.
"I''m sorry." Shaman could not say anything as she seemingly have made everyone worried for a stupid reasons.
"It''s okay, I still love you and knowing how far you will go for me, it made me love you more." Elysia was also rather touched as it showed Shaman really cared for her and was reassuring.
"She hasn''t even been awake for a minute and you are already flirting, uggghhh." Himeko had appeared behind Elysia with her armed cross.
"Now that''s strange from what I can see, you already have all your mana back but where the hell did ite from? It exins why you woke up so early as mana is basically what our bodies use for energy but to have it suddenlye back is not natural." Himeko had looked at Shaman and could see that the mana inside her core had pretty much fully returned.
Shaman had also stopped crying and let go of Elysia to wipe her face with her hands before talking to Himeko.
"Well I don''t know what it could be." Shaman was rather confused as she should have been out for a longer period of time than just a few hours.
"Well let''s be thankful that you are okay without any issues but you may have developed some trauma so just be careful what you do." Himeko wanted to know more but Shaman was clueless as well as Elysia so there was no point into pursuing why Shaman got all her mana back.
''I want to ask her about the mode she entered but I think I will leave that forter since she just woke up.'' Himeko had many questions for Shaman but it would be rude if she were to start asking them so she left it be for now.
"I will be downstairs making some food soe down when you are ready." Himeko had patted Shaman on the head for a moment before disappearing on the spot.
Shaman fell back on the bed as there were many things running through her head.
"So Elysia tell me what happened because everything went nk after I thought I saw you get killed." Shaman wanted to know as she was rather curious what she did.
"Well." Elysia exined how the fight went to Shaman.
Shaman was rather surprised as she was able to simultaneously use all her elements at once.
"Usually I have to activate them one at a time but you are saying I did it all at the same time." Shaman had to go by a step by step process in order to use multiple elements let alone all 4.
"It was really cool, even your hair became multicolored, just need a few more and you get rainbow hair." Elysia, despite the whole situation being sad, could not help tell how cool Shaman actually was during the fight.
"That also reminds me what did you get from the skeleton." Elysia also wanted to know what kind of message she got from the system.
"I don''t think I picked up any loot." Shaman realized they had to usually pick up the loot but from the sounds of it she did not end up getting any of it till a message popped up.
[Don''t worry, your trustypanion Rea put it in your inventory for you!!]
A cute message appeared which gave a feeling of relief to Shaman and Elysia as the loot from the skeleton would be worth a lot.
"Shall we check the loot." Shaman figured that was the best thing to do first to lighten the mood even more.
"Yes!" Elysia yelled out and Wolfy who was sitting next to Shaman began to wag his tail as he was also excited to see what they got.
Chapter 81 Demon Scythe
?Shaman was currently probing her inventory of all the loot she had received from the skeleton knight.
[Skeleton knight core(tier 6)]
[Shards of bone]
[Demon metal x 4]
[Demon scythe (Epic)]
Shaman was surprised to see what she had obtained as it was more than she usually would get. The added materials of the skeleton and a weapon were notmon.
"What is it?" Elysia was curious, although she could see for herself she was liking the suspense.
"Let me show you." Shaman pulled out the Demon scythe from the inventory andid it out in front of her for Wolfy and Elysia to see.
"Huh? Should it not be a sword?" Elysia was confused as it looked like the sword but it was now an entirely different weapon.
"I agree but hold on, let''s look at the description." Shaman shared the same confusion, and so did Wolfy but looking at the description may give them a hint to why.
[Demon Scythe]
[Rarity: Epic]
[A demon de that can mold to the users will, the original form of this de is unknown and is seen to change from time to time if left untouched]
[Compatible Elements]
Blood
Shadow
Dark
Shaman could not help but look nkly at the description as this weapon sounded amazing, it also seemed like a weapon that couldst you a while without needing to change it till it breaks.
Shaman had also let Elysia look at it and was also amazed by the weapon.
"This weapon sounds perfect for Wolfy if he had a human form." Elysia thought that the weapon suited Wolfy the most and made the offment but to Shaman this was a perfect idea.
"That''s a great idea, we are keeping this till he gets his human form which should be when he reaches tier 5." Shaman was confident Wolfy would get his human form at tier 5 as that seemed like thest phase of his evolution.
Wolfy''s eyes were beaming as he was getting a weapon of his own and was even more determined to get to tier 5 so he could use it.
Shaman could see his tail wagging and could not help but give him headpats.
"Anyway let''s put this away, I''m curious what this demon metal is." Shaman put the scythe away and pulled out 1 of the demon metal pieces so she could inspect it.
[Demon metal]
[tier 6 material]
[A lower version of the tier 10 true demon metal but it is a very capable piece of metal that can be used to craft weapons or armour, the more pieces use the more likely to seed in forging]
Shaman raised an eyebrow as this was a cksmithing material which got her curious about whether she could find someone to make a weapon or some armour.
"It''s a material for cksmithing but we will need to ask Himeko if she can get a cksmith to use this material." Shaman was a little cautious as the system could tell her information that the world doesn''t know so she needs to find out if it is even known as a material.
"Well it''s kind of useless to us so i agree that we should ask Himeko and speaking of her should we head downstairs for some food." Himeko was feeling hungry and she could imagine Shaman would be too.
"Sounds good but make sure not to tell her about the scythe, at least not yet anyway." Shaman wanted to avoid unnecessary confusion on how she got a weapon so it was best to leave it in their inventory for now.
Elysia nodded and so they hopped off the bed to go downstairs however when Shaman stood up all of a sudden she fell to the floor.
"Hahaha, it seems like my legs are still a little tired." Despite her being fully healed the effects have not fully kicked in.
"Pffft" Elysia could not help butugh as she went over and helped Shaman up.
''Shut up!" Shaman felt embarrassed but she could do nothing but ept it.
They continued down stairs with Shaman leaning on Elysia for support. They reached the same dining area and sat down waiting for Himeko.
They could see Himeko still working away in the kitchen and the smell of meat invaded their nose.
"Oh god, the hunger is kicking." Shaman did not feel hungry but now that she was smelling it, it had made her inner desiree out.
"I agree with you there." Elysia had her head on the table as her stomach began to rumble.
''I hope I get some more meat~." Wolfy was slightly drooling as he remembered the meat he got from Himeko as it was a divine taste for him.
"Alright girls, the meat is ready." Himeko walked out in lingerie and an apron causing Shaman to curse internally about Himeko''s curves once again.
Himeko ced all the food down in front of everyone and they instantly began to eat without saying a word as they were too absorbed by the food. Himeko smiled at them as she had a warm feeling in her heart.
''Is this what it feels like to be a mother.'' Himeko was feeling very anxious as she never had this kind of experience and was wondering if she was doing it right.
They had finished eating and had their fill, Shaman leaned back and pulled out the demonic metal so she could ask Himeko about it.
"Do you know what this is Himeko? Pretty sure this was the armour of the skeleton we fought." Shaman casually brought it up and hoped Himeko did not suspect anything suspicious.
"Hmmm?" Himeko took it out of Shaman''s hand and began to inspect it herself. Himeko looked at it a big longer before responding.
"It looks like an ore that I have collected from that dungeon before but I never had a piece of the armour before, if my guess is right it could be used to craft some gear." Shaman was relieved to hear that they might be able to get some use out.
"It looks like you have some of this." Himeko could see the happiness in Shaman''s eyes from her response and could tell she had more.
"Haha yeah I do, I was wondering if we could use them to make equipment." Shaman did not bother to try to hide it as it seems like she would have been seen right through if she did.
"I can try to find a cksmith who can use it but if it is the material I think it is, we may need to take a trip to the capital to find someone."
"If that is the case don''t worry about it, we will collect some more pieces as just a few would not be enough." Shaman knew that if they could at least get more pieces they might be able to make a stronger weapon for Elysia due to the amount of pieces being used.
"We can wait as there is no rush but I don''t expect any local cksmiths to be able to use it." Himeko handed back the piece to Shaman.
"Anyway, what are the ns for the rest of the night or are you just going straight to bed?" Shaman was curious if Himeko had any ns but expected it to be just a rxing night.
"I think I will just go to sleep but I feel like you are hiding somethings that you got but are just not telling me." Himeko had a smirk as it was a blind guess but the looks on Shaman and Elysia''s face told her everything.
Shaman realized that they gave way that they did indeed get something else and let out a sigh.
"Call it a mother''s intuition fuhuhu~." Himeko could not help but feel a little giddity saying that.
"Tch." Shaman clicked her tongue but was also curious why Himeko said mother but did not pay much attention to it.
"You are right I did get something else but that''s a secret." Shaman wanted to try to avoid telling her by just being annoying.
"Oho? You think you can hide it from me?" Himeko took this as a challenge and began to stare down Shaman.
Shaman stood up as her legs were now back to normal and stuck out her tongue at Himeko and started to run away. Elysia and Wolfy followed behind her as they could be held hostage if they don''t escape as well.
"Running away now are we? I hope you realize that this is my house." Himeko stood up and instead of using her mes thought it would be fun to chase them instead.
Himeko allowed them to get to the stairs before dashing after them; she had also released a bit of her aura to add a little spice to the chase.
Shaman and the group split up at the stairs and were shocked from the aura.
"Looks like the chase is on." Shaman did not expect it to turn into a game but nheless wanted to go along with it.
Chapter 82 Lasting Effect
?Shaman had started to make her way up the stairs to try to find a ce to hide as it seems like Himeko is going to y their game.
''Did not expect us to y tag but fuck it why not, sounds like fun.'' Shaman felt a little childish but she enjoyed the feeling rather than feel ashamed by it.
Shaman reached the top floor which was Himeko''s room, she felt a little bad but if anything it would be the better spot to hide. She walked into the room which was covered in red, there were many basic things Himeko would usually have but one thing she noticed was all the plushies she had near her bed.
''Oho~ so Himeko really likes cute things.'' Shaman had a cheeky grin as she was learning more about Himeko.
''I might not have any ears after this but it was well worth the ear pulling I may receiveter.'' Shaman was willing to take the little punishment for this knowledge as it was perfect fuel to tease Himeko with.
Shaman looked around the room and when she looked up she could see that there were support beams that she could jump on.
''Let''s chill here for a moment.'' Shaman ran up the closet wall and jumped off, she sessfully was able to grab a hold of one of the horizontal beams and pull herself up.
''Alright this ce should do for now and since I''m near the door I can use [shadow cloak] to escape.'' Shaman considered using [Shadow walk] but due to it making her presence disappear thought it would be cheating to do so.
Shaman sat down and rested for a moment as she waited for something to happen but upon sitting there Shaman had this creeping anxiety feeling slowly fill her heart. Shaman also started to feel anxious as she sat alone on the support beam.
''Why am I feeling anxious being alone.'' Shaman was confused as to what was going on with herself but tried to take deep breaths.
''Its okay Shaman there is nothing to be worried about.'' Shaman tried to console herself but the feeling was getting stronger and stronger and her mind started to wonder.
shes of the Skeleton knight appeared in her head and the scene of Elysia being struck down yed in her mind. Shaman began to stress out as her body was telling her to go to Elysia afraid that she might be in danger.
Shaman was stopping herself from moving but her mental state was slowly deteriorating. She tried to keep reminding herself it was okay and that Elysia was safe but the thoughts would not leave her alone. In the end Shaman ended up curling up into a ball and silently cried while she tried to stop the mental battle she was having.
''I can get through this.'' Shaman was being stubborn as she wanted to take it on alone. She continued to sit there alone trying her best not to break down.
**
Elysia and Wolfy had gone down stairs together, although they had not been to the lower floors before they figured a little adventure would not hurt. They had also thought they were rather safe as Shaman was the main target of the chase.
''Wolfy we are going to need to use your Shadows if we want to get out of a sticky situation.'' Elysia was relying on Wolfy as she did not have any stealth skills.
''Sure thing but you have to stay close to me or pick me up otherwise I won''t be able to use my skills at all to conceal you.'' Wolfy was a little worried as it would be hard to move together since he has gotten to a full sized wolf and isn''t the easiest to pick up.
''Well let''s hope it does note to that.'' Although Elysia could carry Wolfy, she was not confident jumping around with him at all.
They reached the lower floor and it seemed to be a store room of some kind. There was a lot of old furniture in the room and the room was dimly lit making it rather hard to see.
"Looks perfect for a hiding spot." Elysia saw this as an opportunity to hide as they could hardly see the back due to all the furniture being stacked ontop of each other.
"Let''s try to get through all this furniture without knocking it over." The issue was it was hard to enter the room since the room was filled head to toe with old furniture. Elysia looked up and saw that they could use the beams above to get in.
''Wolfy we are going up, let''s go.'' Elysia informed Wolfy and so they jumped up to the roof of the floor.
They made their way over the furniture till they could see pockets of space they could go into.
Elysia saw one where they could both fit and pointed to it so Wolfy could see, they both jumped down into it and sat down since they would be chilling there for a while.
''Well let''s hope Shaman found a good spot to hide.'' Elysia was wondering where Shaman could hide as going upstairs felt like she would be limiting her options.
''She has ess to all the skills I have so she should be fine either way.'' Wolfy was not too worried because of that fact.
However Elysia noticed that her bracelet was slightly vibrating and cold sweat began to drip down her face. She quickly opened it and saw the situation was not good.
"Shit Shaman is having a mental breakdown." Elysia instantly started stressing as the worst scenarios ran through her mind.
''Wolfy screw the chase we are going to find Shaman.'' Shaman was top priority for Elysia and did not care what Himeko wanted.
Elysia jumped up and instantly began rushing out the room, She had left Wolfy behind as right now all she could think about was getting to Shaman. She opened the door to the store room and found herself facing Himeko.
"Now is not the time Shaman is not okay and we need to find her." Elysia quickly exined what was going on to Himeko and continued to rush past Himeko.
Himeko took a second to register what was being said but when she did she also began to stress.
''Shit Shaman must''ve developed some trauma from thest battle.'' Himeko knows all too well what it is like to go through trauma and can imagine what Shaman may be feeling.
Wolfy had also gotten out and jumped next to Himeko.
''Let''s catch up.'' Wolfy spoke to Himeko and she nodded in response.
Himeko picked up Wolfy and she teleported to the upper floors to search for Shaman.
*
Elysia was dashing up the stairs as fast as she could crying out for Shaman.
"SHAMAN!!" She continued to yell in hopes of getting a response and since she did not have time to thoroughly check the rooms. There were at least 2 more spare bedrooms that were above their room and each one she was not able to get a sign from Shaman.
When Elysia opened the next door to thest spare room she saw Himeko and Wolfy there.
"Elysia, she is in my room." Himeko had used her mana sense to locate where Shaman was.
Without saying a word Elysia continued to run up the stairs going straight for Himeko''s room.
"I could have transported her." Himeko could have used her fire but it seemed like Elysia forgot this fact that she could go anywhere in the building without moving.
''Oh well, let''s meet her up there.'' They had no time and so they transported her to her room.
They appeared in the room and once again Himeko closed her eyes and felt out the room with her mana and felt Shaman''s presence above them. She put down Wolfy and instantly jumped up on the beams and could see Shaman curled in a ball crying.
She quickly dashed over and picked her up, she lightly went to the floor and slowly patted Shaman.
"It''s okay we are here now." Himeko tried to calm Shaman down but it was not working. Himeko had also started kneeling on the floor. Wolfy had alsoe up and begun to lick Shaman''s face as a way to calm her down.
Elysia had mmed the door open and could see Himeko with Shaman in her hands.
Tears started to fall as she rushed over and slid on her knees next to her. Himeko allowed Elysia to take Shaman in her arms as right now the best thing would be to have Shaman see Elysia.
"Shaman it is okay I am here now, please look at me." Elysia tried to bring back Shaman who had their eyes closed and tears wereing out of them. Pain and anguish could be seen on Shaman''s face which caused Elysia''s heart to ache a little.
"Please, Shaman, I''m here right next to you." Elysia continued to call out to Shaman in hopes she woulde back.
Chapter 83 Mental Battle
?Shaman currently was inside her own mind back in the dungeon where she fought the skeleton.
Cold sweat was running down her face as the feelings she was having before were getting stronger and stronger. Her breath grew heavier as the scene of Elysia dying kept being yed in front of her.
Soon it was just Elysia on the ground dead and the skeleton knight standing there staring Shaman down.
"AHHHHHHH!!!" Shaman grabbed her head and started to scream as now the pain was getting too much for her to handle.
"IT''S NOT REAL, SHE NEVER DIED." Shaman tried to get herself to calm down as she was told that it was not her blood and Elysia was still alive and breathing in front of her but for some reason Shaman was still being affected by her pseudo death.
She continued to scream till eventually the feeling of fear and pain was gone and she was able to think again.
Shaman looked up and noticed something when she just looked at Elysia, the encroaching feeling did not scream out but whenever she looked right at the skeleton her head would spin and the pain woulde back.
Shaman once again held her head and looked away from the skeleton so the pain could calm down.
Shaman was catching her breath as she seemingly figured out the problem.
"Looks like the issue is the skeleton, not Elysia herself." Shaman figured the fear wasing from the skeleton and not the death of Elysia.
"It must be the fear of facing it and the possibility of it not turning out like it didst time, looks like i need to be able to kill it to get over it." Shaman despite not being in an ideal state was able to guess the reason and hoped that this was the case.
"If I just need to kill it then fine,e at me." Shaman caught her breath and stood with confidence but when she went to look at the skeleton she was paralyzed and could not move a muscle. The fear started to build up again and her head started to burn like crazy.
"Please just move, I I need to move on." Shaman''s view started to distort as the Skeletons figure grew bigger and bigger till itpletely towered over her.
Shaman fell to her knees as her legs gave out and tears started toe out uncontrobly. Shaman helplessly looked up as she watched the skeleton knight continue to fill up her view. She eventually passed out as she could no longer take it and fell to the floor.
**
"It''s okay we are here now."
"Shaman it is okay I am here now, please look at me."
Shaman could hear the voice of Himeko and Elysia as she slowly began to open her eyes, she was once again greeted with the underground tomb-like ce and could see that the skeleton was nowhere to be found.
Shaman had panicked for a moment and tried to move but was unable to as it could have been behind her but since nothing came she calmed down a little.
''I''m still here?'' Shaman was still shaken up by what she saw and found it very hard to get up. Shaman after trying managed to sit up but was unable to move her legs.
"Shit." Despite being in her own head the whole thing feels too real to her.
"Is someone doing this on purpose?" Shaman could not help but feel like this was being caused by someone else as even the memories did not feel as real as this did.
Shaman did not think about it for too long as she saw in the distance a very familiar figure slowly approach her.
Shaman''s breathing started to get faster as she started to panic.
"Fuck, fuck , FUCK!!!!" Shaman screamed out as she was unable to move much at all, she tried dragging herself across the floor backwards but she was not fast enough to escape.
Shaman continued to move back while she stared at the Skeleton knight slowly approaching her. The walls also started to close in making it feel suffocating for her. Shaman''s movements became more erratic as she was now in full panic mode.
The skeleton knight could be seen clearly and was about 25 meters away from her.
"No, no, no, please don''te any closer." Shaman began to sob as she tried her best to get away from the skeleton knight.
Shaman''s arms grew weak till they stopped working and could onlyy helplessly on the floor looking at the skeleton knight.
The skeleton knight was now standing right infront of her wielding its demon sword pointing it right at Shaman''s face.
"AHHHHHH!!" Shaman screamed with all her might as she wore a terrified face looking at the skeleton knight till eventually it pierced her skull.
**
"AAAAHHHHH!" Shaman shot up and screamed while also grabbing her head where she was stabbed.
Elysia grabbed a hold of her again as Shaman escaped her previous hold and instantly started to pat her head.
"Shaman it''s okay, I''m alive and well." Elysia was trying her best to not break down again. It was hard enough to see Shaman squirm around and be in pain for the time that Shaman was out.
Shaman let out heavy breaths as she grabbed hold of Elysia as hard as she could, the fear she was feeling was still there and Elysia''s presence was slowly getting rid of it. Shaman also began to sob as it was the most terrifying thing she had ever felt and was d it was over.
"Shhhhh, it''s okay." Elysia''s voice was shaky but she stayed strong as she continued to let Shaman cry on her shoulder for as long as she needed.
Himeko let out a sigh as the whole situation was stressing her out and it seemed to have be a much greater issue than anticipated.
"I''m going to go look for something, I''ll be back, make sure to look after her." Himeko quickly left to go get something and Elysia continued to hold Shaman who was now quietly sobbing on her shoulder.
Wolfy had also sat behind Elysia so he could see Shaman''s face. Wolfy lifted up his paw to pat Shaman''s head. Although it looked ufortable Elysia found it very cute but was also very happy to see Wolfy trying his best to help console Shaman.
A few more minutes had passed and Shaman had finally calmed down and was no longer crying since the fear had finally disappeared.
Elysia also used some tissues to clean up the mess and Shaman''s face.
"Thank you." Shaman spoke in a low voice as her throat was not feeling well and could not speak much. Elysia smiled at her which warmed Shaman''s heart and caused her to smile as well.
"Anything for my love but please don''t force yourself, clearly you are still not okay so take it slow." Elysia could see the exhausted look on Shaman and so they waited for Himeko to return.
Elysia began to cuddle with Shaman while Wolfyid in Shaman''sp. This was a veryforting feeling and Shaman did not want it to end as she felt like she was in the safest ce in the world away from all the dangers.
After cuddling for 15 minutes Himeko had finally returned and came back with a small wooden box.
Elysia was rather curious about what it could be as it may help Shaman.
Shaman had her eyes closed since she was soaking in the current feeling of warmth andfort from her girlfriend and Wolfy.
"I have some medicine that should allow Shaman to be able to sleep peacefully." Himeko figured that Shaman would not be able to sleep so she went out to get medicine that allows for a good night''s sleep.
Shaman opened her eyes as she was surprised to hear that sleeping pills existed in this world but was also d since the thought of sleeping scared her a little.
"She just needs to take one pill right before she sleeps and it should knock you out." Himeko smiled since right now they needed a good sleep. Elysia nodded and took the box from Himeko and opened it up.
The box was filled with white looking pills which had enough tost for more than a few months.
"Alright I say we head to bed, I need to rest." Elysia could imagine thefort of her bed as the floor they have been sitting on is not the mostfortable. Shaman nodded and Wolfy moved off Shaman''s Lap.
"I will take you to your bed so don''t worry about moving." Himeko clicked her fingers and fire started to wrap around them.
"Also goodnight and sweet dreams." After Himeko finished talking they were transported and found themselves on top of their bed.
Elysia let out a sigh and took out one of the pills.
"Alright let''s get to sleep." Elysia handed over the pill to Shaman and began to pull the covers over them. Wolfy gotfortable at the end of the bed as he wanted to stay near Shaman.
Shaman nodded since she could not quite speak properly yet and took the pill and swallowed it with no issues. Shaman got closer to Elysia so they could cuddle and in a few seconds Shaman was already knocked out by the pill.
''Wow that pill really works fast.'' Elysia was amazed by how quickly it took effect.
''Well let''s hope we wake up nice and peaceful.''
Chapter 84 Bathhouse
?Himeko sat at her desk in her room holding her head in her hand. She crossed her legs and used her other hand to tap the desk.
"I''m so stupid." Himeko, who had sat in silence, finally spoke, cursing herself. She gritted her teeth as she tried her best not to cry.
"Fuck, it''s my fault for putting them in such a dangerous situation." Himeko started to me herself as the current state of Shaman was caused by her.
"What a great motherly figure you are." Himeko finally broke and tears started to fall down her face. Himeko took a moment to let herself cry and let the emotions she had bottled during the day out.
After crying it out Himeko finally stood from her seat and wore a determined expression.
"There is always a way to get over it. Shaman just needs to get stronger and face her fears." Himeko came to the conclusion that Shaman needed to get to the next tier in order to face the skeleton knight.
"Best thing I can do as a stand-in mother right now is to teach her, so tomorrow I will get them to face the lower leveled monsters in the dungeon and train them vigorously." Himeko clenched her fists since now she wanted to make up for her mistakes, so she was going to train and teach them all she knew without holding back.
"Okay now that I got that out of the way let''s go have a nice bath." Himeko clicked her fingers and vanished from the room.
**
The next morning arrived and Elysia was the first one to wake up. She slowly opened her eyes and could see that Shaman was sleeping peacefully in her arms with no troubles.
Elysia let out a sigh of relief as it seemed like the sleeping pills worked allowing Shaman to get a good night''s sleep without worry. However when Elysia went to go up Shaman''s began to stress out and her face filled with worry.
"Oh." Elysia felt very saddened by this and went back to hugging Shaman, as it seemed like she was the anchor Shaman needed.
"I hope we can get over this soon." Elysia patted Shaman scratching behind her ears. Shaman could be seen smiling from the scratches and Elysia could not helpughing a little and see her as a small animal.
''I wish you were a little smaller, you would be so adorable.'' Elysia''s thoughts began to wonder as she started imagining a smaller Shaman.
''Oh my god she would be so cute.'' Elysia hugged Shaman tighter as she was having a cuteness overload thinking of a shorter Shaman.
After being in her own head for a while and smothering Shaman in her boobs, Shaman finally began to wake up. She was greeted by the usual site of Elysia''s breasts in her face and instead of getting up put her head in further.
Elysia broke out of her fantasynd and noticed Shaman finally woke up.
"I know you love them a lot but we need to get up." Elysia had a smirk as she knew Shaman had this fixation on breasts and so she pulled away getting off the bed.
Shaman let her body fall to the edge of the bed and pouted while looking at Elysia.
"A don''t be like that~." Elysia lightly patted Shaman''s head and despite wanting to keep being angry Shaman could not help but wag her tail.
"Come on, let''s go take a bath. I want to get out of these clothes." Elysia wanted to talk about what happenedst night but felt like it was not the right time to talk about it and was going to wait till Shaman wasfortable speaking about it. So instead of worrying about it, she thought it would be a good idea to rx and make a trip to the bathhouse.
Elysia and Shaman still had not changed and they started to feel icky as daily bathing was normal routine for them.
Shaman pulled herself up and shook Wolfy to wake him up as well, they made their way to the bottom of the tower with no signs of Himeko.
"Where do you think Himeko could be?" Shaman was a little worried as it would have been nice to see her.
"No idea where she could be, anyway if I remember correctly there should be a personal bathhouse to the left when we go out the front door." Elysia had asked Himeko when they were waiting for Shaman to wake up after the battle with the skeleton night if she had such a thing and it turned out Himeko owns a personal one that they could also use.
They continued to make their way out of the tower and followed Elysia''s directions. They saw a path leading down from the hill they were on and continued to follow it.
Soon they were met with a building at the bottom with the words bathhouse. It looked like a traditional Japanese building which confused Shaman as so far the entire ce had been Chinese styled.
''Remember it''s an alternate world, things are different.'' Shaman shook her head and reminded herself that she was in a different world.
The 3 of them all walked in and instead of a reception which was just an empty room where they could take their shoes off.
"I guess when you own it and it''s only for you to use, you don''t really need a person at the front desk." Shaman was half expecting someone to be inside but found no one was in there.
They continued through the door that had a piece of cloth which was cut in the middle and went halfway down, when they entered they found themselves in the changing room already and they had also noticed that the baths were not sectioned off and it was just one big bath.
"Seems like Himeko does not expect anyone else to use this bath." From what Elysia was seeing it confirmed that Himeko owned it and it has only been used by her and maybe other family members.
"Anyway let''s jump in already, now that I can see the bath I can''t wait to rx." Shaman was really eager and her tail showed her excitement as well. Without realizing Elysia''s tail was wagging as well, alongside Wolfy''s.
Shaman and Elysia both quickly got undressed and ran to the bath, they saw no one was in it luckily and Shaman jumped right in. The water sshed up hitting Elysia which stopped her from jumping in.
The bath was almost the size of a tennis court and hot steam could be seening off it slowly.
Shaman stood up and flicked her back. Elysia found this to look rather sexy and was slowly getting into the mood.
''God dammit why now.'' Elysia covered herself with her hands and slowly entered the bath so she could use the water to hide herself.
Wolfy on the other hand jumped straight in and began to doggy swim around the bath.
Shaman went back in the water and began to push herself towards the edge where Elysia sat down. Shaman turned her back andnded herself in Elysia''sp.
Elysia made room for Shaman and began to hug her from behind, she wrapped her arms over Shaman''s shoulders and Shaman leant back resting her head on Elysia''s breasts.
? Elysia''s urges were growing but since Wolfy was in the bath as well it would not be appropriate to do anything and she also wanted to avoid that awkward situation, this fueled Elysia to not cave in.
"Ahhhh~ I love this, thank you Elysia for bringing me here." Shaman looked back so she could see Elysia''s face but when she looked she could see that her face was bright red.
Shaman smirked and Elysia looked away as she was too busy controlling herself.
"Oh~ I see how it is." Shaman had a smug grin as she moved out of her hold so she could see Elysia''s face.
"Wolfy is here, we can''t do anything." Elysia wanted to make up an excuse as right now she felt very threatened by Shaman''s actions.
"Fuhuhu~ who said that he would find out." Without letting Elysia respond, Shaman grabbed Elysia''s face and pulled her in for a kiss.
Wolfy was currently exploring the bath and was on the other side of the bath and was unable to see Shaman and Elysia clearly due to the steam and distance.
Shaman pulled away from the kiss and looked back and saw that Wolfy was still oblivious to what they were doing.
"See, he does not see a thing so how about we have some fun before we hop out." Shaman started intently at Elysia waiting for an answer.
"Fuck it." Elysia could not take it anymore and caved into the pressure and allowed Shaman to do what she wanted
"Hehe~ that''s my girl." Shaman smiled and once again pulled Elysia in for another kiss and prepared for a risky morning.
Chapter 85 Risky Morning (R18)
?Shaman and Elysia''s tongue intertwined with each and shared a deep long kiss. Slight moans could be heard from both of them and luckily the small waterfall that went into the bath was making enough sound to hide any moans that escaped.
Wolfy had been distracted at the end of the pool as he saw some insects that were on the outskirts of the bath where some bushes were.
Shaman broke away from the kiss and smiled at Elysia.
Elysia was confused what Shaman was doing till she suddenly felt a hand touch her stomach. Shaman Slowly moved her hand down Elysia''s stomach which made it hard for Elysia not to moan. Shaman noticed Elysia was close to moaning so she pulled her in for another kiss and continued to travel down her body.
Shaman reached Elysia''s cave and slowly began to finger her. Elysia moaned inside of Shaman''s mouth as it was hard for her to control herself and was unable to contain it. Shaman stopped for a moment to take a quick look behind her and thankfully Wolfy did not notice.
"Let''s continue~." Shaman continued her assault and kissed Elysia so that they could hide her moans the best they could.
Elysia wrapped her arms around Shaman and the kiss was the only thing keeping her from moaning out loud and was a much needed distraction.
Shaman began to go faster and used more fingers causing the kiss to be harder and harder to hold. Elysia was now on the verge of cumming and was unable to hold the kiss any longer.
"AHHH~!" Elysia pulled her head back letting out a moan, she tried her best to be quiet but it was anything but quiet.
Shaman quickly rested on Elysia''s chest to look like they were just rxing while Elysia tried her best to calm down as much as she could while hugging Shaman..
Wolfy quickly turned his head as he was unsure what he heard but when he saw Shaman and Elysia, they looked like they were just sitting there.
''I guess I heard them yell about something, they wouldn''t be having their alone time in the bath while in here.'' Wolfy was sure they would not do something like that so he went back to observing the small creatures at the edge of the pool.
"Phew, looks like he does not suspect anything yet." Shaman was happy despite Elysia clearly moaning, Wolfy just ignored them.
"That''s good but I think it''s my turn." Elysia caught her breath and looked down at Shaman who had a blissful expression.
Shaman nodded and waited for Elysia to do what she wanted.
Elysia moved Shaman so that she was sitting up straight in front of her and due to Elysia being slightly taller she could just see over Shaman''s head although her ears were somewhat in the way she was able to still see Wolfy at the end of the pool.
Shaman was getting excited by the second as she could feel Elysia''s hands go around her body. Shaman also slightly leaned back pushing her back against Elysia''s breasts, Shaman enjoyed the backrest and could not wait for what was about to happen next.
Elysia slowly made her right hand go down Shaman''s body while her other hand went for Shaman''s breasts. Shaman''s breasts fit perfectly in her hands as she started to fondle them slowly. Her other hand also got to work as she started to finger Shaman. Shaman bit her lip as she tried her best to let any sounde out of her mouth.
Since Shaman was a lot less sensitive than Elysia she was able to hold it in. Elysia slowly got more and more aggressive and started to kiss Shaman''s neck which caused Shaman to cover her mouth with her hand.
Shaman began to worry if Wolfy could hear them but it also excited her that they could get court at any moment.
''I see why people like to take risks.'' Shaman had questioned why people would do things out in public but now that she was almost doing it in public the adrenaline was almost addicting. However Shaman could not think for long as Elysia ramped up her assault further with Shaman trying her best to stay quiet.
Elysia had also started to give Shaman a hickey on her neck making it harder and harder for Shaman as they went on.
After a few minutes which seemed like an eternity for Shaman, Elysia stopped giving her hickey and pulled Shaman''s head in for a kiss.
This allowed Shaman to moan inside Elysia''s mouth as they made out. Elysia also went back to fondling Shaman''s breasts and got more aggressive with fingering her.
Shaman was close to climaxing, which told Elysia to go for onest push.
"AHHH~!" Just like Elysia, Shaman had pulled away from the kiss letting out a loud moan for a brief moment before stopping herself. Shaman fell into Elysia letting herself to be further submerged into the water. Elysia held Shaman with a smile and tried her best to look natural as she could see Wolfy swimming over.
Shaman did not care as she rxed into Elysia and closed her eyes.
''I needed that afterst night''s endeavor.'' Shaman wanted a distraction and thought that this was the perfect opportunity to get her mind off things.
Wolfy had finally arrived and instantly opened up with a question.
''What the hell are you two doing?'' Wolfy had now be suspicious of what was going on and went to investigate.
"Oh? Don''t worry Wolfy it was just Shaman being annoying and causing me to scream a little, I just got my revenge just before." Elysia smiled at Wolfy hoping that was enough to satisfy his questions.
Wolfy was still not quite convinced but found it usible so he let it slide.
''Well I am going to hop out as it is quite exhausting to swim.'' Wolfy was actually not tired at all but he did not want to stay any longer since he was too suspicious of his Mother and Elysia.
"Will you be okay drying yourself?" Elysia was unsure how Wolfy could achieve this.
Wolfy did not say anything but showed Elysia that he can turn his shadow into hands.
"Well that''s handy." Elysia was surprised at how quickly Wolfy was able to control his element but nheless was happy for him.
Wolfy exited the bath and entered the changing room to go dry himself.
After a few minutes it had seemed like Wolfy left the bathhouse which just left Elysia and Shaman alone in the bath house.
"Fuhuhu~ looks like we don''t have to try to hide it anymore, want to go for one more round before we should leave to have breakfast." Shaman was eager to go again and Elysia wore a conflicted expression as she thought about for a moment.
Shaman turned her body so it was facing Elysia and wrapped her arms around Elysia''s neck.
Elysia''s mind began to spin a little as everything was telling her to go again, till eventually she caved in. Elysia grabbed Shaman''s face and pulled her in without warning and they shared a passionate kiss.
Shaman pulled away and went to Elysia''s neck as she needed to return the hickey she was given.
Elysia moaned and this time without worrying about anyone hearing them. While Shaman was giving the hickey Elysia had also moved her hands so she could finger Shaman.
Shaman halted for a moment as she did not expect it but continued with her hickey while also moving her hands down Elysia''s body. Shaman returned the favour by also fingering her which caused Elysia to let out a loud moan.
"AHHHHHHH~!" Elysia could let loose but still tried to keep it down just in case people were outside.
They continued going at each with Shaman finally finishing the hickey and went straight to kissing Elysia. They continued to moan till eventually they were both close to climaxing.
"Let''s try to time it." Shaman wanted to cum at the same time as Elysia and so she upped her pace as well as Elysia.
The kiss had broken as they were no longer able to concentrate on doing and both moaned together letting out a joint moan.
Shaman again fell into Elysia while Elysia leant back against the wall. They both sat in the bath catching their breaths and enjoyed each other''s embrace.
"Ahh~, I love you Elysia." Shaman looked up at Elysia''s face and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.
"I love you too." Elysia responded and gave Shaman a kiss on the forehead.
They both sat in the bath together for a bit longer till finally getting out before they werete to breakfast.
"Wanna do it again tomorrow?" Shaman was rather into the idea as there was no cleanup involved and doing it in the morning felt quite refreshing for Shaman.
"Ehhh? So soon, I mean I don''t mind but I don''t know if we can keep fooling Wolfy." Elysia was a little surprised but the question also did pop in her mind.
"Who says he has toe with us?" Shaman winked at Elysia which caused her to blush a little.
"There is no winning when I am with you isn''t there." Elysia pretty caved in as the sound of doing it every morning was appealing.
"Hehe~ I can''t wait." Shaman was excited but the mood changed when they heard a voicee from the front room.
"And who says that you can do what you want in my bath?" Himeko''s voice rang out and Shaman''s and Elysia''s hearts both sank.
Chapter 86 Caught Red Handed
?Shaman and Elysia both froze as they just heard Himeko in the next room. Shaman and Elysia looked at each other and Shaman nodded to say she had a n.
They quickly got into their casual clothes, with Shaman wearing a ck top and shorts paired along with stockings. Elysia wore her White top and ck skirt and after getting changed went next to Shaman.
"Why have you gone quiet, you better not be thinking of escaping." Himeko could now be heard walking in and Shaman quickly pulled Elysia in [Shadow walk].
''Yes it works with multiple people.'' Shaman was unsure if it would let her bring Elysia but just like [Shadow cloak] she could but at the cost of extra mana.
They quickly moved out to where Himeko was but when they entered the room they could not enter due to Himeko creating light and making all the shadows disappear. Without realizing it though they walked into a trap as they were unable to go back due to light now covering any form of shadows behind them.
"Looks like I caught some sneaky foxes." Himeko smirked as she expected them to use Shaman''s shadows to escape so she nned a way to trap them.
Shaman and Elysia had nowhere to go and so they exited [Shadow walk] slowly rising from the ground. Their ears drooped down as well as their tail as they looked down at the floor facing Himeko.
Without saying a word Himeko pulled on their ears, Shaman and Elysia cried out in pain. Wolfy could also be seen by the door shaking his head as his suspicions were confirmed.
"Now, I was thinking of going easy on you today but it seems like you have already treated yourselves in MY personal bath." Veins could be seen popping out of Himeko''s head like she was about to blow a fuse.
"You are lucky the bath water changes every 30 minutes or so otherwise I would have had you in there with BUCKETS!" Himeko did onest final pull before letting them go, Shaman and Elysia both grabbed a hold of their ears as they still had lingering pain.
''Tch, I would not mind but at least make it after I had my bath.'' Himeko was not angry but was more jealous but she did not want to admit she was jealous so she did not say this out loud so instead she vented it out her frustrations on the 2 girls that had just done it in her bath.
"Sorry we won''t do it again." Shaman apologized and her face turned bright red as the reality was setting in that they were caught. Elysia also shared the same fate as now her face was bright red.
"Sigh, now don''t let me catch you again otherwise I really will give out a punishment." Himeko shook her head and walked past Shaman and Elysia so she could go have a bath herself.
"How about next time we make sure no one else needs to use the bath." Elysia still did not want to lose the morning sessions and from what Himeko said it seems like as long as they are not caught it is okay.
"Yep, let''s make sure we are thest ones to go." Shaman shared the same thoughts with Elysia.
After they agreed they looked at Wolfy who was sitting by the door.
''You can count me out of future baths with you, I''m going to ask Himeko to take me instead.'' Wolfy turned his head away which was rather cute but his words contrasted this.
Shaman sighed as it was expected and was a little sad by Wolfy''s words but she could do nothing but ept it.
"Well let''s head back." Shaman held Elysia''s hand and they walked back to the central tower, Wolfy went ahead using his shadows leaving Shaman and Elysia alone.
"Today started wonderful but it seems like everything is going downhill now." Elysia could not help but feel like things were only going to get worse.
"Well I hope it gets better." Shaman gave a quick kiss to the cheek. Elysia had gone a little red as she was caught off guard.
"Hehe~." Shaman aplished her mission of cheering up Elysia and they continued to walk hand in hand.
***
"Alright girls we are going back to the dungeon but we are going to go to the lower floor where it will be easier and it won''t be skeletons this time." Himeko put her hand on the dining table as they had all just finished breakfast and Himeko wanted to get right to training.
Shaman was relieved that they would not be fighting the same creatures as she doesn''t know how she will cope if she saw them.
"We will be up against Terikin which are a form of ghosts and they are the first evolution of the mist you saw but are unable to possess anything yet. I say ghost but they are still Physical beings so any magic works on them but physical attacks will do minimal damage due to them being able to manipte their body. Let''s say they are more like floating slime till they evolve into a proper spectral body." Himeko exined what they were up against and Shaman had a pretty good image on what they would be fighting but also could not help rte the name back to a certain idol. Elysia and Wolfy were a little confused but still understood the important information.
"If there are no questions we will be heading out to the dungeon in 10 minutes." They still needed to get changed so they still had some time before they needed to leave.
Both Shaman and Elysia both shook their heads and Himeko smiled.
"Alright i''ll see you in 10 minutes." Himeko did her usual exit of vanishing leaving Shaman, Elysia and Wolfy.
"Well let''s go get changed." Shaman wanted to hurry and get ready and make most of the 10 minutes to tease Elysia.
They all headed for their room while Wolfy waited outside.
Shaman got changed quickly as the system allowed for quick equipping. Shaman did not use this feature much as she totally forgot it was an option. Elysia noticed Shaman do this and was confused how she did it.
"How the hell did you do that and why am I only finding out about it now." Elysia went next to Shaman for answers as this would have been super helpful.
"If you say equipment any clothes you have in your inventory can go into the armour/clothes slots, I forgot I could do this since it is so natural just to put on clothes normally haha~." Shaman felt a little embarrassed as the convenience of the system was left unused.
"Urrrggg~ how dare you forget now I can drag and drop, and speaking about the system how are you doing Rea." Elysia remembered that Rea could still hear them but she had been silent.
[I am still here, I think I will be able to speak soon but besides that I also have some good news]
Shaman and Elysia''s interests peaked as it is unusual to hear much from Rea when it came to getting information.
[Main quest: Clear the first floor of the tomb]
Kill Terikin 0/100
Kill Akirikan 0/1
[Reward]
[Find out when you finish hehe~] - Rea
"Huh?" Shaman was very confused by thest part as it was unusual for Rea to hide the rewards.
"Rea, what are our rewards?" Elysia wanted to know what their rewards were and hoped Rea would just tell them anyway.
[Uhhh well would you believe me if I said I don''t know]
"What do you mean you don''t know?" Shaman was getting more curious and wondered if it was just Rea beingzy.
[Like i said I don''t know, I need to wait till I find out and just so you know this quest is given to you early so that''s why]
Shaman and Elysia looked at each other and were surprised by what Rea said as it seems like they were learning more about what the system actually is.
"Okay so we will find outter what the rewards will be?" Elysia in the end did not really care how the system worked unlike Shaman and just wanted answers.
[Yes]
"Good." Elysia was okay with finding outter.
''So it seems like there are a lot more people behind the system than just a few, I wonder if I will be able to get more information out of Rea.'' Shaman wanted to learn more about the system as it could give her the reason why she was transported here in the first ce.
[Hehe~ good luck]
Shaman forgot that Rea could read their thoughts and responded to what Shaman said to herself. But before Shaman could speak there was a knock on the bedroom door.
"Girls, are you ready to get going because if not you are going out in whatever you are dressed in." Himeko was there to pick them up as the 10 minutes passed.
''Damn I did not get to tease Elysia.'' Shaman wanted to tease Elysia a little before leaving but got distracted by Rea.
Himeko and Wolfy entered the room and saw that they were both ready to go.
"We are ready." Shaman said they were ready and so they all stood next to Himeko and were transported towards the dungeon.
Chapter 87 Terikin
?The group appeared in front of the dungeon and the guards in front of the door moved out of the way while also pulling on a lever that started to open the door. The guards bowed and Himeko began to walk through the door.
Shaman, Elysia and Wolfy followed her and they started to descend stairs just like in Cholden. After a short walk they found themselves in what looked like a massive graveyard which was the size of a few football fields put together with a few churches scattered around. The entire ce was also lit by what looked like a moon making it rather dark but enough light to see around you just fine. One noticeable detail was a massive cathedral which was at the end of the room. Shaman assumed that the cathedral is the entry to the next floor and is where the skeleton knight is located.
"Alright in each of these churches except therge cathedral at the back will have Terikin in them and I want you to hunt as many as you can. I will be right behind you basically yelling instructions at you about what you should be doing while you fight." Himeko exined her outline on what she wanted to do.
Shaman and Elysia nodded and with confirmation Himeko pointed to the first church.
"Well what are you waiting for? We have some hunting to do."
Shaman, Elysia and Wolfy then began to run to the first church going through all the random graves.
''This is odd, it''s like the entire floor is covered in graves that have been ced randomly.'' Shaman thought that there was something more to the graves but was unable to determine what it was.
However Shaman''s suspicions were confirmed when a purple ghost-like monster shot up from one of the graves they walked over.
"Holy shit." Shaman got jump scared and jumped away, Elysia and Wolfy halted their movements and turned around.
Suddenly a bunch of Terikin started to emerge from the graves surrounding them. They could be seen slowly dragging themselves up like zombies and only half of their body was visible.
Himeko smirked as she knew that this was going to happen and wanted to see what they would do in a surprise situation and also guide them on what they should do.
The tattoo on Shaman''s hand appeared and soon after Kotetsu appeared in Shaman''s hand. Elysia Pulled out her bow and Wolfy went into the shadows ready to fight and luckily to how dark the ce is Wolfy would have no issues moving around.
"Let''s not waste time and get killing." Shaman wanted to get the numbers down as much as she could, this was also the go sign for Elysia and Wolfy to start attacking.
Shaman dashed back to the Terikan that appeared beneath her feet first as it was the closest one.
It was still halfway in the ground as it seemed like it was stuck in the ground so Shaman shed down on its head to see if a normal attack would work.
Shaman''s sword collided with the head and what Shaman thought would just go straight through instead got stuck like she was trying to cut through a dense piece of slime. Shaman tried to pull away but was unable to and the Terikin started to scream.
"ARHHHHHHH." A screeching ghostly howl rang through the ears of everyone nearby causing Shaman to wince in pain a little but she did not let go of her sword.
Shaman quickly realized that Physical attack won''t kill it so she activated the ice infinity and froze the Terikin through the ice on the de. Shaman then smashed the Terikin and saw that there was a glowing purple core that was broken alongside it.
''So it is the core that is keeping them alive.'' This was a key detail and could save them a lot of mana when fighting this many.
"Elysia, Wolfy, aim for the purple core inside their bodies, that''s their weak point!" Shaman shouted this as it could especially help Elysia as she only uses elemental arrows which in the long run can suck up a lot of mana.
*
Himeko was so far impressed by what Shaman has done so far and has not had the need to point out anything. The only thing she could pick up on was technique. She found Shaman''s style of fighting very free which is good as it is flexible but it''s hard to master and without a foundation of a style it can lead to sloppy movement.
''I think I will get instructor Stein to teach her the Ado foundation of katana''s.'' Himeko had also used this exercise as a way to find which teacher would suit them the best.
''I wish I could train them individually but sadly I only know how to use a greatsword.'' Himeko wanted to train them personally but she is unable to cover all bases.
*
Elysia nodded and began to look for the core Shaman mentioned. Due to the purple body it was hard to notice but Elysia was able to locate a darker patch in the stomach.
Elysia took aim using a low cost fire arrow to test what kind of power she would need. Elysia fired the shot as it sped through the air and pierced the core with ease leaving a hole in the Terikin. The Terikin slowly faded away till only the purple core was left.
Elysia was happy as she could really feel the upgraded fire that she had acquired.
Elysia then went on to snipe a few more Terikin before they got out of the ground.
"Hahaha~." Elysia began tough a little as she was enjoying herself a little too much.
*
Wolfy, who had been in the shadows, heard what he needed to aim for and began to approach some of the emerging Terikin.
Wolfy got behind one and nned to use his shadow sword but instead he wanted to try something else out. Wolfy knew he was going to get the scythe as a weapon and wanted to try it using his shadows.
Wolfy appeared behind the Terikin that was still pulling themselves up and began to imagine the scythe. It was a sess as the scythe appeared in his mouth just like the sword. Wolfy was able to manipte so that it could bend and turn to his will.
Wolfy turned his head and shed upwards with the scythe piercing the core.
''Hmm this doesn''t feel right, let''s try using it another way.'' Wolfy was notfortable with using a scythe with his mouth and nned to try a different way.
''Since I can move the shadow itself, why don''t I make the dee from the ground.'' Wolfy liked this idea and so he moved on to the next one quickly.
Wolfy began to control the Shadows and made sure to have control of the ones under the ghost. Once he was in range and was in control he manifested the scythe to shoot from the ground. This time it provided much better results as a shadow de came from the ground piercing through the body of the Terikin killing it.
''Now that was cool.'' Wolfy liked what he just did and wanted to experiment a little more.
At this point most of the Terikin were out of the ground and all of them screeched at the same time causing everyone to halt their movements again. This time Shaman had to cover her ears as it was rather unbearable. Elysia and Wolfy also did the same thing and they waited for it to be over.
Once the screaming was finished they were able to concentrate again but this distraction allowed the Terikin to group up and begin to all attack at once. There were about 50 Terikin that formed a circle around the group and floated just above the ground ready to fly at them.
Shaman''s first thought was about the quest and thought it was rather easy.
''I wonder why it is such a low number?'' Shaman did not have time to think about it as Himeko shouted from the sky.
"All of you Group up and defend each other''s backs!" Himeko spoke up for the first time and They all followed her orders straight away.
"Well Elysia I hope you can shoot enough arrows." Shaman and Elysia leaned up against each other and exchanged a few words.
"Fuhuhu~ I hope you can sh quickly enough to kill them." Elysia drawed her bow and already began the attack due to her range advantage.
"Tch." Shaman clicked her tongue as she would have to use a bit of mana to use a long range skill strong enough to kill one and was rather jealous of Elysia''s current advantage.
"Wolfy will you be okay?" Shaman was the most worried about him as he was more of a single target kind of ss.
''I have an idea and I think you will like it very much.'' Wolfy spoke with confidence as he had an idea for a new skill and could not wait to try it out.
"I can''t wait, let''s get to killing shall we." Shaman smiled and dashed forward as the Terikin were now close enough for Shaman to be able to deal with while also protecting Elysia and Wolfy.
The fight against the horde had begun and Himeko could not wait to see them in action again.
Chapter 88 And They Don’t Stop Coming
?Shaman coated her sword in ice as it seemed to be the most effective element against the Terikin.
A few Terikin locked onto her, letting out small screeches and their ghostly jaws hanging, looking like they were barely holding on. The body itself looked like it was slime as at the ends of the body bits of the mist was hanging. A light cloud also could be seen underneath them which was a possible reason why they are able to float.
Shaman wanted to get rid of them quickly as there were too many to worry about and she had to make sure she was doing her job.
She dragged her sword along the ground making the ice spread along the floor, She had also activated her domain for the extra power boost. The Terikin had floated over the Ice and began to stretch out in order to grab Shaman. But before they could reach Shaman the ice started to form an ice spike and shot up straight into their cores killing them.
The mist slowly fell to the ground and disappeared.
''That was cool but I will say it did use a bit of mana.'' Shaman had also gotten a system notification.
[Would you like to make all your ice skills into free form]
[Yes/No]
Shaman was a little confused but it did not seem like a bad idea so she said yes without thinking about it for too long as more Terikin were iing.
[Ice spear and Wall are now gone]
[Creating new skill]
[Ice free form]
[allows the user to freely manipte any ice under its control, user can create weapons and objects and the more mana is used the stronger the ice will be]
Shaman was confused when she saw this message as she could already do what it described.
''Fuck I don''t have time to being thinking about this.'' Shaman had many questions but she needed to get back to killing some Terikin.
Another wave of them came but this time there were 8 of them attacking at once.
"Well isn''t this unfair, why would you gang up on cute little me, Fight someone your own size." Shaman employed the same tactic but was a lot more aggressive. Shaman swung her katana across the ground and the ice approached the Terikin at a fast pace. The ice on the floor started toe up and started to freeze them.
The Terikin tried to move out of the way but they were unable to dodge as the ice caught their floating legs and slowly froze them all over.
Shaman stared nkly at what she just did as she did not put much power into it and little mana but was able to freeze all 8 Terikin in a few seconds with just one swing.
[Level up! you are now level 68]
[You still have 440 unused attribute points]
[Ice upgraded to tier 3]
''Wait since when did i get to level 68 and also i did not tell my ice to do that.'' The questions were piling on top of each other and Shaman was getting more confused.
''Shit.'' Shaman again was under pressure as Terikin started to rush past her heading straight for Elysia.
''This is why I need to switch on and just fight, think about itter.'' Shaman conjured up ice spears and sent them towards the few Terikin that got past her. They were killed and the core skewered by the spear fell to the floor.
Shaman turned back and when she did more Terikin hade from the ground.
''Will they ever stoping?'' Shaman was now under the suspicion that this was going to be a much longer fight than anticipated.
The Terikin all charged in her direction in a group making it at least 20 in a bundle.
''Let''s try an AOE skill.'' Shaman had an idea in mind on how she could use her ice and was going to give it a try.
Shaman dashed forward so that she was far enough away to not disrupt Elysia or Wolfy.
Shaman created a pir of ice allowing her to jump from a greater height, she aimed for the middle of the pack of Terikin that were rushing in her direction.
They were grabbing each other groaning like zombies while their bodies moved around like they were melting. It was a rather disturbing sight as it seemed like they were crying out for help. Nheless Shaman did not care for them and were just monsters to her.
Shamannded in the middle of the small horde stabbing her sword into the ground. She killed one Terikin with thending which allowed her to stab her sword into the ground.
Once Kotetsu was in the ground, ice rapidly came from the ground. A small t bit was made in the middle for Shaman while ice spikes of different sizes shot out trapping and killing all the Terikin that were in the horde.
[Level up! - 69]
Level up! - 70]
Shaman knelt on the ground as she tried her best to hold her excitement.
''That was so FUCKING COOL.'' Shaman felt like she was really living her fantasy and could not help how amazing it felt to kill a bunch of monsters with one move.
Shaman stood up and used her fire to quickly begin to melt the ice, some Terikin were alive but due to them still being in the ice Shaman was able to send spikes from the floor to the ground.
''Phew that was fun let''s check on my mana.''
[2800/3400]
''Wow! There is still so much left.'' Shaman was surprised as usually it takes a lot of mana to create ice but she guessed it had to do with the Ice free form skill.
''I guess it allows me to optimize my output and now that I think about it, my ice feels so much easier to control.'' Shaman quickly created something and it felt like second nature to her.
''Maybe because I use my ice to create so many different things the system decided to make it easier for me.'' Shaman was notining as Ice was bing her favourite element to use.
Unfortunately however more groans and screams could be heard.
''There is still more?'' Shaman was wondering if there will ever be an end as it seems like they wont stoping.
''Oh well this is a perfect opportunity to practice, so I should be grateful.'' Shaman shook her head and gripped Kotetsu with both her hands.
''Let''s see if I can get my other Elements to tier up.'' Shaman wanted to get her water element up as it was the lowest with it still being at tier 1.
Shaman switched to water with Kotetsu and the de shone with a blue light and with a few strands of Shaman''s hair turning blue.
The Terikin appeared again but this time in less numbers but it could still be seen in the distance moreing from the ground.
''Let''s deal with you before it gets too overwhelming.'' Shaman uses [Tidal wave] creating a massive wave. She sent it off in the direction of the Terikin and due to her still having control over the wave she was able to increase the pressure of the water, so when a Terikin was consumed by the water their cores would be crushed.
Shaman had only sent one as it would have been boring for her to just keep sending waves and crushing their cores so she waited for them to close. Shaman could see one final grouping and no signs of moreing out of the ground.
''Looks like this may be thest of the batch.'' Shaman looked at the group 15 Terikin that were left.
Shaman had decided on what to do so she dashed towards the small group and began her attack.
Shaman conjured up some water and created a wave wall around the Terikin allowing for no escape.
Shaman then shed the air upwards which made the water ring tighten. The Terikin were now in the water struggling to move as the slime-like mist made it hard for them to move.
With the Terikin now trapped, Shaman quickly used [Slicing tornado] to create a water tornado. With thebined water stopping them from moving the tornado was able to break their cores killing the remaining 15.
Screams could be heard from the group of Terikin as they each started to die as des of the tornado hit their cores.
"HEeelLLPppP." A cry of help could be heard which made Shaman turn around.
''Why the hell do they have to make the monsters so human and turn this into some sick plot that uses innocent souls to create the monster.'' Shaman got chills as the wild possibility ran through her head from the cry for help since it sounded human but also a little distorted.
''Anyway let''s check up on the other 2 as it seems like they are about to finish their fights.'' Shaman had gotten far from the others but she could see that they were just finishing their fights as well.
Chapter 89 Elysia Destruction
?Elysia had been sniping the Terikin from a distance as they came up making it pretty easy for her to hold her ground. However, the sheer amount of them was getting overwhelming for her.
''Looks like it''s time for some explosive measures.'' Elysia smiled as she prepared her next arrow. Shebined [Explosive shot] With [de burst arrow] and [Arrow Storm]. Elysia had a brief moment of thought.
''Is this too much?'' But this was overruled when she imagined how big the explosion would be.
Elysia fired the arrow with no second thoughts and was heading straight for the group of 25 Terikin that had emerged from the ground. The arrow split up into 10 arrows spreading among the horde.
Each of themnded making a joint explosion, fire des had also flown out which was the main force getting rid of the cores as inside the explosion was a raging dome of des flying around.
Elysia''s face was full of enjoyment as she heard the screams of the Terikin die within the explosion. The ground had also shook slightly from the explosion which seemed to have caused more Terkin toe out of the ground.
`Whoops, it looks like I need to do it again hehe~.'' Elysia prepared another arrow already as she was not going to let theme out of the ground.
She fired it off again this time making the arrow storm more spread so it could hit all the spots where the graves were. Explosions could be seen spread out across the graveyard as more screams could be heard.
"HHhhHeeEeEeLlLlLLlPppPP." The words help rung out which had made Elysia even more excited as the cries of the dying were amusing to her and she began to chuckle a little .
Pieces of the ground had also flown all over the ce and a trail of holes in the ground could also be seen where the arrowsnded, Fire could also be seen burning the grass and the few dead trees that were around showing the destruction Elysia was causing. A system notification had also rang out.
[New Skill]
[Carpet bomb]
[Rain down explosive de arrows on your enemies, size and amount varies depending on how much mana is used]
[Level up! - 63]
[Level up! - 64]
[Level up! - 65]
Elysia had acquired a new skill alongside some level ups, however she could not quite rest as it seemed like her barrage was not enough to keep the Terikin in their graves.
''Tch looks like you havee back for, just how I like it.'' Elysia licked her lips as it was a perfect opportunity to use her skill and hopefully finish off thest of them.
Elysia activated her skill and a blue arrow appeared which took Elysia a little by surprise as most of her arrows were either red or orange.
''Must be more powerful fufufu~'' Elysia took aim towards the new emerging Terikin and fired her shot. The arrow went straight in the air leaving a trail of blue behind. Eventually the arrows began to split into more Blue arrows.
The arrows began to fall heading towards the Terikin, this time a bigger explosion urred and a distinct blue me could be seen engulfing them. The cores were easily burnt to a crisp and the items entered their inventory thanks to Rea''s help.
The one thing Elysia did not ount for was that she was facing the church and one of the arrows had hit it. The church slowly began to crumble and fall to the ground. Parts of the Church had also flown past Elysia as she looked at the destruction she was causing.
Soon the whole front of the small church had caved in and Elysia could only stare in amazement at what she had done.
''I wonder if I could do it at the other churches.'' Elysia wanted to destroy the other Churches as it was rather satisfying for her. One more system notification had rang out to show that she went up 2 more levels.
[Level up! - 66]
[Level up! - 67]
''Well that should do it, let''s see how Wolfy and Shaman are doing.'' Elysia turned around and could see that Shaman had finished and wasing over.
"Hey Shaman~ how did your fight go?" Elysia ran to Shaman as she wanted to know how it went and seeing how she was finished first she must have done something new to aplish that.
"I''ll tell youter, let''s check on Wolfy first as it seems like he is not quite finished." Shaman was still worried for Wolfy as fighting a group of trash mobs was not Wolfy''s expertise.
"Alright." Elysia shared the same feelings and so they headed over to where Wolfy was fighting.
**
Himeko was currently a little baffled by Elysia''s performance as it was very destructive and it almost matched her own me.
''I can definitely train her myself when ites to controlling the fire element but I''m going to have to get Arsia to teach her how to use a bow.'' Himeko had decided on a trainer for Elysia as again she was not an expert with Bows.
''Speaking of which I should get Elysia a bow as that tier 3 one will just destroy itself.'' Himeko could see the amount of stress that was being put on the bow.
''Anyway it looks like the only person left is Wolfy, which he is doing alright but definitely a lot slower.'' Himeko went back to observing the battle.
***
''Hmmm, it seems like Himeko has taken them in for training.'' A man that wore white robes with gold lining could be seen in a window across from the dungeon.
''I have to report this back as it is going to be impossible to catch the fox girls with her protection.'' The white robed figure pulled out a talisman with a Magic circle on it and activated it.
"I would like to make a repo-." Before the Man could finish his head was chopped off and began to roll across the floor.
The figure that seemingly killed the man destroyed the talisman with a small purple lightning bolt.
"Tch these spies are really getting annoying, ever since Himeko brought in those Fox girls they have been everywhere." A young feminine voice could be heard in the dark room till she stepped into the light.
She had purple eyes with midnight ck hair that went just past her shoulders and coloured purple tips. She wore a ck dress that had purple gems around the edges of it. She had also worn thigh high socks which shared the same purple gems at the end of them alongside a pair of ck heels. She also wore ck thin fingerless gloves and had a purple flower that was at the side of the hair.
"Sigh, When will Himeko introduce me to the girls, their tails look so fluffy it makes me want to pat them." The womenined as she looked at the dungeon where they were currently training.
"Oh well better go back and put this on the long list of people I have killed in thest few days plus I am so close to tier 5 now surely Himeko will let me out of the city." The woman''s eyes brightened as it seemed like she was also being trained by Himeko.
She quickly exited the room and made her way back to make the report she needed to make.
Chapter 90 Wolfy’s Struggle
?Wolfy was ready with his new idea as he understood that group confrontation isn''t his forte but luckily since the Terikincked intelligence Wolfy would be able to manipte them.
The first batch that were out of the group started to rush towards Wolfy but from the way they were acting they were ignoring him and were more focused on Shaman and Elysia.
''Oh no you don''t.'' He saw the intent and instantly got to work for his new skill.
Wolfy started to spread his shadow across the floor and a ck and dark purple wave could be seen throughout the shadow which indicated the area that Wolfy controlled
The Terikin paid no attention to this and continued to go over the shadow without thinking. Once all the Trekin had entered the shadow Wolfy finally activated the shadows.
Just like he had done before Wolfy made scythese up from the ground creating a spike field of scythe des. Each and every Terikin was skewered by a shadow scythe and were instantly killed. Wolfy despite not having a system, Rea still put the loot from Wolfy''s kill into Shaman''s inventory.
Wolfy was taking heavy breaths as it took a lot of mana out of him and in the long term, it is going to bite him back sooner orter if he continues to use the skill.
''Despite me having a considerable amount of mana that took a lot out of me.'' Wolfy felt the drain and he figured he could only use it about 2 more times before passing out.
''Looks like I am going to have to speed assassinate them but I need to draw their attention somehow so they don''t just run to Mother or Elysia.'' Wolfy was deep in thought but it was soon broken as another wave of Terikin began to rise from the ground.
''God dammit, let''s just try to kill them as fast as I can.'' Wolfy wanted to reduce the numbers as much as he could. Wolfy ran along the graves shooting up scythes to pierce the cores.
"HeEEllPpp." Screams were being heard but all Wolfy could do was scoff at it.
''Pft the only person I would help is my mother and sometimes Elysia, not some low life trash mob in a dungeon.'' Wolfy growled a little and continued his sprint through the graveyard.
Soon the Terikin that Wolfy did not manage to kill before they exited the ground finally were free but just as expected they ignored Wolfy.
''Lets see if this works.'' Wolfy had thought of a way while running and was hoping it would be enough.
Wolfy then began to howl into the sky while also creating a massive shadow of a Wolf that had purple glowing eyes which appeared behind Wolfy. The Terikin turned around and saw Wolfy''s shadow and began to run towards him instead of Shaman and Elysia.
''YES!'' Wolfy was happy with the results and he could see the group of 15 terikin go after him instead.
The Terikin charged in the direction of the shadow Wolf that was still visible. Wolfy had dived into the ground into [Shadow walk] and made his way towards the rear of the group. He appeared behind them with sword in mouth and swung at the core. After killing one he would go back into the ground and move on to the next one.
Soon only 7 were left but this is when the Terikin stopped moving as they turned to look at Wolfy who had just killed one. They screamed and reached out to grab him as now they see him as more of a threat. The scream had also started to bring more Terikin, making the next wavee early.
Wolfy started to panic a little bit as it would be too much for him to handle.
''I have to finish this group off quickly.'' Wolfy jumped into the air throwing his shadow sword at one Terikin while he made a small puddle of Shadows. This was a lot smaller than therge scale one which saved him his mana. Scythes came from the ground once again killing the Terikin and piercing the core.
Wolfy wanted to get straight to killing the Terikin before they came out of the ground but to his surprise they had alreadye up from the ground and started to go after Wolfy.
Wolfy''s heart sank as it was a group of 30 and he was unsure how he was going to be able to deal with it.
''I can use the AOE as Mother would say but I don''t know if my mana can support that amount of area.'' Wolfy found that the Terikin were more spread out as if to counter his attack.
''I just have to start attacking.'' Wolfy had thought of a few ideas but was unsure how well they would turn out but he was going to at least try.
Wolfy gritted his teeth from the nerves he was feeling and he could also feel his fur stand up a little.
Wolfy mmed his paws on the ground and started to run at them, he activated [Shadow cloak] to make it harder for the Terikin to hit him. Wolfy jumped up in front of the first Terikin but due to Wolfy being in Shadow cloak it was unable to dodge and took a de to the core.
The Terikin started to surround Wolfy and kept their distance away from him as the circle formed.
Wolfy ran to the edge and did a small AOE attack of scythes but when he got close to the edge the surrounding Terikin began to swarm him. Wolfy panicked as he was unsure of what to do so he tried to dodge out of the way.
Due to the sheer amount of hands wing at him, and since he was a full size Wolf, he was unable to avoid it. Wolfy got a massive cut in his side as well as his back. Wolfy managed to kill another Terikin while dodging but now he was bleeding profusely out of his wound. Wolfy was able to cover the wound with his shadows, as when it came off the ground it gained physical properties.
Wolfy found it hard to move but his mind was racing.
''Fuck, fuck, fuuuuckkk, What do I do, surely Himeko wille and help.'' Wolfy looked up in the air to look for Himeko and when he did he saw the look on her face.
She was smiling at him which usually looked good but to Wolfy in this moment, could not help feel this evil aurae off her like she wanted him dead.
''No.'' Wolfy could not believe what he was seeing and he could not understand why.
Wolfy however had no more time to think as the remaining 24 Terikin had started to chase him. Wolfy tried to run but due to the pain he had to enter [Shadow walk] as he does not physically move but is moved by the Shadow.
Wolfy was able to rx a little from the pain but he still had a horde issue to worry about. Wolfy figured he could strike from below slowly killing them off but before he could finish the thought arge Ice spear and fire arrow crashed into the ground.
He looked ahead to see the infuriated face of Shaman and Elysia who had just wiped out thest of them. Wolfy came out of the shadow andid on the floor as he could not move and used his shadow to stop the bleeding from the w marks. Luckily due to his fur having some defensive properties the marks on the back were lighter but the ones thatnded closer to his stomach did not fare too well.
Shaman quickly rushed to Wolfy''s side and did not waste any time in using [Heal] on him. Wolfy started to feel the wounds close which allowed him to dispel the shadows that were on them.
"Oh thank god you are okay, I don''t need another close call after what happened the other day." Shaman was relieved to see Wolfy was breathing and alive since when she saw Wolfy''s injuries she started to panic a little.
''Heh well let''s say fighting a big group is not my expertise but I need to say something to you once Himeko is not around.'' Wolfy wanted to say what he saw but right now was not the time as he had no idea how Himeko would react.
"Haha~ maybe until you get your human body, you stick with single targets and support." Shaman felt, once Wolfy gained ess to a human form hisbat ability would increase and allow him to be much more independent.
''Also sure I can wait but why not when Himeko is away.'' Shaman spoke to Wolfy through telepathy instead of out loud like usual.
''I saw something but right now is not the best time.'' Wolfy felt a little pressured by his Mother but he still held on strong.
Shaman nodded and picked up Wolfy as now he was healed but was still weak from the battle.
Elysia had alsoe over as she was looking out making sure no more Terikin woulde out.
"There is no more but seeing as Wolfy is exhausted I say we go back." Elysia wanted to continue but since Wolfy was out ofmission it was best they would leave however Himeko had flown down.
"We continue on to the main cathedral!"
Chapter 91 Clara
?Wolfy was shocked when he heard what Himeko said as this would tantly go against what Shaman wants and no way Shaman or Elysia let Himeko do that.
"Oh okay, but are you sure?" The words that came out of Shaman''s mouth baffled Wolfy.
''No, Himeko can''t be controlling them.'' Wolfy was at a loss as it was not something Shaman would say as he was always treated like a son.
"I''m sure it will be fine, I can look after him while we continue." Himeko had the same smile that reeked of evil and Wolfy could not help but shiver. Wolfy turned to Shaman to plead for help but before he moved his head he realized that would make Himeko suspicious of him so he decided just to use telepathy.
''Mother please don''t leave me alone with her, please i''m begging you.'' Shaman was confused by his unwillingness but she could not help herself think that nothing was wrong but a nagging feeling in the back of her head was telling her otherwise.
Shaman felt conflicted as she had two conflicting thoughts but then suddenly a notification rang out.
[Blessing of the fox has been activated]
[Removes any mind control/influencing magic or items on the user, once they begin to be aware of the effect]
[Other uses are still hidden]
Shaman was not able to read any of it, other than the word blessing of the fox before her head started to hurt.
Shaman grabbed her head and grunted in pain, Himeko went to her side in worry as she was unsure what was happening.
The thoughts Shaman was having about agreeing with Himeko faded and felt like her mind had cleared up but before she could say anything Wolfy spoke to her.
''Shaman don''t tell her anything and just say you are not feeling well, I think Himeko had you under a magic spell of some sorts.'' Wolfy could see that something triggered and hoped it was Shaman breaking free under whatever trance Himeko had put her in. Luckily his guess was right as Shaman seemingly was able to think clearly and Wolfy words helped her understand the kind of situation.
''Okay I understand, but what the hell is Himeko doing to us?'' Shaman had many questions as nothing noticeable happened but she somehow managed to fall into some trap. Resentment also started to fill her heart as the memories of what Himeko had done were in awful but she somehow epted this behaviour.
"Shaman are you alright?" Himeko was confused about what happened but some irritation could be seen on her face.
"I- I think I need some rest, the new ice skills, they took up quite a bit of mana." Shaman thought up an excuse and Himeko seems to have bought it. Shaman had also restrained herself fromshing out as the urge to kill her grew.
''She could have saved Wolfy from fatal harm and not put us through all that dungeon shit which was clearly too hard for us to clear.'' Thoughts flooded her mind as she gritted her teeth.
"I guess you are right, let''s head back for now, it seems like we need to do a few days of meditating so we can improve your mana." Himeko gave in and stood up helping Shaman up. Elysia had grabbed a hold of Wolfy and stood next to Shaman.
Himeko took them outside and they made their way back to the tower.
***
The same girl that had assassinated the spy was currentlyying down in what looked like a living room inside the tower, ying with her purple tipped hair on a couch.
"Urggg when will Himeko get here, I need to report to her but she is too busy taking out the 2 cuties." The girl vocallyined and leaned her head back over the arm of the couch.
"When will she introduce me to them, they look like fun to hang around with and are also tier 4, perfect partners for the dungeon." The girl had started to wave her legs around pping the couch out of boredom waiting for Himeko''s return.
Finally after waiting for so long Himeko began to appear in the room and the girl instantly sat up and looked over the couch to the middle of the room where Himeko was going to appear.
Himeko came out of the fireball with the 2 fox girls and a wolf and the girl instantly became excited as this would be the first time she would be meeting the 2 girls.
Himeko looked over and saw her and was confused why she was there.
"ra, why are you here, aren''t you meant to be at the institute." Himeko looked even more annoyed but ra paid no attention to it.
"I was but I thought that would take forever so I thought I would meet you here right away plus it is urgent." ra leaned over the couch crossing her arms and resting her head on her arms.
"Tch, fine what is it?"
"More spies havee into the city and they seem to be following the two cuties behind you." ra winked at the 2 fox girls that were curiously looking at her Which caused Elysia''s face to go dark a little as she saw this as an attempt at picking up Shaman.
"Woah there, I''m not trying to steal your girl or anything, I''m not into that." ra raised herself, putting her hands up as she could clearly see what Elysia was thinking from her face. Shaman had let out an awkwardugh as it''s been a while since Elysia had acted like that.
''I forgot Elysia seems to have yandere traits.'' She shook her head as she could feel the headacheing.
"Hmph." Elysia turned her head and pouted a little.
Himeko had let out a sigh as she did not want ra to meet the girls yet but it seemed like it was toote.
"This is Shaman the white fox and Elysia the ck fox, the wolf is also apanion, his name is Wolfy." Himeko did brief introductions as she wanted to get ra out and a smile could be seen on ra''s face.
"Wolfy? Who the hell named him, Nyx would have been a better name." ra giggled a little but Shaman actually considered what ra said as she only called him Wolfy since she thought Wolfy would stay a wolf and not gain a human form or speak.
''I''ll keep this name in mind for when Wolfy gets his human form.''
"Anyway the name is ra." She stopped herughter and stood up to introduce herself.
"Well anyway I should be off otherwise Himeko may blow a fuse so I will see you around." Yet again she did another wink causing Elysia to stare ra down.
"I will meet up with you in a moment, hurry up and get out of here." Himeko wanted to force her out herself but she refrained.
"Hehe~ Cyater." ra pped her hands and soon purple lightning appeared and she soon disappeared.
Shaman and Elysia were impressed until Himeko spoke up.
"Stop trying to show off, you tier 4 good for nothing, get down from the roof and leave normally." Himeko yelled out and stomped the floor causing ra to fall from the ceiling.
ra hadnded on the couch upside down showing what she was wearing underneath her dress. ra realized this and quickly sat up straight with her face bright red.
Shaman wanted to say something but felt like she would get axed by Elysia if she did so she refrained from it.
ra slowly walked her way to the door and when she reached it she dashed out.
"Gosh that girl is a handful." Himeko grabbed her head.
"Really? I kinda like her and seeing that she is a tier 4 like you said why doesn''t she join us for training." Shaman also wanted to see if she was also under the same trance as she was but it seems like Himeko was rather against them talking.
"If you really want it is fine, but don''tin to me when you regret it." Himeko clearly did not want them to train together as there was some reluctance in Himeko''s voice.
"I don''t see a problem." Shaman kept pushing it and it seemed to work.
"Whatever, she will show up anyway. I need to go somewhere else. I''m sure you guys are fine on your own from here." Himeko seemed like she had enough and wanted the day to be over.
Himeko had clicked her fingers and vanished leaving the group to themselves.
"Let''s head to our room. There are a few things we need to discuss about Himeko." Shaman wanted to see if she could break Elysia''s trance.
"Oh okay, what is it?" Elysia was rather confused as she noticed Wolfy and Shaman were acting weird earlier. Although Himeko did not pick up on it Elysia was able to tell that something happened but did not bring it up.
"I''ll tell you in a moment but let''s get out of here." Shaman grabbed Elysia''s arm and pulled her along heading upstairs to their room.
Chapter 92 Playing Along
?Shaman had sat Elysia down on the bed and quickly opened her system to find whatever skill helped her break out of the trance. Shaman quickly found under the passive section a blessing of some kind that she never noticed before.
[Blessing of the fox]
[Any magic/items that influence the mind will be negated once the user starts to be aware of its effects]
[--hiddenC]
[--hiddenC]
The two hidden options piqued Shaman''s interest but seeing as only one had been revealed due to certain conditions being met she assumed it would be the same for the others.
"So what is it that you wanted to talk about?" Elysia was still rather confused and began to worry a little.
"I''m going to get straight to the point, Himeko is manipting us through magic or some sort of item and currently you are under her control." Shaman was still not sure what could have caused them to be under a trance but she did not want to find out as fighting Himeko was not on the list of things they wanted to do.
"What? How could you say that abou-." Elysia cut herself off as she began to have conflicting thoughts. Her will to believe whatever Shaman says was telling her to believe in her words but she could also feel another force telling her to stand up for Himeko.
Shaman also took this opportunity to hold Elysia''s hand and see if the blessing would carry over.
[Influence has been detected and the person is aware of effects, removing all traces of it]
A notification rang out and Shaman was d to see that she was able to remove it with physical touch.
Pain could be felt throughout Elysia''s head as the influence over her mind began to fade. Just like Shaman, she felt her mind clear and it was no longer filled with fog.
After the pain, Elysia felt a wash of relief andid down on the bed.
"Holy shit, never felt so clear headed before." Elysia took a moment to soak in the feeling.
"d you are back but we must hide from Himeko otherwise I''m afraid she might have more forceful ways." Shaman''s leg started to shake a little since she was getting a little nervous.
"We need to get out of here but also the training could be valuable so it might be best to suck up all the information but I have to admit her way of training is not my favourite and I would rather not." Elysia saw that being taught by a tier 10 is invaluable but it may cost them their life.
"We could get one of her students as surely they would be able to teach us what they have been taught." Shaman instantly thought of ra as she seemed to also be under Himeko''s influence and is being taught by her. Elysia had also thought about ra as they have yet to meet anyone else that is under Himeko.
"She does seem like the easiest one to get in contact with, just a matter of getting her alone with us." Elysia sat up from the bed
"We could definitely get ra alone and she may even be able to help us clear the dungeon and beat that sk-skeleton knight." Shaman shivered and began to feel nauseous at the thought of the skeleton night.
Elysia quickly wrapped her hand around Shaman tofort her and this reaction also reminded her of something they needed to do.
"We have to beat that damn thing otherwise this trauma is going to cause more problems." Elysia let out a sigh as she could see it bing a huge nuisance as they may not be together all the time like they are now.
Shaman took deep breaths and calmed herself down and the nausea started to fade.
"I think you''re right and let''s hope we can beat it so we can leave." Shaman dreaded the thought but it had to be done before they could leave.
"Anyway We got some levels so we should probably use them." Shaman remembered the 500+ points she had to use which is a massive boost and could not wait to try out her new power.
Shaman and Elysia both opened their system menus and began to allocate their attribute points.
US: 520 -> 0
Vitality: 185 -> 220
Agility: 265 -> 400
Intelligence: 280 -> 400
Strength: 280 -> 330
Dexterity: 200 -> 300
Defense: 170 -> 270
Shaman once again felt the rush but this time it was a lot more potent as this was the most amount of points she has used at once.
''I am so d the system takes care of adjusting my strength. Otherwise I feel like I might end up destroying a building.'' Shaman could not imagine what damage she could do and was almost tempted to try it out.
Once they were finished Shaman had got a nagging feeling in her head to check something.
''Oh? Did I unlock more memoires.'' Shaman quickly sifted through her mind and once again saw the foggy area but this time things were much more clear.
''I really need to check on these more but so much is happening, Rea can you remind me when we have a break to check on them.'' Shaman figured she would forget again so she hoped Rea could help her remember.
[Sure thing o7]
Shaman smiled at the small text salute and was hoping this time she will get more information on what happened to her family.
''Oh well let''s try to get out of this ce before it''s toote.'' Shaman turned to Elysia and could see that she was done.
"Well since we are newly upgraded and don''t have much to do, shall we try to meditate?" Shaman figured since it was actually helpful it would be good if they could do it more often.
"Well I still have not seen my core yet." Elysia was not very confident that she could do it this time since she failedst time.
"The only way to do it is if you keep trying, so don''t worry about it and give it another shot." Shaman smiled causing Elysia''s heart to flutter a little but this filled her with motivation to try once again.
"Wolfy, you should also try to do it but I don''t know how you would go about doing it in a Wolf body." Shaman figured Wolfy could try but was unsure how he would do it. Wolfy raised his head as he was silently listening.
''I can give it a shot but yeah I don''t know how to achieve it without using the same sitting position but surely that is not important.'' Wolfy was rather eager as thest battle showed that anything more than single target skills drained him.
They all began to meditate and Shaman was once again able to achieve the same state as before. Although Himeko had yet to tell her tricks on how to make it easier to not lose track of time, Shaman tried her own ways.
Initially Shaman tried counting but was too bored and gave up on it. Then she tried to just focus on her body and how it was feeling which seemed to work as she was surprisingly able to feel when her body started to get fatigued.
[Mana efficiency increased]
[Max mana increased]
Notifications started popping up slowly but just likest time her body started to feel tired and exhausted. Without letting it go too far Shaman was able to break herself out of the meditation, notpletely exhausted.
Elysia on the other hand was on the verge of seeing her core and was much closer thanst time. She started to see the swirling colours within as it showed a vibrant orange showcasing her fire element. But due to Elysia getting too excited she broke out of the meditation and lost it.
''Dammit I am so close.'' Elysia was making progress which fueled her to keep going.
Wolfy struggled to even begin as he was unsure how to go about getting the right position to sit in. He tried different ways of sitting but he was not able to get close to a meditative state.
''I must be missing something.'' Wolfy tried racking his brain but was unable to think of a way to get it working.
The group would soon be cut off from their small training session as a knock on the door could be heard.
"Hey, it''s me ra, let me in before Himeko gets back." ra whispered through the door making it just loud enough for them to hear.
Shaman and Elysia looked at each and thought that this was way too conveniently timed.
"We will let her in but we won''t free her because this could be a trap and who knows she might have a stronger reaction to it going away because who knows what Himeko has done to her." Shaman wanted to take the opportunity to free her but could not help thinking that if ra had been here for years who knows what sort of trauma that may awaken if she removes the influence.
Elysia nodded and so she went to the door to open it.
Chapter 93 Horrifying Effects
?Elysia opened the door to let ra in and as soon as she did ra sprinted in. Elysia closed the door and went back to the bed and sat next to Shaman.
ra stood in the middle of the room looking around trying to find a ce to hide.
"Uhhh, Why are you trying to hide in the first ce?" Shaman was rather confused by why ra came to their room and she needed answers.
"Because I annoyed Himeko, I need to escape her till she calms down." Stress could be seen on ra''s face as she spoke which concerned Shaman and Elysia as they were wondering what could she have done to cause her to run away and hide.
"I know what you are thinking, I may or may not have thought it was a good idea to tamper with the tea I gave her and put just a tiny bit of one of the hottest chillies in, so now I am on the run." ra exined what had happened which was not the kind of scenario they expected.
Shaman and Elysia stared nkly at ra, even though their trust for Himeko was 0 they still did not wish for such a cruel fate as to have their mouth and ass burn for hours.
"Let''s not think about why and please just let me hide in here for the time being." ra looked like she was getting desperate. Shaman let out a sigh and shook her head.
"You can hide here but how long do you think Himeko will take to find you?" Shaman wanted to talk to ra so this was an opportunity she could not let slip by.
"I think she will a while but who knows she can literally appear anywhere at any time so i need to find a spot pronto." ra walked around the room examining different things seeing if she could either fit in them or hide behind them.
"Well seeing as you may be a future teammate is it alright if we got to know you better?" Shaman went straight to asking as their time could very much be limited.
"I mean sure go ahead, I can just tell you my life story while I look for a spot." ra seemingly did not mind talking about herself which was a relief to the girls as it could potentially give them more information about Himeko.
"I mean sure go right ahead, we will listen, although we are more particrly interested in how you met Himeko." Shaman expressed her interest in Himeko and ra nodded.
"Well you''re in luck because Himeko has been with me all my life." ra looked over her shoulder and smiled at the girls. ra had also walked past Wolfy and had given some pats which Wolfy was not opposed to getting free pats.
"Anyway, I shall begin. I did not know my parents very well, as they left me pretty early on in my life. My memory of that time is very hazy, but I remember that as a child, one night there was fire and screams. Luckily, Himeko appeared and saved me, but from what I was told my parents had both died in that fire. We used to live just outside the city of Ebonscale. Himeko had been traveling in the area, arriving just in the nick of time to save me. Every time I recall these events though, I have a nagging feeling in my head telling me there was more to it, but that''s besides the point and nothing to worry about." ra had started to tell her story and thestment raised eyebrows as it seems like the events of the fire was more than just a simple fire. ra had also seemingly found a spot by the small kitchen and started to see if it would work which allowed Shaman to think.
''I need to be careful when I get rid of the influence on her mind otherwise she could go into a frenzy since I have a feeling Himeko was involved in with her parents death.'' Shaman could not help but be very spective of Himeko as it seemed like anything could be possible.
''I need to convince her to leave or be able to leave as soon as I release her, otherwise things can turn very ugly. But do I want to bring her along and should I even bother?" Shaman was a little conflicted as Shaman did not want to leave ra on her own and seeing as they are simr in age and tier she felt like she had to help her.
''I would like to help anyone else that is under Himeko''s influence but I would rather wait till I can hold my own against her as I could be incurring my own death if I help anyone else and they end up turning against her.'' Shaman struggled to think of a solution and the only option that sounded safe was to use ra as a test ande backter once she is powerful enough to fight a tier 10.
''Well having a lightning user on our team could be very useful so maybe I should try to recruit her. The only thing I am worried about is Elysia because I swear she is a yandere and might end up killing her one night.'' Shaman could envision one night Elysia going out in the middle of the night to kill ra just because she looked at Shaman the wrong way.
Shaman had shivered a little at the thought but she was rather fond of the idea of getting ra to be a permanent member of the team.
''Well let''s hope that freeing her won''t cause any issues.'' All Shaman could do when the timees to free ra, is to hope that there are no horrifying effects on her mental state.
ra was done ying around with the spot and sadly came out unsessful as she did not fit in the cupboard so she went back to talking.
"Then after that Himeko took me in and raised me. It was not until a few yearster that I started I started my training and developed my lighting element. So I see Himeko as my mother and grateful for what she has done but I have to saytely she has been acting strange and I am wondering if it has to do with the sealed room." ra had dropped some information which piqued the interest of Shaman and Elysia.
"What is this sealed room?" Elysia spoke with curiosity as this was the first time they were hearing of this.
"Oh? She has not told you, it''s a room right below the first floor of the tower which has a bunch of talismans on it. I was told to never enter and I thought she would have told you the same thing." ra exined the mysterious room which Shaman instantly thought could be the reason why they are being influenced.
''If we want answers that room will have it but sadly I don''t think we will be able to break in unless I fight Himeko so I better leave that for now.'' Shaman was dying to know so all she could do was bite her lip and ept that they would not be able to explore it this time.
"No she never told us, let alone seen it but I guess we will take your word for it." Elysia answered for Shaman as she could see that she was deep in thought.
"Hmm, that is odd, oh well I think I found my hiding spot in this kitchen cab so I will tell you more about me at ater date but for now unless you really need me don''t talk to me and whatever you do do not tell Himeko where I am." ra had climbed into one of the top kitchen cabs that had not been filled or fitted with shelves and decided to hide in it..
"Oh okay." Elysia watched as ra awkwardly climbed into the cab but nheless seeded.
"Also one more thing, please do not fuck while I am in here." ra had quickly poked her head out before shutting the cab door and going silent. Elysia''s face went red and Wolfy rolled his eyes. Elysia quickly shook her head and tried to forget about what ra said.
"It''s not everyday you see somebody do that and who says we are going to fuck while you are in our room!." Elysia was a little baffled and still a little red but did not pay much more attention to it.
Shaman snapped out of her thoughts and looked around.
"Oh did ra find a spot?" Shaman looked around but could not see ra anywhere.
"Yep so stay quiet." Elysia ced her finger on Shaman''s lips to tell her to shush.
Chapter 94 Instructors
?Shaman nodded at Elysia as they may as well y along with ra''s plot to hide from Himeko although she may get found anyway.
"We still have most of the day left since we left the dungeon rather early, did you want to go out to the arena and practice some of our skills? I think they are in need of a level up as well as our elements." Shaman could not help feel that they were slowly bing underleveled since they did not know the max level of skills or the max tier an element can achieve.
''I wish Rea could talk.'' Shaman missed having the presence in her mind as reading text from a system window did not feel the same.
"I know right I wish I could bloody talk already but I had been put on mute for so long I forget when I wi-" Rea''s voice rang out inside of Shaman''s head giving Shaman a surprise.
"Wait Rea? Can you talk now?" Shaman wore a surprised expression but that surprise soon turned into excitement as it was just like her wish was granted instantly.
"FFFFFFFFFUCKING FINALLY!!!!!" Rea shouted as loud as she could, luckily it did not kill Shaman''s ears as it seemed like her volume was turned down but you could tell she was yelling.
"Wait Rea is back?" Elysia watched the change in expression from Shaman which was rather amusing. Wolfy had also walked over from the window as he was also keen to talk to Rea again.
"YESS!! I''M BACK BITCHES!!!" Everyone could hear Rea which put a smile on both Shaman and Elysia''s face and Wolfy''s tail also started to wag a bit as Rea''s excitement felt contagious.
"Ahem, sorry about that, I broke character a little." Rea''s excitement died down causing everyone tough as it was adorable to hear Rea so excited.
"No worries Rea, we are just d that you are back and if anything we would like you to keep being yourself." Shaman''s mood had gotten better after being tense due to the news of Himeko attempting to control them.
"Oh okay, that makes me h-happy to hear." Rea sounded shy and all Shaman could imagine was a girl putting her fingers together nervously.
"Hey. how did you know I was doing that!!" Rea was able to see what Shaman was thinking and got even more embarrassed.
"Ahaha, I forget you could read my mind but does that mean you have a physical body?" Despite liking Rea, she still wanted to get as much information as she could out of her.
"Shut up!." Rea knew Shaman''s intentions and did not want to take any chances sincest time it got her muted.
"Wait, ra is in the kitchen she can hear us!" Elysiapletely forgot that ra was in the room as the excitement of Rea took over them.
Shaman''s eyes widened as they needed to make sure that they kept their system hidden and since ra was still under Himeko they could be taken as spies.
Elysia quickly sprinted over to the kitchen opening one of the far cabs she entered but when she opened it ra was no longer in it. This caused Elysia''s face to pale as this could mean bad news for them. Elysia also quickly came out of the kitchen and the look on her face told Shaman everything.
''Shit we should have spoken in our minds since you basically give us free telepathy Rea.'' Shaman was rather used to speaking out loud as they were usually by themselves but since they are around people that are not aware of their secret they had to be cautious.
''It''s okay Shaman, When I spoke I could sense that no one was in the room so there was nothing to worry about.'' Shaman was confused by Rea''s words as to how ra was able to disappear so suddenly as she had only just entered the cupboard.
"Wait, where is she then?" Elysia also got the message too but then suddenly a ball of fire came into the room.
Both Shaman and Elysia shut up as they knew Himeko wasing into the room.
When the ball of me disappeared, Himeko was revealed in her usual outfit with ra over her shoulder.
"Hello there my lovelies, sorry I just had to catch a brat but since some people are going to arrive soon I did not have time to dish out any punishments yet." Himeko spoke in a calm tone but there was also a terrifying undertone to her words.
*Sob*
ra could be heard sobbing as she was being carried over the shoulder and she knew what she was in for. Shaman and Elysia shared a moment of relief as it seemed that ra was caught before they started talking to Rea which was rather quick but it worked out.
''Poor ra let''s hope she is still able to go into the dungeon with us.'' Shaman was a little worried that ra might not be able toe to the dungeon since it was possibly the best spot to free ra of Himeko''s influence.
"Expect a knock on your door soon and they will begin to do some training routines with you while I deal with a certain trouble maker." With that said Himeko made haste and disappeared with her fire without saying goodbye.
"She really likes to just leave after she is finished talking." Elysia found it a little rude how Himeko just leaves after speaking but they had gotten used to it at this point.
"Not much we can do, so might as well wait for the instructors, this will probably be the first time we are really out of sight of Himeko so we need to see if this can be a ticket out of this ce." Since they were not under any suspicion yet, Shaman assumed that Himeko would not be looking over them, which would allow them to leave the city.
"Well while we wait do you want to cuddle?" Elysia agreed with Shaman but since they were waiting she thought it might be good to have some down time.
"Sure that would be great, Wolfy did you want to join us on the bed?" Shaman could see that Wolfy was doing his usualzing around nearby while things unfold but when Shaman invited him his head perked up and his tail began to wag.
"Welle on up." Shaman gestured for Wolfy toe up on the bed and Wolfy took the invitation.
Elysia climbed on to the bed and pulled Shaman in. Since Elysia was taller, Shaman found herself once again submerged in Elysia''s breasts. They bothid down on the bed hugging each other and Elysia took this opportunity to pet Shaman''s ears.
Shaman jumped a little as it was a new feeling she never thought she would experience.
''This is like head scratches but 10 times better, where were my fox ears in my past life.'' Shaman was feeling bliss and was on the verge of sleep due to how nice it felt.
A few minutes went by until their cuddle was cut short by the expected knock on the door.
"Hey, it''s your instructors." A male''s voice rang out through the door and Shaman pouted as the ear scratches had stopped.
"I''ll get it." Elysia got up from the bed and went to the door. Shaman sat up from the bed and Wolfy stayed chilling on the soft mattress.
Elysia opened the door to find a man and woman was present behind it. The man wore a shirt that was ck and gray with stitches separating the colors and looked like a makeshift shirt rather than a proper one, he also just wore ck jeans with standard ck shoes. The man also had short dark gray hair and dead gray eyes which scared Elysia a little.
''This guy really is going for the doom and gloom look.'' Shaman who was still in bed could see the man could not help think the dude was a little emo.
"Aha wee." Elysia stood back to let them in.
They now had a good look at the woman who was behind the man.
She had blonde hair, blue and wore a typical huntress outfit that waspletely ck with a few white streaks throughout the outfit. Elysia and Shaman also noticed that she was an elf as her ears were slightly sticking out
''She could not resemble a typical archer any more than she already is. She is even an elf, whose race is the textbook example for an archer.'' Shaman could not help thinking how stereotypical it was that their archery teacher would be an elf.
"Well let''s start with introductions, I am instructor Stein or just Stein and this is Arsia. I will be doing the sword training with you Shaman and Arsia will take care of you Elysia." Stein introduced himself to the 2 girls and did a small bow.
"Well nice to meet you, where shall we do the training?" Elysia was curious as she knew she could not be far away from Shaman as it could lead to a panic attack.
"We know that you can''t be separated so we will be training in the same area but first off we are going to the small arena outback." Stein pointed behind him and gave her a slight smile.
"I will see you there, so be down there in 10 otherwise I won''t go easy on you." With that said Stein walked out of the room.
"Oh don''t mind him, he just wants to get it over with and get back to his work, but still make sure to be on time." Arsia winked and quickly ran off to follow Stein. Shaman let out a sigh as it seems they are going to be trained by weirdos but it wasn''t like they could talk.
"Well I guess we should go." Shaman hopped up from the bed and began to get ready.
Chapter 95 Stein?
?Shaman, Elysia and Wolfy made their way down to the small arena just outside and could see Stein and Arsia waiting.
''Now that I look at Stein, he seems rather familiar but from where?'' Shaman had this feeling of familiarity with Stein but could not put her finger on it.
''I could tell you?'' Rea spoke to Shaman knowing the answer to Shaman''s thought.
''Well that was easy, who is he then Rea?'' Shaman, expecting an answer, waited patiently for Rea to respond.
''Pffft, I''m not telling, figure it our yourself''
[ :P ]
Shaman froze for a moment as the brat Rea had just dismissed her.
"Uhh Shaman, are you okay?" Elysia saw Shaman stop in her tracks and wondered what was wrong. Shaman shook her head and continued to walk.
"Oh don''t worry, just a stupid brat in my head is being annoying." Shaman''s eyebrow twitched as she was unable to haggle information out of Rea as realistically Rea was the one in control.
''Rea what did you say?'' Elysia could not help but ask what Rea had done as clearly Rea was having a st annoying Shaman.
''I have the answer to something and I just told her to figure it out herself as it is a pretty easy answer if you ask me.'' Rea exined what she had said and Elysia could now see why Shaman got a little angry.
"Pffft." Elysia could not help butugh a little, causing Shaman to turn around and stare at her with an unimpressed look.
"Did she tell you?" Shaman believed Elysia would tell her if Rea did tell her where she recognized Stein from.
"No no no, I was justughing at what Rea said to you. We need to hurry up, I''m sure you will find out who it is, plus you can just ask him." Elysia felt a little bad atughing but Shaman''s response was a little childish.
Elysia continued to walk and Shaman let out a sigh and resumed walking alongside Elysia and Wolfy.
*
They had walked into the t arena with Stein and Arsia standing in the middle waiting for them.
"Alright, just on time, let''s get this training started already." Stein did not waste any time and wanted to start the training.
"First things first, we are going to have a duel and see where you are failing and then we will get into routines that you shall practice everyday." Stein exined the n and pulled out his own katana.
It was apletely ck sword and had chains making the hilt of the sword. The chains were also ck but they also looked like they were moving in a constant loop. Shaman was unable to tell as she was too far away.
"Now, Elysia, you are going to fight Arsia and I will take on Shaman. Without further ado we shall now begin." With that said Shaman took her stance in front of Stein but she had also noticed that Wolfy had to sit out.
''Does Himeko have an issue with Wolfy.'' Ever since Shaman broke free of the influence She could not help but be skeptical of everything around her.
''Tch, I guess we are going to have to make a trip to the Freya forest for Wolfy as it seems like she won''t provide anything for him.'' Shaman did not n to go to the fox realm so early but it seemed like she needed to if they wanted to get Wolfy some training.
"Stop daydreaming, otherwise I might idently kill you." Stein spoke as the duel was beginning and Shaman was still lost in thought.
Shaman grew vignt and started to concentrate waiting to see if Stein would make a move.
Stein readied his sword and Shaman could not help feel like she had seen the same stance from somewhere. Shaman shook her head as this was not the time to be thinking about that.
Shaman took a step and was about to attack but before she could move Stein had already disappeared from view.
Something had taken over Shaman like she had already experienced this before and her body began to move on its own. She moved her sword to just above her head and managed to block the blow from stein.
Without any time to think what just happened Stein had moved again, and the same force Shaman had felt began to move on its own. This time with Shaman shing to the right and colliding with Stein''s sword. A slight shake could be felt as the attack was rather powerful.
Stein could be seen with a smile making him look almost crazy. Shaman was a little surprised but soon shbacks started to appear in her mind.
Shaman saw images of her previous instructor of Shaman and that''s when it clicked. Despite Stein not having his usual navy blue attire looking like an admiral he now looked like an adult stuck as an angsty teen.
''He is my old instructor but why does he not recognize me? Is Himeko also able to remove or manipte memories?'' More questions about Himeko''s capabilities started to rise but once again she was unable to think for too long before Stein began to move.
This time he steps forward parrying Shaman''s sword and leaving her back open.
Stein pulls his other hand and begins to strike at Shaman''s back with his palm, lighting also could be seen flickering around his hand. But before Stein''s hand could reach her back, Shaman was able to move forward and do a handstand, jumping off her hands to get away.
"HAHA very good, show me more." Stein then charged forward with his katana and went to stab Shaman.
Shaman''s body once again began moving on its own as Stein was making the same moves from her previous training and was able to know what to do. Shaman deflected the ck de and this time she used the element of wind to boost her attack speed. Shaman''s Kotetsu striked at high speeds towards Stein''s head but unfortunately and expected, Stein was able to dodge the strike.
Now Stein was under Shaman''s de leaving the whole front of her body open. Stein went for the palm strike again this time connecting right in her stomach. The lighting around his hand also gave the hit an extra kick.
Shaman could feel a pulse go through her body and feeling temporarily paralyzed, She then was sent flying across the arena floor till finally rolling to a stop. Shaman could feel her body still suffering the lingering effect of the lighting and the strike had taken the wind out of her.
*Cough, cough* "Jesus, that was intense and it really felt like I was living those memories rather than relying on muscle memory of the previous Shaman." Shaman felt amazing as although her body was moving on its own it was a great feeling experiencing the training herself.
"Not bad girl, you have great potential and the way you fight is simr to mine so i hope you are ready for the regime i got for you." Stein had walked over and was massively impressed with Shaman.
"Stein? Do you not recognize me, you used to train me before." Shaman wanted to see if he had really forgotten her.
"Hmm?" Stein leaned in and looked at her face.
Shaman looked around nervously as he was a little too close forfort.
"No you don''t look familiar at all but I do get a nagging feeling in my head when I do look at you but I just think that''s the urge to teach you." Stein leaned back and gave an answer which confirmed Shaman''s thought that Himeko clearly has wiped some memories.
"Anyway, shall we get this training done?" Shaman wanted to change the topic before any suspicion arose as Himeko was most likely able to get any information out of them.
''Good thing I never met Himeko when I was a kid, otherwise my attachment to her could havended me in a terrible spot.'' Shaman did not feel bad for screwing over Himeko as they never knew each other previously which made things easier for her.
''I don''t think I will be able to free Stein and any other yet as going into a fight with Himeko at my level is just suicide and if I were to do it while she was not around I would rather not be hunted down for the rest of my life.'' Shaman considered doing things the stealthy way but it would just cause more problems down the track.
"I agree let''s get going, We have a lot to go over." Stein helped Shaman up from the floor and they began to go back to where they originally started to fight.
Shaman looked over to the side and could see that Elysia and Arsia were still fighting.
''Looks like Elysia is about to lose she looks very exhausted.'' Shaman observed their fight and she could see that Elysia was struggling while Arsia had not broken a sweat.
''Good luck Elysia.'' Shaman cheered for her, as she continued to walk with Stein.
Chapter 96 Arsia Vs Elysia
?Elysia walked over in front of Arsia so they could begin their duel. Elysia felt this was going to be a very one sided fight as she only used a bow at the moment and depending on what Arsia uses this could turn out to be very bad for her.
Elysia''s heart began to beat faster since she was going to be judged on her performance and she did not want to let the instructor down. Although they did not like Himeko they could not pass up on some training.
"No need to be nervous, I just want you to disy your abilities while I defend and protect yourself when I attack to see how you defend yourself." Arsia exined to Elysia how the duel will work which had put Elysia a little bit at ease.
Elysia pulled out her bow and so did Arsia. Elysia was rather impressed with her bow as the front of the bow was white while the back was a sky blue. The string also had a slight glow and white feathers could be seening off it on each end.
''Wish i had a cool looking bow.'' Elysia was a little jealous of Arsia but she thought to herself that it will only be a matter of time till she gets her own cool looking bow.
"Enough looking and more moving." Arsia could see Elysia eyeing her bow and so she decided to fire the first shot to get Elysia moving.
Arsia had fired a basic wind arrow at Elysia which was blocked by Elysia''s fire wall with ease.
''Been a while since I have had to use my firewall'' Elysia had barely used her fire wall as she has never really been shot at.
However Elysia''s view was obstructed by her fire wall and so 2 more wind arrows were fired wrapping around the wall.
''Shit.'' Elysia quickly jumped back while raising another one, This time she did not stay still and began to run so she could see Arsia.
This time Arsia was preparing 3 arrows to fire and was tracing Elysia''s movements. While running she was nocked an arrow to fire back at Arsia and since she was rather used to firing while moving she had no need to stop to fire.
Using [power shot] and [quick shot] together she jumped into the air and fired the fire arrow towards Arsia. She did not put much mana into the arrow out of fear of hurting Arsia.
The arrowunched at high speeds and Arsia was impressed with how urate Elysia was despite moving let alone having so much power.
Arsia was also a little caught off guard so she had to use her wind to redirect the arrow. A draft of wind could be visibly seen with a slight green effecte up from the ground causing the arrow to go above Arsia. The arrow continued to go through the arena and to Elysia''s surprise there was a barrier that sat just on the outside of the arena.
Elyisa did not think much of it as it must have been a magic barrier to keep any stray blows from going into the city.
Elysia however after shended and continued to run around in a circle she suddenly felt a gust of wind under her foot.
Elysia tried to push away but before she could react, wind had surrounded her, trapping her in a wind dome. Elysia tried shooting an arrow but that proved ineffective as the wind would put out the arrow.
"Looks like I have caught my prey. This is one of many lessons Elysia, you must not solely rely on your bow, but nt many traps around you to trap your opponent." Arsia started to slowly walk up to the wind dome giving Elysia a small lecture.
"You have great fighting capability but what youck is versatility, you are able to fight well at long range but you need something topensate at short-range, you can either have a secondary weapon or you can utilize your fire to keep your opponents at range." Arsia pointed out the ring issue Elysia was having and one of her greatest fears when ites to fighting.
"Now you need to choose which path, do you want to be a trapper or wield 2 weapons. You do not need to decide now but think about it." Arsia gave a choice to Elysia while also undoing the wind dome letting Elysia free.
"Now let us continue this duel." Arisa grabbed her bow and with a slight glow her bow started to transform into a spear. The de had inherited the sky blue while the handle was white with some gold lining.
Elysia panicked a little as this was her exact fear, being in a close range fight. Elysia tried to get some distance by putting up some fire walls and dashing away. This was futile as Arsia was able to sh away the wall in one go and continue to chase Elysia.
''I hate this so much.'' Elysia was not having a great time as her breathing became a little ragged because of the overwhelming feeling of fear she was experiencing.
''Just try your best and like she said she will help mepensate for what Ick.'' Elysia reassured herself, regaining that little bit of her confidence.
Elysia tried shooting [de burst arrow] only to be blocked by Arsia''s wind.
Arsia had finally caught up and was able to leap in front of Elysia, stopping her in her tracks.
Arsia spun her Spear and smashed the ground, she had reinforced the blow with her wind causing Elysia to be blown back by the st. Elysia flew through the air slightly and was able tond without issues. Elysia took advantage of this new distance that she had gained and used [Arrow storm].
However when the dust cleared from the arrow storm Arsia was nowhere to be found.
Elysia had felt some water hit her from behind causing her to turn around. Arsia hade out from a puddle of water and was directly behind Elysia.
Arsia pushed down Elysia to the ground and locked her down with her spear making it so she could not move.
"I really do like you Elysia, I can''t wait to train you hehe~." Arsia had won the duel and Elysiaid on the floor defeated being pinned by Arsia and her spear.
"I didn''t even do much fighting yet I already feel exhausted." Elysia felt like rxing and did not want to continue training.
"Well it is true that it was more me bullying you but it instantly told me what you needed, as every beginner archer especially ones in small groups like yours have the biggest fear of closebat fighting." Arsia had hit the mark perfectly as for Elysia, she was honestly relieved that after training with Arsia for a while she could finally be versatile in both close and long rangebat.
"It seems like Stein is already finished, let''s head over there and start phase 2!" Arsia jumped up and helped Elysia up from the floor.
''I wonder how Shaman fared.'' Elysia was rather curious as Shaman had finished earlier than them.
*
The 2 groups joined up, then Arsia and Stein went off to talk privately for a moment supposedly about phase 2.
"So how did yours go, Shaman?" Elysia had sat next to Shaman leaning her head on Shaman''s shoulder.
"I got destroyed however Stein is actually my old instructor but his memories have been erased by Himeko somehow." Shaman whispered these details to Elysia.
"Well that''s news." Elysia was unsure on how to respond to what Shaman had said and the news had only made her think less of Himeko.
"I know right, but yeah Himeko seems to have them under control but I don''t think we can free them till we are stronger sadly." Shaman''s expression grew dark as the other her had a strong connection with Stein and was telling her to save him but with current circumstances they could not go against Himeko yet.
"We will get ra first ande backter. Let''s just hope we don''t forget about them haha." Elysia was not as invested in the matter, but if it was, Shaman''s will, it was also hers as well.
"Yes, one thing at a time." Shaman looked up into the sky and wrapped her arm around Elysia while enjoying the few minutes they had alone till the instructors returned.
*
"Aight you two love birds time for phase 2." Stein had returned and it was time for the next part of the training.
Chapter 97 Phase 2 And Important News
?In the small arena just outside of the tower Shaman and Elysia were training with their instructors.
Shaman was going through with Stein how to enhance her swordsmanship skills and how to analyze the opponent for information during battle. Stein was fighting Shaman while also shouting at her instructions about how to fight better. The duel was not as intense as the initial duel but it was enough to put her under pressure and allow her to think.
The duel was just raw fighting and the use of magic was banned during the duel making it more difficult for Shaman, forcing her to rely on her weapon rather than magic. Shaman was enjoying herself though as she was able to see progress in her sword skills and the muscle memory she had been relying on was starting to be her own and not just a leftover remnant of the past.
Shaman was improving with each passing moment as the more she fought with Stein the less she had to think. However each time Shaman was getting better, Stein was slowly increasing the difficulty and making it harder and harder for Shaman.
It had also seemed like with each spike in difficulty, Shaman was forced to face against new styles and techniques, opening her eyes to entirely new levels of fighting.
With this difficulty spike Shaman found herself under too much pressure and got herself sent flying back by Stein.
Shaman slid across the floor till she came to a stop. Shamanid on the floor catching her breath as it was exhausting. Stein stood still and let Shaman get some rest before they continued.
On the other end of the arena Arsia was currently teaching Elysia how to use a polearm.
Elysia had chosen to go down the route of learning a new weapon as she was keen to learn how to use a spear like Arsia. Once again when Elysia was holding the fake spear she had this connection with the weapon and she could only guess it had to do with the passive [Artemis call] that she had got ever since she received the system from Shaman.
Arsia had gone over fundamentals of how to use a spear and optimal ways to switch during battle. They would duel over and over again putting theory into practice and building a foundation for Elysia till she finally develops her own way of fighting.
Arsia was rather proud of Elysia as she was able to pick up the spear rather well and during the duel she could already see Elysia adapting with her bow.
Thanks to the storage ''ring'' Arsia thought Elysia had, switching weapons was rather easy and smooth. Elysia was d that she wore a ring as exining how they have a storage space would be a pain. Luckily for them storage rings work the same as their inventory where the item slowly disappears and does not need to be put through a dimensional hole.
Elysia still had a long way to go before she would be able to apply this to real battle but it was satisfying for her to learn swapping 2 weapons in one fluid motion and she found herself going through the same motions again and again.
While doing this though Elysia saw Shaman get flown across the floor and was d that she was not training with Stein. Elysia also took a quick look at her bracelet and could see Shaman was okay so she refrained from running over to her.
However while looking in Shaman''s direction she spotted ra who was walking towards the arena by herself.
Arsia looked in the same direction and when she spotted ra, she started to wave.
"CLAAARRRAAA!!!" Arsia yelled out to ra, grabbing her attention, ra waved back and picked up the pace.
Arsia started to run towards ra and gave her a hug at the entrance to the arena. Stein had also walked over as he assumed ra had something to tell them.
"So what news do you have to tell us?" Stein wanted to go back to training Shaman so he rushed for an answer.
ra broke the hug with Arsia and began to exin why she had arrived.
"Well I came here to hang out with the 2 cuties but Himeko told me to inform you that she will be leaving for a couple months to head to the capital and wanted you to keep training them till she returns." ra then walked past the two and headed over to Shaman.
"Also Himeko has given you permission to go into the dungeon anytime you want but I have toe along." ra leaned over Shaman with a smile and delivered the news.
Shaman could not believe what she was hearing as this was exactly what they needed if they wanted to leave this ce discreetly.
Stein had walked up behind ra and pulled on her ear slightly.
"If you have nothing else to say I would like to go back to training." Stein had a slight murderous glint in his eyes which sent chills down ra''s spine.
Arsia however intervened, freeing ra from Stein''s grasp and pulling ra away.
"Stein, don''t treat our newest member like that." Arsia stood in front of ra a little annoyed by Stein.
"Tch, we need to get back to training, you can stay ra, just don''t get in my way." Stein walked back to where he originally was and waited for Shaman to get up.
"Gosh, when will that gloomy bastard learn to rx, all he ever thinks about his work and training." Arsia voiced her annoyance with Stein.
"rae watch me and Elysia train, at least then Stein won''t bug you." Arsia grabbed ra''s hand and started to drag her along to Arsia''s side of the arena.
''Well it looks like we have a couple months till we have to leave so I guess I should take advantage of this training then leave before Himeko returns.'' Shaman was more than motivated to train.
Shaman nned to learn as much as she could before they made their escape out of this ce.
***
In an underground hall, a half dead fox girl could be seen chained down in the middle of a summoning circle. There were 6 white robed figures on the edge of the circle chanting an unknownnguage while one figure stood in the distance observing the ritual.
Soon the circle lit up withplicated runes filling up the empty space. Soon the fox girl in the middle began to scream in pain and vigorously move her body in an attempt to escape. Her screams echoed throughout the room and they became more desperate as time went on. After a few minutes the fox girl had finally died and her body began to evaporate. Soon her body had disappeared and the light in the circle had vanished.
"Good, it was a sess but we need more food otherwise it won''t be able to support the summoning." The figure in the distance had spoken up and walked up towards the circle.
The man wore clothes that were simr to modern day clothes, The man wore a white hoodie, pure white jeans and shoes. He touched the circle and when he did a screen appeared in front of him.
[50% till spell can be activated, Please provide more sacrifices to activated the spell]
The man grinned and stood up.
"All of you, continue to look for more fox girls and bring them back here immediately we don''t have any time to spare." The man yelled orders out and the remaining people in the room left.
"It''s only a matter of time till I open the gateway and destroy that bastardnd." The man gritted his teeth.
''Yes, once youplete your mission you will be able to face those who took your life away and can im back what you lost.'' A female voice rang out inside his head encouraging his actions.
''Well once you are free, you will do as you promised, right?'' The man had a little suspicion in his voice showing that he did not trust who this woman was.
''Of course darling it''s only a matter of time.'' The female voice trailed off signaling that she had disappeared.
The man let out a sigh and then began to let a ck mist envelop his body, till eventually he disappeared from the room.
Chapter 98 The Capital
?
A phoenix was flying through the sky and on its back could be seen a woman. She had red ming hair and instead of her traditional outfit she wore more formal clothes.
Himeko wore apletely red admiral outfit with a small phoenix symbol on her chest representing her family.
''Tch, why did I have to be summoned now? I have 2 girls at home that need to be looked after and the church all of a sudden wants to see me.'' Himeko sat cross legged with her arms crossed while sheined about being summoned out.
''No matter, I had to go to the capital anyway since there seems to be some cult secretly operating under everybody''s noses.'' Himeko let out a sigh as her ns had been pushed back but she was still a little suspicious of the church''s sudden call.
''We don''t usually have this kind of meeting with all the ns, kings and queens of Elysium unless it''s an emergency.'' Himeko was a little confused as it seemed too convenient for the church to be holding a mass meeting but Himeko dismissed this as just a coincidence.
''I should still keep my guard up anyway as my rtionship with them is horrible.'' Himeko was a little torn however since it was a general meeting, Himeko was not too worried about getting in a fight but was not stupid enough to not prepare herself.
The phoenix continued to soar through the sky till eventually the capital could be seen in view.
4 major skyscrapers making a square could be seen in the middle of the city, there was also a floating tform in the middle of the 4 buildings.
The rest of the buildings resembled modern day apartments but to Himeko they looked like strange boxes and she found them rather odd. Surprisingly there were no walls around the city and as such seemedpletely open but upon closer inspection a magic barrier of sorts could be seen around the entire capital.
''Ever since this new pope got into power he has made these strange but useful inventions. He has a great mind but something about him is just odd.'' Himeko was not ustomed to the new look of the capital and found the tastes of the pope to be quite peculiar.
Himeko had reached the barrier and was able to easily pass through upon activating a stone that had a magical sigil on it.
Himeko flew above the city with many gazing upon her in amazement. She continued to fly to the middle till eventuallynding on the floating te where a massive white round table could be seen.
There were at least 12 other people at the table looking at Himeko as she arrived.
''Fuck, with all this white I''m going to get blinded, it feels like I''m constantly getting sted in the eyes.'' Himeko covered her eyes with her arm as the pure white tform acted like a shbang because of the sun.
Himeko continued to walk to her allocated seat which was signified by a small red marking on the back of the white chair.
Himeko sat down next to a man in green admiral clothes and a woman who wore a blue version. All the people around the table all wore simr admiral clothes but in different colors representing their element.
When Himeko sat down the girl in blue whispered in her ear.
"Hey, do you have any idea what this meeting is for Himeko?" The girl slightly leaned in and covered her mouth slightly.
The girl had long dark blue hair and eyes, she had a petite figure and had an air of clumsiness to her.
"Your guess is as good as mine Jane, but you should know I rather despise this ce." Himeko would rather not be here and avoid getting involved in their affairs but she was forced to otherwise she would not have her own city.
"Well I thought I would try anyway, bu-" Jane''s words were cut off by the sound of walking since the only person to not arrive yet was the pope and everyone knew that the person arriving was him.
Jane quickly straightened up in her seat as well as everyone else sitting in the round table. The footsteps echoed out till a man in a white hoodie and jeans could be seen descending from the sky. He walked on light foot holds created by him till he reached the tform and arrived next to his seat.
He pulled back his hoodie and the light reflected off his blonde hair making it almost hard to look at without getting blinded. He had sharp blood red eyes paired along his sharp jaw, he analyzed the table and saw that everyone had arrived.
He took in a deep breath and put his hands together before he started to speak.
"I am sorry for the short notice call but it was urgent that I deliver this news to you directly." This caused everyone to stress out as clearly this was not good news and it most likely was a danger to their nation.
"There have been reports of the Fox realm organizing a mass attack on our borders." His words caused an outrage around the table.
"How can this be, we have not fought with the other territories for thousands of years since the dungeons arose, why the sudden attack and where is the proof!" A man in brown admiral clothes spoke up first mming his fist in the table creating a small crack.
Without saying a word the blonde man snapped his fingers and a light projection appeared in the middle of the table.
Images of beastkin could be seen, seemingly preparing for war inrge groups, the images caused more people to speak up.
"I patrol the borders on a regr basis, how have I not seen arge force near our borders!" A woman in ck and blue clothes voiced her rebuttal to the pope.
Himeko instantly became suspicious and as everyone was looking at the images, she noticed that the pope had a smile, her theories about the cult strengthened as clearly there was something more to this and the pope had to be involved.
The pope''s red eyes locked onto Himeko''s, causing her to shiver from the amount of pressure the pope suddenly directed at her.
Cold sweat started to run down Himeko''s face, and she quickly looked away from the pope causing the pressure to go away.
''Shit, there is something definitely going on and I don''t know if I will be able to find out in time.'' Himeko thought of Shaman and Elysia since the fox realm was their homnd.
"Now, now, I will answer your questionster but this is only the beginning and this might not be an attack on us but something greater we are unaware of, I just wanted you all to be aware of the circumstances that we may find ourselves in, in the near future." The pope''s words caused everyone to calm down a little.
"I know we have had a rather mutual understanding with the fox realm but it seems like they are preparing for something that may be worse than the dungeons." The pope stood up from his seat and walked around the table.
"We know that they possess the most powerful people of the continent but that does not mean we are weak inparison. Since we know that they are preparing for something we need to investigate the intentions of the fox realm and figure out if they are a threat." The man continued to walk around the table slowly.
"Why not just ask them and if they want a fight give it to them, I''m sure I will be able to crush them with a mere stomp." a man with massive muscles in dark red and brown clothes spoke up, itching for a fight.
"Don''t be stupid, if we do that than Elfhiem will be our enemy and they are thest people I want to anger at the moment." irritation could be heard in his voice causing the man to stand down.
"Anyway the point of this meeting was for you to prepare for a possible war or something greater and if you can find out any information about the fox realm or the army that is developing. I want you to report back to me as soon as you find any information with these talismans." The pope let talismans fall out of his sleeves and used light to carry them to each person.
The talisman was also unique as it was covered in different runes and symbols making it almost impossible to read the contents of it.
"We will be on standby and continue like normal as if nothing has happened but prepare for the worst, I will have my people do some investigation within the fox realm itself since none of us are able to enter unless you have special permission from the royal family." Everyone nodded as getting in the fox realm was indeed a hassle and letting the pope do it made it easier on them.
"This is not an immediate problem but I want you to keep this in the back of your mind and I will call for you all again once things start to escte." The pope had returned to his seat giving everyone time to think.
''This has to be all a set up and artificially made up, don''t they know that the royal family is currently imprisoned or has the news been hidden from everyone? Is this just an excuse to seize control over a territory?'' More questions popped in Himeko''s mind and she was about to speak up but before she could a whisper could be heard.
"You say anything and your head will be rolling along the table, now y along sweetie and just keep your mouth shut if you don''t want to die." The pope''s voice rang out in Himeko''s ear causing her to freeze again.
Himeko was terrified as she was unable to sense the magic and if she had spoken up she truly believed she would have lost her head in that moment.
''I need to go back home as quickly as I can and tell Shaman her parents are in danger of being killed.'' Although they were in a barrier and could possibly be dead, Himeko believed that they were still alive and there was a high chance that the barrier was also a setup by the pope.
"You may leave now, there is no rush but please make an effort as information is critical and if you have any more questions pleasee see me at the cathedral down below." The pope quickly disappeared in a bolt of light leaving the 13 people alone.
Himeko had sat in silence as people started to leave and pay a visit to the pope or go back to their respective cities. Many of the people had a dissatisfied look with the news while the others kept their neutral look.
"Well Himeko I''m off, if I''m going to be honest I don''t really care for this ordeal but orders are orders." Jane spoke to Himeko before walking off.
"Cyater Jane and good luck." Himeko waved and Jane waved back as she jumped off the tform.
Himeko however froze once again as she noticed a small ck mist next to her and before she could react the pope''s voice rang out.
"If you care for your safety,e visit me after I attend to everyone." The ck mist disappeared and once again Himeko had no idea what to do and all she really could do wasply.
''I should have known this was a setup, but how am I meant to fight one of the most powerful people on the continent?'' Himeko was dreading her circumstances and it seemed like her ns back at home had to be put on hold for now.
Chapter 99 Trapped
?Himeko was sitting alone at the table as everyone had left to go speak to the pope or return back home. Himeko was left to dwell on her next move as she was being threatened to go see the pope.
''Fuck, I can''t just run away, he could probably get to my city faster than I fly back by just clicking his fingers.'' Himeko had grabbed her hair as the stress was getting to her.
''I should have yed along like my parents said before passing the responsibility but my pride wouldn''t allow it. I just had to antagonize the one that is blessed by the supposed church goddess making arguably one of the strongest people on the damn continent.'' Himeko gritted her teeth at her decision to actively oppose the church and it has nownded her in a terrible position.
''I hope I''m not stuck here for any longer than a month. I need to check on the cursed item and see if it made a connection with the girls.'' Himeko sighed as she had many things to do and only anticipated she would be gone for at least a month but she never expected it to turn out like this.
''I better head down before I get more threats and if that ck mist is what I think it is then I''m afraid there may be no stopping him.'' Himeko recalled the ck mist she caught a glimpse of.
Himeko jumped off the edge of the tform and freefalled towards the cathedral. Before she hit the ground she used her fire to slow herself down and have a smoothnding.
Himeko could see one of the leaders walk out of the cathedral looking annoyed and defeated. Himeko could only feel bad for her as she could only imagine how frustrating it was to argue with the pope. The leader wore purple admiral clothes and when she got far enough from the cathedral a purple mist formed below her and she started to fly off.
''Let''s hope things go smoothly.'' Himeko let out a sigh as although she hoped for it to go smoothly, she half expected it to go down horribly.
Himeko pulled open the doors to the cathedral and walked in. She was greeted with rows of seats on either side and multiple arches that support the building. The ce waspletely lit leaving no shadow anywhere.
It was almost blinding to look at as everything was white, Himeko disliked how white the pope made everything.
Himeko looked to the end of the cathedral, spotting the pope standing in front of a statue. The statue was that of the goddess the church believed in, which Himeko thought was just a load of shit.
The statue did not look special as her face was covered by a hood and was in simple robes. The statue also had cupped hands in front of her like she was giving someone something.
The pope who was standing in front of the statue was admiring it but due to his fully white attire he almost blended in with the white statue making only his blonde hair visible.
Himeko walked forward nervously and the nerves only grew as she got closer to the pope.
The pope had turned around with his red eyes locking onto Himeko''s and watched as she slowly approached.
Himeko stopped at the front row seats and looked at the pope waiting for a response.
The pope stared at Himeko for a moment as if analyzing her, making sure that Himeko had not nned anything.
His eyes also had this ring of ck fire in them and slight movement could be seen if you looked close enough.
Since the pope was on an elevated tform, he carried an imposing presence making the air suffocating and Himeko could not help feel like a small insect while standing in front of him.
Although Himeko felt like an insignificant being she stood strong and kept herposure.
After a brief moment of staring at each other the pope finally broke the tension with a smile. Himeko could feel that the smile was much more sinister than what it seemed on the surface and it gave her chills.
"It''s good to see that you came but you know you had no other choice." The pope smirked as he knew Himeko was struggling to stayposed.
"Tch, tell me what you want." Himeko wanted to leave as fast as she could while also trying her best to keep her annoyed and disinterested act.
"What''s wrong with a little chat, I always loved your feisty side, as if you are ying hard to get and I would love to get to know you better." The pope paced around the tform while talking and motioning with his hands as well.
Fire started to conjure on Himeko''s back as it pissed her off what the pope was saying. Despite her feeling small inparison her anger started to overpower it.
"Woah there, no need to burn down the ce. I rather not have to rebuild this ce, after all you can cause so much destruction in the one second it will take to beat you." The pope''s words were yful but this was thest straw for Himeko as she was already on edge before entering the cathedral and this pushed her over that edge.
mes started to burst out of her back but before she could even move she felt her mana get cut off and was frozen in ce.
"Never mind the one second it takes to beat you, it''s now 0.5 seconds. I have to admit I''m getting better by the day." The pope had seemingly done nothing as he jumped off the tform and slowly approached Himeko.
"What the hell did you do!" Himeko was furious and felt utterly defenseless as it wasn''t even a second before she was restrained by light and her mana use was cut off. She could still feel her mana but it seemed like something was blocking it, not allowing her to ess it.
"Oh nothing special, I just used my light to restrain you and I have also developed this technique where I can trap your mana in your core making it impossible for you to use mana." The pope exined what he had done while walking around Himeko.
Himeko tried to move but it was as if her body had been put on pause and only her head could move.
"Now that you are an obedient raging phoenix let me get to the point of this meeting." The pope stood directly in front of Himeko with a massive smile.
Himeko felt hopeless as the dread started to sink in as she waspletely at the mercy of the pope.
Chapter 100 [Bonus ] Himekos Quest For Love
?[A/N: The events in this chapter are not canon but just a bit of fun so don''t corrte this to the main story. So read this for enjoyment and don''t take it too seriously even if i make a plot hole just shhhhh, I know]
The morning sun rose to let light enter the room, Shaman and Elysia were currently snuggling up to each peacefully while the light slowly reached their bed.
Wolfy was at one end of the room enjoying the dog house he was given and performing his favourite activity, sleeping.
A small me could be seen forming in the middle of the room till finally, it bursted out in a ball. The fire slowly went away to reveal a Himeko who was wearing an apron over what looked like red pyjamas that had small birds printed on them. She also held a pan and adle which in conclusion only means one thing.
*BANG* *BANG* *BANG* *BANG*
"Wakey, Wakey, time for breakfast." Himeko banged the metaldle and pan together causing Shaman and Elysia to shoot up awake with a small scream thinking they were getting attacked. Wolfy had covered his ears with his paws as he saw Himeko when he woke up and knew that they were not in immediate danger yet.
Shaman and Elysia both stood up on the bed hugging each other and quickly scanned the room. They spotted Himeko almost immediately and let out a sigh of relief but also pouted when looking at her.
"What the hell is with these rude awakenings, I''m gonna die of a heart attack before I die to Shaman giving me too much of a good time." Elysia caused some eyebrows to raise as Shaman looked at her with embarrassment and wanted her to shut up. Himeko took a step back as she did not expect to hear that kind of response.
"What, I''m just being honest." Elysia looked around confused as it was the truth and she had nothing to hide.
"JUST SHUT UP!" Shaman was bright red in the face and so she bonked Elysia causing her to fall back down on the bed.
Wolfy was giggling to himself as it was amusing to watch the scene unfold in front of him.
Himeko was slightly irritated as it reminded her of the deep hole in her heart. This deep hole represented the fact that she has never been able to score a rtionship with anyone. It also caused her expression to change to one of someone who is about to explode.
"Breakfast. Now." Himeko quickly left the room but shortly after she left the building started to shake a little and an explosion could be heard. Both Shaman and Elysia''s face paled as clearly Himeko was not happy with them.
However, Shaman was able to spot something out the window a ck figure flying towards them.
"Oh shit." Once Shaman realized that it was heading straight for them She quickly grabbed Elysia and jumped out of the way. Both Shaman and Elysia were on the ground together with Elysia being confused about what''s going on.
"Why did you pull me off the bed?" Elysia''s question would soon be answered as something flew through their window and crashed into their bed destroying it. Purple lightning could also be seen lingering around where the figurended.
*cough* *cough*
Coughing could be heard from the now destroyed bed which made Shaman and Elysia even more worried as it was a person that flew through their window.
Taking the intuitive Shaman got up and went to help whoever crashnded into their room.
"ra?" Shaman was not sure as their face waspletely ck from soot but the simr attire of the ck dress and purple gems embedded in it is what told her it was ra.
"Holy. Fuck. Don''t use your lighting against an explosive Himeko, otherwise, you may get an explosion back as a gift." ra sat defeated as she exined what happened but what shocked Shaman the most was how the hell is she alive.
"How the hell are you alive?" Elysia asked what Shaman wanted to know as she was also shocked as well.
"Oh? Shaman and Elysia? Did I crash in your room?" ra was finally aware of her surroundings and started to wipe all the soot that was covering her face.
"Yes but more importantly how are you alive?" Shaman curiosity was immeasurable and she needed answers.
"I braced myself with my lightning, I was able to slow myself down by attaching it to my surroundings. Sounds kind of contradictory as lightning is supposed to fast aha." ra scratched her head as it was rather hard to exin the full process.
Shaman could not believe it but she was d either way that ra was okay and was not overly hurt.
"Anyway, do you have a shower I could borrow? I''m kind of covered in ck shit." ra stood letting the dust and broken parts of the bed fall off. Shaman sighed as this was aplete rollercoaster of a morning.
"Yes there is a bathroom next to the kitchen and you are wee to use it, just make sure to not leave a trail." Shaman gave directions and contemted if they should have gone before ra went.
"Thanks!" ra smiled and gave them a thumbs-up before leaving to go take a shower to clean herself.
Wolfy had walked over to Shaman and Elysia to inform them of what they should be doing.
"I think we need to head downstairs otherwise we may be a flying ra." Wolfy''s words put Shaman and Elysia in a small panic as they quickly rushed to put some casual clothes on.
They got ready as quickly as they could and rushed downstairs to the main kitchen and sat down at the table.
They waited patiently for Himeko as she was currently cooking with the same pan anddle. Shaman leaned over to Elysia to whisper something.
"Did Himeko teleport to where ra was and throw her through our window to onlye back and begin cooking?" Shaman was confused by how quick things were happening as it seemed like as soon as Himeko sent ra flying she went straight to cooking.
"I guess you could say she had to quickly erupt in ra''s face." Elysia made an attempt at a joke but all it gained was an unimpressed look from Shaman.
"Not funny." Shaman shook her head and leaned on the beach in her chair.
"What?!?! I thought it was funny." Elysia was chuckling a little at her own joke causing Shaman to facepalm. However, things would be cut short as Himeko marched out of the kitchen with breakfast in hand.
They were given pancakes which was a surprise to Shaman as it was the food she was quite familiar with and did not expect it to exist in this world.
''I keep telling myself it''s an alternate world but I can''t help feeling surprised every time something is oddly simr.'' Shaman''s expectations as she has read many fantasy novels has somewhat warped her perception of what things will be like.
Himeko sat down and ced the pancakes in front of Elysia and Shaman while giving Wolfy some meat.
They began to dig in but the first bite they took they instantly started to choke. Both Shaman and Elysia jumped out of their chairs coughing and spitting out the pancake they had just eaten.
"What *cough* the fuck *cough* did you put in it, tasted like vinegar." Shaman was struggling as she always hated vinegar and having it feel like she ate pure vinegar could not help almost vomit.
"Well, that was for making me jealous and don''t worry that is just the first pancake, the rest are fine." Himeko smiled as she watched the 2 girls suffer.
Elysia on the other hand was not having it and so she picked up the chair and threw it at Himeko. The chair headed straight for Himeko''s face but sadly it was futile as Himeko caught the chair with ease and ced it down next to her.
"Don''t get too hasty now. I will reward you if you help me." Himeko had put her hands together and waited for their response.
"What do you want?" Shaman wanted this over with as the taste still lingered in her mouth.
"I am d you are on board, I want you to help me find a boyfriend." Himeko got straight to the point causing both Shaman and Elysia to stare nkly at her, even Wolfy who was usually too invested in his meat had to stop and lookup.
"You want us to help you?" Elysia could notprehend this as literally they have no experience and this was with boys which made it even harder.
"Yes."
"Well we do not have much experience with this, I don''t know how we are meant to help." Shaman thought back to her high school days where she heard gossip about boys but since she was rather quiet she never really engaged in dating.
"Doesn''t matter, I just need you to help me scout out one." Himeko dered what she wanted them to do which made Shaman and Elysia''s job easier.
ra had walked in when Himeko dered this but was more interested in the pancakes on the table. She walked up to the table and began to reach out for one to take a bite.
When she entered all everyone could do was watch as she approached the pancakes and slowly took a bite. Everyone wanted to stop her but the urge to see her suffer was greater so they waited.
Everyone watched as ra began to eat the pancake. ra took a massive bite but as soon as she bit into it, the vinegar invaded her mouth causing her to throw the pancake. ra had thrown the pancake so fast that she even used her lighting to throw it harder.
The pancake flew at high speeds right at Himeko''s face and due to the high speed, she was unable to dodge it. Himeko also had not seen iting so all she could do was sit there and take the pancake to the face.
Shaman, Elysia and Wolfy all started dyingughing at the reaction of ra and at Himeko who had a vinegar pancake on her face.
"HAHAHA OMG, CLARA, I CAN''T." Shaman was on her kneesughing as her reaction was priceless. Elysia had also joinedughing on the floor holding her stomach.
Himeko had just sat there as she had a slightly burnt vinegar pancake on her face and could not believe what was happening.
ra on the other hand was coughing like crazy trying her best to get rid of the lingering taste.
"WHO THE FUCK MADE THESE!!!" ra screamed out as she needed answers and wanted to kill whoever made them.
This caused the room to quickly go silent as a fight might happen between ra and Himeko.
"Ahem." Himeko had cleared her throat and the pancake on her face had fallen on the table. ra turned around and saw Himeko sitting there with her legs crossed staring at her with a friendly smile.
ra''s angry face instantly stiffened as Himeko''s face was the sign of danger and if she went any further she may get another trip through the sky. ra had also knelt on the floor as she also realized where the thrown pancakended.
Shaman and Elysia also followed ra''s actions as they wereughing at her and if they continued they may also join the trip to the sky with ra.
Himeko stood up and walked in front of the girls that were kneeling she was d that they realized what they had done.
"Good, now that you are here ra you can also join the girls in their mission today." Himeko had a smirk as ra had already done this before but it turned out horrible since all she would bring back were snobs that only wanted her wealth.
ra paled a little as she did not expect she would be being dragged along with the girls as thest time she did a personal request for Himeko she wasn''t able to move for a week since she did such a horrible job.
"You are going out in the city and finding a suitable boyfriend for me by the time the sun falls, do you understand?" Himeko stood in the middle of them waiting for an answer.
They all nodded as cold sweat started to go down their face since Himeko let out some of her aura.
"Now be a bunch of good girls and go out there for me or I might prepare you for something worse." Himeko clicked her fingers kicking the girls and Wolfy out of the tower with her mes. They each find themselves kneeling at the front door once the mes subsided.
Everyone gasped for air as they did not even realize they held their breath for so long.
? "Dammit, she is no fun." ra was the first to speak as she was very fond of annoying people but Himeko was someone who if you do one thing wrong you set off a nuclear explosion.
"You can say that again." Shaman had always wanted to bug Himeko but there was always that air of danger if she ever did.
"Well, I guess we should get a boyfriend for Himeko then." Elysia wanted to get this over with as the sooner they find one the quicker they can get rid of the stress.
"How are we going to even find a suitable guy?" Wolfy was rather worried as it seemed like there was no guy in the world who would be able to handle her.
"We just have to try." ra stood up with confidence as now she had a team to find the right man, unlikest time.
Shaman and Elysia looked up to her in hope as ra was the only one who knew Himeko really well.
"Let us head to the city. It should be about the time people start heading out." ra looked towards the sun and was able to guess the time.
"Why is it that people only go out at certain times?" Shaman had noticed this before as it was dead silent when they entered.
"Oh? That''s because there is a curfew and unless it is urgent you should stay inside. It''s mainly due to the recent tension with the church and makes my work easier so don''t worry about it." ra made a brief exnation of what was going on which sounded reasonable.
"That exins why it was so quiet but I still find it odd." Shaman still felt like there was more to it but she did not want to pry.
"As she said, don''t worry about it, it''s not our business." Elysia did not want to get involved as it sounded like a headache and this was a human territory problem, not theirs.
"Good point, well ra, got any hotspots to visit." Shaman shared the same feelings with Elysia.
ra nodded at Shaman''s question and pointed in a direction.
"Well let us be off then." ra took charge as she knew the city like the back of her hand. The rest followed her in search of a suitable man.
**
"Hey, would you be interested in going on a date with Himeko Ado?" ra was asking people who were walking down the street.
"You mean the Himeko Ado." The man''s face paled a little at the thought of going on a date with Himeko.
"Yep." ra responded in a cheerful tone but after she confirmed it the man started to sweat and was looking for a way out.
"What''s wrong sir?" ra was confused but she had gotten this reaction many times already and did not know why.
"I''m sorry I can not go." The man quickly bowed and started to run away from ra
*sigh* ra let out a sigh as this was the 23rd person to run away.
"Why don''t people want to date her?" ra could not wrap her head around it.
Shaman and Elysia on the other hand wereughing as they still found the reaction funny.
"I think it is because no one will be able to withstand her presence let alone strength." Shaman quickly stopped herughter and figured it had to do with her overbearing presence and unless you be a strong adventurer, you would not be able to survive.
"I guess you are right but they can at least give it a shot can''t they." ra was sure that they did not need to be strong, if anything it would be better if it was someone weak as it would allow Himeko to take full care of them without having to worry.
**
"Hey ra, where is Elysia?" Shaman looked around as they were currently going through a food court of sorts.
"I thought she was next to you?" ra was not paying attention as she was more focused on finding a suitable partner.
"Wolfy?" Shaman looked at Wolfy who was dozing off but quickly shook awake when his name was called out.
"Huh?" Wolfy looked at Shaman with confusion wondering what was happening.
"Oh no." Shaman did not need to ask Wolfy to know Elysia had gone wandering off.
''Shit now that I''m aware of it, my anxiety ising back.'' Shaman could feel the gripping feeling in her heart and began to stress a little.
ra could see that Shaman was a little distressed and went to Shaman''s side.
"Hey? Are you alright?" ra was not aware of Shaman''s trauma and if she were separated from Elysia she would begin to have a panic attack and breakdown.
"We need to find Elysia otherwise I am going to break down." Shaman grabbed ahold of ra''s arm which calmed her down a little.
ra had blushed a little as this was a rather new experience for her as she never really had contact with people other than for work or requests by Himeko.
"Okay let''s go." ra shook her head to rid herself of this feeling and started to backtrack. She did not ask any questions about what was happening with Shaman and just let her hold on as they walked.
*
They had been walking down the street for an hour with no signs of Elysia and Shaman was getting more stressed by the minute. Her grip on ra was tighter as it was the only thing keeping her from breaking down.
Wolfy had also started to search on his own to make things faster but they still had no luck in finding her.
However, they did not have to wait much longer as an explosion could be heard behind them.
mes erupted from a restaurant and yelling could be heard.
"HOW DARE YOU PUT CHILI''S IN MY FOOD, I SPECIFICALLY ASKED FOR NONE!!!" Elysia''s voice rang out as the restaurant was being set aze and part of the building destroyed.
Shaman hearing her voice quickly sprinted to the explosion. ra and Wolfy followed Shaman, also worried about what was going on.
Shaman arrived and she could see Elysia standing on a table yelling at a bunch of staff members of the restaurant.
"HOW CAN YOU FUCK UP SO BADLY, THIS IS FOOD WE ARE TALKING ABOUT AND EACH DISH MUST BE CAREFULLY MADE TO THE CUSTOMER''S NEEDS." Elysia was scolding the chiefs for their mistakes with some of them almost crying.
Shaman was shocked at what she was seeing and saw Elysia''s golden eyes glow with a slight red.
"Elysia!" Shaman did not care either way and jumped into her hugging her from behind.
"Huh? Shaman, what are you doing here." Elysia was wondering why Shaman was here as she only nned to quickly visit a restaurant to try out some food.
"You idiot, I almost had a breakdown." Shaman''s eyes started to tear up as she looked up to Elysia.
"Oh shit, I forgot about that, I just smelled the food here and could not help and investigate." Elysia let out a weakugh but their reunion was interrupted as ra appeared behind Elysia and smacked her in the back of the head with her hand.
Shaman was now supporting Elysia as the smack from ra had almost knocked her out.
"Sorry for the inconvenience. I will get this ck-haired fox to help you fix your restaurant." ra was speaking to the staff and was also punishing Elysia.
"What?" Elysia regained her bnce and heard what ra said.
"You are going to help these lovely staff members clean the store the best you can." ra smiled as she was furious at what Elysia had done. What Elysia did not know was the restaurant she destroyed was actually her favourite one.
Elysia could see that she had no other choice as to if ra got any answer other than a yes a hit to the back of the head will not be the only thing she will get.
"Yes." Elysia resigned to ra''s will as it was her fault and there was no reasonable way to get out of it.
**
The group were once again roaming the city looking for a partner after they cleaned the store but no one has yet to ept the offer
Shaman looked at where the sun was and when she did she started to panic a little as they were running out of time.
Shaman had also looked at Elysia as the dy was a cause of Elysia''s actions
"What?" Elysia was confused why she was being stared at. Shaman took a deep breath as she remembered how on their trip around the city they lost Elysia.
"If it wasn''t for you getting lost and causing a mess for a few hours just because you wanted to ''sample'' the Ebonscale delicacies we may have been a bit more efficient!" Despite saying samples Elysia had gone to almost every restaurant they went past and had a full meal each time so she could get inspiration for her future meals.
What ended up happening instead was Elysia getting lost in the city and because she identally ordered a meal that was too spicy, she ended up destroying the joint because it was too hot for her and she got mad at the chiefs.
"Yes, and because we destroyed it we had to help fix it." Veins could be seen popping out of ra''s head as she was reminded why they are running out of time and not only that Elysia destroyed her favourite restaurant.
"And you said. "we will have enough time, pleaseeee help me, Shaman." I should''ve said NO!" Shaman was regretting helping Elysia halfway through the cleaning and wished she just continued her search with ra but in the end, they ended up helping.
"I''m sorry." Elysia was looking at the floor and slowly started to eat the kebabs she had brought.
"ENOUGH!" ra shouted as there was no time arguing with each other and they needed to hurry.
**
It was night time and they had returned to the tower without anyone, their heads were low as they entered and saw Himeko sitting in the middle waiting.
"So how did it go?" Himeko was rather excited but when she saw the state of the girls her excitement went away.
"We could not find you a date." ra was the first to speak up about their results which caused Shaman and Elysia to lower their heads even more. Wolfy was already on the floor waiting for the punishment although he did not do much and was not a part of it he was still going to be on the receiving end.
Himeko let out a sigh as she half expected this but thought with extra help she would be more sessful this time.
"How about you go out by yourself, maybe if you talk to the people, maybe someone will actually want to date you and not run away from you." Shaman still did not like how they had to go out for Himeko as this was her problem yet they were the ones that had to go find a date.
ra looked back in dread as this was the exact same thing she saidst time which had gotten her in a sorry state.
Himeko hearing the same words again burst out in mes causing everyone to pale and start to run for the door.
"Shit I should have just kept my mouth shut." Shaman was having major regrets but before they could reach the door Himeko had exploded the first floor by smashing the ground with her foot. This had sent the group flying through the door and into the air while still on fire.
They all crashed, causing the destruction of some houses. But luckily they were able to break their fall so they would not die but in the end they still got injured.
Their entire bodies were sore from thending and could hardly move from the position they were in.
"Okay, let''s not piss her off." Shaman had learnt her lesson the very hard way and was not excited for the next few days.
The entire group was feeling regret as they now knew for next time to just keep their mouth shut otherwise they might be tomorrow night''s meal.
Chapter 101 Progression
? Shaman POV
< 1 monthter >
There was no sign of Himeko for the past month which caused her ministers to worry about her safety. However Shaman was getting nervous as it was about time that they made their escape.
Shaman and Elysia decided together with ra to finally clear the dungeon and face off the skeleton knight that had traumatized Shaman.
During that month there were many incidents of Shaman almost breaking down, as whenever she stumbled upon anything resembling the room or the knight, it would trigger her trauma. Thankfully it was notmon, but it had interrupted some of the training they were going through during that month.
Shaman, Wolfy and Elysia had also gone into the dungeon to grind out levels and put what they had learnt into actual battle. They were now very close to evolving to tier 5 and with that significant power boost as well as adding ra as their new member, they believed they could finally enter deeper into the dungeon.
Shaman was currently looking at her status, feeling proud as she has raised all her elements to tier 4 and has raised her mana by almost 2000 points just by meditating. She has also raised most of her skills to level 5, with some even reaching level 7
Shaman Shiroi
[Age: 18]
[Gender: Female]
[Race: 4 tailed Fox Girl]
[Level: 96]
[HP: 4300/4300]
[MP: 8000/8000]
[Elements]
Wind - Tier 4
Fire - Tier 4
Water - Tier 4
Ice - Tier 4
[Attributes]
Vitality: 400 +30
Agility: 500 +45
Intelligence: 560 +60
Strength: 550 +50
Dexterity: 500 +38
Defense: 450 +50
Shaman was happy with the results of her training as it also helped her make the memories of the past owner''s training her own. She no longer had to rely on her instincts and the bunch of memories that came with her new body.
"Hey Shaman, why don''t you check the memories, it has been a while." Rea was told to remind Shaman after they left Ebonscale, but since Himeko made no sign of returning, Rea thought it would be a good opportunity to look through them.
"I want to Rea, but I don''t know what Himeko wants and it could be information about my family, so it''s better if I don''t find out till I ampletely free of Himeko.
"Understandable, I guess I will wait till you are free." Rea understood and did not press any further.
Shaman who had been sitting on the edge of her bed leaned backnding her head on Elysia''sp. Elysia had been casually sitting on the bed also looking at her status. She had felt Shamannd on her thighs but paid it no attention and started to unconsciously pet Shaman as it had be a normal urrence.
Elysia continued to look through her status, which arguably improved even more than Shaman''s.
Elysia had learnt how to use a spear and progressed her archery skills even further. This was a huge boost to Elysia''sbat potential as she was no longer bound to long range fighting.
Elysia Dahlia
[Age: 18]
[Gender: Female]
[Race: 4 tailed Fox Girl]
[Level: 95]
[HP: 3000/3000]
[MP:9500/9500]
[Elements]
Fire - Tier 5
Although Elysia had less HP than Shaman she made up for this in mana as she poured a lot of her points into intelligence because she was a long range fighter. She had also finally learnt how to meditate, increasing her mana by at least a 1000 points.
''I hope Arsiaes in today with my new spear and bow, otherwise we won''t be able to leave this ce before Himekoes back.'' Elysia had actually requested from Arsia to have new weapons made for her as her current weapon was starting to fall apart. This was also the thing that was holding them back from leaving which had annoyed Elysia.
Wolfy on the other hand was chilling by the window, enjoying the cool breeze. Even though he was somewhat influenced by the system through his connection to Shaman, he still had no way to ess his stats.
Wolfy had raised to level 97 making him the closest to tier 5, which was rather exciting for him since he had yet to go through an evolution due to him starting out as a tier 4.
As everyone was resting, it being one of the few days off they had from training, a knock on the door could be heard followed by a female voice.
"Elysia~ I''ve got your weapon." Arsia was at the door and excitement rose in Elysia as finally her weapons arrived.
Elysia quickly got off the bed, letting Shaman''s head fall on the bed and forcing her awake from her day dreaming.
Over thest month they had gotten quite fond of their trainers and even though they were treated rough, they were also treated fairly which helped them develop mutual respect for each other. Elysia and Shaman wished they could escape with them but it would be biting off more than they can chew.
Elysia opened the door for Arsia who held in her hands Elysia''s new spear and bow.
Elysia''s eyes brightened up and Arsia extended her arms telling Elysia to take them.
Elysia grabbed hold of the 2 weapons and quickly ran to the middle of the room where there was a bit of open space. Elysia put away the bow in her inventory and started to spin the spear around to get a feel for it. The spear was exactly the same height as her since she was unsure if further evolutions would make her taller. This way, even if she does grow, the spear would still befortable to use.
Shaman had also noticed that although Elysia called it a spear, it resembled more of a Bo or a Staff, but Shaman assumed this was another case of this alternate world being slightly different from hers.
The spear handle waspletely ck with the pommel being the shape of a golden bird wing. The de was a blood red with slight wing etchings going out from the middle. It had a double edged de and underneath it could be seen a golden phoenix emblem, marking it as a weapon made by the Ado family. There was also a decorative gold cover on the handle just underneath the de giving it that final touch making it look like a royal weapon.
Shaman was mesmerized by Elysia''s movements as she looked like she was dancing with the spear making her look elegant.
Elysia had abruptly stopped in front of the bed looking at Shaman, anticipating her response.
''See that Shaman? Look at how cool I was, I was amazing right?'' Elysia did not speak as she was too embarrassed, but her eyes gleamed with excitement wanting praise from Shaman
"T-that was beautiful." Shaman stared back intently as she was impressed by Elyisa''s performance.
Although Elysia kept a straight face, in her mind she was jumping up and down as she had received praise from Shaman and all her hard work had been repaid.
Arsia had started to p and a proud smile could be seen on her face as she started to walk in the room.
"You have progressed so much in so little time. If we had a whole year to train, you would have definitely surpassed me." Arsia was surprised with the amount of progress Elysia had made in only a short amount of time.
"Aha thank you." Elysia felt a little awkward and started to fidget a little.
"Anyway I just wanted to let you know that ra wille by after she''s done with her assignment. I know she has been itching to hangout with you guys so make sure to treat her well." Arsia informed them that ra would be paying a visit which lined up perfectly as they could finally make their way to the dungeon and free ra of Himeko''s influence.
"Thank you Arsia for the weapons, I will make sure to take care of them." Elysia felt greatly indebted to Arsia and felt a little bad that they were going to leave, but she reassured herself as they nned toe back once they were stronger.
"Don''t mention it, and since I have things to do, I will be taking my leave now. Make sure you get plenty of rest before Himeko gets back." Arsia had quickly taken off in a rush which was a little odd to Elysia and Shaman but they figured she was just busy since Himeko was not around.
"Well Elysia, looks like we should get ready to leave seeing as ra will be arriving soon." Shaman did not want to waste any time as this could be the only opportunity they have and she did not want to waste it.
*sigh* "I guess so." Elysia stored the spear in her inventory and started to pack her belongings.
The reality was starting to kick in as this ce started to feel like home and they were just about to abandon it, which was hard for them to do. But despite their circumstances they did live ratherfortably and were going to miss the luxury of having a ce to go back to.
And as time went on they had started to think ''what if Himeko was not intentionally controlling them?'' Shaman dismissed those thoughts, as it was necessary for them to move on, since Stein was a living example of what they could be and she would rather not have her memories wiped.
''We have overstayed our wee and we need to leave before we fall further down the hole.'' Shaman wanted to leave as soon as they could so they could avoid the fate of being another one of Himeko''s puppets.
Their next stop was to search for the Freya forest to seek answers about Himeko and the family she has in this world. It was also Wolfy''s origins which gave them a morepelling reason to skip Elfhiem and head to the fox realm instead.
Chapter 102 Clara ????
?Shaman and Elysia had packed their belongings and were now waiting for ra to arrive.
They nned to clear the dungeon first before Shaman used [blessing of the fox] to clear ra of Himeko''s influence, since they had no idea what kind of trauma or damage Himeko had done which could possibly make ra incapable of fighting.
While waiting, Elysia pulled out her bow as she had yet to try it out and was itching to put it to use.
The bow followed the same theme as the spear with golden wings at each end of the bow with the limbs of the bow being decorated with a bit of gold. The top wing also had the simr insignia underneath it representing the Ado family.
Although it was a little distasteful in how it would be a constant reminder of their troubles in Ebonscale, Elysia was able to look past it since it will also be a reminder of the time spent with their instructors.
The string also had a slight red glow to it, which contrasted well with the ck bow and Elysia found it pleasing to look at.
Elysia yed around with the bow pretending to shoot arrows and ran around the room like she was fighting a monster.
Shaman was sitting on the bed watching Elysia jump around the room with Wolfy resting his head on herp.
However while Elysia was jumping around, ra had abruptly opened the door making a grand entrance.
"HELLOO, I hope you are not doing anything spicy!!" ra walked in with her usual ck dress that was embroidered with purple gems.
But when ra walked in she had closed her eyes just in case they were having some private time. Although she could have knocked, she wanted to surprise them and since she wasn''t being yelled at, she opened her eyes, only to see Elysia flying in her direction.
Elysia had not realized ra had entered the room and ended up crashing right into her.
ra tried to dodge but was unable to react in time, causing both Elysia and her to fly out of the room crashing into the wall.
A crash could be heard just outside the room and a little bit of dust flew back inside. Shaman winced a little as she could imagine that would have had to hurt, especially for ra.
Elysia came out fine as her fall was cushioned by ra, so she got back up perfectly fine. However ra on the other hand was in pain and felt dizzy from hitting her head rtively hard on the wall.
Elysia quickly headed over to check if ra was okay and thankfully she had no injuries, but Elysia could clearly see she was in a daze.
Shaman had gotten up as well to check if ra was okay and used inspect on ra to see if there were any problems.
[ra ????]
[Race: human/?????]
[HP: 3975/4000]
Shaman was shocked to see the question marks as it had raised so many questions about ra''s past but before she could say anything Rea interjected.
''Shaman, before you ask, I do not know why ra is like this and my only guess is that she has yet to find out what she truly is. It would be best to not say anything yet.'' Rea spoke in a serious tone which was rare as there was always this aloof nature to her.
Shaman was a little suspicious of Rea as she should technically know everything about the world but for her to suddenly say she does not know made Shaman a bit cautious of what ra could be.
''You know I can tell what you are feeling and thinking, right? Trust me, I am telling the truth when I say I don''t know and your assumption about me being all knowing is far from the truth, I was just trying to give you advice!'' Rea sounded annoyed as she could clearly feel Shaman''s doubts.
Shaman felt a little embarrassed as she kept forgetting it was almost impossible to hide things from Rea with the only exception being when Rea wasn''t paying attention.
''Hmph'' Rea pouted and went back to being silent.
Shaman sighed as she had no real concrete way to ascertain Rea''s ims and gave up on thinking about it.
While Shaman was talking with Rea, ra was beginning to recover from her dizziness. As if having a moment of rity, she froze while staring straight ahead without moving a muscle.
Elysia started to panic a little as she was unsure what to do and wondered if it was her fault that ra had be like this.
ra continued to stare nkly till tears began slowly falling down her face. This confused Elysia even more and caused her to start freaking out.
"ra? Are you okay? What''s wrong?" Elysia tried to snap ra out of it but she had no clue on what to do.
Shaman had finally stopped talking to Rea and was confused by the strange turn of events that was happening right in front of her.
"What did you do Elysia?" Shaman wanted to figure out what happened and even without asking she could see that Elysia had no idea what''s going on.
"I don''t know, she seemed to being back to her senses but then she suddenly became like this." Elysia turned to Shaman hoping she could do something, however it was then that ra started to speak.
"Please, don''t kill them." ra had only whispered those words but Shaman and Elysia could clearly hear her.
Shaman had realized something and she quickly grabbed a hold of ra, causing a system notification to pop up.
[Person is aware of influence. Do you wish to remove it]
[Yes/no]
Shaman''s eyes widened and she motioned to Elysia toe look at what she was seeing. Elysia quickly came to Shaman''s side and looked at the same message, sharing the same reaction.
The same thought went through both their heads and any good feelings they had towards Himeko had vanished.
"Don''t tell me Himeko murdered ra''s family and manipted her memories just like she did with Stein." Elysia had given voice to their thoughts as she shared a bit of her disbelief.
"We can''t be sure it was Himeko but I''m betting that something more than just a fire happened and Himeko was not the hero of that story." Shaman recalled back to what ra told them about her past and believed that Himeko may have manipted her memories.
"Is it a good idea to get rid of the influence? I have a feeling it is not going to go down well." Elysia started to imagine what could happen if all of ra''s memories rushed back to her and it did not look pretty.
"I''m not sure if it is a good idea Elysia but the longer we leave it the worse it''s going to get. We should 100% clear the dungeon first, then we let ra free and continue from there." Shaman did not want to leave ra alone and felt a sort of responsibility for her.
"Okay, I understand but we should keep quiet about it."
"Yes." Shaman agreed with what Elysia said as it would do them no good to bring it up before they help ra.
ra had suddenly woke up from her dazed state looking around confused and could see the stressed faces of the girls.
"Huh? What happened, are you two okay?" She scratched her head and got up from the floor.
"Fuck, why is my back so sore." ra stretched out her back causing it to make cracking sounds.
"Aha, well that''s because I was jumping around the room pretending to fight and as you entered the room I sort of identally crashed into you causing us to crash into the wall." Elysia let out an awkwardugh as she exined what happened to ra.
"Oh, so that''s what happened, anyway I should be fine and since it looks like you are ready why don''t we get going." ra brushed off what happened and instantly got back to what she originally came for.
Shaman was a little thrown off with the sudden change of mood, as they just learnt some possibly terrifying news.
''Honestly this may be the thing I need, so much has happened in such a short amount of time and ra''s spontaneous attitude can hopefully relieve that.'' Shaman let out a sigh as it was odd to see ra back to normal so quickly
"Yes, we should, we were thinking of actually going to the dungeon so if it is okay with you, do you want toe with us?" Elysia kept the conversation going as she could see Shaman still deep in thought.
ra had pondered for a moment and after a short moment her eyes had lit up with excitement.
"YES!! Since I have pretty much the whole day off I don''t need to worry about leaving early." ra was excited as she wanted to show off to the girls since she had not been able to join them before.
"Great well let''s start heading over, Wolfy we are going now!" Shaman wanted to leave as soon as possible so she quickly called Wolfy over.
"YAY!" ra cheered and quickly wiped her face.
''That''s odd, why was I crying?''
Chapter 103 Whip Blades
?The girls and Wolfy made their way to the dungeon to finally clear the entire thing.
One thing Elysia was concerned about was the skeleton knight that was deeper in the dungeon as she wasn''t sure how Shaman would cope with it.
"Shaman, are you sure you will be okay when we face the skeleton knight?" Elysia could imagine Shaman freezing in ce or even passing out if they entered the room.
Shaman froze for a moment at the mention of the skeleton knight which worried Elysia even more.
"Aha, I should be fine, but it may be a little difficult to beat." Shaman did not sound confident and Elysia gave her an unimpressed look.
"Oh what''s the worry, I will be with you this time so if things go wrong I will bail everyone out with my lightning." ra interjected and wrapped her arm around Shaman.
Elysia''s face instantly changed into a death re, and the air around ra suddenly became cold causing her to let go of Shaman.
"Jeez, is it just me or did it get cold all of a sudden." ra rubbed her arms and Elysia stopped her ring.
Shaman let out a sigh as she was forced to remember what kind of girl Elysia was.
''This past month we have had so little contact with others, so Elysia hasn''t had a need to show that side of herself and I kind of wish it would stay like that.'' Shaman enjoyed not having to deal with a potentially yandere girlfriend and could only hope Elysia can keep it under control in the near future.
Elysia had also taken this opportunity to grab ahold of Shaman''s hand and started to pout.
*
They arrived at the dungeon, passing by the guards with ease since they were regrs and had no need to show any proof of entry.
They entered the initial part of the dungeon they were all familiar with and prepared themselves forbat.
The tattoo on the back of Shaman''s hand started to glow a little till finally kotetsu appeared in her hand. Elysia brought out her new spear as she wanted to give her new fighting style a go and was eager to murder a few hordes of Terikin. Wolfy had no need to get ready so he waited for the others to finish.
ra on the other hand pulled out 2 midnight purple whips which shined under the bright crystal light of the dungeon. Shaman was fascinated by the weapons as they did not look like normal whips, but rather des that were stringed together. The handle was ck, the pommel gold, and the hilt was adorned with the symbol of the ado family, small wingsing out to either of its sides.
ra noticed that Shaman was eyeing her weapon and could not help but brag about it.
"You see these bad boys, they can rip through hordes of monsters with ease. Now, you might be asking yourselves, how do I not hit myself? Well that is because I use my lightning for protection." ra puffed her chest feeling proud, while Shaman was still staring with curiosity.
Elysia on the other hand felt like ra had rehearsed this many times suggesting that a lot of people have already had the same question.
"Well could you show us? We have yet to see you fight and it would be helpful for figuring out how we can synergize." Shaman wanted to see ra in action as she could see herself identally getting caught in the crossfire and thus wanted to learn how ra fought.
"Sure thing! Let me take on the first horde of Terikin wee across and I will clean them up in mere seconds." ra was excited and could not wait to show off a little.
"Actually wait till we get to a deeper level and then you can show us." Shaman changed her mind as she wanted them to save their energy for now, so they can go all out deeper inside the dungeon. She could also feel that ra was going to go overkill and did not want ra to exhaust herself before they even reached the next area.
ra''s excitement died down a little as Shaman had a valid point, realizing it wouldn''t be a good idea to go all out just to show off.
"Don''t worry, you will have plenty of opportunities once we are deeper into the dungeon." Shaman felt a little bad for killing ra''s mood, so she tried to reassure her that she would get her chance. Luckily, it worked like a charm and ra''s excited mood came back.
"Alright let''s GOO!!" ra took off and everyone else followed her lead.
*
The group had made it to the main cathedral at the back of the dungeon without fighting any Terikin as they were mainly triggered if you stepped over the graveyards.
ra had still insisted on fighting some but Shaman wanted to have every bit of energy they could gather for the fights in the deeper part of the dungeon. This in turn pushed Shaman to take the lead as previously ra kept veering off course in an attempt to trigger hordes of Terikin, only to be stopped by Shaman or Elysia.
However when they arrived the entire cathedral was surrounded by a graveyard, forcing them to trigger a horde to get inside.
"Well, it looks like we will have a warm-up battle before we enter." Elysia had also wanted to fight a horde before they entered so she was all rearing for a good fight.
"Finally I can show off, I mean show you what I can do." ra let out an awkwardugh but Shaman let out a little chuckle as she found ra''s behavior rather cute.
"Alright ra, I will let you deal with this, so if you need any help just call out." Shaman gestured for ra to go ahead while Elysia, Wolfy and her watched from a safe distance.
ra sprinted towards the cathedral, running through the graveyard that surrounded it. She arrived halfway through the graveyard and put a stop to her running, waiting for the Terikin to rise from the ground.
The screams of the terikin began to emerge and ghostly hands pierced the ground from below. Slowly, the Terikin pulled themselves upwards and out of their graves.
Those who were already out began to slowly surround ra, while new ones continued to pull themselves out.
"Oh, how nice of you to wait for your pals to get up before you attack hehe~" ra had let the des of the whip fall to the ground and patiently waited for the Terikin to get out from the ground.
The screams of the Terikin continued to cry out till finally all of the Terikin were fully emerged. A joint scream echoed throughout the dungeon causing ra to wince a little from the ear piercing shrieks.
After the scream came to an end, the group of Terkin began to close in on ra. The Terikin had formed a wall of sorts all around ra as the sheer number of them forced them to start climbing on top of each other to try and reach her.
The circle was slowly shrinking and ra had yet to make any move, which had Shaman and Elysia worried, but they trusted her enough toe out unscathed.
The circle was beginning to get dangerously close and the wall of Terikin grew higher creating a massive wave of Terkin.
ra cracked the whip, infusing it with purple lightning. Small lightning bolts could be seen appearing along the small little des of the whip and the purple tint of the des had be more apparent.
Lightning flickered around ra and the purple gems embroidered in her dress were also starting to glow.
ra then disappeared in a sh of lightning and reappeared high above the Terikin. Due to how close the Terikin were they crashed into each other, leaving a pile of Terikin where she once stood, while others were sent flying to the sides.
Lightning began to once again manifest around ra and the lightning around the des began to get more violent.
ra then shot down to the ground with a trail of lightning behind her, resembling a lightning strike. ra used her whip des to shred through the middle of the Terikin pile like a drill till she reached the ground. Once she had reached the ground a burst of lightning stretched out killing multiple Terikins at once. Once randed she began spinning around with her infused whip''s des, shredding any Terikin in its path. As she spun, the des stretched out even more, increasing in range and leaving behind a zone of carnage wherever she stepped.
To Shaman, Elysia and Wolfy it had looked like ra was elegantly dancing as she spun through the pile of Terikin.
Lighting had alsoe off the des striking the cores with precision while the des went through the slimy bodies of the Terikin. A few moments of spinning went by and ra decided to put her 2 whips together in one fluid motion, then mmed them into the ground, causing an explosion of lightning. This had finished off most of the remaining Terikin in one fell swoop, leaving the group to watch in awe as ra had killed over 150 Terikin in such a short span of time.
ra''s lighting was destructive and pairing it with her des amplified that destructiveness, reeking havoc on the battlefield.
Some Terikin had survived and tried to rush at ra in onest pitiful attack, but were quickly finished off with one swing of ra''s whips. ra, after finishing off the stragglers had turned back to the group to tell them it was now safe, but to also seek praise.
"So how was I? I was super cool right?" ra wore a proud smile and put her hands on her hips as she waited for praise.
Shaman and Elysia chuckled a little as they just witnessed a destructive murder machine start acting cute.
Wolfy on the other hand deeply admired ra''s destructiveness and simply stared at her with amazement.
"Hey don''tugh, that was hardly 10 percent of my power." ra pouted a little as she could hear the girlsughing.
Both Shaman and Elysia stopped chuckling as they let ra''s words properly sink into their minds.
"Ehhhh? That was only 10 percent?" Shaman and Elysia spoke in unison with the shock of what they just heard.
Chapter 104 Accidental Discovery
?"I''m only kidding, I don''t even know how I would put that on a scale other than it being low effort." ra giggled, as the reactions from Shaman and Elysia were priceless.
Shaman and Elysia let out a sigh of relief as they were worried about having to fight her if she lost control after Himeko''s influence was gone.
"Anyway we should get going, the faster we get to the boss the quicker I can go all out." ra turned towards the cathedral and started walking towards the front door.
"Well someone is eager." Shaman grabbed Elysia''s hand and followed ra''s lead with wolfy bringing up the rear.
The group stood in front of massive twin metal doors with skulls engraved and no handle in sight.
Failing to find a proper handle, ra decided to just kick down the door. Little did she know all she had to do was push.
The metal doors flung open with one slightlying off its hinges. ra''s kick had also shook the cathedral slightly causing some unlit candles in the hall to fall over.
Shaman had face palmed as she was about to speak up but it was toote.
"Oh, my bad." ra let out a nervousugh and scratched her head out of embarrassment. Shaman let out a sigh and continued forward into the cathedral in search of the entrance to the deeper part of the dungeon.
The cathedral was dark as none of the candles were lit and the only thing illuminating the area was the giant crystal at the top of the dungeon which gave them rather low visibility.
The cathedral was a massive hall with pirs to either side, shaped as skeletons holding up the ceiling. On the other end of the cathedral was a stained ss window that showed a skeleton raising his sword in the air.
Elysia wasn''t pleased with how dark it was, so she went around lighting the candles with her fire which brightened up the cathedral''s walls. Rows of disorganized seats could be clearly seen now and different imagery of what seemed to be a skeleton god adorned the now well lit walls.
"Maybe it''s the boss we will be fighting." Elysia was examining the sculptures and depictions of the skeleton god which showed it as more of a warrior rather than a priest.
"That''s odd. Compared to your standard cathedral, everything here seems far more focused on violence and war, but to each their own I suppose." Elysia, who had seen a cathedral outside the dungeon due to how long she''s been in human territories, could not help but makeparisons as the cathedrals up above were a lot more elegant and peaceful.
ra had taken a less practical approach and began to swing on a chandelier full of candles. Instead of being helpful she had decided to have a little fun.
The chains that held up the chandelier were rusted, which was a little concerning but the rest felt that since it was ra doing it, it should be fine.
Although Shaman was a little annoyed, she was also relieved as she felt like ra was being more useful by not getting in their way.
Wolfy however was utilizing his nose to investigate every part of the cathedral, trying to find anything smelling different than the musty old building.
Shaman''s initial guess was for the entrance to be hidden under the pedestal at the other end of the cathedral, so she made her way over to it.
''If my time ying video games has taught me anything, it''s that secret entrances are always the most obvious, especially since this is a dungeon so surely it is under the pedestal.'' Shaman drew on her gamer knowledge and began to examine the pedestal in front of her which was a concrete b with a red carpet on top of it.
Shaman kneeled on the floor to see if she could feel any drafting from underneath and fortunately her guess was right as she could slightly feel a cold winde from below.
"Wolfy can youe over here and sniff this out." Shaman wanted Wolfy to sniff out anything unusual as they did not know what could be under it.
Wolfy dashed over quickly and slightly slid on the concrete beforeing to a stop right next to Shaman. He began to sniff the ground around the pedestal but as soon as he started he recoiled back.
"Ughhh smells like rotting corpses, how the hell can you not smell that?" Wolfy was repulsed and almost wanted to vomit.
"I guess your nose is just that good." Shaman was a little surprised she did not smell it as it seemed like a very strong smell.
"Elysia! We found the entrance, we just need to find a way to open it. That or we can try to st right through it." Shaman yelled out to Elyisa which also caught the attention of ra.
ra jumped off the chandelier but her foot caught on the edge, causing her to pull the chandelier down with her. Instead of breaking like expected a mechanism could be heard and a section of the floor started to open.
Floor and pedestal alike began to move, revealing a hidden staircase.
Shaman was confused about what had caused it all, but when she turned and saw ra hanging from the chandelier by her feet and the moving chains on the ceiling, she got her answer.
''How the hell were we meant to figure that out?'' Shaman sighed in disbelief as for some reason the chandelier was the trigger for the hidden entrance.
Elysia walked over watching the upside down ra hanging off the Chandelier and could not help butugh at her.
"HEY!!! Don''t justugh, help me out here!!" ra did not appreciate she was gettingughed at and waved her hands in protest.
"Sorry, no can do, looks like we will fight the boss ourselves while you hang out." Shaman turned to the stairs and as soon as ra saw her leave she instantly used her lighting to get herself to the ground.
ra quickly ran up and jumped down the stairs passing Shaman but when shended on the staircase her nose was assaulted by the smell of corpses.
"Oh what the hell." ra instantly covered her nose and began to cough as the smell was overbearing.
Shaman climbed down with Elysia and Wolfy, covering them in a wind barrier which made the smell bearable. When they walked past ra, Shaman extended the range to cover her as well, allowing her to recover.
*cough* "Th-thank you." *Cough cough* ra still coughed her lungs out but still made sure to stick near the group.
"Next time, don''t be so rash ra, otherwise next time it might not be just a bad smell." Shaman enjoyed teasing ra, but was also trying to indirectly warn her not to blindly charge in head first.
"I- I understand." ra realized that she had been acting a bit reckless as she forgot that dungeons can be rather dangerous and not just a yground.
*
The smell eventually dissipated, but they never really discovered what caused it which confused the group. On the other hand, they were somewhat relieved they would never have to find out
The group made their way down the stairs till they reached the bottom and were met with the same looking hallway that they ran through before fighting the skeleton night.
Shaman recognizing this began to feel a little dizzy and the walls started to distort.
''Shit not this again, you can do this Shaman, it''s just a damn hallway.'' Shaman tried convincing herself and shook her head which had helped a little with the dizziness.
Elysia could see that Shaman was not feeling too well and could not help but stress out, worrying that Shaman might not be able to handle the encounter.
Shaman started to wobble as she walked deeper into the hallway making Elysia even more concerned. After walking for a few more minutes yet still not having been disturbed by any skeletons, unlike theirst time, the end of the hallway could finally be seen, causing Shaman to stop in her tracks.
''Maybe I shouldn''t havee back.''
Chapter 105 Puppeteer
?Shaman felt like she was suffocating as the massive hall that opened up in front of her was the same one where they had previously fought the skeleton knight.
Shaman fell to her knees and tried her best to breathe. Elysia grabbed hold of Shaman''s arm, trying to catch her fall, only to fail and end up kneeling alongside her .
''Shaman, it''s okay, I am here with you, just take deep breaths and we will get through this together." Elysia hugged Shaman trying her best tofort her.
ra was a little perplexed on what to do but not wanting to be useless she started to pat Shaman''s head to try tofort her. Wolfy nuzzled his nose against Shaman''s back, trying to cheer her up in his own way.
Shaman''s breathing began to stabilize and the fog clouding her vision cleared up, and so did the fear that was festering within her.
Shaman let out onest breath before letting Elysia help her back to her feet.
''I am much stronger now! As long as I have my friends by my side I should be able to cope.'' The encouragement Shaman got from her friends allowed her to continue forward. Although she had not known ra for long, she knew she was trying her best to be sincere and Shaman was rather touched by her attempts tofort her. The fear from her trauma still lingered but she was now able to suppress it as it wasn''t nearly as overwhelming as before.
"Sorry, let''s keep going." Shaman continued to walk into the same open hall that they fought in previously.
Shaman''s hand trembled a little, but she held strong and continued to push forward. Elysia noticed the shake and grabbed tightly onto Shaman''s hand.
Just asst time the hall was lit up by torches mounted on the pirs and walls, whose lightpletely illuminated the room.
Shaman looked around and noticed they''ve entered near one of the hall''s corners, meaning they were pretty far from the knight who therefore was likely still dormant.
"Let''s see if we can locate the knight without him waking up and if I''m able to cope, I shall fight with you." Shaman wanted to test her limits as they did not have a backup n if things went wrong and so by testing the waters Shaman would hopefully find the courage to participate.
They began slowly making their way around the edges of the hall, trying to locate the knight they expected to find at its center without alerting it. It was only when they neared the halfway point that they could finally find their target.
Shaman had shut her eyes and tried to mentally prepare herself as she had no idea how bad it would be seeing the real thing. She slowly opened her eyes, staring right down the middle.
The skeleton knight could be seen sitting limp in the middle of the room as if it has yet to awaken, which was a relief. Shaman then locked her gaze on where its eyes would be as suddenly they began to glow red.
A system notification went off but before Shaman could read what it said, she had passed out falling onto Elysia.
[Curse of the puppeteer detected]
[Blessing of the fox has been activated]
[Blessing failed, user is not aware of the curse]
Elysia read Shaman''s messages and began to panic as she was unsure if Shaman was going to recover.
"ra get ready, I have no idea what''s going on and I don''t like where this is going." Elysia''s mind started to spiral a little as she was once again left in a position where she was unable to do anything.
ra was very concerned and so was Wolfy. However they were unsure what to do since the looming threat of the skeleton knight was too close forfort.
"Uhhh We, we need to move her somewhere, staying here will only pose more trouble." ra tried to think of the best choice and concluded it was to escape. However that conflicted with their main objective of helping Shaman face her trauma, leaving them unsure whether to wait for her to wake up .
Elysia nodded and began to lift up Shaman but stopped when she noticed white strings originating from Shaman''s body.
ra noticed this and instantly realized what phenomenon was happening.
"ELYSIA GET AWAY FROM HER NOW!!" ra shouted and picked up Wolfy quickly putting distance between her and Shaman.
Elysia took a moment to react but when she remembered what the curse was called she realized what might be happening.
Elysia quickly jumped back and watched as strings started to pull Shaman up until she was standing.
Purple mist also started to flow out from the strings and circle around Shaman just like it would the skeleton knight.
''Elysia, good news is that Shaman is fighting it but the bad news is that her body is being possessed so make sure not to harm her.'' Rea quickly spoke up in distress as she told Elysia what was going on in more detail
''So we just need to wear her down so she breaks free herself?'' Elysia wasn''t too happy as she wanted an immediate fix but she was d to hear that there is a way out.
''Sadly yes but you need to focus on staying alive, also don''t worry about the skeleton knight as whatever entity was controlling it before is now controlling Shaman.'' Rea spoke quickly as it seemed like she was having issues on her end.
Elysia nodded and took a deep breath as she waited on what the puppet Shaman was going to do.
***
"Urggg what the hell happened." Shaman found herself on a pitch ck floor and was rather confused about where she ended up.
Shaman stood up and felt rather disoriented as she couldn''t even tell if there was ground beneath her. She looked around trying to get her bearings but everything around her was shrouded in darkness, all but a single ball of light sitting above her head.
Shaman had also noticed that all 4 of her tails were out and she was unable to make the extra 3 disappear.
''That''s odd, why the hell can''t I get rid of them.'' Shaman began to get extremely worried as she was unsure what was happening.
Suddenly the surroundings changed and she was once again in the same hall as before. However this time Shaman did not feel the same fear as she did before and was rather confused.
''Things are getting weirder by the minute and clearly I am in some form of imaginary space.'' Shaman guessed she had passed out and her consciousness is either trapped inside herself or is in another mind space.
Shaman tried to use her skills and pulled up her system but nothing worked which supported her theory that she was not in control and this wasn''t reality.
''Shit, shit, SHIT! How the hell am I supposed to get out of here.'' Shaman tried to think but the stress was starting to get too much and her ability to reason was deteriorating until a voice spoke.
"Vixen, you are no longer in control of your body and now belong to me, you have fallen for my curse where you will be a ve to this crypt till you are reduced to nothing more than bones." Shaman looked up and could see purple mist floating which was the same mist that controlled the skeleton knight.
"Curse?" Shaman was a little confused but things were starting to make sense for her.
"Yes, now enjoy counting your days as this will be the only ce you will be seeing, AH HA HA HA." The mist had a raspy voice and sounded like it was speaking from all directions.
Shaman''s stress had started to calm down a little since she was given crucial information that could help her break out.
''So this is possibly the dungeon boss and he''s able to manipte living being''s minds through a curse. So technically my Blessing of the fox should be able to break free of the curse!'' Shaman''s eyes brightened a little and the mind space started to shake.
"YES!"
Cracks started to form all around Shaman and it seemed like the blessing was about to break her free of the cursed mind space.
"What th-" the mist was confused for a moment but realized what was happening and disappeared out of sight.
The shaking grew weaker and the cracks began to heal all of sudden.
''Wait the mist can fight back the blessing?'' Shaman was confused how it could be and instinctively tried to pull out her sword. Surprisingly, it came out with ease..
''Wait did the blessing allow me to have some control back?'' Shaman instantly tried to use one of her elements and although weaker, it had worked.
Shaman smirked as now she had some tools at her disposal to try to break the space she was in.
Chapter 106 Shaman Vs Elysia
?Outside the mind space where Shaman was trapped, Elysia was currently face to face with a Shaman that was being controlled by the mist.
ra and Wolfy were positioned behind Shaman, trying to think what the best course of action was.
Elysia, who had just finished speaking to Rea, ryed the same information she received to ra and Wolfy, making them reconsider their approach.
ra pulled out her whip des thinking of using it to trap Shaman but changed her mind once she remembered they were double edged des and would hurt Shaman more than trap her.
Wolfy was a little lost on what to do as most of his skills were geared towards killing and was unsure what his role could be. Just then, it dawned on Wolfy that he could just manipte the shadows to whatever shape he wanted, but since he was so used to making them into des he had forgotten that his shadows were capable of much more than that.
"ra, I will try to use my shadows to block attacks and if the opportunity arises, I will trap Shaman." Wolfy had also projected his thoughts to Elysia so she knew what was going on.
Elysia pulled out her spear, figuring that with her being the most familiar on how Shaman fights it would be safer for her to be the one keeping Shaman busy.
Elysia felt rather nervous as she was forced to use her spear and did not expect she would have to use it against Shaman.
''My bow is a no go, Shaman will be able to close the distance too easily, hopefully I''ll be able to keep up with her attacks.'' Elysia tried to mentally prepare herself since for her, even on a good day it was difficult to go against Shaman''s wishes, and yet now she had to outright fight her. Although the fact that Shaman was being controlled made it easier for Elysia to face Shaman it still made her uneasy.
''I just need to focus on keeping her attention for as long as possible till Shaman breaks free of whatever is controlling her. I should be able to take her on alone without help.'' Elysia was concerned that after Shaman was free, the skeleton knight would wake up and so she wanted ra and Wolfy to stay back for now.
"Small change of ns, ra! Wolfy! I want you to stand down while I keep Shaman busy, please save your energy for any other enemies thate!" Elysia shouted her n. ra was about to respond but got interrupted as Shaman dashed towards Elysia.
''Damn it, I want to help.'' ra gripped her whips tighter and was now conflicted on what to do as Elysia made a rather valid point.
Elysia and Shaman began to fight, leaving ra and Wolfy to watch.
"ra, let''s listen to her, she knows Shaman better than anyone else and if it''s looking bad we can always jump in." Wolfy knew that they would most likely get in the way and could feel ra''s frustration.
"I guess you''re right." ra let out a sigh. The two stood in silence for a few moments, before Wolfy''s sensitive ears picked up on the sounds of a massive group approaching.
"ra, I think we have guests." Wolfy assumed it was the neverending skeletons that came after themst time.
ra turned to one of the entrances to the hall and could see a mob of skeletons rushing towards them.
"Looks like we are going to be busy." ra and Wolfy slowly moved closer to the entrance and waited for the wave of skeletons to approach.
*
Shortly after Elysia called out her n, Shaman suddenly dashed towards her, shing down with kotetsu. Elysia was able to sessfully block the attack with the middle of her spear but struggled as Shaman''s strength was significantly higher than her own.
''If it wasn''t for me bncing out my stats in thest 20 levels I don''t know if I would be able to handle Shaman''s attacks.'' Elysia was slightly struggling but it was nothing she couldn''t handle.
Elysia redirected Shaman''s de to the side causing it to hit the ground. Some shards of stone flew out from the impact of the de.
With Shaman''s side wide open, Elysia used the bottom of her spear to hit Shaman, thrusting it right into her ribs.
Unintentionally, Elysia had used too much force and made Shaman roll across the ground violently.
''Shit.'' Elysia wanted to do as little damage to Shaman but was beginning to feel it would be unavoidable.
Shaman slowly got up from the ground and without wasting time instantly charged back at Elysia.
This time her attack was a little more frantic and did not contain as much force as before. A detail Elysia picked up on was the fact that whatever was controlling Shaman did not have ess to her skills or her fighting style. Elysia felt like she was battling someone who was just randomly swinging their sword.
Elysia kept slowly moving back while blocking all of Shaman''s attacks with ease. She even began thinking that she would be able to easily restrain Shaman due to howckluster the fighting style was.
However suddenly the barbaric way of fighting shifted to Shaman''s normal way of fighting which caught Elysia off guard.
Shaman had used her leg to sweep Elysia''s feet from under her while also shing towards her neck.
Elysia quickly mmed her spear on the ground to use it for support and kicked Shaman in the face causing the attack to stop.
Elysia quickly pushed herself away with her spear and regained her footing. Shaman however did not let up and continued to attack but this time it was like Shaman was actually fighting. Shaman''s attacks were precise and fast, making it even harder for Elysia to block or dodge them.
Their exchanges were getting faster and faster which was testing Elysia''s skill at using the spear.
''I need to find a way to weaken her.'' Elysia knew she couldn''t keep up with Shaman at this rate.
For starters, Elysia activated [Fire coat] which engulfed the spear in mes except where Elysia was holding it and the mes would move whenever she changed her grasp, as if avoiding her hands on purpose. This had surprisingly slowed down Shaman as she was now more cautious of Elysia''s attacks and tried to keep her distance from the fire to avoid getting burnt.
Fortunately due to Elysia having used this skill quite often, she had developed a unique way to use the fire coat. Elysia waited for the opportunity to parry Shaman''s attack, so she could execute her n.
Elysia had pretended to let her guard down, baiting Shaman to go for an attack to Elysia''s head with a thrust. Elysia parried the attack causing Shaman to lose her bnce and left her open for a followup attack.
Elysia used her spear to go for a sweep and just as expected, due to Shaman being controlled like a puppet was able to block the attack. As if her body was being held up by strings, Shaman''s arm was moved in a position to block the spear and was able to withstand the sweep despite it looking physically impossible.
However Elysia wanted this and controlled the mes on the spear to wrap around Shaman. Although the me was not life threatening, they started to burn Shaman''s skin.
The mist controlling Shaman jolted her back to detach itself from the spear. Due to the sudden jolt Shaman''s shoulder had dislocated causing her arm to go limp.
? The fire on Shaman''s body began to fizzle out due to losing its connection with the skill. Light burns could be seen along Shaman''s arm, but to Elysia''s disappointment, Shaman waspletely unaffected by it.
The mist controlling Shaman popped her shoulder back and Elysia could visibly see Shaman crying from the pain. Elysia had also noticed Shaman''s burnt arm shake, having trouble keeping a grip on her sword.
Elysia, seeing this, hated herself for hurting Shaman. Even though she knew she must find a way to incapacitate Shaman, seeing her cry had set something off in Elysia.
Elysia had a look of determination as she was more than motivated to save Shaman and beat the shit out of whatever is controlling her.
Chapter 107 Partial Transformation
?A red aura started to form around Elysia as the sight of Shaman had set something off within her.
A system notification suddenly appeared but Elysia only got a brief look before focusing her attention back to Shaman as she was more concerned about her than a notification.
[Bloodline A-
Elysia''s eyes turned blood red, and ck fur started growing and covering her limbs. Although her figure remained human, outwards she now looked more like a fox. Even her face saw some changes, with streaks of red now coloring her cheeks and a new set of whiskers appearing under her nose.
Elysia''s 4 tails had alsoe out and this time they had bright red tips instead of being fully ck, alongside her ears whose tips were colored red as well.
The fire on the spear grew more violent, with some of the mesing off and circling Elysia, creating rings of fire.
The puppeteer had finally recovered Shaman''s body to where it could fight properly but upon seeing Elysia, the puppeteer hesitated to attack.
Elysia was not going to wait around, so she decided to make the first move. Due to her transformation Elysia had gained a temporary boost to all her stats making her faster and stronger. She unleashed a continuous rain of attacks, each one targeting a different spot, keeping the puppeteer busy and with no chance at retaliation.
This time the puppeteer was struggling to block each hit as now Elysia''s strength has far surpassed Shaman''s.
Elysia''s use of the spear has be more proficient and to show off the bit of confidence she has gained, she began to incorporate spinning the spear inbat. Elysia looked even more elegant as she fought as her movements all blended together smoothly, creating a memorizing dance.
Shaman continued to struggle and was slowly getting pushed closer to the wall. The mist started to swirl around violently, Elysia was unsure on what to do and therefore continued to keep up the pressure, waiting to see how the mist would react.
However to Elysia''s surprise Shaman suddenly used the [Spatial rift] skill, escaping the barrage of attacks. Elysia became more vignt and waited for Shaman to reappear since she knew Shaman had toe out after a certain amount of time.
A rift opened up above Elysia but instead of Shamaning out of it, fire started to gush out. Elysia stood there without moving and took on the mes head on.
The rift closed and Shaman reappeared behind Elysia waiting to see the damage she had done. The mist around Shaman began trembling as Elysia easily dispersed the mes with her spear,ing out unscathed.
The red tips of Elysia''s fur began to glow and that red glow slowly creeped further up her tail.
The fire began to swirl faster and a smile appeared on Elysia''s face. She felt her body brimming with power and was excited to put it to good use. The mist seemingly got the message and stopped controlling Shaman, heading towards the slumped over skeleton knight.
Shaman''s body had fallen limp and Elysia caught Shaman before she hit the ground. Elysia then picked her up and moved her to the end of the hall so that Shaman was a safe distance away.
Elysia could have stopped the mist but she was too high on power to let slip this opportunity of facing off a strong opponent. Elysia had also noticed the mist had left a part of itself on Shaman and quickly used her mes in an attempt to get rid of it. Just like a gas, the mist-like being was evaporated by the me, leaving no traces of it on Shaman.
Elysia was unsure why the mes did not work on the knight before but had to guess it was because the mist would move, if fire ever got too close.
''Seems like the weakness has been in our faces all along, we just needed to hit the damn thing.'' Elysia knew what she had to do and so she walked to the middle of the room and waited for the skeleton knight to rise.
The skeleton knight immediately transformed into its death knight form, knowing full well that if it didn''t, it would be defeated rather easily.
Elysia''s smile grew and her eyes glowed red, almost looking like she had gone crazy. The skeleton knight had finished its transformation and instantly began its attack. Unlikest time Elysia was now able to see clearly through the knight''s attack, reading the trajectory of its greatsword and easily deflecting it, causing it to crash into the ground right next to her.
Elysia stepped forward quickly and spun her spear hitting the skeleton Knight right in the ribs, sending it flying into the ceiling.
The knight fell to the floor and Elysia mmed down with her spear on its back, creating a fiery explosion. Some of the mist was caught by the fire, causing a chunk of the mist to fizzle out, reducing its overall size.
The skeleton let out a dark energy, making Elysia quickly jump away from it. The dark energy started to converge on the great sword, coating it in darkness. Elysia did not like the looks of it and wanted to avoid getting hit by it at all costs.
''This better not be dark magic, it should be forbidden and no normal monster should have ess to it.'' Elysia now wanted to finish this as soon as possible instead of ying since dark magic could be involved.
Before the skeleton could rise, Elysia pulled out her bow and made an arrowbining all of her arrow skills. She had also infused it with more mana than usual creating this zing arrow. Elysia jumped back creating as much distance between her and the knight, trying to make sure she doesn''t get caught up in the st.
The knight started to rise and the dark energy had now engulfed it''s entire body. Elysia looked over to Shaman who was nowying on the floor, double-checking she was out of range.
With Shaman at a safe distance, Elysia kneeled on the ground to bnce herself and fired the arrow. The arrow shot through the hall at high speeds giving no time for the knight to react. The arrow hit the knight picking it up from the ground and continued flying down the hall till it reached the very end.
The knight crashed into the wall and the arrow exploded, thebination of all the fire arrow skills created many mini explosions which then merged into one massive boom, evaporating everything it touched. The dungeon shook and the explosion was so great that it copsed a part of the ceiling, creating a hole that led directly to the graveyards above.
The explosion burst out through the hole in all its glory, then slowly receded until finally vanishingpletely. The skeleton knight had literally been turned to nothingness and Elysia had finally reached level 100 meaning tier 5 was just around the corner.
*
Shaman began to slowly wake up, her mind reeling from the massive earthquake that Elysia has caused.
She opened her eyes just to see the skeleton getting vaporized into nothingness and Elysia standing in front of her. Seeing this, Shaman finally got a little piece of mind, having just been through an internal struggle which felt like going to hell and back.
Seeing her loved one kill that which has haunted her for the past month allowed her to let her fears slowly fade away.
''Dammit if it was as easy as seeing Elysia kill it I wouldn''t have been so adamant on defeating it myself.'' Shaman was now fully awake and this grating thought crossed her mind making her curse herself.
''Can I even call this getting over it myself? well let''s hope it doesn''te back to bite me.'' Shaman was rather worried for the future as she was unable to tell if her trauma had gone for good or was just suppressed temporarily.
***
"Tch, this fox is so hopeless, feels like i need to keep giving her handouts." The fox goddess wore a rather disappointed face as she watched Shaman on the same holographic screen.
"Oh well she needs to get out of there as soon as possible before she meets that stupid human boy."
"Lets hope she can make use of this blessing as it seems like I won''t be able to help you much longer."
The same rumble could be heard just likest time before an old man spoke.
"YOU DARN VIXEN!"
Chapter 108 Facing Fears
?
Shaman held kotetsu in her hands and looked down at the cracks that formed when the blessing tried to break her free.
A bright light shined through the cracks which gave the idea to Shaman, that this was her way out.
Shaman used kotetsu to stab into the crack but before it could reach the light something had grabbed a hold of the de.
A skeleton hand had grabbed a hold of Shaman''s de using it to pull itself out of the floor. As ifing out of a pool of darkness the skeleton knight slowly emerged.
Shaman unsummoned kotetsu and fell back upon the sight of the skeleton knight. Shaman crawled backwards as fast as she could. She thought she would be free of her fears in this alternate space, yet now they all came flooding back.
Cold sweat ran down Shaman''s face and her mind began to spiral as the trauma was alling back to her. Attempting to calm herself down, Shaman quickly pped herself and began taking deep breaths.
''It''s not real, this is just an illusion created by whatever entity created this space.''
''Get angry, This was the very thing that almost killed your beloved.'' Shaman was talking to herself trying to fight against the fear that has been paralyzing her.
Shaman used her emotions to fuel her anger, as she red at the skeleton knight, her eyes filled with hatred.
Shaman got up from the floor and prepared herself to fight the fake skeleton knight that was in front of her. She summoned kotetsu and held it in front of her, focused on killing the knight.
Shaman entered a meditative state, but instead of focusing on her mana core, all she could see was the skeleton knight. She could see every small movement it made as it emerged from the floor.
Shaman''s hidden tails had also appeared and Shaman noticed a small boost in her power.
''That''s interesting, I guess since we hid them straight away, we could never tell if hiding them affected us.'' Shaman felt freer than ever. It was as if up till now something was chaining her down, but now that all 4 tails were out, that feeling she never knew she had was gone, making it easier to focus on the knight.
Once the skeleton knight was fully out of the ground, it grabbed it''s great sword and charged at Shaman.
Shaman stood still quietly, waiting for the skeleton knight to approach her. Unlikest time when her eyes couldn''t keep up with the knight, it was now as if its movements had slowed down.
''Heh. it''s not nearly as fast as Stein, this will be easy.'' Shaman''s confidence grew and she believed that she did not need to use any elements to beat the knight.
Shaman let the knight get behind her but before it could move its greatsword, Shaman quickly turned and shed upwards across its chest. The knight was pushed back but Shaman did not stop, following up on the attack Shaman stepped forward shing downwards towards the knight''s chest. This time the knight was able to block the attack sessfully with its great sword.
Shaman quickly used her [spatial rift] and appeared behind the skeleton knight in an instant. The knight was unable to react and was cut in half by Shaman''s de like it was a piece of butter. But to Shaman''s annoyance the knight turned into mist and reappeared in front of her.
"Tch, so you won''t die so easily." Shaman was getting frustrated, realizing she might be stuck in an endless battle.
The knight stood in silence, as if it was waiting for orders until suddenly it transformed its body into a shadow version of Elysia. This infuriated Shaman even more as it was using her lover against her.
Shaman was not willing to wait and took the initiative to attack the knight first.
The knight''s greatsword transformed into a spear and started to copy Elysia''s fighting style. This time it was able to keep up with Shaman, easily parrying her sword towards the ground and locking its movements.
Shaman, who had a creative idea, quickly created a spatial rift below her sword and let go of kotetsu. Shaman then reached up in the air, opening another rift and pulled out kotetsu, shing downwards.
The knight was cut in half again but the results were the same,, as the knight''s body quickly re-formedpletely unscathed.
Shaman had figured out a method of using her spatial rift ability to do small teleportations while training with Stein. Although Shaman did not possess the space element she was able to control it to a certain degree and so she was able to distort it making objects inside the rift move positions.
''Looks like normal attacks are never going to work, I should try using one of my elemental skills.'' Shaman immediately thought of using the [de of mescion]. Until now, this skill was too dangerous for her to use. But now that she was at the peak of tier 4 and was in a mind space, it would be a great opportunity to test it.
However before she could activate the skill the mindspace began to shake violently and the pre existing cracks started to grow bigger. The shadow Elysia started to fade away into the darkness showing no signs of reappearing.
Soon the room was full of cracks of light until it finally shattered and Shaman was engulfed in light, slowly disappearing herself.
***
Shaman hit her fist on the ground out of frustration as she was so close to beating the very thing haunting her in her mind but Elysia had beaten the knight before she could. Although seeing the knight being burned to death had brought her great satisfaction, she still felt like the kill was stolen from her.
Afterining to herself, she finally noticed that Elysia looked different.
''She almost looks like a full fox'' Shaman saw how most of Elysia''s body was now covered in ck fur and all her tails were out. Another striking feature Shaman saw was the red tips on the tails as she only remembers Elysia having pure ck tails.
''Wait, could Elysia be a lot more special than I thought and that''s why she hasn''t told me about her past?'' Shaman became a little suspicious as she felt like there was more to this transformation and may have to do with Elysia''s secretive past.
''I have been very patient with her but I need answers.'' Shaman was willing to wait but she wanted to know as soon as possible as Elysia''s identity could have unknown implications.
Shaman tried to get up but when she went to move her left arm, a surge of pain flowed through her.
"ARHH!!" Shaman let out a groan of pain and quickly looked over to her left arm. Shaman saw that her left arm had beenpletely burnt. Although not serious it was still really painful for Shaman to move.
''What the hell did Elysia do?'' Shaman was now wondering how the hell it got to this as she knew she was being controlled but didn''t think Elysia would use such aggressive tactics to fight her off.
Shaman moved her right arm which was slightly in pain but nothing too bad and used [heal] on her left arm. Slowly the burn marks started to disappear and the pain was slowly going away.
''I am so d I got this skill, it has be so handy for healing wounds.'' Shaman felt grateful for her choice of getting a healing skill as it had cut so much time for recovering injuries.
Once Shaman fully healed her arm she was finally able to get up from the ground.
Shaman then started to slowly walk over to Elysia who had been standing still staring at what little remained of the knight. Shaman had kicked a stone while walking which grabbed the attention of Elysia.
Elysia turned and red at Shaman with her new red eyes she had acquired during the transformation. Shaman felt threatened by the stare and stepped back quickly as she was unsure if Elysia was still herself.
"Uhh, Elysia, it''s me Shaman, are you okay?" Shaman quickly spoke up and as soon as she did Elysia''s face changed from a cold re to a joyful one.
Slowly Elysia''s body reverted back to her human form and all the fox features except the tails and ears vanished. However the red tips and eyes remained which got Shaman even more curious to who Elysia is.
"SHAMAN!" Elysia ran to Shaman giving her a hug and almost starting to cry.
"I''m so d you''re okay." Elysia squeezed Shaman tightly, making Shaman feel like her back was going to get snapped.
"I-it''s g-good to see you are okay t-too, b-but could you lighten up on the hug." Shaman struggled to speak, hoping Elysia would listen to her request.
"Oh sorry, I guess I got a little carried away there." Elysia let out an awkwardugh and lightened her hold on Shaman.
"Anyway what is with the red eyes?" Shaman couldn''t help but ask about it but when she did Elysia froze.
"W-wait, they are red?" Elysia let go of Shaman and put one of her hands over her eye.
"Yep." Shaman''s suspicions were confirmed. There was something more going on with Elysia than she initially thought.
"Oh no, why is it happening now?" Elysia began to panic and looked distressed.
"Can you exin what''s going on?" Shaman was now worried as it seemed like this wasn''t something they''ll be able to ignore for long.
Shaman was initially worried that Elysia''s secret identity might put them in danger, but Elysia seemed more concerned with her condition rather than her secret being exposed, leading Shaman to believe her identity might not be that big of a concern.
"Not right now, Shaman but I think it''s time I stopped hiding the truth and tell you where I''m from once we leave the dungeon." Elysia started to take deep breaths, calming down.
Suddenly they noticed ra in the distance with Wolfy walking beside her.
"HEY BITCHES, WE ARE BACK!" ra waved as she walked over.
Chapter 109 Clara And Wolfy’s Boring Fight
?ra did not like the fact that Elysia would be fighting Shaman alone, but the oing horde of skeletons also had to be dealt with.
''Let''s hope I didn''t misce my trust.'' Although ra knew they had gotten much stronger, she could not help worrying that they might not be ready.
''Elysia knows Shaman more than I do, so she should be more than capable of fighting her.'' ra shook her head and faced one of the many entrances where the sound of the skeleton horde wasing from.
Elysia and Shaman''s battle had moved further in giving them a third of the hall to themselves to fight the skeletons.
Wolfy stood next to ra as he believed Elysia was going to be alright and therefore decided to help ra instead.
Wolfy noticed through his highetend hearing that the horde of skeletons was not one small group but rather what seemed like an entire''s country''s worth of skeletons charging at their location.
"ra, this is going to be a long battle." Wolfy was unsure if he could survive long enough as the sheer amount of skeletons could overwhelm them.
"Great so I can''t go all out, I have to conserve energy." ra let out a sigh as once again she had to hold back.
"Well, I don''t think this is even the final boss so don''t worry, we still have more of this dungeon to explore." Wolfy picked up bits of information from Shaman about the skeleton knight which made him believe that it isn''t the final boss.
"I know, I have been in here before, but the anticipation is killing meeeee." Since ra was already at peak tier 4, she had already gone into the dungeon to train.
Wolfy felt a little stupid as it should have been rather obvious that ra has already attempted it before.
Wolfy shook his head and concentrated on the hallway in front of him, waiting for any sign of the skeletons. The rumbling slowly got louder and louder until even the sound of bones grinding against bones could be distinguished from among the cacophony.
Eventually ra and Wolfy saw a contingent of skeletons appear at the end of the hallway charging towards them. Each skeleton carried a different rusted weapon alongside having the same purple mist within its skeletal body.
"Wolfy I have an idea, make sure they don''te from the other entrances." ra quickly rushed to the entrance where the main charge was. Wolfy followed ra''s orders and kept an eye on the other 2 entryways. These 2 entryways were located on either side of ra which had made it harder for Wolfy.
ra stopped once she reached the side of the central entrance, then quickly whipped her whip-des across the doorway, lodging them in the wall on the other side. The 2 des rested one above the other, separated by over a meter.
ra smiled, and purple lightning started shing around her, making violent crackling noises. ra gripped both of her whip des tightly and pushed her lightning through the des. lightning surged through the des, streaking its way both along the des and in between them.
The lightning got more and more violent, until its movements finally stabilized, forming a permanent fence covering almost the entirety of the entrance.
ra had created an electric barrier of sorts over the entrance with her whip des. The skeletons, seemingly mindless, continued to run at full speed without a care of the barrier.
The skeletons barged through the entrance, only to get turned to dust as soon as they passed through the lightning barrier.
ra however had to keep supplying mana to her des to keep the barrier up and realized it might not be the best way to conserve energy.
''Shit this was a bad idea.'' ra could feel her mana getting sapped away, so she quickly pulled her whip des and jumped back. Wolfy had not seen any activity in the other entrances and decided to quickly go back to ra to help with the oing wave.
The skeletons flooded out of the entrance and instantly locked onto ra. They all rushed in her direction holding their weapons up high ready to attack.
Before ra could attack Wolfy had jumped in front of her. Wolfy''s shadow started to expand across the floor till it was underneath all of the skeletons. Wolfy then howled which was followed by hundreds of shadow scythes rising from the ground. Each scythe spinned in a circle, destroying the spines of the skeletons. The charging skeletons soon found their upper and lower halves detached from one another and quickly toppled to the floor, the mist being unable to keep their broken bodies together.
"Thanks Wolfy." ra felt like Wolfy''s help was unneeded but still appreciated what he did.
Wolfy''s scythes disappeared as it was too costly to keep up for a long period of time and was not worth the struggle.The skeletons continued to rush out the entrance and charge at them.
ra sighed but nheless got to work immediately and used her whip-de''s range to her advantage to kill as many as possible.
ra started to spin like a beyde into the clump of skeletons without hesitation. Lightning was also infused in her whips making each hit more destructive. ra went through countless skeletons until she was bored of spinning around. ra stopped spinning and mmed her des together creating a shockwave of lightning that eviscerated all the skeletons around her.
ra was already getting bored of the endless stream of skeletons as it was not satisfying for her to kill.
ra, to cure her boredom, started to swing randomly around letting her lightning fly everywhere and pretended to dance. This was a lot more entertaining for herself as she went through killing the endless waves.
Wolfy, who had a stream of skeletonse after him, was using [Shadow sword] to hack and sh his way through. Wolfy also took the opportunity to improve his agility and was trying to kill as many skeletons as he could as quickly as he could. This helped Wolfy to not get bored, allowing him to keep his rhythm during the fight.
Wolfy was jumping around with sword in mouth using the bodies and pirs to move around quickly. He would also incorporate shadow desing from the ground if he found himself in a spot where he was unable to react quick enough.
''I hope this ends soon.''
*
After mindlessly killing skeletons for what felt like forever they had finally killed them all and were able to take a break.
"Why the hell do basic skeletons carry weapons they hardly use to attack, in such a dungeon." ra wasining about how easy the fighting was and wondered why on earth such basic monsters were in a high level dungeon.
"Who the hell knows." Wolfy was exhausted as he had to individually kill each skeleton.
As ra and Wolfy were resting a sudden earthquake urred and a bright orange light wasing from behind them. They both turned and saw a massive ball of fire at the end of the hall. ra was rather shocked as the impact of the explosion was shaking the dungeon.
"Quick, let''s head over." ra wanted to regroup as soon as possible and realized that the massive ball of fire was the doing of Elysia.
Chapter 110 Elysia’s Family
?The group was all together and Elysia was contemting if she should also let ra in on her origins.
''She is going to be joining us anyway, so if anything Shaman can use her blessing a little earlier than expected.'' Elysia figured ra would find out anyway so there was no use in hiding it.
"Woah Elysia, when did you start rocking a new colour, it honestly suits you." ra got a good look at Elysia and rather liked the red tips her hair had gotten.
"Aha thank you, but there is something important you should know about this certain colouring, I was just about to exin it to Shaman, but since we are all here, I will just tell everyone." Elysia had also winked at Shaman to let her know that she was okay with it as she imagined Shaman was internally freaking out.
''WHAT THE HELL, WHY DOES CLARA GET TO KNOW, EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE HARDLY KNOWN HER FOR A MONTH.'' Shaman was internally freaking out and felt a little jealous that ra was going to know as well.
Shaman stared at Elysia with a little annoyance but Elysia ignored her knowing full well what she was thinking.
"Ohhh~ Please tell me." ra was too intrigued to notice Shaman''s annoyed look and waited patiently for Elysia to exin.
Elysia took a deep breath as she could feel the anxiety rise in her because was not sure how they were going to take the news.
"Before I begin, I do not associate with what I am about to tell you, as it''s rather something I wish wasn''t a part of me." Elysia moved her tails in front of her so she could look at the red tips.
Shaman, Wolfy and ra were paying close attention, seeing that the situation is going to be more than a bit of fur and eyes changing colour.
"ra, you wouldn''t know this, but the colour of our tails signifies our social standing in fox society. For example, Shaman has ck tipped fur which indicates she is nobility. It is hard to distinguish between the different families but that''s where namese into y." Elysia''s brief overview caused ra to look at Shaman as she was unaware that Shaman was of noble birth.
"Wait, why isn''t thismon knowledge amongst everyone." Shaman was rather confused as the fur patterns seemed obvious to her.
"Sham, you dumbass, remember that the fox realm is closed and they rarely contact other countries, let alone release information about their internal politics to outsiders." Elysia almost yelled, but then she remembered that Shaman was rather ignorant of the world.
"Sham? Where did thate from, and you know even after reading all those books it really didn''t help with understanding this world." Shaman was thrown back a little by the nickname but was not against it.
"Oops, I didn''t mean to call you that yet, but yes you are right, those books gave us more of a headache than actual knowledge." Elysia held her head remembering the pain of absorbing that information.
ra giggled a little as she knew most of the books that are in the library are just old fairy tales with vague exnations and couldn''t believe they spent their time there.
"Ahem, anyway, My point is, I am from a certain family in the fox realm and my ck hair with the red tips represents a branch of that family. My red eyes are where it bes problematic, it shows that I''m from the main family line." Elysia''s words became a little shaky but she continued on.
"I do not know much of what my family has done. All I know is that my parents tried to escape it and e-ended up getting k-k-killed by my rtives. I only know this thanks to this small journal that I keep with me, which was written by my mother." Elysia reached into her breasts pulling out a small journal.
''Huh? Where the hell did she put that during sex?'' Shaman was rather confused on how Elysia was able to keep a small journal hidden but decided to let it slide because of how important it was to Elysia.
"In her journal, my mother talked about how they are the reason why the different races almost became extinct over a hundred years ago and that our family was supposedly wiped out by the current royal family. So that''s why Shaman''s family is in power as they were the ones to protect all fox kin as well as the other races of beastmen. So collectively they voted for that fox family to rule over all beastmennd, renaming those territories to the fox realm tomemorate the current royal family that has been in power since the massacre." Elysia looked through the journal picking out points to exin what kind of family she originated from.
"There was a decree for any fox that had red tipped hair to be executed, and they had gotten most of the house, main and side branches alike. Only a few survived, keeping low and trying to rebuild the family in secret. I don''t know why my parents needed to escape, the journal only mentioned hiding me away when it was clear they were not going to make it. I was left all alone and didn''t know what to do. I distrusted both my rtives and the royal family, leaving me with no one to turn to" Elysia exined how she was too young at the time and did not have a proper understanding of her situation.
"Now this brings us to the present, Everybody thinks they are dead but from what my mother said, There are still a few members alive trying to revitalize the family. If they find out I''m alive, they are going to try to bring me back no matter the cost as I am a member from the main house, making me one of their most valuable assets. Although I do not know how they have been able to stay alive for this long, all I know is that their ideals haven''t changed and we must try to avoid them the best we can." Elysia''s face was filled with worry, concerned about her future and what would happen if she was actually caught.
"There was also onest message in the journal from my mother. She told me "if you ever get the traits of the family, you need to make sure your remaining rtives never find you. Otherwise they will take you back and I don''t want to imagine what will happen to you." Then the journal ends." Elysia''s eyes threatened to tear up, but she refused to cry, holding back her tears as best she could.
Elysia closed the journal and put it away, as it was thest thing she had of her mother and looking at it any more would make her cry.
Shaman had no words and all she could do was go up and give Elysia a hug. Shaman also needed time to think as now there was the threat of another grouping after them.
''Why the hell does everyone want our tails, can''t I just get strong peacefully without needing all this drama.'' Shamanined mentally as everything was getting more dangerous as they leveled up.
ra had also sat in silence as she thought about what Elysia had said. Wolfy wished he could hug Elysia but all he could do was rub his head against her leg.
''Why did such an innocent girl get pulled into such a fucked up situation.'' ra could not see Elysia being a part of such a ruthless family and felt a sense of duty to help the girls.
"T-thank you Shaman, I will tell you in more detail what happened with my parents but right now I dont think it''s a good time as we still haven''t cleared the dungeon." Elysia realized that they hadn''t gotten the quest rewards, meaning that they still had more to clear.
"Oh shit you''re right, we really should get going then. Also it''s okay I will always be here to listen when you''re ready Elysia" Shaman understood why Elysia was so hesitant and was willing to be patient if Elysia needed more time before she told more of her story.
"FINALLY, I can show off." ra was excited to hear they were finally moving on.
"Pfffhahaha, Let''s get going, I want to kill something." Elysia was eager so she could take her mind off her circumstance.
"Let''s hope this boss isn''t too hard for us." Shaman felt the mood rise and was happy to see that Elysia was back to her normal self.
"Well uhh where do we go now though?" Wolfy asked the obvious question but the group genuinely didn''t know. Shaman and Elysia looked at ra as she had been in the dungeon before.
"Don''t look at me I haven''t gotten this far, Himeko didn''t allow me to go further." ra put her hands up and answered quickly.
Shaman and Elysia sighed as now they had to find the boss in abyrinth-like crypt.
Chapter 111 Yollorn
?The group had been exploring the dungeon for over 30 minutes, going through the endless hallways trying to find the boss room. They had ended up in the same hall multiple times as if they were continuously going in circles. The entrance to the crypt had also been passed by many times and the more the group walked the more confused they got.
Currently they were in the middle of the hall where Elysia had fought the skeleton knight, trying to think of ways to get to the boss in thebyrinth they found themselves in.
"AHHH, this is so frustrating." ra was having it the worst as she was getting impatient and wanted to fight something already.
"You can say that again." Shaman rubbed her forehead, trying to think of a way but it seemed like it was a loop no matter how they tried to explore the hallways.
"Should we just try blowing up the ce?" Elysia figured it would be easier to destroy the ce and force their way to the boss.
"Honestly that sounds like the best idea we got." Shaman was not against this idea as any damage in the dungeons would revert once they left and even if not, they were leaving the city anyway.
"Well if that''s the case I''ll go first." ra''s pent up frustration was finally exploding and she found the idea of destroying the ce a fun way to vent her anger. ra mmed the ground as hard as she could with her foot causing the hall to shake from it.
However the rumbling didn''t stop and kept going longer than expected.
"Uhhh, ra, what did you do?" The shaking hadn''t stopped and Shaman was a little concerned for what was about to happen.
The shakes grew more violent and the floor started to break apart.
"I didn''t mean for this kind of destruction." ra didn''t expect the whole ce to start falling apart, which was not a part of her demolition n.
"Shit we need to move." Shaman realised that the floor started to cave in.
But before the group could react, the floor shattered like ss below them and they began to fall.
The group saw a massive open space below them with an imposing throne at its end. The edges of the room were adorned with old rusted weapons and armour highlighting the outline of the room.
Due to them falling from such a great height they had a brief moment where they could examine the room before hitting the ground.
On the throne was what caught everyone''s attention as a huge set of ck armour sat on top of the throne. The same purple mist could be seen extending out of the armour and going into the walls.
The group were approaching the ground quickly and needed to stop themselves from crashing into it.
ra was next to Wolfy so she was able to grab a hold of him and use her whip des to reduce their speed by using it like a grapple hook, making theirnding easy. Shaman was rather impressed with ra''s way of using her weapon and did not expect it.
However Shaman forgot she was falling for a moment but she quickly got back to not dying by gravity.
Shaman grabbed Elysia and held her around the waist. Elysia was a little embarrassed and was half expecting a princess carry.
Shaman shot her wind towards the ground, pushing away from it. This slowed their speed significantly, giving them more time to react. Shaman then used some of the falling rubble to conjure ice and create a slide under their feet. Shaman slid on the ice slide she was creating, with Elysia now in a princess carry. This allowed Shaman and Elysia to safely get to the ground.
Once they were close to the ground Shaman dropped off of the ice slide andnded in the middle of the room. ra, using the holes in the wall to hook her whip des, climbed down the wall with ease. ra jumped off the wallnding next to Shaman and Elysia with Wolfy in hand. ra put down Wolfy and stood next to Shaman waiting on what to do next. Wolfy however was a little dizzy as he felt like he went on a rollercoaster ride and needed a moment to let the dizziness calm down.
"Jeez you jumped far." Shaman was a little shocked by how far ra was able to jump as the room was the size of a football field making the walls rather far from the middle.
"Well my whip des have a lot of different uses hehe~." ra felt proud of her whip de proficiency as she has spent countless days practicing.
''This just makes me want to get lighting as well, I know earth has its uses and is an underrated element but like everything else sounds so much cooler.'' Shamanined mentally as there were so many elements she wanted to learn but had to pick and choose which to learn.
[Shaman, I hope you know you can''t learn every element as you need a fundamental understanding on how it works.] Rea had just talked for the first time in a while which surprised Shaman a little.
''I guessed that much but I still want to learn space magic or even time if I can.'' Shaman began to get ambitious with what she could learn which caused Rea tough.
[Pfffhahaha good luck with that, your lucky you''re from another world otherwise it would be impossible, unless you were innately attuned with the time element, which is like 1 in a trillion]
''STILL POSSIBLE.'' Shaman still held hope for overpowered magic as already having 4 elements wasn''t enough.
[Anyway, Elysia looks like she is going to die of embarrassment and the dungeon boss is going to wake up soon, so stay alert, Rea out!]
Shaman looked at Elysia whose face waspletely red of embarrassment.
''AHHHHH I can''t believe I am being carried by Shaman like a princess, I could die happy.'' Elysia was very giddy and happy as one of her many fantasies wasing true.
This didn''tst long as Shaman dropped Elysia on the ground causing her to snap out of her embarrassment. ra couldn''t help but chuckle at Elysia as the drastic change in her expressions was amusing.
"OI! What was that for!" Elysia did not appreciate this treatment and when she saw Shaman''s smug face, she knew she was being toyed with.
"Grrr." Elysia growled at Shaman as she knew if she said anything else, Shaman was going to turn her words against her.
"Aww how cute but sadly as much as I would like to y I think the dungeon boss is now waking up." Shaman''s face went from yful to serious as she looked up at the husk of armour.
Everyone began to look at the armour to see what Shaman was talking about and indeed the boss seemed to be awakening. Elysia got up from the ground and quickly pulled out her bow, everyone else had also followed her lead and took out their weapons readying for battle.
The purple mist that wasing out of the armour started to rush back inside it, and from all across the room more mist started leaking out, heading straight towards the armour. As if collecting all the souls in one ce the armour started filling up with purple mist, bing one massive entity.
Shaman was very concerned on how to fight the boss as it was at least over 10 metres tall. With this massive armouring to life, the group knew it was going to be a very destructive and hard battle.
A detail Shaman also noticed was that the mist began to turn into a flesh, creating a body for the armour. This prompted Shaman to use her inspect skill to see what kind of monster they are dealing with.
[Yollorn]
[Dungeon boss - the crypt under the cathedral]
[Tier 5 - leader]
[A monster that can change its form from mist to flesh, is able to break away parts of its body to mist and control puppets out of armour or skeletons.]
Everything had just clicked in Shaman''s head, that all the monsters that were controlled by this purple mist were just an extension of the boss itself creating its own monsters for the dungeon.
The mist had finished turning into flesh and it began to move. First Yollorn reached behind the throne pulling out a gigantic sword about half its size and mmed it in front of him. A gust of wind was caused by this, making everyone cover their eyes from the dust that was being blown up.
The boss slouched over letting out a cold raspy breath and its eyes glowed a dark red, while ring at the group as if analysing them.
It slowly got up from its throne, nowpletely dwarfing the group. This did not leave the group much hope as they wondered how the hell are they meant to fight something this big.
Chapter 112 Unused Skill
?Yollorn stood in front of its throne with a deathly re, which slowly gave the group a sinking feeling of death. Cold sweat ran down their faces as the aura of the boss had started to slightly strangle them. The pressure was building and the group questioned if they could really beat something of this calibre.
"Deep breaths everyone, there are four of us and only one of them, we just need to work together and abuse our numbers." Shaman was the first to speak up as she figured out a way to counter the feeling.
Shaman guessed that the boss was using its aura to try gaining some form of control over them as the trend throughout the dungeon has been puppets of some kind.
As long as she was aware the aura was affecting her mind, her [Blessing of the fox] would protect her from it. As she focused on that knowledge, the feeling of death washed away and the hands she felt around her neck let go.
"This feeling is just the boss trying to control us, don''t worry." Shaman put her hand on Elysia, ra and then Wolfy, activating her blessing, freeing them from the control that the boss was trying to impose.
Everyone had a look of relief as the same gripping feeling they felt had left, allowing them to breathe and concentrate.
''Now lets hope I don''t have to keep touching them, and hopefully it doesn''t idently awaken ra''s memories while fighting.'' Shaman''s main concern was ra as it was still unclear what exactly would happen if a bunch of repressed memories suddenly came to her in an instant.
''Better safe than sorry.'' Shaman was willing to take the risk due to the fact ra had to be aware that she is being controlled, so without mentioning Himeko it is unlikely that Himeko''s influence will be affected.
The boss noticed that it was unable to take control of the group and felt something was blocking its connection. This aggravated the boss causing it to lean back with an ear piercing scream. The size of the room did not help causing it to echo even louder.
"What the hell is with these enemies always goddamn screaming." Elysia was getting sick of the screaming, what with her sensitive fox ears amplifying the scream, making it even more unbearable. Shaman and Wolfy suffered the same while ra being a human was able to bear with the screaming a lot better.
The boss finished its scream, leaned forward and went back to ring at the group. After a short staring contest the boss finally began to move. The boss ran towards them with its sword dragging behind it, The de encased in a thinyer of ck fire. Wherever he passed, a thin trail of fire remained, though barely noticeable as many portions of the room were not well lit.
With each step it took, the room slightly shook, and even though the boss was quite far from the group, due to its size it closed the distance quickly.
The group were still recovering from the scream as it had disoriented them, confusing their senses and slowing their reactions.
The boss now had entered striking distance, so it pivoted its foot and used its own weight to swing the sword over head and sh towards the group.
ra was the first to recover fully and saw the de beginning its arc towards them.
ra with her quick thinking infused her feet with lightning to jump into the air with explosive speed. ra was now in the air with lightning raging around her while the gems embroided in her dress began glowing violently.
The boss had ignored her actions as it could tell that ra''s threat was only that of a mere tier 4, so it ssified her as a small insect.
ra while in the air got her two whip des out andbined them together. The des were fully retracted, forming two swords, which when put together made a normal long sword. The handles themselves did not have any way to merge into one weapon, but once attached, a magic circle activated on the handlesbining the two whip des.
The des merged and the entire de was suddenly engulfed in lighting creating a massive lighting de.
The boss''s sword was at the point of no return as it headed straight for ra and her de. The boss had seemingly increased the intensity of the ck mes making them more violent. ra was concerned about what the ck mes actually did but she was too focused on redirecting the de away from everyone.
Everyone else had recovered and they all looked up to see ra in the air with the massive lighting de, as well as the boss''s fast approaching de.
ra was only able to stay in the air because of her lightning constantly striking the ground at fast speeds from her feet allowing herself to stay in the air but it took a considerable amount of mana to do so. The boss''s de was close and ra finally swung her lighting sword shing with the ck mes.
An explosive reaction urred as fire spewed everywhere and lighting struck out towards the wall. While ra was blocking the de, Shaman had begun to sprint towards the boss to get behind it, Elysia retreated to the side and put more distance between her and the boss as she was going to use her bow for this fight. Wolfy had gone into the shadows as the room was rtively dark making moving around the room very easy and allowing him tounch attacks with ease.
The ck fire also seemed to have no special effect other than being hard to put out but everyone still avoided touching it making sure to not get caught by the fire from the attack as they moved. ra fortunately was protected by her lightning so she was left untouched by the fire.
ra was struggling to hold back the de, up until she saw that everyone had safely moved out of range. ra got rid of the lightning that was keeping her afloat and tried pushing off the boss''s de. The amount of force ra was holding back all came crashing down on her as she was pushed off of the de, making her crash into the wall at a high speed.
ra coughed out blood and was almost knocked out by how hard she hit the wall. But due to ra''s disappearance the Boss had stumbled forward because of the amount of strength he had put in the strike.
ra struggled to stay conscious , but was in no shape to fight. Her whip des had also turned back to normal showing that the longsword form is only temporary. Blood fell down ra''s face till finally she passed out.
Shaman however was focused on taking advantage of this new opening as the boss stumbled and although she was worried for ra she could not let her emotions get the best of her.
Shaman used her ice to make a staircase behind the boss so she could do a lunge attack. Once Shaman was at the right height she created a slide in order to gain speed and once she was close enough she jumped off the ice tform.
Switching her Kotetsu''s affinity to fire, Shaman finally decided to use a skill that she has not been able to use so far.
"de of mescion!" In typical fashion Shaman called out the name of the skill as she felt like it was the right thing to do in the moment.
Shaman''s de burst alight with red and blue mes, and her hair took on a red tint. Fire surrounded her, leaving behind fiery streaks as she dived towards the boss.
Shaman held her Kotetsu high and swung towards the boss hoping to do significant damage. The boss knew she wasing, and so it tried to turn and block with his sword, but his movements were being disrupted by Wolfy, who was sending a constant barrage ofrge shadow swords at him.
Wolfy used what was left of the roof to his advantage, abusing gravity to add more force to the massive des he was creating. Wolfy had no way to hold onto the des so he let them fall shortly after their creation, dropping with the des, then jumping back into the shadows. This however took a lot of effort and Wolfy could feel his mana getting sucked up quickly.
However despite Wolfy''s distraction it was not enough to let Shaman get a clean hit.
Shaman shed down heavily, but the boss was able to push itself out to the side. Still, due to his size Shaman was able to just hit the edge of the boss''s body. mes bursted out, burning through armour and flesh, leaving a sizeable hole in its side. Purple mist could be seen oozing out of the wound but due to the fire''s lingering effects it was unable to regenerate itself.
Shaman managed to still do significant damage but she would not be able to keep throwing the same skill over and over again since her mana capacity did not agree with her.
''Seems like I need to save it for when I know for sure I can finish it off. Too bad I can''t see its health because it''s a higher tier than me.'' Shamannded on the ground in frustration but she had gained information on the boss''s weakness which made this fight more reasonable.
However before she could think of the next course of action, an immense pressure could be felt from the side, and it wasn''ting from the boss.
*
Elysia had quickly gone over to where randed to get her out of the wall. Elysia''s heart sank a little when she saw the condition ra was in and was worried for Shaman who was currently attacking the boss.
Elysia pulled ra out of the wall andid her on the floor. She looked for any major injuries, but since she did not have the heal skill like Shaman, she was unable to be of any help for now.
''Shit, okay I need to make sure she won''t die on me while we fight.'' Elysia began to look through her inventory to see if there were any items that may be able to help ra.
After finding bits of cloth in their unorganized inventory she was able to clean up the blood and bandage ra''s wounds, making sure she does not bleed to death. But while Elysia was in the middle of cleaning the blood something began to grow on ra''s head.
A pair of horns started growing out of her head and the purple highlights in her hair started turning into a pinkish red colour.
Elysia started to freak out as she had no idea what''s going on and had never seen a race with horns such as these before. During Elysia''s panic ra opened her eyes wide and just like her highlights her eyes turned into a pinkish red colour.
ra locked eyes with Elysia and said nothing but smiled which threw Elysia off guard. ra then suddenly got up and began rushing towards the boss. Suddenly Elysia felt immense pressureing from ra and was left confused on what the hell is happening.
''Shit I need to go, I think Shaman may have identally awakened something because of her blessing.'' Elysia''s first thought was to me the blessing Shaman had used. Recalling that ominous smile, she couldn''t help but worry about what was toe.
Chapter 113 Demon?
?Shaman prepared for the worst as the sudden pressure got closer to her. The dust clouds that were caused by Shaman''s attack were finally settling, allowing her to see what was causing the pressure.
ra was sprinting towards Shaman and at first Shaman did not believe that ra was the reason behind such a powerful aura until she saw the pair of pinkish red horns.
''Wait ra is a demon?'' Shaman recalled the part of ra''s status where a part of the race section was blocked out.
''Hang on, demons are supposed to only be in the demonnds as they are an isted nation.'' ra''s potential race kept raising more and more questions. To Shaman''s knowledge, the demonnds are meant to be closed off and as such demon sightings are very rare.
ra was getting closer and yet did not show any signs of hostility Shaman was relieved, but still did not let her guard down. However before Shaman could even utter a word, ra''s lightning surged out, sporting a new red colour instead of the usual purple, and in a sh she disappeared, only to reappear with another burst of red lightning right next to Shaman.
"SHIT, did you have to do that?" Shaman''s soul almost got scared out of her, almost falling on her back.
"Oho~ ShaSha, did I scare you a bit? My bad, I only wanted to look cool." ra teased Shaman, causing her to blush a little and cover her face. ra smirked at Shaman as she found Shaman''s reaction very cute and wanted to tease her some more.
''AHHH! What''s with these nicknamestely?'' Shaman was once again thrown for a loop as she had acquired a new nickname out of nowhere.
"ENOUGH! I have a lot of questions but there is a boss in front of us." Shaman shook her head and switched her attention to the boss.
The boss had been standing there silently recovering from Shaman''s attack. In the small amount of time that Shaman was distracted, the boss had already regrown arge chunk of its missing armour.
"Shit looks like we need to kill it with one big attack or hope that it will eventually run out of energy" Shaman did not like how fast it was able to regenerate and was unsure if a drawn out battle would be a good idea.
"It might have a core like the Terikin. If not then we can trybining our attacks together to take it out." ra''s deduction about the core was likely true, as the boss is the umtion of all the mist, so a core may have formed.
"ShaSha, if you can distract the boss with Wolfy, I will try to look for its core in the meantime. If I can''t find it, I''ll call you to back me up, and we''ll go for a joint attack instead" ra briefly exined her n, and Shaman hastily ryed it to Wolfy through Rea.
ra continued to quickly ry her idea for theirbined attack, and by the time she was done, the boss too finished his recovery, its eyes glowing with renewed hatred
"Alright let''s go." ra dashed off using her lightning to for speed and approached the boss
Shaman followed ra, creating a thin iceyer under herself so she could start ice skating. Although not as fast as ra, Shaman did not fall behind and kept close. The boss wasn''t idle either as he charged towards the two.
ra and Shaman quickly reached the boss, and immediately began executing their n.
ra disappeared once again with her lightning, leaving Shaman and Wolfy to grab the boss''s attention.
Just like before Wolfy was on the roof taking advantage of the darkness and utilising the space he had. Unlikest time Wolfy opted to rain down smaller shadow des instead of a few massive ones.
Wolfy shot out the des and to his surprise it was more effective than he expected. Although the des were only able to prate certain parts of the boss''s body, it was enough to sessfully distract the boss. The constant barrage on its joints and weakest links agitated the boss, who switched its attention in search of the source of its annoyance. However since Wolfy was in the shadows the boss was unable to pinpoint his exact location, which only served to aggravate the boss even more.
The boss let out frustrated screeches as it looked around for where the des hade from but to no avail. ra had taken this opportunity and appeared above the boss, aiming a powerful lightning strike at where a normal person''s heart would be. A hole was sted right through its chest instantly, but to ra''s disappointment, there was no core.
The boss fell to its knees but thanks to the attackcking the fire element, the gaping hole in its chest was able to recover significantly faster. Shaman was rather shocked as in merely a few seconds it was already recovered.
Shaman though did not sit still and made her way behind the boss, preparing for an attack. She has alreadye up with a new fire skill she could use and was going to take this opportunity to try it.
ra saw that Shaman was up to something and so she decided to up her mental pressure, focusing it onto the boss to keep its attention. The boss felt a sudden increase in pressure, as if gravity itself doubled down on him, preventing him from rising back to his feet.
Wolfy had also seen Shaman''s intentions so he decided to try to mimic one of Shaman''s skills, [chains of earth] with his shadows. Wolfy had made his way under the boss so he couldunch out the shadow chains.
A pool of shadow was created underneath the boss allowing Wolfy to create the chains.
[Shadow chains] bursted out of the ground, entangling the boss further securing its position. The boss tried to move but waspletely helpless, for the time being.
Shaman positinted herself close to one of the boss''s legs and activated [fire coat]. Using [fire coat] as a base, Shaman made the mes more violent and just like her [wind sh] sent out a [fire sh]. Shaman swung horizontally and the sh flew towards the boss''s leg.
The boss however wasn''t chained down for long as some of its body turned to mist and picked up its sword. The mist was able to move the sword at high speeds and removed all the [shadow chains] with ease allowing it to get up from the ground. Wolfy, seeing that his chains were gone, went back to the roof and kept a safe distance away.
The boss was nearly back to his feet, when suddenly Shaman''s [fire sh] impacted one of its legs,pletely cutting through it. The boss fell to the floor as it now only had one leg to support itself.
ra taking another opportunity to strike the boss rained down a bunch of Lightning strikes in various different spots. Unexpectedly the boss had turned its full body back into a mist state and avoided all of ra''s attacks.
"Tch" ra got annoyed as her lightning is not as effective to the mist unlike the fire element.
As the boss moved in its mist state, a rain of fire arrows came flying in from the distance. Knowing the danger the boss reacted quickly and managed to dodge the arrows with ease.
"HEYYYY, NEED SOME HELP?" Elysia had finally caught up and attempted to hit the boss but in its misty form the boss was surprisingly agile.
Shaman tasked Rea with filling Elysia in on the n. Why she didn''t do it beforehand? Well that''s because Shaman forgot that Elysia was also fighting.
Elysia understood and she continued to keep her distance to provide long range support. Although she wanted to fight with her spear, she suspected it would be ineffective.
Everyone became rather suspicious as the boss had slowly started to cover the area with its mist. Shaman ended up stranded in the middle of the mist and tried using her fire to clear it, the boss would move around it, making any attempts to hit the mist futile.
ra, who had been out of sight, safely waited outside the mist and quietly observed to see what would happen. Elysia and Wolfy were both too far away from the mist to be affected by it.
Shaman began to worry a little as she was unsure what capabilities the boss had. Shaman was looking frantically around making sure she wasn''t missing anything but the boss simply carried on in silence, only making her more paranoid.
''Come on, do something already!'' Shaman was desperate for information and without it, making any decision became much harder for her.
The wait did notst long as the mist started to swirl around Shaman, forming a circle around her. Before she could even react, a ck dome made out of the metal surrounded Shaman, only to then quickly shrink in size.
ra had instantly reacted using her lightning to hit the dome that was shrinking on Shaman. Elysia tried firing arrows but the mist would use its own body to block and fizzle each arrow Elysia sent. Wolfy tried throwing a shadow de at the dome but it bounced off, not even leaving a single scratch.
Everyone''s attacks were futile and Shaman disappeared from the boss room.
Chapter 114 Round 2?
?Shaman found herself back in the same pure ck room with a small crystal light but this time instead of being in her mind she was physically there. Shaman was able to open her system and all her elements were perfectly fine, further proving that this is her physical body.
''I need to make sure to not waste my mana here.'' Shaman took a quick peek at her status.
[HP: 4300/4300]
[MP: 6480/8000]
Shaman winced a little as she had almost used 2000 mana points and most of it was consumed by the mescion skill.
''Let''s just hope it requires minimal effort to get out of here.'' Shaman was more worried about her friends on the outside than she was for herself.
Shaman wasn''t left in her thoughts for long as mist started to converge in front of her creating a skeleton knight.
"Great it''s you again, hopefully this time I am not interrupted." Shaman''s hatred for the knight resurfaced, as all she wanted to do was reduce its very being to dust.
"It''s a shame that I was unable to take over your body, you would have been a great vessel." A cold raspy voice came from the skeleton knight, putting Shaman on high alert.
"Well, you underestimated me and my partner!" Shaman assumed that it was the boss speaking to her which was an unexpected turn of events.
''Himeko was right, the dungeons are starting to be stranger, almost like a separate society has developed here.'' Although the dungeon was still rather normal it was showing small signs of sentient life putting into question, what are the dungeons?
"Tch, you won''t be so lucky this time!" The Boss got agitated and its form began to change.
Instead of a few metres tall knight, it had shrunk to the size of a human. The armour gained small spikes along the shoulders and arms. The helmet took the shape of a skull and purple eyes glowed behind its slits. A golden crest of sorts had appeared on the chest piece. It was the same symbol that was disyed all around the cathedral up above, a skeleton raising its sword in the air. Each piece waspletely ck making it indistinguishable from the ck space around them. The only way Shaman could tell it apart was by the slight purple tint on the armour and the golden crest on its chest piece, barely making it visible in the weak light.
After the boss transformed it punched the ground creating a small hole. Slowly the boss pulled out a de that reminded Shaman of the demon scythe they had obtained from the skeleton knight as a drop.
The sword had ck chains wrapped around the hilt which was adorned with a purple gem. The pommel of the de was gold and embedded on it was the same symbol that the boss had on its chest
The de itself waspletely ck with a purple aura flowing floating around it.
''Shit why doesn''t my sword look that cool.'' Shaman was a fan of the boss''s sword, wanting it for herself since purple was her favourite colour and pairing it with ck made it look very appealing.
However, Shaman couldn''t gawk at it for too long as the boss dashed towards her. The speed of the boss wasparable to that of instructor Stein which was what Shaman was used to, allowing her to react in time.
Both their swords shed with one another with the purple aura spilling out in Shaman''s direction. Shaman quickly changed Kotetsu''s affinity to fire and activated [fire coat]. Shaman made Kotetsu burst out in mes stopping the purple aura that behaved simrly to the mist.
''Seems like it''s weakness is still fire.'' Shaman was d to see that it was still vulnerable to fire.
''But this purple aura, it''s like the mist but more refined.'' Shaman''s main concern was the aura as she had no idea what kind of effects it could have if she got in contact with it.
"You''re lucky you are multi-elemental." The boss spoke with annoyance, making it sound as if without Shaman''s ability to learn multiple elements, she would have been dead already.
"Sounds like a ''you'' problem!" Shaman pushed back the boss''s sword while also sending out a [fire sh], making the boss jump back in order to dodge it.
Shaman kept the initiative and followed up her [fire sh] with a dash towards the boss. Once in front of the boss Shaman performed a faint side attack, baiting the boss to block. Shaman then pulled back her de to go for a piercing attack on the boss''s head. Shaman had quickly changed the affinity to ice and used it to extend her de.
A de of ice extended off Kotetsu, heading straight for the boss''s helmet. Thanks to the extension Shaman was able to hit the boss, but since it was ice, it shattered upon impact. However it still stunned the boss allowing Shaman''s de to continue and pierce the helmet.
Shaman hoped that she had killed the boss but seeing as no notifications were appearing she assumed her attack was not effective. Her guess was right as purple aura oozed out of the helmet and tried to reach for Shaman, making her pull back Kotetsu.
''Damn I should have used my fire.'' Shaman realised it was a perfect opportunity to use her fire but was too focused on her swordsmanship.
The boss raised his sword and swung down onto Shaman as she pulled away her sword. Shaman just barely managed to redirect the de but still got cut across the arm. Shaman jumped back quickly grabbing her bleeding arm, wincing a bit from the pain.
She used [heal] as she normally does for wounds but for some reason the wound was not healing. Shaman looked down and could see that there was a purple marking around the wound with a little bit of the purple aura floating around it.
''Shit, it''s anti-magic?'' Shaman began to panic a little as now any risky ideas became life threatening.
"Seems like you noticed, Better not get hit by my sword otherwise there might be more consequences!" The boss quickly charged at Shaman, not allowing her the time to cover the wound.
Shaman barely managed to block the sword with one hand but without her other arm she was being pushed back. While she was being pushed back she opened a [spatial rift] behind her escaping the boss.
Shaman tried covering her wound in ice but due to being anti-magic any element that came in contact got destroyed.
''Looks like the old fashioned way it is.'' Shaman tore the bottom of the shirt that she was wearing and wrapped it around the wound.
Shaman moved from her original position and came out of the rift safely. The boss turned and locked his eyes on her, instantly charging at her.
Shaman conjured up 20 ice spears and shot them towards the boss at once. Unfortunately most of them were deflected, but some still managed to hit. It did not look like the boss took any real damage, but at least its movements were slowed down making it easier for Shaman to react.
The boss thrusted his sword towards Shaman''s chest but was much slower due to the ice spears still embedded in his body, allowing Shaman to parry the strike.
Shaman changed Kotetsu''s affinity to fire and created a whirlwind of fire catching the boss in it. Shaman had also used [fire coat] again and went to strike the boss''s chest. It sliced like a knife through butter, going through the armour with ease.
Shaman increased the intensity of the mes, filling the armour with fire on the inside while also slowly melting the metal. Shaman looked into the helmet and saw that it had red eyes instead of purple and realised something.
''Shit it''s not the real one'' Shaman quickly turned just in time to barely block a hit to her back. This time it was the knight with purple eyes.
"Tch." The boss clicked its tongue, jumping back to stay away from the fire that was whirling around Shaman. .
"Not going as well as you thought, dear?" Shaman, wanting to be a bitch wanted to annoy the boss further.
"Oh shut up, darn vixen, you can hardly face me!" Shaman''s attempts at getting the boss agitated seemed to be working and so she wanted to push its buttons even more.
"Oh? Then why do you have to rely on such cheap tricks? You scared?" Shaman then wagged her 4 tails at the boss, taunting it further.
''This is a lot of fun, I wonder if I should be like this to Elysia.'' Shaman got distracted for a moment and was brought back by the sudden change in atmosphere.
The boss had released its full aura and it began to violently swirl around it. Cold sweat ran down Shaman''s face as this was an unexpected turn of events making her regret recklessly infuriating her opponent.
Chapter 115 Shaman From The Sky
?The boss did not speak a single word while releasing its full aura. The room felt cold and Shaman felt shivers down her spine, creating a sense of fear within her.
''I really chose the wrong time to be a bitch.'' Shaman was regretting what she had done and was now suffering the consequences.
''Looks like it''s all or nothing.'' Shaman wanted to conserve her mana but it was looking like she could die if she didn''t go full power.
''I may pass out after this so I should use [lovers call] if it''s too dangerous.'' Shaman was hesitant to use this skill so soon as it had a week cooldown and did not want to use it just in case something worse happens.
"You Shall die here now." The purple aura around the boss intensified, swirling around him menacingly. Even the boss''s eyes radiated in his aura like powerful mes.
Shaman did not hold of herself back, instantly activating the [de of mescion]. Although she mostly used it as a sort of ultimate move, she could also use it like her [fire coat] and keep it active.
mes raged violently around Kotetsu, illuminating the entire room. The fire then extended all around Shaman, creating a fiery zone of protection. She followed that up with wind, incorporating it to excite and spin the fire, hoping the power of the mes will serve to shield her from the boss.
Shaman wanted to use her ice and water but was unsure if she could handle using more than 2 elements at the moment. Another factor to consider was that fire countered her other elements making it hard to use simultaneously.
The boss became cautious as fire was its major weakness making it hard for him to approach Shaman.
Shaman took the first move and entered her [spatial rift], She then appeared right above the boss attacking with Kotetsu in the air.
Both their weapons shed but Shaman''s mes won against the boss''s aura, forcing it back and weakening the boss. Shaman had also let all 4 of her tails out, increasing her power slightly more. Shaman was suspended in the air by her wind and kept raising the intensity of her fire.
The boss, knowing it could be in danger, changed its eyes from purple to red, revealing to Shaman that the boss switched bodies.
"Tch, looks like we have to go on a little hunt." Shaman was able to easily kill the fake since it was significantly weaker. The fake boss melted under the mes and Shamannded back on her feet.
Shaman looked around and could see a swarm of fake boss''s had encircled her. Shaman tried looking for any obvious purple eyed ones but as expected it was not so easy to spot.
Shaman tried looking for any easy way out of this but seeing as there were hundreds of fake bosses around her, it was no use in trying to take them out one by one.
''Let''s see if I can just wipe them all out in one go, I am 100 percent going to faint, so I will use [lovers call] before I lose consciousness.'' Shaman was sure of using the call, as her next attack might not finish the boss off.
Shaman took a deep breath and began to prepare an attack she saw from a video game wishing to replicate it.
Using even more of her mana to empower [de of mesion], the fire surrounding the de grew fiercer, turning Kotetsu into a greatsword made of fire. The amount of energy within the de was ready to explode at any given moment.
Shaman could feel her mana veins burning from pouring almost all her mana into the de. Her consciousness was slipping as her mana approached 0. The fake bosses didn''t dare to move as a whirlwind of fire was protecting Shaman from any attacks. A few were adventurous enough to try, but any attempts in getting close would simply turn them to ash.
The actual boss began to get agitated and tried to send attacks using its purple aura but his attempts were futile as it would all just get evaporated by the mes.
Shaman had finished pouring her mana into Kotetsu and began her attack. Shaman spun in a circle using all of her strength to swing the fire greatsword she wielded. She then swung into the air, sending her fire all over the room.
"Lovers call." Shaman called out the name of the skill and slowly her body vanished into a pink dust leaving the boss''s separate chamber.
The fire de hit the ceiling of the pitch ck room and released a massive explosion. Fire bursted out engulfing the entire room in mes, making everything it touches turn to dust.
After a few minutes the mes in the room finally died down showing that there was no longer any boss in the room. However what came out of the ground was the real boss that had half its body burnt away.
"That vixen, you are not getting away that easily." The boss let out a pained groan and slowly repaired its body. Due to the damages it took longer to repair showing it was significantly weakened.
**
Elysia was currently turning the room upside looking for Shaman as she had been taken away from right under their noses.
Elysia had kept checking her bracelet making sure Shaman was okay as it was the one thing stopping her from going crazy.
"AHHHHH!!" Elysia screamed into the sky to let out her frustrations till she spotted pink dust converging above her. Elysia was confused as it was making the shape of a person.
Suddenly Shaman appeared from the dust and began to fall towards Elysia.
Elysia had no idea what was going on and by the time she could register it was Shaman, it was toote to catch her.
Shaman crashed into Elysia, cushioning her fall.
Elysia shook her head and looked at the person who had fallen on her and upon inspection realised it was Shaman.
"SHAMAN!" Elysia screamed out her name grabbing the attention of ra and Wolfy.
Shamanid passed out on top of Elysia with slight burn marks all over her body, although she did not injure her mana veins like before she was still wounded.
ra and Wolfy ran over and saw that Elysia had Shaman in her arms, a wave of relief came over ra and Wolfy seeing Shaman alive and breathing.
"Where the hell was she?" ra was confused about where Shaman was and wanted some answers.
"I have no idea how but Shaman fell from the sky out of nowhere." Elysia tried her best to think of how Shaman could just reappear, then it came to her.
"Lovers call" Elysia whispered to herself as it was a skill she hadpletely forgotten about.
"How does someone just fall from the sky? Anyway we should try to get out of here, we need to leave as soon as we can, just the mere thought of staying in Ebonscale any longer makes me want to hurl." ra, who still had the demon horns, had said a line that Elysia did not think she would say.
"Well, let''s hope mother wakes up soon." Wolfy went up to Shaman''s face and licked it.
''That confirms that Himeko had done something to ra.'' Elysia now knew that there is something much more sinister than slightly influencing people''s minds going on, and added to the list of reasons why they shouldn''t stay.
"Yes, let''s get going." Elysia carried Shaman in her arms and they all began to move to the end of the hall which looked like it had an entrance.
"You are not going anywhere!" The boss''s voice rang out in the hall just as he appeared below the group trying to desperately hit anyone.
Everyone dodged with ease and could see the boss was severely weakened.
ra, realising that the boss was weak, sent a powerful lighting strike at the boss. The boss was unable to react and screamed out in pain.
ck smoke came off the boss''s unmoving body, as what little purple aura remained swirled around it.
Elysia, not willing to wait, used her fire remotely to create a bow next to her and shot a fire arrow. This finished off the boss as it crumbled to dust and thest of the aura was extinguished.
A system notification appeared promptly after the death of the boss.
[Quest: Conquer of the dungeon]
[Completed]
[Shaman contribution: 80%]
[Elysia & External help; 20%]
[Rewards]
500 attribute points
4x skill select
8x tier 4 boxes (A/N this is just abination of armour, weapons and essory boxes)
6x skill level ups
[Rewards are ced into the users inventories]
This put Elysia''s mind at ease as she saw that she gained a couple bonus levels ready to be added once she evolved.
"ra, Wolfy, it''s over." Elysia announced that it was finally over and everybody rxed.
Chapter 116 Last Stand
?The fight was finally over, although not very climatic they were not going to take the chance of letting the boss do as it pleased.
Elysia put Shaman on her back and regrouped with ra so they could decide on what they should do.
"Alright, are we all ready to go?" ra was eager to leave the dungeon as soon as possible. ra''s objectives seem to have greatly shifted ever since the transformation.
"I think we should wait till Shaman wakes up, I know you want to leave right away but this ce might be the safest ce for now." Elysia figured since the boss had been killed that no monster woulde after them, allowing them to get some rest before heading out.
ra thought about it for a moment as Elysia had brought up a reasonable point.
However an ear piercing screech that sounded like the boss echoed throughout the room. Although not as loud and more bearable, everyone was on high alert looking for what caused the screech.
"You think I am dead? How naive of you to think I would let you kill me so easily!" The boss''s voice rang out but it was a little more higher pitched than normal.
Everyone looked around for the boss but were unable to see any trace of the purple aura, let alone a body.
Shaman, who was peacefully passed out, was rudely awakened by the screeching. She slowly opened her eyes to see the same concrete floor as the room where the boss fight started.
While looking at the floor she noticed a tiny version of the boss and became very confused, muttering out a few words.
"Why is there a tiny boss on the floor, am I still dreaming?" Shaman''s words caused everyone else to look at the ground where Shaman was looking. Shaman then fell asleep again as she was still quite drained.
What they witnessed was something they did not expect to see, a tiny version of the boss that was no higher than their ankles jumping up and down putting on a scary voice.
"Pfft" Elysia could not help butugh as it was hrious to see the boss in such a state and found him a little adorable.
"Can we keep him?" Elysia thought it would be a good idea to keep it as a tiny pet, for its "ferocious" nature.
"Mother number two I don''t think that would be a good idea." Wolfy could see the mini boss being an issue as it could regain its power and fighting it again was not on his list of things to do.
"Ehhh? Mother two? Where did thate from?" Elysia was thrown off by what Wolfy just called her and didn''t know if she should feel touched or offended.
"Hmph, since you are the partner of my mother, I figured it was about time that I also started calling you mother as well." Wolfy turned his head out of embarrassment as he had already nned to start calling Elysia mother earlier but did not have the courage to speak up.
Elysia saw this embarrassment and a smug look appeared on her face. Taking advantage of Wolfy''s embarrassment Elysia went up to Wolfy and squatted in front of him.
"A, how cute, you know I don''t mind, but you can always just call me and Shaman, mama Elysia and mama Shaman." Elysia patted Wolfy and although he did not say it, his tail betrayed him once again, wagging showing his excitement.
"F-fine, m-mama Elysia." Wolfy agreed and felt even more embarrassed from the sudden intimate moment.
"Hehe~ good." Elysia felt really happy and continued to pat Wolfy while also trying not to drop Shaman.
While Elysia teased Wolfy, ra had squatted down next to the boss that had already been forgotten and began to poke it.
"Ow! You witch, this is myst stand!" The boss protested from ra''s pokes but his reaction was too amusing, so ra kept on poking it.
ra eventually added small electric shocks to her pokes which caused the tiny boss to go through even more pain. It had tried to run away but ra would send mini lighting strikes in his way at every turn.
"Fufu~ you have nowhere to run." ra was entertained by the little boss, almost wanting to keep it for herself.
"GAHHHH, stop it, why the hell does someone like you killing us, when you have the blood of the Demon Qu-" The boss retorted back but before it could finish what it said ra sent down a much stronger lightning strike killing off the tiny boss. This caused Elysia and Wolfy to look over to see what happened.
ra''s eyes became cold as if remembering something that she has been trying to repress.
Wolfy and Elysia moved closer to ra to see if she was okay, since ra did not move a single inch after killing the tiny boss.
"Uhh ra?" Elysia did not want to get too close as the fear of ra emotionally exploding was still very high and she did not want to get caught up in it.
"Oh sorry, the little boss just got on my nerves, that''s all." ra shook her head and smiled at Elysia to reassure her things were okay.
Elysia let out a sigh of relief as it seemed like everything''s fine for now.
"Anyway let''s find a spot to rest for a bit, I think we are all in need of some rxation." Elysia could already feel her body getting sore and just wanted to sit down.
"Well here should be fine, right?" Wolfy figured it would be better to stay as there were most likely still some Terikin being pests on the outside.
"Hmm, I guess staying down here would be easier, plus we shouldn''t have any more little terrors annoying us anymore." Elysia looked over to the end of the massive hall they were in and figured they could stay by a possible exit before they headed out.
"Well let''s head over and get a little bit of rest." ra looked like something was weighing on her mind but Elysia did not dare to ask.
They all made their way over to the end of the hall to set up camp and regain their energy. Elysia pulled out a pillow and nket from her inventory andid Shaman down.
''Urg hopefully we get to the fox realm quickly, I already got used to sleeping in afortable bed'' Elysia was thinking about the trip ahead and was not excited for the nights out in the wild.
ra had sat up against the wall and seemingly got lost in thought. Elysia wanted to go up and talk to her but ever since she transformed Elysia has been a little scared to approach her.
To keep her mind off things, Elysia brought out the small portable kitchen she bought and prepared some food. Wolfy decided to take refuge right next to Shaman and snuggle next to her for a short nap.
''What should I do, do I tell them, they seem to be the reason why I reimed my memories.''
''Argghh but Shaman is royalty from what I heard from H-hime- red haired bitch and Elysia is from an old family that wants to murder all beastmen.'' ra was internally spiraling as she was conflicted on what to tell the group.
''I could just leave but they have been so kind even now after transforming, although Elysia has been a little distant. Still, I have not been the most approachable either.'' ra knew that she had been acting differently and that Elysia picked up on it so she understood why Elysia had been distant.
''I don''t need to tell them everything yet, I don''t want to lose them.''
''I need to talk with Shaman, at least then I can determine what I want to do.'' ra made up her mind and was going to wait for Shaman to wake up so she can decide whether to stay, or leave before getting too attached.
**
After falling back to sleep Shaman found herself once again experiencing a dream of the past, observing it through young princess Shaman''s eyes. This time ''Shaman'' was in her mid teens and was currentlyzing around in her bedroom.
Before the dream had started though, Rea had spoken to her.
[Hey, Shaman this dream is going to be a little different so be prepared]
''Huh why are you telling me this?'' Shaman was confused by Rea''s words as it was unusual for Rea to warn her.
[I''m not meant to be talking about this with you but because you haven''t been looking at your memories, I have been forced to make you look at them.]
''Ehhh? That''s not fair, let me talk to whatever higher up you report too, I have a girlfriend to see that is probably worried sick right now.'' Shaman protested but also took this opportunity to try to bait an answer.
[You''re not gonna get me that easily but know that time here flows differently than the outside and this dream is rather short so do not worry.] Rea reassured Shaman, giving Shaman some peace of mind.
''Tch, good but this better be worth it.'' Shaman knew it was pointless toin and only wanted to get this dream over with.
[Well good luck Shaman, see you in a bit] Rea seemingly vanished and the dream began to y.
Chapter 117 Freja
?[A/N: everything will be told through the Princess Shaman''s POV so the Shaman who is watching won''t be talking during this chapter.]
Princess Shaman had a king-sized bedroom, which was decorated to her liking from head to toe with all the things she liked.
The walls were a dark purple and were decorated with many many framed paintings depicting what looked like different family members as well childhood memories. Shelves had also upied the walls, holding the many trophies from fighting tournaments she had won. However they were never in her name and every time she participated, her mother Cecilia would dye Shaman''s hair a different colour.
In the corner of the room was a desk with a mirror. All along it were scattered books, writing utensils and pieces of paper. There were also drawers under the desk for easy ess and storage. Next to the desk was a massive bookshelf that went across the entire wall, filled with books about swords, fantasy novels and random books Shaman thought were interesting.
The bed had ck framing and dark purple sheets just like the walls and on it currently resided Shaman, rolling around bored out of her mind.
''Hmmm Mother said to stay out of sight since she has an important guest over but it''s meant to be me and Stein''s training day.''
"Grrrr I am so close to mastering the new move set but I''m not allowed to practice in my room!!" Shaman was annoyed as her training day had been interrupted by her mother hosting a meeting.
"Hehe~ I''m sure she won''t mind if I sneak out, she didn''t say I have to stay in my room." Shaman felt like taking a peek of the meeting as she was dying to know who it was. She knew her mother had always made sure no one sees her, especially the firedy. Shaman never got a proper look at her face before, only getting glimpses of the leftover mes right as she left.
"Let''s see if I can get a glimpse, surely I won''t get spotted this time, my illusion magic has improved quite a lottely hehe~." Shaman jumped up from her bed in excitement and headed out of her room.
Shaman was met with the same long tall hallway going to the right and left with a small courtyard in front of her. The hallways were rather bare as Shaman''s family never was keen on decorating the pce.
Maids have requested to decorate the ce since it''s so boring to look at but nothing has been done about it. Thankfully, Shaman decided to put up her own art creations which she made during her spare time. The new cute paintings hung in the hallway, which earned her the adoration of the maids.
Shaman took a right towards the usual meeting room where Cecilia hangs out with the guests. Before Shaman reached the room she conjured up a light blue dust and shrouded herself with it. The dust gave a form of invisibility as no one could actually see the blue dust aside from the person who cast the skill.
''Let''s see how easy mother can spot me.'' Shaman was testing her limits to see how far she could go without getting caught.
Shaman reached the end of the hallway and arrived at a small door leading to one of the many rooms used by the maids to hangout. Inside were a kitchen and afortable sitting space for the maids, but this time instead of maids, Cecilia had upied it.
The reason she was there? Well that''s because it was closer to her room than the pce''s main kitchen. Cecilia was inherentlyzy when it came to doing small things and would rather not have the meeting ce in the main kitchen.
''Why the hell does my training need to be cancelled for just one person, does Stein have something to do with this meeting?'' Shaman knew by the fact her mother was using a small room that it was someone close but it did not exin why she couldn''t train.
Shaman approached the door and could hear her motherughing as well as another female whose voice sounded different from the firedy''s voice.
''Oh? It is someone different'' Shaman was intrigued by the new person as she has never heard her before.
''Now let''s hope they don''t notice the door.'' Shaman slowly pushed open the door and thankfully it made no sound. Shaman peeked into the room and saw that her mother and the mystery woman were not facing the door which made getting in easier. The mystery woman and Cecilia were both sitting on the couch with the woman facing away and Cecilia infront of her.
Shaman slowly entered without making a sound and silently made her way over to get a better look at who her mother was talking to.
"So Cecilia, how would you feel if I cleaned up some of the rats in this ce?" The woman proposed an idea that confused Shaman as it did not look like the woman was a maid. This was further supported by the fact the woman had a cold aura making her very unapproachable.
"Fufu~ you can but don''t be too rough." Cecilia had a grin on her face which went unnoticed by Shaman as she was too focused on trying to get a look at the woman.
Shaman was just about to walk around the couch when her waist was suddenly grabbed by a red string substance.
Shaman screamed out of fear and was pulled up into the air by whatever grabbed her. After being pulled along losing her invisibility, Shaman found herself right in front of the woman she had been so curious to see.
The woman had beautiful long blonde hair and a pair of grey eyes that seemed to stare right through Shaman''s soul. Just like Shaman and Cec, she had a pair of ears, but her tail resembled that of a wolf rather than a fox, making her not from the family. Although the woman did wear what looked like the attire of an emperor which intimidated Shaman as she was unsure who the woman could be. Despite Shaman being intimidated by her she could not help being a little bewitched by her beauty.
Shaman was still suspended in the air by the red substance that looked like hardened blood which grossed Shaman out a little.
"Oyaa~ look at this fine catch, she looks delicious." The woman grabbed a hold of Shaman''s chin and licked her lips.
Shaman''s face paled and looked over to her mother for help but all she got was a smile in response.
"Pfffhahaha, you''re a rather cute fox, maybe I should keep you." The woman bursted outughing but her statement caused Cecilia to frown.
"Frejaaaa, she is my daughter, get your dirty hands off her." Cecilia crossed her hands and suddenly the hardened blood vanished, releasing Shaman.
Freja did not give up though as she went to grab a hold of Shaman but before she could get closer Shaman was pulled away by a gale of vibrant blue dust andnded next to her mother, leaving Freja to grab air instead.
"Tch, ruining my hunt." Freja gave Cecilia a cold stare as she ruined her fun.
"My daughter is not suited for your games, she is too young." Cecilia then hugged Shaman as if trying to protect her. Shaman on the other hand was too scared to say a word as she went through a roller coaster of emotions.
Shaman had also not stopped staring at Freja which she noticed, winking at her. Cecilia squinted at her telling Freja through her eyes to stop ying.
"Sigh, I guess I just have to wait for another time." Freja sat back down, crossing her legs and staring directly at Shaman.
"Aha, all jokes aside, Shaman, this is Freja, a very close friend of mine and basically the second ruler of the fox realm." Cecilia gave a short intro which left Shaman shocked.
"Wait what? She is just like you, mother?" Shaman still had many questions and Freja, hearing this could not help smirk.
"You could say that but just know she is one of the closest people to the family, so I don''t mind you seeing her unlike the other guests. However this one is a little too yful so maybe I should still keep you away from her." Cecilia red at Freja trying to fend her off from attacking her daughter.
"Oho~ is that a challenge I hear?" Freja leaned in staring intently waiting for a response.
"Oh shut up you she-wolf." Cecilia retorted and after a short moment burst out inughter. Even Shaman who was initially afraid started getting morefortable around Freja despite her very intimidating introduction.
"On a serious note though, Shaman, if you ever need help and neither me or your father are around, Freja here will also be willing to help but just be careful not to y into her traps." Cecilia held Shaman tighter.
"Pffhaha, I will take very gooood care of her don''t worry." Freja smiled slightly and the dream finally ended.
Chapter 118 New Tier
?Shaman who had just observed the dream finds herself in the floating mindspace she usually is in when looking through princess Shaman''s memories.
[Soooo, how was it?]
"Is that who I am going to meet if I head into the Freya forest? Also who the hell names a forest after themselves, they must be narcissistic or something?" Shaman had many questions about Freja and it seemed like Rea purposely showed her this specific memory to prepare her for what''s toe.
[fufu~ it was the one memory that you really needed to see. There are others, but they are about you studying your innate element which you should only look into after you evolve.]
"Oh yeah i was wondering why I couldn''t use that dust element but it looks like it was behind a memory wall." Shaman always wondered if her race had any innate skills and was a little disappointed when she didn''t seem to have any.
[Yes most things wille back to you at ater date. You just need to continue on your journey] Rea''s presence then suddenly vanishes causing Shaman to be brought back to reality.
Shaman quickly shot up from where she wasying down as being suddenly pulled from inside her mind was unnerving.
Wolfy and Elysia both turned to Shaman as they weren''t expecting her to wake up so soon and so suddenly.
''Urggg that was not a nice feeling, anyway it looks like my attack worked seeing that no fighting is going on.'' Shaman looked around, noticing that the room had no boss and everyone was sitting around except Elysia who was busy cooking.
"AHHH, Sham you''re awake, I would hug you right now but the kitchen needs attending." Elysia wanted to run up to Shaman but right now her hands were tied to the kitchen. Shaman giggled and waved at Elysia. She was d Elysia had her priorities straight since she could smell the food which made her feel hungry.
"Hello Mama." Wolfy kept his distance as he was rather embarrassed to call Shaman mama as he felt it wasn''t formal enough. Shaman was a little shocked to hear the change but nheless found it cute and liked it either way.
"Hello there my cute son." Shaman could tell Wolfy was embarrassed and could not help but make it worse for Wolfy. Wolfy hearing the words my cute son caused him to turn around and put his paws on his ears. Shamanughed alongside Elysia who was also within earshot of the conversation.
Shaman looked over to ra to see that she was lost in thought and by her face seemed like she was troubled by something. Shaman debated whether she should go talk to ra or not as she understood ra was going through a lot of changes and may need time to process everything.
''Dammit ShaSha is awake, I thought I would have more time to think about it.'' ra was panicking a little as now she felt obligated toe up with an answer to whether or not she should stay.
''AHHHHHHH, this is killing me, my heart is telling me to go with them but my mind is worried it could be too dangerous.''
''I really want to stay, they were nothing but nice and even now they respect my space, they are the kind of people I want to be around.'' ra was now trying to persuade herself into staying as she had a strong desire to remain with them.
''Considering both Shaman and Elysia''s families likely hate each other, if those two can still get along then surely I can open up to them as well. I don''t have to do it now, maybe a littleter once I get to know them a bit better.'' ra was starting to slowly convince herself but was going to need a lot more time to confirm her thoughts and feelings.
''Maybe I should start off with a random topic, we are resting so it doesn''t hurt to make some small talk, that way at least I can see how they will treat me.'' ra had a few ideas in mind to start a conversation so she could at least begin to know them properly.
''Hopefully I get more time to think, I am not ready for this at all.'' ra''s internal panic continued. Luckily for her, Shaman could tell she needed time and didn''t approach her.
''I will wait till after some food to talk to ra, for now let''s check on my status and see if I can evolve.''
Shaman Shiroi
[Race: 4 tailed Fox Girl]
[Level: 100+ 10]
[Attributes]
Unspent points: 560 [A/N: 400 points from quest]
Vitality: 400 +30
Agility: 500 +45
Intelligence: 560 +60
Strength: 550 +50
Dexterity: 500 +38
Defense: 450 +50
''YESSS, level 100, I can finally evolve to tier 5.'' Shaman was excited to see that she reached 100 after a long month of killing terikins and even surpassed it after killing the boss.
''Maybe after I evolve I will talk to ra, at least by then she will have had more time to think things out.'' Shaman figured it wouldn''t hurt to let ra have some more time.
Elysia who was in her small portable kitchen had finally finished making food and brought out bowls for everyone. Elysia dropped ra''s bowl next to her as she was still stuck in thought and seemingly did not notice Elysia drop by.
Elysia gave Wolfy a small bowl of meat and he immediately got to work, devouring the whole thing in a few seconds. Elysia was a little shocked by the speed but was also not surprised as Wolfy was always a glutton when it came to meat.
Elysia then went over to Shaman and sat down next to her while also handing over Shaman''s bowl.
Elysia had prepared what looked like ramen and Shaman''s eyes lit up with excitement as it was one of her favorites. Elysia felt proud seeing the excitement on Shaman''s face, knowing she made the right choice when choosing the meal.
Shaman ate rather quickly like Wolfy since she had not eaten since leaving for the dungeon.
"Gahhhh, that was so good, Elysia, you need to cook this more often." Shaman was feeling blissful and satisfied now regretting that she ate it so quickly.
"Pffhaha, sure." Elysia found Shaman''s reaction cute and on the inside Elysia was fangirling.
''AHHHH, Sham is sooo CUUTTEE!''
"Well anyway I am going to evolve using the 100 million Terikin cores I swear we have and once I''m done you can evolve." Shaman was keen on evolving, seeing as the dungeon was practically empty. The only monsters left were outside, making it rather safe to stay down below.
"Oh okay that''s fine but are you sure you want to do it now?" Elysia was thinking about ra seeing them as their process of getting to the next tier is unconventional and would be rather weird.
[I will grant her a system like you, but at the moment she needs time to think about what she wants to do] Shaman told Elysia through Rea not to ruin the surprise for ra who could be listening although unlikely seeing as she hasn''t touched her food yet, instead gazing off into space.
"Ohhhh, good idea, aight I will wait for you to finish then before I also evolve." Elysia understood and was all for the idea.
"Well don''t cause any problems while I''m sleeping." Shaman said this half jokingly but was also a little worried Elysia might do something stupid.
"No need to worry, I will just hang out with Wolfy, maybe sleep as the fatigue is starting to catch up to me a little." Elysia felt like sleeping but also knew she had to somewhat keep an eye on ra, just in case.
"Sweet, love you Elysia." Shaman then pressed yes to evolve and began her evolution to tier 5.
"Love you too." Elysia let out a sigh as she wanted to cuddle with Shaman but was unable to.
Elysia had finished her food and put the bowls away in the inventory for now to cleanter. She then grabbed her tails and carefully inspected their red tips.
''The one thing I was afraid of happening and now it has be a reality.'' Elysia patted her own tail while thinking about the journal that her mother left her with.
''Let''s hope the Freya forest is a ce we can actually settle down in for a while without being bothered by my rtives.'' 3 of Elysia''s tails disappeared and she looked over at ra who had stood up and started walking over to Elysia.
Elysia instantly became cautious but looking at ra''s face Elysia could tell she was a little nervous which caused Elysia to drop her guard down a little.
"So, how did you and Shaman get together?" ra asked a random question which threw Elysia off as it waspletely unexpected.
Chapter 119 Cracks Forming
?Elysia stared nkly at ra for a moment, processing what she just said. ra was a little shy and fidgeted slightly waiting to hear her response. After ra''s change, it felt as if she was an entirely different person, seemingly resetting their rtionship back to step one.
ra also saw that Shaman turned into an egg and noticed Elysia was not freaking out so she thought nothing of it.
''A little odd but seeing as they are beastmen, it might be something normal.'' ra was rather ignorant of the ways of the world so she thought it wasn''t impossible for something like this to happen.
"U-uhh well Shaman sort of saved my life after being captured, she has been the one to take care of me in the human cities. I used to live all alone in the slums, which was very difficult in a human-based society. Even when I''d try getting a job, I would just end up being taken advantage of. But now I found a ce to belong and I wouldn''t trade it for the world." Elysia got a little carried away with her exnation since she was talking about Shaman and ended up getting lost in her own little world.
"So how long was it before you got together after she saved you?" ra felt like their rtionship could have been based on mistakingfort for love and needed to confirm a few bits of information before making any assumptions.
''I only wanted to make some small talk, but it seems like I have walked into a tangled mess.'' ra only wanted to break the ice as she was only curious about their rtionship and hoped that getting closer to them could help her decide if she should stay.
"Well I would say a few days after she saved me and I had to save Shaman since her mana veins were fried from using an advanced spell she could not handle, I also think it was at that moment Shaman fell in love." Elysia answered without thinking much of it, and her answer short-circuited ra''s brain.
''Okay this is not love, this is just a hell of a lot of misguided feelings.'' ra was convinced that their rtionship was not love but rather just two lone people that foundfort in each other due to their circumstances.
"Ehhh? Are you sure you can call that love, I mean you hardly know the person, are sure you''re not mistaking your feelings?" ra wanted to at least bring up the subject to see how Elysia would react.
Elysia''s face became cold from ra''s statement causing the temperature to suddenly plummet.
"What are you trying to imply?" Elysia''s eyes glowed slightly red, as she took quite the offence to what ra said.
"I don''t want to barge in on your rtionship but I just want to make sure that your feelings for each other are not based on a misunderstanding." ra was not intimidated at all by Elysia''s cold response. It only confirmed her suspicions about their rtionship further.
"I am bound by loyalty and love, so you have no right to intrude on our rtionship." Elysia continued her cold re, even releasing her 3 other tails.
"We will just have to see if you can hold on to these feelings once you have reached your goals." ra could only see them drifting apart once they have reached the end of whatevermon goal they have, as they finally realize what they had was not true love.
ra''s statement had pushed Elysia over the edge, instigating her to attack.
"You bitch, this is MY Shaman we are talking about." Elysia had snapped out of nowhere showing a new side of her which was not entirely unexpected. ra had already seen signs of Elysia''s craziness throughout the dungeon as whenever she got close to Shaman, Elysia would always stare at her with clear killing intent.
Elysia pulled out her spear and lunged towards ra trying to pierce her heart. ra was able to swiftly pull out her whip des barely managing to block the blow.
''How the fuck did this obsession get this bad, I can see the crazy in her eyes.'' ra saw the look on Elysia''s face and it had contorted to something that did not look sane.
''I knew she was protective and a bit possessive but this is just borderline crazy.'' ra wanted to hold back as she did not want to hurt Elysia but it seemed like she was determined to kill ra.
"If I kill you right now, I won''t have to worry about her being taken away from me hehe~." Elysia quickly pulled back her spear and stabbed it into the ground. Using it to lift herself up she kicked ra in the face, pushing her back.
''I need to knock her out as soon as I can.'' ra was not keen on using her lightning but it seemed like she would have to rely on it in order to win.
Elysia followed up by pulling out her spear from the ground and throwing it at ra, keeping a ball of fire attached to the end of it. ra was able to easily dodge the spear, however, the fireball attached to it bursted out in mes. ra quickly pushed off her feet with her lightning, barely getting hit by the fire.
When ra regained her footing she was suddenly shot in the shoulder by a fire arrow.
"GAAAHHH!!" ra screamed out in pain as her shoulder was being burnt on the inside. In order to dispel the pain, she tried using her mana to take control of the fire. Thankfully she was sessful as lightning fell under the bracket of fire allowing her to manipte and extinguish it.
"Tch looks like your mana was able to overpower mine." Elysia was familiar with the concept of controlling other people''s mana. The only way for it to work is if the other person is weaker than you or the amount of mana used was too small.
Because the shoulder wound was caused by fire, no blood came out of it but it rendered her arm useless as moving it caused ra great pain.
''Looks like I have to take advantage of the benefits of being a demon.'' ra then stomped the ground and her body began to transform slightly. Her horns grew longer and became a vibrant red just like Elysia''s red-tipped tails. Her skin turned even paler, and a new pair of fangs grew on her upper jaw.
Elysia tried firing more arrows but those would be instantly struck down by lightning whenever they got near ra. Meanwhile, Elysia made her way to her spear and stored it back in her inventory.
ra had finished her small transformation and the wound on her shoulder was fully healed making her arm usable again.
Elysia became worried as ra''s new capabilities were uncharted territory for her and anything could happen. What she did not realize was that ra had already vanished leaving a small crack of lightning where she was standing and appeared behind her in a sh of lightning.
"Sorry, but I can''t stay like this for too long." ra then chopped down with her hand to the back of Elysia''s neck. Elysia tried to react but ra''s speed was unmatched resulting in Elysia taking the full brunt of the blow.
Using a bit of lightning ra was able to knock Elysia out with ease leaving her to slump over to the ground.
However, after knocking out Elysia, instead of savouring her victory, ra simply fell to her knees, trying to regain her breath as her body transformed back to normal.
''Shit that was only a few seconds and I have already expended all my energy.'' rayed on the floor to recuperate her energy before finally getting up.
After recovering enough to get up, ra looked over at the knocked out Elysia thatid limp on the floor.
''Let''s hope she doesn''t remember much, otherwise, this is going to cause me even more headaches.'' ra hoped that since Elysia was in a crazed state, her memory of what happened would be repressed.
''Now what to do with their rtionship, I only wanted to find out more about them to see if I wanted to stay but it seems like under the surface they are in need of serious help.'' ra held her forehead as she was still conflicted on whether to leave them to deal with their problems on their own or stay and help them sort it out.
''It seems like Elysia is the only one with this obsession issue and that Shaman is only attached to her. But why would Shaman get attached to Elysia, does it have to do with the fact that Shaman could have been alienated from the world because she is royalty. Ahhh no use thinking about it when I should just ask the person in question.'' ra wanted to get to the bottom of how they got together as it was not natural so asking Shaman who seemed more honest would help her fill in the nks.
''If I take into ount what Elysia said, it leads me to believe that they could have mistaken the feeling of dependency or gratitude for love.'' ra pondered on the concept of love as she hasn''t had much experience, but she did hear a lot of stories and tips from people she worked with. This also made here to the conclusion that what Shaman and Elysia have was indeed not love.
''Maybe I could try to get with Shaman.'' ra shook her head instantly as it was an absurd idea.
''If I do that, Elysia might end up breaking or leaving altogether, unless she cane to understand that what she has isn''t really love. However, if they do break up, maybe I would still have a chance.'' ra fell deep in thought for a moment before finallying to a decision.
''Fuck it, I''m staying, I can''t leave Shaman with this crazy son of a bitch Elysia.'' ra was too deep into their business to ignore it and she wanted to repay Shaman''s understanding by helping them.
''I have no other ce to go back to now anyway and if ites down to it, I can just get up and leave.'' ra decided to tag along with the group for now, in hopes of fixing Shaman''s rtionship, but if anything were to go wrong, she would leave in an instant.
Chapter 120 Master
?ra picked up Elysia andid her down next to Shaman. Elysia''splexion looked calm as if she had merely fallen asleep.
Wolfy, who had been watching the whole time, came out of the shadows next to ra. Surprisingly, he was not hostile but a little distressed.
"ra, what was wrong with Mother? I''ve never seen her go this crazy before." Wolfy sounded concerned and was constantly looking back and forth between Elysia and ra.
"Don''t worry Wolfy, she should be awake after a good night''s sleep, so no need to panic. Sorry for making a scene, I didn''t mean to make her snap." ra smiled and patted Wolfy.
Since Wolfy was not familiar with the topic that ra and Elysia talked about, he did not quite understand why Elysia acted so rashly. Usually, his understanding and knowledge of things were drawn through his connection with Shaman, but this is one subject he never really sank his teeth into.
"Okay, well hopefully Mother doesn''t wake up angry, I do really like you ra." Wolfy lowered his head with a sad glint in his eyes.
"A, Wolfy, that''s very sweet, don''t worry I''m not going anywhere." ra found Wolfy adorable and continued to pat Wolfy but with more enthusiasm. Wolfy''s mood rose a little and he felt reassured that things were going to be okay.
''What a cute wolf, Kinda wish he was my own familiar.'' ra was won over by Wolfy''s cuteness and was even tempted to steal him for herself. She had also noticed that Wolfy became a lot less formal and seemed like a concerned child whenever his parents were in trouble, which added to the cuteness.
"Okay well seeing as we are waiting I''m just going to nap like I usually do." Wolfy felt much better after talking to ra and was going to sleep off his stress.
"I think I will too, seeing that I need to wait for Shaman to wake up." ra had a lot of time to waste, so the idea of sleeping was very appealing to her.
"Okayyyy." Wolfy then walked off to find afortable spot to rest.
''Let''s hope I can have some one-on-one time with Shaman as I need to talk to her about who I am and what happened with Elysia.'' ra found a spot near the wall to get some shut-eye while she waited for Shaman to awaken.
Seated atst, the built-up exhaustion washed over her and in only a few moments she was already fast asleep.
***
Deep underground below the capital was a dungeon that held a single person inside. Himeko was suspended in the air by chains with light bars going through the middle of her body, blocking any mana from travelling through her body. A cor was wrapped tightly around her neck, the bruises and torn skin underneath it showing it hasn''t been taken off in a while.
Himeko''s admiral clothes were all torn and clear marks of torture could be seen all over her body. Her eyes were lifeless and a deadpan expression was on her face, showing that she has been deprived of any basic needs.
Himeko quietly mumbled words to herself that were barely audible to anyone nearby.
"I-i A-a-am. S-sorry.. C-c-ra I tried to not tell him." Himeko repeated these words over and over again to herself. Himeko had been broken and left near-dead, but she still held a slither of humanity in her.
After some more time passed, the pope had walked into the dungeon with his usual fully white clothes and approached Himeko. Once close enough he released the chains that were suspending Himeko with only a snap of his fingers, letting her fall to the floor. The light beams on her body receded into herpletely wrapping her mana core, rendering all mana usage impossible unless removed.
"To think the great Himeko would be in such a pitiful state in front of me, that prideful beast that always roared within you has finally been tamed." The pope giggled as the once untameable Himekoy lifeless on the floor.
"Now let''s see how obedient the phoenix has be." Pulling out a leash from an inventory, he attached it to her cor and began to pull on her. This seemingly caused Himeko to switch from being a lifeless husk to an animal.
Himeko quickly got on all fours and started to act like a pet. There was a slight hint of reluctance like something was trying to fight back but was unable to take back control.
"Good, seems like the torturers did their job in turning you into a good little pet. Now that I have the information about that cursed object and Demon heir, I can use you in whichever way I want." At the mention of being used Himeko looked up at the pope.
"Yes master, I''ll do whatever you tell me." Tears had started to flow down her face despite her words, Himeko was still inside trying to fight back.
"Tch they haven''t done as good of a job as I thought, your will still isn''tpletely gone, your stubborn attitude must be the only reason why you haven''t fully submitted." The pope looked annoyed as he could tell the job hadn''t been fullypleted.
Himeko tilted her head in confusion looking at the pope for answers.
"Oh you don''t worry, you are doing perfectly my little phoenix." The pope gently patted Himeko causing her to nuzzle into his hand.
The pope leaned back and let out a sigh before pulling out a pill and tossing it to Himeko. Himeko took the pill and swallowed it as fast as she could.
''That should keep her alive for another few days.'' The pill the pope gave her was a food pill that would slowly dissolve and provide enough nutrients and energy for a few days.
"No matter, it is only a matter of time before she will no longer have a will of her own." The pope sighed again and walked out of the room while pulling Himeko along.
"You areing with me, I need to show off my new toy to my friends." A sinister smile grew on the pope''s face as he walked out of the dungeon with his new pet.
***
ra had slowly opened her eyes from what felt like a short sleep. There was no day and night cycle, so it was impossible to tell the time of day and there was no indication on how much time had passed.
ra looked over to Shaman''s egg and could see that slight cracks were starting to form which she assumed was her finally waking up.
''I am only just realising now she really is inside an egg.'' ra had ignored it before and thought it was just a beastmen rted thing but the more she thought about it the more it did not sound right.
? ''I shouldn''t overthink it, I''m sure Shaman will exin once she is done doing whatever it is she''s doing.'' ra did not want to dwell on it for too long as it would only cause a headache rather than give her any answer.
ra waited for Shaman to hatch out of her egg while also observing Elysia who was fast asleep next to Shaman.
''Let''s see if your feelings really hold up.'' ra seemed more determined to put their rtionship to the test because, after that short battle, ra''s opinion of Elysia had soured.
*
After waiting for another 30 minutes or so Shaman''s egg finally began to crack.
ra quickly got up and went over to Shaman as she was rather curious if Shaman would have any changes in appearance.
The egg slowly started to fall apart to reveal the same looking Shaman, and yet something about her seemed different.
Shaman slowly woke up and got up from her shell, stretching out her body. When she stood up ra finally realised what it was that felt odd. Previously, Shaman was about 6''1" and was taller than ra who was 5''7".
However, This time ra was the taller one, now having to slightly look down at Shaman rather than slightly looking up.
Shaman who just woke up was confused as to why she felt shorter and took a moment to process what was happening.
"No, don''t tell me." Shaman looked horrified as she looked all over her body and kept ncing up at ra to make sure she was not dreaming. Shaman was now 5''4 making her much shorter than Elysia and ra.
Her worst nightmare has be a reality, she was now short and had lost all the height she had gained. Shaman fell to her knees with tears filling her eyes almost on the verge of crying.
"NOOOOOOO!!!!" Shaman leaned back, throwing her hands in the air, screaming and crying. ra knelt at her side and tried tofort Shaman.
"M-my height is gone." Shaman''s pride in her height was already damaged and now that she has shrunk to an even shorter size her pride had been trampled and tossed aside.
"Shaman, it''s okay, I have no idea why this happened but I''m sure if you do it again it might return." ra tried toe up with anything that would Calm Shaman down which was surprisingly effective. Shaman had suddenly stopped screaming and the tears had stopped flowing down her face.
"Yes! You''re right ra, I Just need to evolve again and I''m sure I will gain my height back." Shaman''s mood suddenly improved, and she hugged ra to express her gratitude.
ra didn''t know what to say but she blushed a little at the sudden show of affection.
"Ahem." Shaman quickly let go of ra as she realised what she was doing and it suddenly came to her that ra probably had something to say to her.
"Besides the traumatic event that just happened, I believe you have something to talk about." ra was a bit thrown about by the sudden mood swings but she was d Shaman was able to get back on track.
"Yes, there is something that I should tell you now that I have gotten my memories back and now know who I truly am, so I hope for you to listen."
Chapter 121 What Happened
?Shaman expected ra toe to talk to her, so she was not surprised.
"Sure thing, but I''m so fucking hungry right now so do you mind me eating while I listen?" Shaman could feel herself starving and was desperate for food.
"Pffhahaha, it''s okay, I don''t mind at all." ra found the rather small Shaman very cute, trying her best not to pat Shaman who was still adorably hugging her.
Shaman quickly released ra from the hug and looked around for Elysia, who would usually prepare something for her. Seeing that Elysia was asleep next to her and that she didn''t prepare any food, Shaman reached into her inventory and pulled out her favourite instant noodles. Shaman activated the magic circle on the bottom, cooking the noodles almost instantly. Wanting to try something new, she also added the small eggshell pieces to her noodles.
ra looked at Shaman a bit weird for adding shells into her noodles but nheless, she ignored it.
"Alright, I''m ready." Shaman was ready to listen and sat patiently in front of ra.
"I shall begin." ra took a deep breath before starting her story. She still nned to withhold some details from Shaman till she knew she could 100% trust her but she did not n to lie to her about anything.
"As you can see, I''m a demon which is no surprise but you''re probably wondering why I am here in a ce like this when I should be in the demonnds. Well, the story I told you back then about where I came from is mostly true but in an entirely different context. Me and my parents were on a small trip away from the demon capital. Although we were in a dangerous part of the demonnds, my parents were strong enough to protect me if anything happened."
"While on this trip a powerful demon beast appeared. This was not an umon urrence, and normally my parents would have handled it without much difficulty, however, they ran into an unexpected development. While fighting the beast a stranger approached and came to their aid. It was Himeko, who for some reason made her way to the demonnds, even though that should not have been possible at the time."
"My parents were weak whenpared to Himeko, and were shocked when she managed to kill the demon beast with a single blow. Having always been curious about the outside world, they saw it as an opportunity and tried to approach her. Mind you my memory of these events is quite vague. I was only in my early teenage years, and what followed all seemed to happen so quickly" At this point, ra started getting a bit emotional and Shaman who had been happily eating her noodles while listening had stopped to hear the next part.
"My parents went out to meet with Himeko, just to talk. I was left behind and could only watch from a distance. It looked like negotiations went well, they shook hands and at one point my father even went down on his knees to beg for something. I couldn''t hear any of what was said, but it was clear they wanted something from Himeko." ra''s voice started to tremble a little.
"My parents came back waving goodbye to Himeko and lead me back inside the little cabin we were staying at to have a meal. While we were eating, Himeko was not talked about at all which was rather awkward, but after finishing my meal I felt myself getting dizzy and I could feel the air getting hot. My parents stared at me with a smile, until suddenly the house was engulfed by mes. The same mes Himeko used just a few minutes prior. T-the lst I saw of m-my p-parents w-was of them b-burning.. A-a-alive. S-somehow I''d been transported outside the house, appearing in H-himeko''s arms. I searched for the cabin, only to f-find it being ravaged by a pheonix. Lst thing I r-remember was seeing the s-silhouettes of my d-dying p-parents. Before I was knocked out." ra began to cry as the scene of her parents yed on repeat in her mind.
Shaman had put down her noodles and Shellbo and hugged ra, although a little awkward as she was now shorter but still brought her some relief.
"I have no idea what my parents talked about but I just know Himeko killed my parents and I don''t know if I should just hate her or try to find out why." ra seemed to finally break into a full-on cry and hugged Shaman back tightly.
''ra still seemed to withhold some information, especially about her parents. It seems like she isn''t ready to exin everything just yet.'' Shaman picked up on how vaguely she described her parents and it seemed like ra was not from just any random demon family.
*
Shaman let ra cry it out and sadly the rest of her noodles got soggy bing unpleasant to eat.
In the end, ra broke away from the hug, wiping her eyes and nose.
''I can''t believe I cried, I guess saying it out loud has a different effect than just remembering it.'' ra had not nned to cry but her emotions got the best of her.
"Sorry for that ugly disy, there is also something else I wanted to talk about." ra felt a little embarrassed and could not help but apologize.
"It''s okay ra, my ears will always be avable so you can keep going." Shaman gave a genuine smile which caused ra to feel reassured and warmed her heart.
"Thank you, but it looks like someone is finally waking up." ra''s face went a little cold seeing Elysia moving around and beginning to wake up.
"Wash your face." Shaman then sprayed some water with her finger on ra''s face.
ra flinched back from the unexpected ssh of water and pouted a little as it was uncalled for.
Shaman noticed ra''s cold re and decided to break the tension by spraying some on Elysia as well, giving them both equal watery treatment.
''Seems like ra has a distrust for Elysia, she also seemed like she wanted to talk about something else and I can only imagine it''s about Elysia''s attitude. Urrggg what a headache.'' Shaman realised that ra wanted to ask something about Elysia as the conversation hadpletely died when she woke up.
"Gosh, my head hurts, what the hell happened." Elysia sat up holding her head.
ra felt relieved as Elysia did not wake up in a rage and had seemingly forgotten what happened when she went into a crazed state.
"Morning sweetie~ or evening, do we even know the time in this ce?" Shaman looked around for any indicators but there was nothing.
"Pffhaha, good morning, evening or afternoon, whatever time it is." Elysia giggled and responded covering all phases of the day.
"Well it doesn''t really matter anyway, all I know is that you should go evolve." Shaman figured that making Elysia evolve it would allow her and ra to talk more.
"Oh yeah you''re right, I guess I will do that since we have nothing better to do." Elysia blindly followed Shaman''s suggestion and pressed yes to evolve.
"Goodnight." Elysia''s voice trailed off as sheid back down and the egg started to form around her.
"Well, that was quick." Shaman didn''t expect Elysia to instantly start evolving but now all she could think of is how hungry Elysia will be when she wakes up.
"What did Elysia press? She just pointed at the air and suddenly became like that." ra was confused by Elysia''s gesture.
''Ah shit.'' Shaman expected ra to find out sooner orter but she was still unsure how she would tell ra.
''Maybe I can y it off.'' Shaman figured she could act a little dumb or make up a reason for why Elysia would make a gesture.
"You can''t fool me, you know exactly why she does it." Before Shaman could answer, ra already guessed that Shaman knew and was thinking of a way to cover it up.
"Aha, well it would take a very long time to exin and it isn''t something that I would say is normal in this world." Shaman was unsure how she would exin it as ra would not understand any of the gaming terms she would use to exin it.
''What a situation I found myself in, at least with Elysia I was able to show her.'' Shaman then realised something.
''Why don''t I give ra a system, am I still able to do that Rea?'' Shaman had never seen the grant system in her status or inventory so she assumed it was a 1-time use.
[You still have it and lucky for you ra is currently eligible for a system]
''So that means she is willing to follow me.'' Seeing that Rea was giving the okay, it seemed ra trusted Shaman enough to join the group.
"So ra, instead of trying to use words to exin what is going on, I am going to show you." Shaman then told Rea to send a system prompt of the grant system to ra so she could read over what it would entail if she epted.
''The terms and conditions are a bit harsh, almost like a ve, I wonder if I could change it if ra doesn''t agree.'' Shaman thought back to how it was a contract that enves the person
''This sounds like a ve contract and why do I like the sound of it.'' ra''s imagination ran a little wild causing her to blush.
Shaman saw this and she could not believe her eyes.
Chapter 122 Clara’s System
?Shaman looked at ra blushing and thought she was seeing things.
''What kind of stuff has she gone through to be into bing someone''s ve.'' Shaman''s imagination ran a little wild causing her to p herself as she should not be thinking about ra in such a state.
The p had also made ra realise that she was blushing and Shaman clearly saw it.
''Shit, what the hell is wrong with me, I have been enved since I was like 13, don''t tell me something has awakened in me.'' ra felt rather ashamed but tried to ignore it as much as she could and continued to read.
[System]
[By agreeing to have the system, you must pledge loyalty to Shaman and must uphold loyalty at all times. If you are seen as an enemy or no longer trustworthy the system will be stripped away and all the power obtained from the system will be taken away, reverting the user to their state before they got the system. The user must also stay in contact with Shaman, otherwise it will be seen as an act of betrayal unless the user is gone for a sufficient reason]
[By getting a system you will be able to manually evolve, have a personal inventory and assign your stats. The system will also assist the user in creating new skills as well improve the person''s overall power]
''This really is a lifelongmitment and if I choose to ept, I would really have no other choice but to follow Shaman for the rest of my life.'' ra started to slightly blush at the thought but quickly dismissed those thoughts.
''Why do I keep thinking about that, I''m starting to be like Elysia.'' ra took a moment to think about what she just said as a realization just urred.
''AHHHHHH, I''m bing just as bad as Elysia, these feelings are just gratitude and appreciation for Shaman nothing more.'' ra scolded herself a little as she was bing part of the very problem she was trying to fix.
''Okay enough about Shaman, I realise now that these feelings are not what they seem.'' After thinking about how Elysia turned out, ra was not fond of the thought of pursuing Shaman with her current feelings.
''Anyway I think I will ept this system as although it sounds rather dreadful, I don''t ever see myself ever betraying Shaman and it seems like she has some control over the contract, so maybe changing the contact details mightter be possible.'' ra considered asking for one small change as having to always be in contact sounded unreasonable and did not want to identally lose the system just because she was away.
"Hey ShaSha, are you able to change having to always be in contact to not be so strict, because of potential reasons I may be gone for a long extended period of time." Although it mentioned it would not be taken away if there was a sufficient reason, ra did not trust it.
Shaman, who was still in a little daze because of her imagination, was brought back to her senses by ra.
"Oh, yeah sure, not an issue." Shaman was still a little flustered and quickly asked Rea to make a change hoping that it was possible.
[Alright all done, I made the changes to amodate ra''s requests since they were reasonable.] Rea gave the confirmation, surprising Shaman, who didn''t expect she could change it so easily but was nheless thankful.
ra saw the changes appear on the small floating screen and was more than happy to ept.
[If Shaman is aware that the user is going to be gone for an extended period of time all system rights will not be taken away unless Shaman deems the user untrustworthy]
ra clicked the yes button underneath the small contract. Expecting to feel something, she braced herself, but surprisingly nothing happened. There was no pain and nothing seemed to have changed, leaving ra confused.
"Uhhh, Shaman, is there meant to be something I should be feeling?"
"No, nothing should have changed physically, if you want to test the system try saying status." Shaman was finally calm and was d to see that ra epted the system despite its rather unfair conditions.
"Status." Upon speaking the words a ck screen with purple outlines and text appeared.
[ra ????]
[Race: Human/demon]
[Age: 23]
[Level: 108]
[Tier 5]
ra was able to see details about herself and was intrigued by herst name and level.
''It seems even though I know myst name the system doesn''t recognize it.'' ra was unsure if there was a reason or it was protecting her privacy.
[Hey there ra, it''s me Rea the system helper, to answer your question it''s because you are yet to discover it so until then it shall remain hidden.]
ra looked around frantically as she was trying to figure out where the voice wasing from.
[I''m in your head dummy.]
"Wait what?" ra was still confused and Shaman who was watching could not help but giggle at ra''s confusion.
[Hello, from inside your head, it''s Rea your assistant] Rea was seemingly having fun toying with ra but it came to an end.
''Wait you''re in my head and you can hear my thoughts?''
[Yes]
''So the thing about my name means that what I know is not actually my realst name?''
[Yes]
''Can you tell me?''
[No]
''Damn it, well I have a few guesses as to why but there is no use in thinking about it till I return to the demonnds.'' ra wanted to see if she could get information but in the end, attempting to coerce this mysterious entity seemed futile.
"Done talking to Rea?" Shaman figured it was time they began to discuss whatever ra had to say but Shaman already guessed it was going to be about Elysia.
"Oh yes, she was rather weird, didn''t know you had someone always talking in your head." ra rubbed her head as it was weird for her to hear voices other than her own.
"Well you get used to it, plus she doesn''t really talk a whole lot." Shaman realised that even though Rea had a voice, she never really participated in conversation when it would have been fine to do so.
"I guess so, anyway I needed to talk to you about something concerning Elysia." ra got straight to the point and even though Shaman was expecting it she could not help but feel a bit annoyed.
"I''m going to be blunt, Elysia is crazy and it''s not looking good for her. While you were asleep I challenged your rtionship by telling her how I saw it and she snapped." ra did not want to hide the fact that she and Elysia fought.
"Wait, she attacked you?" Shaman was surprised as she did not expect Elysia to already be so far down the yandere path.
"Yes, I knocked her out but I''m afraid she will only get worse if things continue." ra was feeling nervous as she was unsure how Shaman was going to act but she at least believed she won''t be attacked.
"Fuck." Shaman could already feel the stress build up as it was something she feared if they ever got another female member. Since Elysia had not really shown her possessivenesstely, Shaman hadn''t been giving it much thought.
Shaman let out a sigh as it seemed she''s been neglecting the subject for too long, which was now sowing conflict in their group for no reason.
"You don''t need to say anything more ra, I''m well aware of Elysia''s temperament. I should be able to handle it but it''s going to take time." Shaman did not want ra to get involved as she believed it will only make Elysia worse.
"But I want to help, are you sure you can handle it on your own?" ra was happy to hear Shaman was understanding but she was also worried Shaman might not be able to handle it on her own.
"Yes I''m sure I can handle it, but I don''t want you getting involved and seeing you get hurt." Shaman knew that if ra was going to help she would most likely get attacked again.
"That''s not the right thing to do, you can''t bear it all by yourself and you don''t need to worry about me, I can defend myself." ra was starting to get annoyed with Shaman.
"You''re the root of the problem, if you don''t get any outside assistance Elysia may never get out of the hole she is in!" ra did not want Shaman to go through it by herself since the situation was soplex that treading alone would be a death wish.
"I KNOW! But that''s the exact reason why I don''t want you to get involved, if you get involved it could ruin our friendship and I do not want that." Shaman was getting emotional and started to tear up.
"I.... fine, but if I see that you need any help, you can''t stop me from helping." ra noticed that Shaman was tearing up and decided to give up the conversation as continuing would only make it worse.
"Fine." Shaman turned her head to hide her teary face. She understood where ra wasing from, but still wanted to keep ra out of the mess which was Elysia.
Chapter 123 Looming Threat Above
?The tension was high between ra and Shaman even though they had good intentions the trust between them still had not fully developed. Shaman also felt her rtionship with Elysia was none of ra''s business. Doubly so considering that, with ra being Shaman''s only other female friend, she would surely earn Elysia''s wrath for her interference.
Shaman did not want to imagine a scenario where Elysiashes out at ra, creating more conflict between them. ra on the other hand wanted to help but at the same time understood why Shaman was not willing to let her help.
''Will Shaman be able to do anything on her own?'' This question gued ra''s mind as Shaman is the target of the obsession and as such would find it very hard to influence Elysia''s mind.
Shaman let out a sigh as there was no point in staying upset or frustrated about the situation.
"Anyway, I will talk with her while we travel to the fox realm." Since they had a bit of travel ahead of them Shaman figured to use that time to have a proper chat with Elysia.
"The fox realm? Will I even be able to enter it seeing as they only let beastmen enter freely?" ra never got permission from Himeko to leave the city, so of course she never even attempted to enter the Fox realm, and thus wasn''t sure about its rules.
"Well you are not ssed as a human anymore, I''m more worried about your position in demon society." Shaman was worried since demons seemed to be a rather rare race and from her knowledge are only allowed to stay in their territory.
"Oh, that shouldn''t be an issue, I can change the colour of my horns, which is one of the main indicators of what kind of demon we are, but I don''t know if other territories can tell the difference." ra then changed the colour of her horns to purple to match her eyes.
"Now I should be seen as a low ranking noble in demon society." The new purple horns suited re and gave a more noble look to her.
Shaman stared at the horns, bing suspicious of ra''s identity again. This couldn''t possibly be an innate skill, as if all demons could do it, how could their horn colour hold any social meaning.
"Hmmm? Did you want to touch them?" ra could read on Shaman''s face that she was suspicious of ra, but ra had no way to exin it without revealing her identity.
"Oh? May I?" Shaman understood ra was trying to change the subject, but she definitely was not going to turn down touching a demon''s horns.
"Sure." ra leaned forward a little so that Shaman would be able to properly reach her horns.
Although ra was being considerate, seeing her having to lean forward for Shaman was an unfortunate reminder of her shorings. Still, this did not deter her from touching the now purple horns on ra''s head.
Shaman reached out, lightly touching them, making sure she does not harm ra.
''Oh wow, it''s super smooth.'' Shaman was fascinated by the horns. As someone who came from a humans only world, she still had the feeling of everything being unreal.
"It looks like you have to marry me now." ra had a grin on her face waiting for Shaman''s reaction.
Shaman took a moment to think about what ra had just said before responding.
"Well, that was my n anyway." Shaman moved her hand under ra''s chin, but upon realising what she was doing she quickly backed away.
''AHHHH, what the fuck am doing, what came over me?'' Shaman was bright red and ra was not faring any better as she had frozen on the spot.
''I- I. what is this feeling?'' ra had not expected Shaman to react like that and it sent a new sensation through her body.
"I-I''m sorry about that, I have no idea what came over me." Shaman apologized as it was the only thing she could do.
"I-its okay, I- ummm kinda lik- no never mind let''s just move on." ra was too shy to admit anything even though her face said everything.
"I think so too." Shaman was of the same opinion and although knowing what ra was about to say, she did not want to make it any more awkward.
*
Shaman and ra split apart from each other to do their own thing while waiting for Elysia to wake up.
Shaman had gone and spent all of the attribute points she had umted.
[Attributes]
Attribute points: 1060 -> 0
Vitality: 400 -> 600
Agility: 500 -> 650
Intelligence: 560 -> 710
Strength: 550 -> 750
Dexterity: 500 -> 710
Defense: 450 -> 600
Once again the feeling of using all her attribute points was bliss as the surge of energy and power flowed through her.
While Shaman was enjoying the feeling of levelling up, ra had been ying around with the system and putting a lot of her belongings in the inventory that was provided.
''This is so convenient, I no longer have to deal with such a tiny storage ring anymore.'' ra looked at the storage ring on her hand and could not help but be baffled by the size difference.
ra was celebrating for all the uses of the system since it made life easier and thanks to the guidance of Rea she was able to understand anything she didn''t quite get.
*
A few hours had passed and the boredom was high amongst the 2 girls while they waited for Elysia.
To pass their time the peacefully sleeping Wolfy had been attacked by the pats of both ra and Shaman. Wolfy was confused about what was going on but was weakened by the wonderful patting he was getting.
"Pffhaha he is so cute~" Shaman grinned while patting Wolfy and watching his failed attempts to resist.
"His silver fur is so soft, how the hell does he keep it like that?" ra was rather jealous of how soft his hair was and couldn''t stop patting it.
"No idea but I am notining." Shaman had no idea how Wolfy was able to keep such hygienic standards but it was something she did not need to know.
"Should we change his name to Silver instead of just Wolfy since he is more of a vicious wolf than a cub now?" ra was reminded how basic his name was and figured it might be good to change it.
"Hmmm, it''s really up to him if he likes the name, but I have to agree I like it and it represents all the silver fur he has been getting as he gets stronger." Shaman figured the silver fur that was showing was due to him being a moon wolf and the distinct features of that race will be shining through soon.
"Let me think about it, I am not entirely sure if I can let go of Wolfy but Silver does sound a lot cooler." The pats had eased off and Wolfy was able to somewhat think straight.
"That''s understandable, take as much time as you need." Shaman then gave onest pat before standing. ra had stayed next to Wolfy, Changing her position to slowly pat along his back.
Shaman looked over to Elysia and could see that she was finally waking up from her evolution.
"Finally." Shaman walked over to Elysia''s egg and waited for her to break free.
***
High above the sky of Ebonscale stood a woman and a man that wore the same clothes as the pope but in ck.
A system window could be seen in front of him presenting him with a list. The man scrolled it as if looking for something.
"Ah, here it is." The man pulled back his hoodie revealing his blonde hair and red blood eyes.
The pope clicked on his system, then quickly yanked on the chain he had in his hand pulling Himeko closer.
"Ah~"
"Tch what a dirty dog, anyway let''s get this damned cursed object and little demon girl." An enormous spear made of pure ck shadows was created above him and was aimed directly at the tower in the middle.
"I don''t sense anyone in the building." The pope thenunched the spear at light speed devouring the tower in a matter of seconds. Instead of the tower getting sted to pieces, it was absorbed into the ck shadows cleanly erasing it from existence.
"Come along now trash you have an item to give me." The pope began to descend to the ground with Himeko as the screams of civilians and the shouting of guards could slowly be heard in the background.
''Hmmm I don''t sense the demon girl anywhere in the city, did Himeko n for this.'' The pope was using his mana to scan the entire city but was unable to find the demon girl.
"Tch." The pope clicked his tongue and out of frustration kicked Himeko in the face. However, Himeko did not wince orin, but instead looked like she was rather enjoying it.
"Show me where the cursed item is so we can get out of here before people arrive." The pope put the hood over his head. Like a sniffer dog, Himeko began leading the way to the cursed object.
With the tower gone, only its empty base remained, in which Himeko quickly found the stairs leading down below ground level.
The Pope and Himeko climbed deep underground until finally reaching a door that required a special insignia to open.
"What good little puppy you are." The pope reached into his inventory and pulled out Himeko''s insignia and slotted it into the door.
The door slowly opened to reveal a small spinning ball that had red glowing engravings.
"HAHAHA, this dark aura, it''s the exact thing I need, one down and 5 more to go." The pope started to be ecstatic.
"The Eden of control is now in my hands, it''s unfortunate that I cannot forcefully control people quickly with the item but this will definitely make the process much easier." A sinister grin appeared on the pope as he looked at Himeko who was already under his control. But with the added cursed object there was very little chance that Himeko may ever be free of his control.
''Good job my love, remember this is all for the greater good of this world and never forget your mission.''
Chapter 124 Death
?Shaman watched Elysia slowly break free from her egg anticipating some physical changes to have taken ce.
Elysia sat up stretching out her body and upon seeing Shaman in front of her reached out to hug her. Elysia wrapped her arms around Shaman''s waist giving her a tight hug. Shaman returned the awkward hug and put her arms around Elysia''s head.
Elysia however felt this wave of hunger flow through her, so she turned her head biting down on Shaman''s arm.
"Ow, you bitch." Shaman out of pure reaction stepped back and pped Elysia in the face.
Elysia fell back and was nowpletely awake, ra who was watching could not help but giggle at what she saw. Shaman grabbed her arm and used [heal] as a bite from a tier 5 fox girl did some damage.
Elysia held her face where she was hit and looked at Shaman healing the bite that she caused.
"Wait, I did that?" Elysia was still confused about what happened and why she was pped in the face.
Wolfy let out a sigh as it was the stupid shenanigans that would asionally happen between Shaman and Elysia.
"Yes you did and it bloody hurt." Shaman had finished healing the small bite mark on her arm and stared at Elysia with a bit of annoyance.
"Aha, sorryyy." Elysia scratched the back of her head.
"Now go eat something before you try having another taste." Shaman squinted her eyes at Elysia waiting for her to get some food.
"I mean I can eat yo-"
"No!" Shaman knew exactly what Elysia was going to say so she was cut off before she could finish speaking.
"Hmph." Elysia turned her head and opened her inventory to pull out some food to eat.
Elysia pulled out one of Shaman''s instant noodles because she did not have the energy to cook her own food. It went against Elysia''s pride in her cooking, but she had no other choice but go for the easy option.
Shaman let out a sigh and although she did not need to be as aggressive, with everything that was going with their rtionship, her patience was bing thin.
''I need time to think, I don''t usually get annoyed but there is so much to think about that I feel like I could explode.'' Shaman could feel things were bottling up within her and she needed to release some tension.
''I would love to have some time with Elysia, but she is one of the main reasons why I''m like this.'' Shaman considered some alone time but she did not know if she could forget about the arising issues with Elysia.
Elysia devoured the noodles and her egg only to grab another cup of noodles, making quick work of that one as well. After eating, Elysia finally stood up and finally noticed something about Shaman.
"You''re so short now Shaman!" Elysia, unable to control her urges, ran up to Shaman and hugged her. Shaman, who was still stuck deep in thought, was suddenly attacked by Elysia''s chest.
As if Elysia stole Shaman''s height, Elysia was now 6''1" putting Shaman at eye level with Elysia''s chest.
"OI! You stole my height, you vixen!" Shaman noticing that Elysia had reached Shaman''s previous height could not help butin.
"A, look at you, you are so damn cute." Elysia then started to pat Shaman''s head which had distracted her for a moment before realising this was not the time for head pats.
"Enough!" Shaman then pushed away Elysia''s chest causing her to yelp a little and fall to the ground.
Shaman''s face was red from being smothered by Elysia and although Shaman wasn''tining, she was not in the mood.
"Oops, I got a little carried away." Elysia lowered her head as she could tell Shaman was getting a little annoyed at her.
*Sight* "It''s okay, maybeter because right now we need to get out of this ce." Shaman did not want to be too harsh on Elysia, but they''ve spent too much time in the dungeon and needed to get a move on.
Elysia nodded and stood up again, suppressing the urge to hug the now small Shaman in front of her.
''Why does it annoy me to see them like this. AHHHH! I feel like bashing my head against the wall. There is nothing between me and Shaman.'' ra was internally fighting her feelings as she realised that it would be selfish and stupid of her to try anything.
''Only time will tell what will happen between them so I just need to wait and assist only if asked.'' ra came to terms with the current state of affairs, which had helped subside the feelings she had.
While ra was busy with her internal struggles, the slow pats she was giving Wolfy became more vigorous and intense. Wolfy, taking advantage of this new pace, turned on his back and got satisfying belly rubs from ra.
''This is bliss.'' Wolfy was enjoying every moment till ra finally stopped. A little sad that ra had stopped her pats, he turned his head to find that the others had started to move towards a nearby doorway.
''Oops.'' Wolfy got up and quickly caught up.
*
The group went through the doorway near which they had been resting, as it was the only visible exit besides the roof they could take.
Shaman slowly opened the door and upon peeking in she saw a stairway lit up with torches.
"YES! Looks like we have a way up." Shaman was happy to see that they did not have to use their mana to get to the hole in the roof. The group began to ascend the stairs constantly going up in a spiral.
"Let''s hope there aren''t any traps." Elysia was examining the wall testing for any secret button that might activate a trap.
"Don''t go feeling around, do you want us to potentially die." ra had pped Elysia''s hand off the wall as she rather not find out.
"Aha don''t be so paranoid." Elysia had reached out again feeling the wall but this time the brick pushed in. Elysia''s heart sank as she realised she may have just fucked up badly.
"You got to be fucking kidding me." ra could not help but facepalm as the one thing that Elysia thought was not going to happen, happened.
"Shit." Shaman instantly looked around trying to see what Elysia had done and expecting something to fly at them, instead the wall began to open up.
"A secret passage?" This was the first thing that came to Shaman''s mind as she saw another set of stairs that lead straight up.
"Well, I guess we can''t say no to some extra loot and speaking of loot did we get anything from the boss?" Elysia''s feeling of dread had turned into excitement now that she may have found a secret passageway.
"Sadly nothing except for his core. We did not get any items, but hey at least we have some funds for when we reach the Fox realm." Shaman was a little disappointed that there were no rewards, but there wasn''t much they could do about it.
"Damn, well let''s hope the next dungeon we try, the boss will drop an item." Elysia was optimistic and did not dwell on it for too long.
"Anyway, let''s see where it leads." Shaman walked in first with everyone following and they began to make their way up the stairs.
*
Without even realising it, the secret passage had taken them straight to the dungeon entrance and the group found themselves approaching the exit.
"Huh? Isn''t that where we came from?" ra was the first to point it out as she recognized the dungeon doors ahead of them.
"Ehhhh? Wait, you are right, how the hell did we end up here?" Shaman was confused at how seamless it was and wondered if it had to do with the weird magical property dungeons have surrounding them.
''Seeing as dungeons can have different instances like a video game, a shortcut to the start after the boss does not seem too far-fetched.'' Shaman decided not to think too much about it and just appreciate the convenience it gave.
"Anyway, let''s get the hell out of here." Elysia didn''t care and just wanted out of the dungeon already so she quickly opened up the door.
However, when Elysia opened the door a wave of pressure washed over the group, enveloping them with fear and causing goosebumps all over their bodies.
Shaman quickly realising that they were all in danger quickly grabbed Elysia by the cor and ra by her hand, pulling them all into [Shadow walk]. Wolfy had also copied Shaman and entered [Shadow walk] on his own.
A short momentter the entrance of the dungeon waspletely blown away by a pure ck javelin. The feeling of fear had turned to a feeling of certain death as a man in full ck appeared in front of them.
Thanks to [Shadow walk] they became undetectable by any normal means and were able to observe without being found.
"Tch I thought I felt the demon girl here." The man spoke in a cold tone and his red eyes glowed slightly staring directly at Shaman as if he could see her.
Chapter 125 -Classified-
?[SHAMAN! WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT MOVE] Rea had screamed out in everyone''s head in clear distress.
[WARNING]
[-ssified- presence detected]
Shaman noticed the ominous messages from the corner of her eye while staring back at the unknown man. His overwhelming presence paralyzed her, and even if she wanted to move, she doubted she could.
The man''s eyes could only be described as a pair of precious jewels and the slight glow made them more imposing. At first, Shaman thought he was staring straight at them, but on the second look, she noticed the reflection of a system interface in his eyes.
''Wait, so there are others?'' Shaman then looked at the attire of the man and noticed that it was rather simr in fashion to the clothes from her own world.
''Wait how long has this man been here for?'' More questions kept appearing in Shaman''s head, but her thoughts were put to a halt as a magic circle appeared in front of the man''s eye.
Without giving any time to react the man moved as fast as light and stabbed into the ground with a pure ck spear exactly where Shaman was hidden. No damage had been done to Shaman or anyone else but the action itself had terrified the girls and Wolfy. Because of how the skill [Shadow walk] worked, it allowed them to bend and move wherever there were shadows. Since they were still in the dark they were able to bend around the spear and avoid being forced out.
"Hmm, seems like it''s just the dungeon, not a pest." The man was convinced that no one could see or hear him and the mana in the ground was just a part of the dungeon.
This also indirectly answered why Rea did not want them to move as it seemed she had done something alongside the effects of [Shadow walk] on her end to mask their presence.
However, what shocked them even more, was when they saw Himeko on all fourse around the corner.
"Oi, you stupid dog, I said stay back." The man then kicked Himeko,unching her back, but instead of groans of pain, out came moans of pleasure.
The group was speechless and even ra, who had a genuine distaste for Himeko was unable to help but be mortified by what she was watching.
"I need to head back to the capital, I have no time to be chasing a small hint of the demon''s girl mana." The man began to walk away from the entrance while picking up the chain connected to Himeko''s cor, dragging her along the ground behind him.
He then vanished in a sh of light fleeing Ebonscale and leaving Himeko''s hometown with its dungeon entrance destroyed. The confusion had died down as the cries of the people went quiet and fear turned to curiosity about what just happened.
All the guards had headed towards the tower making the destruction of the dungeon gate go unnoticed for the moment.
[He is gone, you cane out now] Rea sounded out of breath, clearly exhausted from what just urred.
Shaman moved away from the ck spear that was slowly fading away and deactivated [Shadow walk]. Everyone came out from the ground and only then realised they were still holding their breath, each of them starting to gasp for air. ra was leaning back on her hands, Elysia wasying on her stomach, Shaman was on her back and Wolfy was on his side.
All of them were still shaking and could not believe they were not caught by the man.
"Who the hell was he and why was Himeko like that?" Elysia was the first to speak but nobody had an answer. Shaman had her guesses as going by his attire alone, it likely meant he was yet another person that was transported to this world.
"I have no clue, but looks like he is after me." ra noticed that he was looking for a demon and her being the only demon that was close to Himeko, it could only mean her.
Shaman had shut her eyes to let everything sink in, trying to think of who the hell he was.
But it was pointless as nothing on him indicated who he was other than his red jewel eyes.
"Ahhhhhh, there is no point in thinking, let''s just be grateful we are alive." Shaman was sick of thinking and wanted to move on.
Everyone fell silent, letting themselves recover before heading out.
''It''s so nice to just not think about anything important.'' Shaman was enjoying the 5 minutes of peace, letting her mind rx. However, this would be rudely interrupted as guards could be heard rushing to their location.
"Although we won''t get in trouble, I''d rather not deal with them." ra could easily clear their name but seeing as she wanted to cut ties, it was better if they fled themselves.
"I guess we should make a break for it and leave for the fox realm now." Shaman let out a sigh and got up from where she was standing.
"Alright everyone, get close, I will use [Shadow Cloak] so we can get out of here, hopefully without being spotted." Shaman offered both of her hands out to Elysia and ra. They both grabbed a hold of Shaman''s hand while she activated [Shadow Cloak]. Elysia stared at ra, not fond of the idea that she was also holding Shaman''s hand. ra brushed this off as she was not allowed to address Elysia''s issues on her own.
''Grrr, I wish I could do something but I don''t want to annoy Shaman even more than she already is.'' Internallyining, ra had an opportunity to respond to Elysia''s behaviour but she wanted to respect Shaman''s decision.
Pulling them up from the ground and adjusting her grip, Shaman then began to move out of the dungeon.
Shaman peeked out of whatever was left of the door and spotted guardsing from the left.
''Right it is.'' Shaman quickly dashed to the right, pulling Elysia and ra along. Wolfy had followed using his own [Shadow Cloak], preferring to use his own mana than be a burden on Shaman.
Shaman continued down the street till she reached an alleyway and quickly entered.
Luckily the guards seemed to have not noticed anything, meaning the girls were safe for now.
"Alright now we just need to actually get outside the walls." Shaman knew they could easily climb over, but since they were making a straight dash for the fox realm, a mount of some kind would be much appreciated.
"We could try stealing a ride?" ra figured by taking advantage of the current chaos they would be able to take a mount with rtive ease.
"Good idea, let''s head to the edge of the city and see if we can get ourselves a ride." Shaman was all for the idea. They all began to move using the backstreets to avoid any attention.
They had finally reached the barn where most of the mounts were kept which was also conveniently next to the city gate. The ce was rather quiet as the majority of the people were inside and guards were too distracted by the destruction of the middle tower.
"Now let''s hope we can actually get entry to the fox realm with no issues." Shaman could already see the confusion she might cause because of her tail colour.
"Well, we should find a ce to stop and pick up some supplies before we go." Since they were on a long trip Elysia wanted to make sure they had enough supplies for theing days.
"Once we set out I will have a proper look at the map and we will see." Shaman agreed with the idea but this had also reminded her of a potential issue. The tail colours of Shaman and Elysia are unique so going there would expose their identity right away.
''Looks like me and Elysia need to find some hair dye to make sure our defining tips are not noticed .'' Shaman looked at her ck-tipped tail realising the implications it had and the questions it may raise.
Chapter 126 Reflection
?The group had sessfully stolen 2 mounts. One for Shaman and Elysia, the other for Wolfy and ra. They had also stolen an entry badge just as a precaution, but they were unsure if they had to just possess it or there was something special about the badge that allowed them to enter cities.
Since they were not really on the run and only needed to get out of Ebonscale, they also figured they could abandon the mounts before entering a new town or city if need be.
Shaman was on the red lizard mount looking at a map with Elyisa hugging her from behind. Even though Shaman found it quitefortable, her face still revealed a troubled expression. ra and Wolfy were on a green lizard slightly behind Shaman''s mount. ra was looking off into the distance lost in thought while slowly patting Wolfy.
All four of them were close enough to talk, but nobody did as they were still processing what happened at the dungeon entrance. Shaman was able to think through it quickly and was waiting for the others to be ready as she had a few things to talk about. In the meantime, Shaman was making sure they were heading in the right direction.
They travelled in silence till finally, ra spoke up.
"So does anybody have any idea who he is? He mentioned the capital so it might be the church." It only made sense to ra that it was the church since Himeko always had a bad rtionship with them. It also wouldn''t have surprised her if this was their way of getting rid of Himeko, turning her into a pet.
''She has a strong will and likely has maniption powers from the cursed object. Surely she couldn''t have been controlled that easily.'' Although ra did not like Himeko, seeing her act like an animal did not sit right with her.
"I think you are right, seeing how strong he is it wouldn''t surprise me if it was the pope himself. however, seeing as he uses dark magic he seems more like the leader of an underground organization that does the church''s dirty work." Shaman found it hard to believe it would be the pope because of his use of dark magic.
"That sounds very likely and since dark magic is taboo, the pope being able to use it doesn''t sound right as he should only have light magic." ra knew that every pope must have light magic in order to take the role of pope.
"Well if the pope is so powerful wouldn''t he be able to hide his dark magic? If anything, since he is so powerful, couldn''t he just do whatever he wants anyway?" Elysia had raised a much simpler solution which made Shaman and ra reconsider.
"We know what his face looks like so we just need to find a picture or recording of the pope to check if it''s the same person." Shaman saw no point in theorizing whether it was the pope or not, when the best option was to find a picture or some form of recording of him in the next human city they visit.
"Fair enough, so what about Himeko, what are our thoughts?" ra was rather curious about what the others had to say about Himeko''s situation.
"Honestly I have no words, it''s a bit hard to think she would be in such a state and knowing her I''m sure she is fighting it but, I don''t think she will ever be normal again." Shaman felt sick thinking about the things that must have been done to Himeko for her to end up like that.
"I''m more or less in the same boat, I haven''t properly registered what happened to her, and I''m fine staying that way." Elysia was trying to avoid thinking about it and since she was not attached to Himeko, she found it easier to brush off what happened. Wolfy had responded with a simple nod agreeing with Shaman and Elysia.
"Although we are not fans of her, I think we should try to save her when we can. Still, by the time we are powerful enough, she might be too far gone." ra still needed answers about her parents and Himeko was the only person who knew.
"Well it''s worth a shot, plus I would like to know why she was brainwashing everyone around her." Shaman also had her reason to save Himeko and if they were gonna wait till they were strong enough, Shaman was sure she could hold her own against Himeko.
"I will do whatever Sham wants." Elysia was falling asleep as she had already lost interest in the topic and in the end only really cared for Shaman.
"I guess we just have to leave it for now." ra wanted to do something but they were powerless and without getting to a higher tier it would be impossible to save Himeko.
"Unfortunately yes, so let''s just focus on ourselves for now." Shaman knew that they had to get stronger, but as for how long it would take, she had no idea.
***
The pope appeared in front of a dungeon throwing Himeko by the cor inside.
"I will being backter, make sure you behave." The pope mmed the metal door shut and a locking sound could be heard.
Himeko was left alone in the room and as if some pressure was released she gained back some light in her eyes.
Himeko''s head suddenly began to burn with pain as if something was being ripped out of it. She screamed out and her screams echoed out in the dungeon.
Himeko rolled around the room holding her head, wanting the pain to stop. Suddenly Himeko''s mana exploded and the seal that was holding her mana core broke.
mes bursted out from Himeko, engulfing the entire room in fire. Himeko let out another scream but this time it sounded like a screeching phoenix. Slowly Himeko''s body was turning into a phoenix causing the mes around her to be more violent.
During this transformation, the pope teleported back into the room with an aggravated look.
"Those bastards clearly didn''t put on a tight enough leash on you." Cursing the torturers that were responsible for breaking Himeko''s will, now making him have to deal with a disobedient pet.
"Good thing I got this new toy on my recent venture." The pope smirked as the pain Himeko was experiencing was the pain of her being disconnected from the cursed item making anyone under her control free.
"Now let''s see how long you canst." The pope knew it took a few days in order for the item to take effect and onceplete he would be able to directly manipte the person''s mind.
"YOOUUU SCUMMM!!" Himeko''s eyes were full of rage as she stared directly at the pope''s eyes.
"Oho~ look at you, so active after being forcefully removed as the owner of the cursed object." The pope attempted to walk closer but was stopped by a wall of mes.
Usually, mes would not affect him, but these mes were different. Because Himeko was partly taking the form of a Phoenix, the mes posed more of a threat to him.
"Tch looks like I can''t have any fun." The pope''s face went cold as if all emotions were cut off.
A light sword with dark streaks running through the de appeared in his hand. He hadbined his light and dark element creating something which was never thought possible.
[Sword of Light and Dark]
[Skill type: Taboo]
A system menu appeared in front of him showing some details of the skill.
''Urg so many skills, having to look through a list just to find the right one is always a headache.'' The pope had run into the issue of too many skills and had to always rely on a system list to remind him what skills he had.
Himeko used the time to transform fully into a Phoenix and took flight into the air.
The pope kept his indifferent look and waited for Himeko to make the first move.
Under Himeko''smand, the mes filling the room started swirling around her, only to surge forward a momentter, converging around the pope. Soon he was encased in a ball of mes and Himeko tried condensing the ball to crush and also burn him.
As expected, the pope was able to easily dispel the ball and walked out without a single burn mark.
"Oh,e on, you can do better." The pope had a sadistic look as if something inside him had switched.
Taking it as a challenge Himeko charged forward, diving headfirst into the pope. The mes around her body were growing bing more chaotic and the closer she got to the pope the faster she got.
"Hot-headed as always, when will you learn going headfirst against me will only lead to your loss." The pope raised his sword and the dark magic inside began to spew out.
"Your time being sane ends here."
Chapter 127 Family Skill
?The pope''s sword was ready and he began to sh downwards toward Himkeo. Everything happened in an instant as the power of 2 tier 10 titans were about to sh with each other.
The pope expected to directly hit Himeko but to his surprise felt her presence disappear from in front of him and appear behind him. Himeko had taken advantage of the ability to teleport with fire and was able to instantly move around the room as long as there was a spark of me.
The pope was able to quickly turn and strike where Himeko was but the same thing urred. Himeko kept teleporting around the pope making sure there was always fire in the room to teleport to. Unfortunately, Himeko was unable to get close because the pope''s reaction speed was too fast leaving them in a stalemate.
During this time the pope had been looking through his skills to break the loop. After finding the right skill he activated it through his system. Suddenly a ball of darkness appeared above him sucking in the mes like a ck hole.
Himeko quickly teleported to the other side of the room with a bit of me she left as a backup.
Because Himeko had transformed fully into a phoenix, she could no longer speak but instead, let out a loud screech.
"I wanted to make you a human pet, not an actual pet." The pope let out a smirk and his little joke pissed Himeko off.
''Tch, this bastard really needs to burn in the deepest part of hell, if only I didn''t do a full transformation I would love to give him my words of encouragement.'' Himeko could escape but because of her pride and pure hatred, she could not let herself leave without putting up a fight.
''If things don''t look good I might have to use that.'' Himeko had a way out of this predicament if things got worse but her pride would not let her leave.
Himeko''s head suddenly began to hurt as the memories of her torture ran through her head. She was having a hard time focusing on the battle as her will to resist started slipping again.
The ck hole remained in the air while sucking away the fire, making her teleporting strategy useless. The pope then pulled out the Eden of control and began to slowly walk toward Himeko.
He had managed to sever the connection with Himeko, allowing him to be the owner of the cursed object. Taking advantage of the object''s power, he tried to put Himeko under his control but due to how weak it was and how long it takes, it was not enough for Himeko to fall.
Himeko felt the pope trying to take control of her but thanks to the cursed object''s limitations it only gave her a headache.
"Too bad, looks like traditional ways are always the best." A glint of insanity filled the pope''s face as he vanished from where was standing.
Appearing in front of Himeko he swung his sword straight down aiming for her head.
With barely any time to react and no way to teleport, Himeko managed to just barely avoid his sword. However, because of the dark magic that ran through the light de, dark tentacles came out of the de grabbing a hold of Himeko.
With Himeko being restrained, the pope managed to grab her by the neck. The pope''s hand started turning ck from the searing heat, but nothing mattered to him as he strangled the phoenix in his hand. The feeling of bloodlust was slowly taking over him as all he wanted to do was squish the bird''s head.
Himeko struggled to breathe, yet even with her increased size, she still couldn''t loosen the pope''s grip on her neck.
''You don''t want to kill her do you?'' A female voice rang out in the pope''s head causing him to let go of Himeko. The bloodlust had slowly receded and he was back to his normal calm state.
''Almost lost myself in battle again.'' He looked up to the roof for a moment before looking down at Himeko who was struggling to regain her breath.
The pope had crushed her neck making it very hard to breathe and leaving Himeko on the verge of falling unconscious.
"Looks like the almighty Himeko has fallen again, what a shame. Surely it is just easier to submit to me?." The pope squatted down and grabbed Himeko''s head pulling it close to his.
"I have the right cor just for a disobedient little Phoenix." The pope pulled out a red cor which was fitted with a ck gem in the centre.
Himeko recognized the ck gem and fear began to fill her mind.
The ck gem was a taboo item created from dark magic, the potential of which is known to every person of power. It was even listed as an item that needs to be destroyed on sight as its capabilities are what made it so dangerous.
The ck gem itself was able to extract the mana core of a person, permanently disabling their use of mana. Himeko, seeing this gem, knew she had no chance of surviving and activated her hidden skill.
Slowly the mes of her body grew brighter and brighter creating a blinding light that even the pope couldn''t look at.
"This bitch, what is she doing now, how hard is it to just kneel before me." The pope was bing aggravated and the bloodlust wasing back.
The pope felt his grip on her suddenly vanish as well as her presence.
Suddenly the light vanished and Himeko was nowhere to be found in the room.
The pope instantly began to use all his skills rted to sensing mana and people but was unable to find anything.
"You can''t be fucking serious." The pope was in disbelief as there had been many magic circles around the dungeon preventing teleportation and the destruction of the room.
The pope continued to search around the room but the more he looked the more annoyed he got till eventually he snapped.
The entire stone room which was reinforced by magic circles began to crack. The pressure exerted on the room increased by ten folds causing the room to almost fall apart. The magic circles that surrounded the room were preventing the it from caving in on the pope.
Because they were deep underground not much was felt above ground, but all the people working for the pope underground were subjected to the intense pressure and ended up passing out.
''Calm down dear, no need to get worked up, she couldn''t have gone far.'' The same female voice rang out and with its soft tone was able to convince the pope to let up the pressure.
''You''re right she can''t be far, once she is cored she is going to have to go through something worse than hell as punishment.'' The pope was able to calm himself down a little but unless he got results the chances of an outburst were high.
''Now go, she must be outside.'' Listening to the voice the pope quickly headed outside to search for Himeko as well as a way to let out his anger.
**
Somewhere out in the wild amongst some mountains was a cave that was blocked off by a metal ck gate that possessed the golden symbol of the Ado family. The cave was surrounded by dead nature with no signs of life to be found. Above the cave resided a volcano which exined the deadndscape.
The gate began to slowly open revealing a blinding light from within the cave. After some time had passed the light had diminished leaving the cave in darkness.
Inside the cave was a small altar and on that altar was a tiny orange bird.
This orange bird looked like a tiny phoenix but it did not possess its iconic fiery look.
The gates that were opened slowly began to close, shutting out any light. The cave became dim and the small orange bird stayed in its slumber unmoving.
***
"When the hell will we arrive at the next city, I need to buy some ingredients and I don''t want to be eating instant noodles for the next couple daaaaaays." Elysia was acting like an impatient child and Shaman could not help but be reminded of her little sister. The continuedints annoyed Shaman, but reminiscing on her sister brought back memories.
"Oh shut up, we will get there eventually." The sudden shback had also caused Shaman to answer as she would to her sister.
"I- sorry." Elysia could hear the annoyance in her voice and apologised straight away.
Shaman let out a sigh and patted Elysia letting her know it was okay.
"We should almost be there so just hang in there for a bit longer, plus it''s hardly been a day, don''t tell me you used all of our stock back in the dungeon." Shaman wasn''t sure why Elysia wasining as they should have a rather big stockpile of food that Elysia can cook.
"Aha about that, I may have actually brought recipe books rather than the food itself." Elysia slowly put as much distance as she could between her and Shaman.
Shaman sat in silence for a moment before finally responding.
"El-ys-ia~~ I think you have some repenting to do." Shaman turned her head to Elysia with a smile.
Chapter 128 Kiruya
?In the middle of nowhere, High on their mounts and surrounded by trees, the group continued on the gravel path towards the fox realm.
Shaman was currently ring at Elysia, the same person who thought it was a better idea to get cooking books rather than the food to cook the recipes.
"Uhhh I''m sorry." Elysia was unsure what Shaman was going to do but knew it was not going to be anything good.
Shaman slowly closed the gap between her and Elysia while encasing her hand in ice, forming it into an icy club.
Elysia''s eyes widened as now she knew exactly what was going to happen and had no way to escape unless she wanted to be left behind.
''Damnit, why did we have to be on a mount...'' Elysia could not move any further down the mount''s back without risking falling off.
Shaman was now in range, and she slowly lifted her arm into the air, ready to strike Elysia.
"I love you." Elysia tried onest thing before Shaman bestowed judgment on her. Unfortunately for Elysia, it was not enough to shake Shaman and she finally swung down bonking Elysia on the head.
The ice bat upon impact had shattered, but nheless still hurt like hell for Elysia. Shaman had also identally knocked out Elysia causing her to almost fall off the mount. Shaman caught Elysia just in time and pulled her in close, thenid her out in the middle of the mount so she would not fall off.
"Oops, I may have a little bit too much strength." Shaman''s pent-up stress and frustration caused her to have no restraint, making Elysia take the brunt of it. Even if it was overkill, Shaman needed some relief and Elysia was the unfortunate victim.
Elysia could have used her mes but found it futile to even fight back against Shaman as she would have won anyway.
ra and Wolfy, who were watching from the other mount, could not help but chuckle to themselves quietly.
Shaman let out a sigh, quickly checking Elysia''s health just to make sure she didn''t almost kill her and thankfully she still had most of her HP.
Shaman climbed back to the front of the mount. She noticed that by now they were no longer surrounded by so many trees and was able to see a town ahead of them.
''Oh? This ce seems sketchy but seeing as we don''t have much proper food left it might be worth stopping for a quick look.'' Shaman was also unsure if her map even had every location marked so a small town not being on it seemed usible. Shaman has started getting more confident in her strength, believing she could handle most people as long as it''s not the man from before.
"Hey ra, should we stop by this town to stock up?" Shaman looked over to ra wanting to hear her opinion.
"I don''t see why not, it''s not like we are fugitives although it feels like it." After running away from Ebonscale they had this feeling of being wanted, although that wasn''t the case at all excluding the cult and potentially Elysia''s family.
"Let''s hope there aren''t any knights that want to kidnap us for their secret underground rituals." Shaman quickly muttered out a few words which caught the attention of ra.
"Huh? Rituals?" ra had yet to be briefed about the whole cult situation and was rather confused.
"Oh, I haven''t really told you about our situation have I." Shaman realised this and began to exin it to her while they approached the small town.
*
"What the hell? So you''re saying that guy from before is most likely the leader of this whole thing and wants fox girls to perform a ritual?" ra was a little shocked at how big of an operation was going on just underneath their nose.
"Again it''s just a theory that he is the leader. Honestly, I''m surprised Himeko hasn''t filled you in on our situation." Shaman thought she remembered ra being informed but wasn''t quite sure.
"Aha she might have, but honestly small memories like that, I have probably forgotten. I was under such heavy influence by the cursed object that only bigger events like meeting you stuck." ra felt there was a gap in her memories as she found it hard to recall anything that wasn''t important to her at the time.
"That makes sense seeing as it was basically controlling you and we didn''t really know you when we told Himeko, so it was expected you wouldn''t care." Shaman found it reasonable and did not question it.
"Indeed! Also, it looks like we have arrived." ra gestured to look and as Shaman hoped for, it looked like a rather normal town.
"Seems like they have no mount barn and we just have to leave our mounts in a safe spot." The town did not have any massive buildings and looked like a normal suburban town.
Shaman looked over to Elysia and could tell she was just sleeping so she lightly punched her in the stomach causing her to shoot up awake.
"AHHHH!" Elysia looked around frantically trying to get her bearings.
"We are arriving in town so stop screaming otherwise people will get the wrong idea." Shaman could already tell problems were going to ur.
"Huh? We are here?" Elysia looked over and could see the town right in front of them finally putting the pieces together. Shaman let out a sigh as the urge to use another ice bat was growing.
"Oh sweet, let''s hope I''m not kidnapped again." Elysia making a simrment caused Shaman and ra to chuckle a little as they had conveniently just talked about their situation.
''I shouldn''t beughing but that was too well-timed and too casual to be taken seriously.'' Shaman wasn''t sure if her friends would take it in good humour, so she avoided making any dark jokes.
The group then slowly entered the town.
*
The small town''s architecture resembled that of Britain in the 1900s, with many houses lining the sides of the roads. The roads were big enough for both decentlyrge mounts and people to walk side by side without any issues.
Unlike a city, one could enter the town without going through any guards. No wall surrounded the town, which allowed for easy expansion and unlike a city, there was no central building that clearly belonged to the mayor or city lords.
''Seeing as there are always wild monsters out and about, I''m surprised they don''t have any walls. I guess with the rise of magic circles, the concept of walls must be for the older cities that have been around much longer.'' Shaman assumed that the town was surrounded by defensive magic circles so if any monsters approached they would be killed, or if not, at least alert the right people to take care of it.
The group continued through the town on their mounts without any issue, but they still got the asional stares as it wasn''t every day the locals saw new people entering the town.
"Well, at least the looks are not hostile and just curious eyes." Elysia felt a little weirded out by all the stares and wanted to shoot their eyes out for looking.
"Don''t worry about it, Elysia, it looks like we can secure our mounts in this open space." Shaman could see the look on Elysia''s face and could tell she was nning something irrational. Shaman also pointed to a gap in the buildings which looked like it was meant for mounts to go in.
"Let''s head over and see then." ra was itching to stretch her legs as sitting on a mount all day was getting stifling.
They headed over to the open space which had shelters meant for mounts as a sign at the front told them everything.
*Mount drop off and Pick up.*
"Well, this is definitely the ce." Shaman and ra entered the drop-off and parked their mounts in the designated spot.
They were attended to by a man and were told they cane back to get their mounts but if they did not return in the next week the town would be allowed to assign the mounts to new clients.
Shaman found it fair as they only nned to stay for a day so there were no issues.
Once they settled their mounts they walked back to the main street till suddenly Shaman crashed into somebody.
A dark brown furred cheetah girl had identally walked right into Shaman causing them both to fall to the ground.
Shaman was a little shocked by the sudden crash but was able to quickly grab a hold of the Cheetah girl and brace her fall.
Theynded on the ground with Shaman holding the cheetah making sure she did not get hurt.
The Cheetah girl with great speed quickly got off of Shaman who had braced her fall, her facepletely red from the embarrassment of what just happened.
Shaman got up from the ground and was able to finally get a better look at the girl in front of her.
She had brown skin as well as beautiful mid-length dark brown hair, her tail and ears were the giveaways that she was a cheetah as they had the same ck dots all over them. Her eyes were a coffee brown and filled with hesitation, revealing her to be a rather shy person. She wore a normal white shirt with thin ck stripes and ck jeans.
The Cheetah and Shaman both were the same height making Shaman instantly connect with the cheetah on a personal level as she had found someone who shared her suffering.
"I- uhhh I''m sorry." The cheetah girl lowered her head expecting someone to yell at her.
"Oh, it''s okay, are you hurt anywhere?" Shaman quickly opened up the girl''s status, but to her surprise, it was anything but normal.
[Kiruya]
[Unable to inspect, please level up to see her stats]
Chapter 129 Well Connected
?Shaman was a little shocked that she couldn''t see the cheetah girl''s status, as it could only mean that she was stronger than Shaman. The confidence she had before about holding her own had dwindled and she was now a little cautious about the girl in front of her.
"Oh, yeah I''m fine." Kiruya uttered in a quiet voice, d that the people she bumped into were nice. Kiruya looked up and was able to now get a clear look at Shaman.
"Wait, you''re the one." Kiruya muttered to herself, with Shaman barely catching what she said.
"The one?" Shaman was confused, causing her to go on high alert, quickly positioning herself to pull out Kotetsu at any moment. Elysia, Wolfy, and ra had also readied themselves waiting on Kiruya''s next move.
Kiruya noticed she had caused them to put their guard up and began to panic.
"Oh no, don''t get the wrong idea, uhhh how do I exin this? Hold on, we can''t talk about it here. We need to go somewhere private." Kiruya fumbled with her words, trying to exin herself as she was rather intimidated by them and did not want to fight.
"If I may ask, why?" Shaman realised they were in public and making a scene would not be in their best interests. Letting out a sigh of relief, Shaman also saw how Kiruya panicked, and clearly, she did not have any ill intent towards them.
"Umm Oh, I know, Here I will tell you one word." Kiruya looked around for a quick moment before leaning in a little closer to Shaman whispering a word.
"Freja." Kiruya quickly pulled away, and Shaman''s eyes widened.
Wait, if she knows Freja, she might be able to get us to the Freya forest.'' Shaman, not wanting to miss this opportunity, decided to trust Kiruya, hoping it wouldn''t backfire.
"Okay, lead the way." Shaman understood why it would be better if they spoke privately, and this would also test if Kiruya is someone they can trust.
Elysia, ra and Wolfy were curious why Shaman was so quick to follow the cheetah, but they assumed whatever she was told was enough to earn her trust.
Kiruya was a little shocked but was also happy that she seemed to have found the right person, so she nodded and gestured to follow her.
Kiruya walked off at great speed, causing everyone else to quickly jog after her.
''I guess she isn''t a cheetah for nothing.'' Shaman was a little taken aback by her speed, but it was no surprise that she was this fast.
The group awkwardly jogged after the fast-walking Kiruya till they reached what looked like an inn. The building was nothing special and looked like the rest, except for a small sign hanging over the entrance of said inn.
Kiruya turned around and saw that the party had resorted to jogging after her, and even then they were barely keeping up, making her feel bad since she didn''t mean to go so fast.
"Oh, I didn''t mean to walk so fast, my bad." Kiruya let out an awkwardugh and looked down at the ground.
"Don''t worry about it." Shamanughed it off, and a relieved look could be seen on Kiruya''s face.
"Follow me, we will talk once we are inside my room." Kiruya then entered the inn and the rest followed.
They walked in without any issue, with the receptiondy not even batting an eye.
''If that is the case I wonder if we can just hole up in one of these rooms without her noticing.'' Shaman found the behaviour odd andzy, so her first thought was to see if they could get a free room, as sneaking in would not be an issue.
They went up the stairs until they reached the top floor, and Kiruya pulled out a small card. She then put the card up to the door handle, causing a few magic circles outside the room to deactivate.
''I see why she isn''t worried.'' Shaman could clearly tell there were self-defence magic circles on the door, making the receptionist''s attitude understandable. So, unless they were strong, there was no way of getting into the room.
Shaman did consider her [spatial rift] but decided against it as it would have been a hassle to always use it if someone wanted to leave or enter the room.
Kiruya weed them in and the room was that of a typical hotel, nothing grand, just a basic room.
Kiruya walked over to a small desk, pulled out the chair and sat down facing the bed while gesturing for everyone toe sit down on the bed.
Shaman and ra sat down on the edge, but Elysia had jumped on the bed behind Shaman and hugged her from behind. Wolfy took the end of the bed andid down, looking at Kiruya to make sure she wasn''t doing anything suspicious.
Shaman was a little embarrassed by Elysia''s disy of affection as she had only just met Kiruya and did not want to make her ufortable.
Kiruya wasn''t affected at all and began to speak, paying no attention to what Elysia was doing.
"My name is Kiruya, and there is one thing I want to confirm. Is your name Shaman Shiroi?" Kiruya''s voice was shaky, showing that she was nervous.
"Yes, I am." Shaman nodded, and Kiruya let out a sigh of relief.
"Okay good, I didn''t get the wrong person." Kiruya leaned back in her chair, relieved that she hadn''t screwed up.
"Okay, but can you exin what''s going on?" ra was still very confused and wanted answers.
"Oh yes, sorry, let me exin. I don''t know how much Shaman has told you, but Freja, the Empress of the Dark Forest, assigned me to keep a lookout for Shaman here and bring her there." Kiruya quickly became more confident and exined the situation, but only Shaman knew who Freja was, leaving everyone else still confused.
"The dark forest? I thought it was called the Freya forest." Shaman was confused as to why it went under a different name.
"Oh well, that''s because the Empress wanted to name it after herself. Its name slightly differs, but that''s just the way she wanted it" Kiruya looked off to the side and spoke in a low voice, ashamed of the reason why.
Everyone stared nkly at Kiruya, as the impression of Freja now was that of an egotistical ruler.
"Anyway, you will understand when you meet her. I need you guys toe with me back to the fox realm and into the dark forest." Kiruya wanted to change the topic as she could feel the judgement from all of them.
"Well, we were heading there anyway, but I owe an exnation of what my rtionship to Freja is to Elysia and ra." Shaman could tell they were still confused as she hadn''t exined why she knew Freja.
"I will go get myself a mount while you exin. Have this key to the room and I wille back once I am ready to leave." Kiruya got up quickly and passed Shaman a spare room key.
Kiruya quickly left the room with her own key, leaving Shaman to exin her connection to Freja.
''Let''s hope we are not kidnapped, but judging from Kiruya''s attitude up to now, I would say it''s safe to say we can trust her.'' Shaman was still not sure if it was a good idea, but seeing as she had memories that supported Kiruya, it was hard to think Freja would do any harm to them if they went with Kiruya.
***
In a dimly lit room, a beautiful hot blonde she-wolf was in bed surrounded by 6 gorgeous women of different races. Each of them was asleep looking exhausted as if they had gone through an intense "training" session.
The blonde woman was none other than Freja. She opened her grey eyes, scanning the room, smirking at the sight of all the women around her.
She noticed a blinking crystal at the door indicating she had gotten an important message. Not wanting to wake the girls, she slowly moved them off of her and weaved her way out.
Unfortunately, one of the girls was woken up by Freja and grabbed a hold of her waist.
"Frejaaaa~ Don''t leaveeee~." The girl was still half asleep, trying her best to not make Freja leave the bed.
"Oh Marsh, don''t worry darling~, I will be right back. Now be a good girl and head back to sleep." Freja had turned and held Marsh''s chin while giving her a kiss on her forehead.
She had used a little bit of mana with her kiss to knock Marsh out, causing her to fall back into bed, allowing Freja to be free.
Feja got out of bed and quickly changed into a white shirt and a pair of ck pants and boots. She walked out of her room into a hallway and towards a set of stairs that led into the main hall. The ce itself was more of an expensive mansion than a pce and was decorated with depictions of wolves and many treasures Freja had collected.
Upon entering the hall, a noble lizardman was waiting in the lobby with a furious look on his face. A maid who was clearly trying to get him to leave was beingpletely ignored till eventually the lizardman had enough and was about to shut her up.
Before the lizardman could even move, he found himself being crushed to the ground, causing the floor to slightly cave in. The maid, who had shut her eyes waiting to get hit, realised that she had been saved and was happy to see who it was.
Freja was standing on top of the lizardman with her foot nted on top of his head. Her face was cold and dead, but her bloodlust could still be felt, sending chills down the lizardman''s back.
"You damn she-wolf, stealing and fucking my wife." His voice shook while he spoke as he felt death slowly approaching.
"Oya~ I think you don''t understand the difference between someone begging me and forcefully taking them." Freja increased the weight on her foot and began to crush his head.
Freja continued to enjoy the moment, listening to the groans of pain from the lizard till she got bored.
"I''d be willing to let you live if you get on your knees and use that tongue for its rightful purpose of licking my boot." Freja raised her foot so the lizard could speak.
"What... about my wife." The lizard''s voice was raspy as he felt like he was on the verge of death.
"Her? Well, of course, she will still be in my bed." Freja smirked as she could see the look on the lizard''s face turn into dread.
"Fuck y-" Before he could finish, Freja stomped down on the lizard''s head, killing him instantly.
*Sigh* "Looks like that''s another corrupt noble down, now to look at this message I got." Freja gestured for the maid to clean up the body and walked towards a glowing crystal that sat on a circr desk. Freja picked up the crystal and absorbed the mana inside, getting a stream of information sent directly to her mind.
"Seems like I have to reward a little cheetah once shees back fufu~" The crystal in her hand had crumbled to dust and Freja left the hall to prepare for the visitors she will be having.
Chapter 130 Rough Fall
?Shaman exined to ra her connection to Freja, clearing up any doubts ra still had.
"I can see why we can trust Kiruya but again we should not let our guard down till we meet Freja." ra''s opinion aligned with Shaman making it easier to go along with Kiruya to the fox realm.
"Good, also while we have a little bit of free time can you go get me and Elysia some hair dye? Just a white and ck one." Shaman winked and moved her head towards Elysia to indicate she was going to have that talk now.
"I will also catch up with Kiruya and grab our mounts. Wolfy, you''reing with me." ra got up from the bed and gave Wolfy a light tap on the head to get him up. Wolfy had nothing better to do so he followed ra''s lead.
"Stay safe." Shaman waved at ra and Wolfy.
ra waved back as she exited the room with Wolfy.
Shaman could feel her heart rate rise and her anxiety spike as she never had to deal with this kind of problem. Although she felt fine talking about it with ra, when it came to actually doing it she could not help feeling extremely nervous.
Shaman was doubting herself, imagining how things could go wrong or how Elysia might explode and the rtionship they have built up would be ruined. She struggled to start talking as if something was holding her hold back.
''Ahhh, just do it, the worst that could happen is her being mad for a while, she is too obsessed to break up with me anyway.'' Shaman was able to reassure herself but still found it difficult to speak.
Elysia, still hugging Shaman from behind, finally spoke up before Shaman could, now that ra was far enough away from the room.
"Now that we are alone how about we have a little bit of fun, it''s been forever since west did anything~." Elysia whispered into Shaman''s ear sending shivers down her spine.
"Fufu~ I can already feel your heart beating out of your chest." Elysia moved her hands over Shaman''s chest which had not changed even after her evolution.
Shaman had almost fallen into her desires but the lingering thought of the issues Elysia was causing kept Shaman from caving in.
"No, we can''t, we have something to talk about Elysia." The anxiousness that held Shaman back faded away as she gathered her resolve.
Shaman moved Elysia off of her and sat in the chair that Kiruya was in.
"Huh? What''s the matter, Shaman?" Elysia was confused by Shaman''s action and began to worry. Her thoughts instantly went to ra and her eyes filled with murderous intent.
"It has nothing to do with her, so calm down. Otherwise, I might put a leash on you just so you don''t kill someone just because you decided to jump to conclusions." Shaman knew exactly who she was thinking of and formed a small ice bat indicating she was ready to hit her over the head again.
"Hmph." Elysia turned her head and pouted as she had no good argument to counter Shaman.
"Good, now listen to what I have to say." Shaman felt her throat tighten as her nerves were starting to get to her.
Elysia turned her head back looking grumpy as her mood had been ruined.
"Elysia, this has been something I should have discussed with you much earlier, but I didn''t see it as a real issue at the time. You need to stop being so obsessed with me." Shaman went straight to the point hoping Elysia wouldn''t overreact.
"WHAT!?" Elysia shot up to her feet right in front of Shaman. Due to the sombre mood, Elysia took it to mean Shaman was nning to break up. Her thoughts had gone wild again and she went back to thinking ra was the reason behind it.
"Hold on, let me finish before you start jumping to conclusions again." Shaman red at Elysia to sit back down since Shaman noticed that Elysia had misunderstood what she was trying to say.
Shaman slowly gained her confidence making it easier to speak her mind.
"I-." Elysia was at a loss for words so she quietly sat down on the bed.
"Now what I mean is, you have to control yourself more. You overreact at the smallest things even if you don''t show it, if I mention ra''s name you get this murderous look as if you n to kill right then and there." Just like Shaman said, at the mention of ra''s name, Elysia''s eyes turned red again.
Shaman''s point was proven so she stared at Elysia till she realised what she had done.
"...." Elysia looked down to the floor as she realised she was guilty as charged and was unable to argue back.
"I love you Elysia, but this can''t keep happening. You have to trust me otherwise you might make a mistake that I won''t be able to forgive for." Shaman''s expression became a bit depressed as it was not something she wanted to think about, but it was a possibility.
"I- I''m sorry, I will try to work on it, but it''s so hard for me as you have given me everything that I have lost and I don''t want to lose you." Elysia''s voice went quiet.
"All the more reason why you should show more restraint, then that way you won''t lose me." Shaman got up from her seat and hugged Elysia.
"Thank you." Elysia hugged Shaman back and tears began to form.
''I don''t think I can change Shaman.'' Elysia wanted to say these words but she did not have the courage to, so all she could do was cry.
**
"Alright we got the dye, now let''s head over and get our mounts." ra put 2 bottles of dye in her inventory and started to walk towards where their mounts were.
The entire town shared the same architectural style with stores having big windows at the front showing what they were selling. ra had wanted to go in to buy some things but she didn''t want to spend any money.
*sigh* "Maybe next time." ra walked off in defeat as her urge to save won over the urge to buy.
"Shouldn''t you have a lot of money since you worked for Himeko?" Wolfy found it hard to believe that ra wouldn''t have some money since she was one of the closest people to Himeko.
"Aha, about that. Himeko never gave me any money, she just bought me things and I did everything for free." ra felt a little cheated but there wasn''t much she could do about it now.
"What a shame, Shaman is too stingy with her money so she won''t get anything more than what she needs." Wolfy had seen things in cities that he wanted but knew Shaman was the type of person to always go for the cheap option unless there was no such option avable, all that despite having plenty of money.
"Well once we start killing higher tier monsters we will be able to make a living for ourselves so that should not be a problem for us soon." ra thought about how much the tier 6 and 7 cores would be worth and she could already see the amount of gold she would be making.
Wolfy had also thought about the riches they could obtain, hoping once he gets his human form, he''d be able to go out and buy all the expensive meat.
Wolfy and ra were both stuck thinking about the riches they were going to earn when they noticed Kiruya speeding across the street.
"Is that Kiruya? What is she doing here?" ra was confused about why Kiruya was in the shopping district of the town but guessed she was getting supplies before getting a mount.
They watched Kiruya walk swiftly through the street till suddenly her foot got caught on the uneven ground. Before Kiruya could react she was already falling face-first to the ground.
ra and Wolfy watched as they saw a cheetah girl fall t on her face and drop everything she was carrying.
Feeling defeated, Kiruya stayed syed on the ground as she endured the pain of falling on stone face-first.
The people around her hadpletely ignored her and continued to walk past her as if nothing happened.
After getting over the shock of what happened, ra quickly ran to Kiruya and made sure she was okay. Wolfy, however, went and got the things Kiruya dropped, which were some food and a couple of toiletry items.
"Kiruya, are you okay?" ra lifted Kiruya off the ground to check if she had hurt herself badly. Luckily there were no visible cuts and just a red mark on Kiruya''s face.
"I- I''m fine." Kiruya sounded like she had just been defeated and had lost all will to live.
"Come on, you have to take us to Freja can''t have you dying out here on the side of the street." ra found Kiruya''s reaction rather funny as it seems like this isn''t the first time she had fallen in this town before.
"Ah yes, Freja, hehe~" Kiruya''s mood brightened and she quickly got up from the ground.
"Hurry, let''s go, we can''t keep her waiting." Kiruya patted Wolfy as a thank you for picking up her things and grabbed her bag. They all walked off quickly to go pick up their mounts and finally head to the Fox Realm.
Chapter 131 Straight To The Freya Forest
?After Kiruya''s clumsy disy, Her, ra and Wolfy went to grab their mounts so they could start making their way to the Freya Forest.
"Lucky you found me otherwise getting into the forest would have been a pain." Kiruya was leading her mount alongside ra who was leading the other 2 mounts.
"Why?" ra thought it would be easy seeing as Shaman was expected toe to the forest at some point.
"Ah well it''s just a million traps and high tier beasts that live in the outskirts of the forest, so the only way to get in is either through a special teleporter or have someone like me to guide you. Otherwise, you would be the beast''s dinner." Kiruya casually exined why, and ra went a little pale as they would have most likely died if they went headfirst into the forest.
"Well thank you, we probably would have died if we just went in by ourselves." ra was grateful that they had met Kiruya, and she slowly began to trust her a bit more.
"No worries, it isn''t as bad as I make it sound but you need to be at least tier 7 or above. You might make it out alive as a tier 6 but I wouldn''t rmend trying it." Kiruya blushed a little and fidgeted at ra''s thanks.
ra regained her colour thanks to the adorable reaction from Kiruya and was tempted to give her some head pats.
They continued to chat and walk down the street towards the inn with their mounts behind them.
**
Shaman thought she was making progress, seeing as her words affected Elysia greatly. However, unbeknownst to Shaman, Elysia was crying for a different reason.
''I''m so sorry Shaman, I I don''t think I can change.'' Elysia was conflicted as she wanted to change for Shaman, but Elysia''s will would not budge. It felt inconceivable for her to change, and this inner conflict had caused Elysia to cry.
"It''s okay, we can take it slow, I will be making sure to reward you for any progress you make." Shaman figured an incentive would help Elysia, especially considering they haven''t had a chance to enjoy themselves recently.
"I Th-thank y-you." Elysia stuttered since she wanted to say something else but instead went along with it.
They then continued to embrace with Shaman patting Elysia, waiting for her to calm down and everyone else to return.
**
ra found out she could send a message through Rea to let Shaman and Elysia know that they had arrived, making her wish she had a system much earlier as it made everything so convenient.
Soon after her message Shaman and Elysia came out of the inn with Elysia having slightly red puffy eyes.
ra could guess they talked about Elysia''s issue, which made ra happy that Shaman did not back out and went through with the talk. Kiruya seemed to notice but saw that they were holding hands, so she figured nothing major happened and that Elysia was just having a moment.
"Alright, we have our mounts, just follow me and I will take you through the forest. It should only be a few hours since we are close to the border." Kiruya jumped onto her lizard mount and waited for everyone else.
"That''s a lot quicker than the several-day trip of boredom that we endured to get here." Elysia was happy to hear that it was only a couple of hours since the trip to get to the town had taken them a couple of days, even with the best mounts they could find while in a hurry. It also didn''t help that Shaman refused to do anything on the trip when they rested since ra was around and Shaman didn''t want to make her ufortable.
"It wasn''t all that bad, although it would have been nice to encounter some beasts to kill some boredom." ra did not find the trip all too boring as she had spent most of the time trying to think of a new name for Wolfy once he got a human form.
"Did you end uping up with a name?" Shaman allowed ra to think of a name as Shaman knew her way of naming things was rather unique.
"I was thinking Leo, he''s got your blue eyes, his silver fur which shows the mixing of his original ck fur and your white plus, imagining him as a human just screams the name Leo." ra exined her thought process and when Shaman looked at Wolfy, she could understand what ra meant when it screamed the name Leo.
"Sounds good I''ll use that unless you think of another name." Shaman was happy with the name and although Wolfy did not express it his tail was once again a traitor, wagging back and forth in excitement.
"Aha, well seeing as Wolfy likes it so much I think I will rest my brain." ra got on her mount with Wolfy and was ready to go. Shaman and Elysia did the same and Kiruya, seeing that they were ready, got on the move as well.
*
In an open grass field with no trees in sight, 3 lizard mounts were speeding along the unpaved path.
"WHEN YOU SAID A FEW HOURS, I THOUGHT AT REGULAR SPEED NOT FULL SPEED." Shaman was currently yelling as they were pushing their mounts to their highest speed and the wind made it hard for them to speak.
"SORRY, BUT I''M SURE YOU WANT TO GET THERE AS FAST AS YOU CAN SO JUST HOLD ON FOR A BIT LONGER." Kiruya wasn''t wrong but everyone struggled to hold on, which made the trip far less enjoyable.
ra had it the easiest as Wolfy was able to hide in ra''s shadow allowing her to focus on herself. Shaman on the other hand had Elysia holding onto her waist for dear life, which only made it harder for her.
*
Finally, after a few hours, Kiruya slowed down as they had reached the edge of a forest. The trees were massive, towering over the group like skyscrapers. Their width was bigger than any tree Shaman had seen in her own world, reminding her she was in a fantasy world.
''Damn, I would have thought Elfhiem would be the one with the big trees, not the fox realm which is owned by a she-wolf.'' Although Shaman had thrown her expectations away, she still could not help makeparisons to her world and the fantasy books she had read.
''Freja though does remind me of one of my favourite novels. It had a ruthless Empress who built her empire in a forest against and waged war against the humans.'' Shaman thought back to her time before she got transported and could not help rte it to one of her all-time favourites.
"Okay now that we are here, make sure you follow me closely, otherwise you might attract the beasts. And before you ask, the safe path is this small because we do not want to interrupt the wildlife as it will serve to hide our presence." Kiruya was feeling more confident as they were getting close to her home, far and away from the human settlement that always kept her on her toes.
"What about the mounts?" Shaman was wondering what Kiruya was nning, since she hopped off her mount, suggesting they walk on foot from here.
"We are going to let them free in the forest, they are better here than being used by the humans." Kiruya quickly responded and started taking off the saddle.
Everyone found it reasonable so they began to do the same.
Kiruya smiled as it was nice to see that they understood how she felt and even though the mounts may be hunted and killed by other beasts it gives them a chance to be free rather than remain in captivity.
"It Shouldn''t be too long of a walk, so let''s get going before it''s nighttime." Kiruya could see the sun getting close to the horizon so they needed to avoid wasting any more time before it gets too dark.
Everyone nodded and they all followed Kiruya''s lead hoping they would not be killed.
*
Shaman and Elysia were holding hands with ra and Wolfy behind. Kiruya was at the front, weaving through the trees and bushes. They had been walking for over an hour without saying a word as they were afraid making too much noise would attract attention.
It had also be darker as the sun was setting and the thick trees did not allow for much light. Their pace had been slowed because of this, but thankfully Kiruya had pointed to a cave that was dug in the ground, looking more like a slide.
"We jump down here and we should be safe." Kiruya whispered and everyone nodded. Shaman however was still worried, as Kiruya said "should be safe", meaning that there might be something down there. However, Kiruya had jumped in first without any hesitation and seeing how she went in so confidently, it had to be somewhat safe for them to go as well.
"Well here goes nothing." Shaman jumped into the hole followed by everyone else.
They all started to slide down the cave hole till they saw a light at the bottom and a red pool. Shaman was confused by what she saw, wondering if it was a pool of Kiruya''s blood, but was unable to react in time to stop herself and fell straight into the pool.
An instantter, Shaman found herself suspended in the air at what appeared to be some sort of extravagant hall. After a moment, the suspension ended, dropping her to the ground andnding her on her back. Shaman turned over in pain, holding her back and grumbled over how marble wasn''t the softest ce tond.
Soon Elysia, ra and Wolfy appeared in the air andnded next to Shaman, all getting the same treatment.
"Well, if it isn''t my cute little princess and her friends." A woman''s voice echoed in the mansion''s hall grabbing everyone''s attention.
Chapter 132 She Isn’t Yours!
?Shaman looked down the hall where the voice came from and her eyesnded on a blonde she-wolf on a throne. The she-wolf wore the clothes of an emperor made from expensive ck cloth and embroidered with gold. Her grey eyes gave her this dead and intimidating look as if she had no interest in the scene before her.
The hall was rather impressive but not too big, looking more like a mansion than an actual pce. 2 flights of stairs were on either side of the hall with a small balcony just above the throne. There was also a red carpet that went from the door behind Shaman to the Throne indicating this hall might be the manor''s front reception room.
Around the throne were women of varying races all dressed in rather provocative clothes. The women consisted of a brown-furred cat girl, a red lizard girl, a white-furred wolf girl, a ck-furred dog girl and a snake girl, each of them sitting to the sides of the blonde woman.
Kiruya could also be seen standing by the throne but was not as close as the other women were.
Shaman instantly knew who this was and only 2 words hade out of her mouth upon seeing her.
"Ah shit." Shaman got shbacks to how Freja treated her when she was younger and was scared that Elysia was going to do something stupid.
"Is that all you have to say to your dearest Freja?" Freja leaned forward smirking, cing her head in her hand. Everyone except Shaman was too afraid to say anything as Freja had an intimidating presence that made it seem like one wrong word would court death.
"No, but I don''t know if getting dropped from the roof deserves a proper hello." Shaman got up from the ground standing on the red carpet looking rather annoyed. She knew that Freja would not harm them so Shaman was more willing to talk back.
"Oh don''t be so dramatic. You should know I don''t like people that don''t pay me respect." Freja suddenly raised her other hand and the red carpet Shaman was standing on turned into blood. The blood then wrapped itself around Shaman pulling her towards the throne in front of Freja.
Shaman''s confidence was slowly being crushed as she stared into the dead eyes of Freja and was scared of what she was going to do.
"Ara~ you have not grown much since thest time I saw you." Freja put her hand under Shaman''s chin. Shaman''s missing confidence was reced with defiance from having her height called out to her.
"Not my fault, just you wait, I will be taller again soon." Shaman pouted and tried turning her head away to get out of Freja''s grasp.
However, as Freja was ying with Shaman, fire arrows came flying toward them.
Freja did not move a muscle, yet suddenly the mes of the arrows turned ck and stopped in mid-air. The arrows then turned around and shot back at Elysia, who was the one to shoot the arrows to begin with.
The ck med arrows were too fast for Elysia to dodge, but it was not directly aimed at her but the ground right in front of her. Elysia fell back with cold sweat running down her face as she thought she was going to die.
"Looks like we have a feisty one, reminds me of that hot-headed Himeko." Freja had let go of Shaman and released her from the blood. The blood surprisingly did not stain Shaman''s clothes which she was thankful for.
Freja got up from her throne, Showing her height was around 5''7, making her taller than Shaman and slightly shorter than Elysia. Freja then began to approach Elysia who started to back away out of fear.
Shaman could do nothing but facepalm as this was the exact scenario she did not want to have. The women around the throne were the opposite and were giggling to themselves as they watched the scenario y out in front of them.
ra and Wolfy had gotten up and watched Freja slowly approach Elysia, worried about what Freja might do.
Elysia tried crawling faster but a blood wall appeared behind her and when her back touched it she felt herself get stuck to it, preventing her from moving.
Freja leaned down, getting her face really close to Elysia''s and also grabbing her chin.
"Now what made you attack the Empress?" Freja stared intently at Elysia awaiting an answer.
"I.. T-that is my g-girlfriend you were touching." Elysia struggled to get the words out as the pressure she was feeling from Freja made it hard to speak.
"Oh? Girlfriend you say, what a shame and here I thought I was going to be able to keep you." Freja smirked and gave Elysia a quick kiss on the forehead before using a bolt of ck lightning to go back to her throne.
Elysia''s fear had turned into anger thrashing around as the kiss was going too far and now all she wanted to do was kill Freja.
"Quite the handful of a girlfriend you have there Shaman, are you sure you''re okay?" Freja looked at Shaman who had the look on her implying this wasn''t the first time this has happened.
"It''s a work in progress." Shaman shook her head to hopefully tell Freja that she was indeed having a hard time.
"Well let me know if you need some help, I have always treated your family as my own." Freja winked telling Shaman that Freja got the message.
Elysia continued thrashing around, unable to break the blood wall even with her fire. However, at least she was slowly starting to calm down after letting out some of her frustrations.
"So is that demon girl over there also your girlfriend? Because seeing how the fox girl is reacting I doubt it." Freja was rather curious about the demon girl and figured she might be a runaway.
"She is not my girlfriend and her name is ra. Also, the wolf next to ra is Wolfy and the fox girlfriend that you have just angered is Elysia." Shaman introduced each of her party members.
"Hmm, so I can keep the demon girl?" Freja looked intently at ra causing her to blush and look away.
"No! You are not keeping anyone." Shaman knew exactly what Freja''s intentions were and she was not going to let her party members be taken away.
"Hahaha, I''m only kidding, how else are you meant to build up your own harem if I take them all." Freja leaned back on her throne with a smile and waved at a maid which was her sign for some wine.
"I don''t want a harem, I only want one person!" Shaman wanted to hit Freja over the head but she knew exactly how that would turn out.
"Then why won''t you let me have ra?" Freja had backed Shaman in a corner making it hard for her to refute Freja.
"Tch, If I let you have her, ra will probably never be seen again plus she has more important things to take care of than be your ything." Shaman refused to back down but she was running out of things to say back.
"We will see about that." Freja was just about to get up again but then the maid returned with wine saving ra from any torment.
''Thank you maid whoever you are.'' Shaman was relieved as she did not want ra to go through the same teasing Shaman went through.
"Better hold her close tonight, you''re lucky I won''t do anything for now." Freja took a sip of her wine and ra who was listening was nowpletely red as she imagined sleeping in the same bed with Shaman but also wondered what Freja nned to do.
"FREJAAAA!!!!" Shaman disregarded it would be pointless and she went to bonk Freja anyway.
Freja covered her hand in a ck me and grabbed a hold of the ice club that Shaman created on her hand and melted the ice. Shaman retracted her arm in defeat, not bothering to try again.
"Hmph" Shaman crossed her arms and turned her head looking at Elysia who seemed to have calmed down.
"How cute, I would love to talk to you more but that will have to wait till tomorrow, so go rest up in a spare room upstairs." Freja had also released Elysia who by then had given up on breaking free. After watching the back and forth, Elysia came to think Freja was more of a family member of Shaman than a potential threat.
"Kiruya, take them to their rooms thene meet me in mine, I have a reward to give you." Freja ordered Kiruya and she started to blush as she knew exactly what Freja was going to do to her.
"Also one more thing, if you hear any noises, I am not sorry fufu~." Freja clicked her fingers and a pool of blood appeared under her and the harem members, teleporting them somewhere else.
"This bitch." Shaman rolled her eyes as she now wondered if it was going to be a sleepless night.
"Aha, sorry about her but not much we can do." Kiruya was still blushing, but she still held it together.
"I know but damn did she have to tease us like that." Shaman felt like she was always on an uphill battle with Freja regarding how she treats Shaman and her friends.
"Anyway let me take you to your rooms, Freja has a lot of things to discuss with you regarding your family." Kiruya let out a little more information which had caused Shaman to get nervous as the part of her soul belonging to this world''s Shaman trembled.
Shaman nodded and she quickly went to Elysia to help her up and make sure she was okay.
Elysia seemed calm and was able to stand despite feeling paralysed when Freja was in front of her.
"If you are able to control yourself next time, remember I will reward you." Shaman was on her toes while whispering into Elysia''s ear causing her to blush, but also giggle at Shaman because of how she was struggling to reach her ear.
Shaman stared nkly at Elysia for a moment before turning away without saying a word, walking back to Kiruya.
"Oi, I didn''t mean tough." Elysia followed Shaman and Kiruya who began to walk up the stairs while shaking her head. ra and Wolfy were right behind Kiruya, with Shaman catching up and Elysia chasing her.
They all followed Kiruya to their new rooms which will be their new base of operations for however long they needed.
Chapter 133 Questionable Noises
?Kiruya led the group to their rooms with Shaman and Elysia sharing a room together. ra got her own room as well as Wolfy, although he opted to sleep in either ra''s or Shaman''s room since he was rather ufortable being alone.
"Don''t forget Freja will be waiting in the throne room tomorrow and if you have any questions you can ask any of the maids. Now with all that said I have some b-business to attend to." Kiruya started to blush, so she quickly bowed and speeded off down the hall to Freja''s room.
Everyone was a little embarrassed to say anything as they knew what was going to happen and began to wonder if they were going to hear anything.
"Anyway, do you want to hang out in our room for a bit ra or did you want to settle in yours?" Shaman however instantly regretted saying that as Elysia''s aurapletely changed.
"Maybe another time, I just want to sleep, it has been a while since we have had a proper ce to stay." ra could see Elysia''s change and opted for the second option.
"Aha, fair enough, see you tomorrow." Shaman let out an awkwardugh and Elysia went back to her usual self.
"ra, if you''re going to sleep, is it alright I stay in your room, I''d rather not hear mother go at it while I''m trying to sleep." Wolfy, wanting to escape the noises and have a peaceful night''s sleep, hoped ra would allow him to stay in her room.
"That''s fine, see you two tomorrow." ra allowed Wolfy to stay and she quickly waved to Shaman before entering her room with Wolfy.
Shaman blushed a little at Wolfy''sment and felt a bit awkward since he will be getting a human form soon, making it hard to see him as a familiar anymore.
"Heh well, should we take advantage of the time we have alone?" Elysia leaned into Shaman''s ear showing clear intentions of wanting some "endurance training."
Shaman thought about it for a moment, wanting to hold off on doing anything so she could use it as an incentive, but her urges took over. Without saying a word Shaman grabbed Elysia''s hand and rushed into their room.
Because of the height difference between Shaman and Elysia, it felt awkward for Shaman to take the lead so she let Elysia have her way.
Once they were in their room Elysia pushed Shaman onto the bed restraining her arms and leaned in for a kiss. They shared a deep passionate kiss making all the thoughts Shaman had about stopping disappear, caving into her desires fully.
Elysia let go of Shaman allowing them to get undressed, but as soon as they started to undress a voice could be heard.
"Frejaaannnw~!!!!" A loud moan of the empress'' name echoed in their room instantly killing the mood between Elysia and Shaman.
Shaman and Elysia stared at each other waiting for the next moan, but nothing came, so they tried to continue. Yet as soon as their lips were about to connect, another moan could be heard.
"Okay, this isn''t going to work." Elysia let herself fall beside Shaman.
"It isn''t the most motivating when you can hear a certain cheetah girl that seemed so innocent moan." Shaman was able to tell that it was Kiruya and even if she couldn''t tell by the voice it was quite obvious.
"I swear when I get the chance I will pay back Freja for all the torment she has given us." Elysia clenched her fist in the air as she was still rather annoyed with Freja for touching Shaman.
"Hey, no need to be so angry, just be grateful we have a nice ce to stay." Shaman took a look around the room as she was too distracted before and she was rather impressed.
The room had the same theme as the hall but it was rather cozy having a small firece at the opposite end of the room with a ck couch in front of it. A massive window that took up arge portion of the wall was next to the bed with a windowsill seat. It had long be dark and they could no longer see the outside. The bed was ck and gold contrasting with the white walls of the room.
A door which was most likely the bathroom was in the corner of the room right by a small kitchen. The small kitchen allowed them to make their own meals if they wanted to. Otherwise, they had ess to a crystal with the text "call maid", which suggested they could call a maid to bring them food.
"I guess you are right, we can try again tomorrow night? Let''s just hope they don''t continue for much longer." Elysia crawled into bed along with Shaman.
"We will see. Hopefully, this doesn''t go all night long, as initially, I didn''t think it would be a real problem, but I guess that was my first mistake." Shaman in the end thought the rooms would be soundproof enough to inste any loud noises, but her fears of a sleepless night were bing a reality.
"Well let''s try to get some sleep." Just as Elysia spoke another moan could be heard and all they could do was sigh and cuddle each other hoping to sleep. However, the moans of Kiruya echoed throughout the mansion without any hint of stopping.
*
"It''s nice how you can turn off and on the soundproof magic circles. I guess it''s for when you want to sleep because I can only imagine the maids having a hard time sleeping." ra had just heard Kiruya and found by the entrance a crystal in the wall that enabled the soundproofing and it even had a timer so it would disable in the morning.
"Wish I had this when we were at the human city apartments." Wolfy felt like he was living in a dream as having a way to soundproof the room would have been a blessing for him.
"Well at least with this we won''t hear Freja or Shaman so let''s enjoy this sleep while we can." ra climbed into bed while Wolfy decided to take refuge on the couch and they were able to get a peaceful night''s sleep.
*
The next morning came with the morning sun shining between the trees of the forest through the window. The light was not enough to wake anybody but Elysia and Shaman were already awake.
The moaning had only stopped by sunrise and although they were able to sleep throughout the night they had been woken up repeatedly.
Shaman sat up feeling like she hadn''t slept and looked out the window.
"Morning already? Hopefully, I can get some decent sleep." Shaman fell back and snuggled back into Elysia who had already gone back to sleep in order to try to salvage some of the hours they lost.
Sadly Shaman was unable to get any more sleep as a knock on the door was heard just as she was about to close her eyes.
"Shaman, Elysia, Freja wants you toe to the throne room to talk so please be out there in the next 30 minutes. I also have some new clothes for you so let me know if they don''t fit." An unfamiliar voice spoke, who they assumed to be a maid wasing from the door requesting their attendance.
"Okay, we will be out soon." Shaman responded and knowing that Freja would take advantage of them if they went back to sleep, she quickly got up.
''Let''s avoid getting toyed with first thing in the morning.'' Shaman got up and opened the door to get the clothes. She grabbed them and the maid quickly left, however, Shaman noticed something by the door.
A crystal on the wall with thebel underneath saying "soundproof."
A wave of anger and frustration went through her, then sadness and disappointment followed up by hollowness. Shaman felt empty and she fell to her knees realizing that everything could have been avoided by a single switch.
"An important discovery, but at what cost." Shaman wanted to bash her head against the wall but a little part of her was d.
''At least I can still use sex as a reward for Elysia.'' Shaman tried thinking somewhat positively but also at the same time it was hard not to be annoyed.
''Although it could work, this is only a short term fix, I have toe up with a better way to get Elysia to not be crazy.'' Shaman concluded that having an incentive would onlyst for so long and it really wouldn''t fix all the issues.
''I might need to get an expert opinion on this and ask Freja but honestly, her ways may not be as nice as I would like them to be.'' Shaman considered asking Freja for help seeing as she knows her way around the woman but was also afraid that it may be advice that would harm Elysia.
''Just ask her, no need to dwell on it, but that will have toeter, I need to get Elysia up, thest thing I want is Freja barging into our room.'' Shaman got up and walked to the bed. Just as she was about to wake up Elysia, the door was suddenly kicked in.
"Sorry I couldn''t wait, I have no time to wait for you to have your morning session, you can do it after we talk." Freja broke into their room unannounced, not caring what Shaman or Elysia were doing. Freja wore a loosely buttoned-up white shirt with a pair of ck pants and ck boots, a lot more casual than her emperor clothes.
Shaman could only stare in annoyance and disbelief as she watched Freja walk in and sit down on the couch.
"Welle on I don''t have all day,e sit down, I have some important news to tell you."
Chapter 134 Imprisoned
?"You could have at least let us change into our new clothes." Shaman did not appreciate the intrusion and hoped Freja would leave.
"By all means, change clothes, just know I will be watching." Freja smiled and Shaman had nothing to say back. All Shaman could do was clench her fist in frustration and let out a sigh of defeat.
? "Do you want me to wake up Elysia? She seems to be out cold though." Shaman looked at Elysia who was fast asleep and surprisingly wasn''t woken up by Freja''s abrupt entry despite being kept up all night by Kiruya.
"Leave her be, you can catch her upter." Freja sounded like she was in a hurry so Shaman took a seat and waited for Freja to exin.
"So, how much do you know about your parent''s situation?" Freja got straight to the point and Shaman instantly became anxious, worried about what she was going to find out.
"All I''ve learned from Himeko is that they are trapped in the pce surrounded by dark magic and there has been no way to weaken or get inside it. Thest thing I remember was my mother sending me through a teleporter and she looked very distressed about something." Shaman exined everything she knew and even added one of the first memories she obtained after arriving in this world.
"So Himeko pretty much exined most of it, looks like she isn''t just a mind-controlling freak after all." Freja murmured this sentence but it did not escape Shaman''s ears which had got her curious.
"So Himeko does use mind control? I haven''t been able to really figure out what it was since she had been captured, possibly by the pope." Shaman also realised that Freja would know more about Himeko and who the pope might be.
"Captured by the pope? I will address the mind-control issue in a moment, but tell me, did this guy have red crystal eyes and blonde hair?" Freja''s face turned serious and when she gave that description, Shaman instantly got goosebumps.
All she could do is nod as the shbacks of the pope''s red eyes staring straight at her terrified her.
"His name is us and judging from the look on your face you have met him." Freja looked to the side as if reading something before looking at Shaman.
"When we were exiting the dungeon, he was after ra but thankfully thanks to Wolfy''s shadow skills we were able to hide our presence and us mistook us as ambient mana from the dungeon." Shaman could not be any more thankful to Wolfy because without his skill they would have been killed or worse, be a ve. Freja raised an eyebrow at the mention of the use of shadow skills but she did not question it.
"You are safe here so don''t worry about any unwanted intruders in your room." Freja smirked and Shaman stared at Freja with an unimpressed look as she was doing exactly that.
"Anyway, let me exin the mind control. The Ado family has been in possession of a relic for as long as the history books go and it is this relic that caused the mind control. Nowadays we call it a cursed object and by linking your soul with the item it gives you that ability. As for Himeko, it is the Eden of control that gave her the ability to manipte the mind and is one of the most dangerous relics we know of."
"There is an unknown amount of these relics and the Ado family are the only ones known to find one. However, there have been rumours and information floating around that other families around the continent have got their hands on one."
"Now I am not interested in them but seeing as us has captured Himeko, it must mean he got the Eden of control which makes this a serious problem." Freja got straight to exining the cursed object and how this may be a much bigger problem not just for Freja but the whole continent.
"Knowing Himeko she probably used her rebirth and is currently in the demonnds recovering, but now that us has the relic Himeko may not have been able to escape yet." Freja spoke to herself and Shaman was surprised to hear that Himeko had a potential way to escape.
"Thest time we saw Himeko was when we encountered the pope and she had a cor like she was being kept as a pet." Shaman quickly jumped in as she was still unsure if Himeko would have been able to escape.
"Really? Himeko as a pet? Pffft that woman has too much of a will to be controlled, she will probably be able to break free when she is alone and use her family skill [phoenix rebirth]." Freja broke out inughter as imagining Himeko a tier 10 like herself sounded impossible.
"Sorry, sorry, it was just too funny to imagine, but don''t worry right now she could be a tiny bird in a cave recovering. It may be years till she regains a body, but if you get the chance, find the cave to see if she escaped." Freja could see it was taking a moment for Shaman to process so she took out a ss of wine from her space ring.
"Wait so Himeko could be fine all along and the whole mind control thing, she tried using it on us, why should we trust her?" Shaman was confused as it seemed like Himeko wasn''t all that bad but she found it hard to associate the word good with mind control.
"This is something she can''t control, it''s a passive effect, and she has to regrly monitor the relic just to make sure it is not negatively affecting you. So I understand if you don''t trust Himeko, but know she had your best interests in mind." Freja was a bit annoyed at Himeko for not exining the mind control to Shaman but not much can be done now.
"But what about ra? Himeko used her powers on her and it was only just recently she was able to gain back her memories that Himeko locked away." Shaman struggled to understand Himeko and she wanted to trust Freja''s words, but it was hard to see Himeko in a positive light.
"So there is something more special about her. Sadly I do not know why Himeko had ra but it probably involves why Himeko has a cave in the demonnds where she can recover without being disturbed. You''ll have to go ask her yourself as I am not privy to that information." Freja was starting to understand Shaman''s point of view and her interest in ra has spiked.
"I- I need time to think, let''s move on to my parents." Shaman needed to talk to ra and Elysia as this information drastically changed her point of view.
"Yes, we got a little sidetracked. Although I do not have much more information than what Himeko told you, I do have some good news." Freja had a slight smile and she took a sip of wine before talking again.
"They are alive and well, but they seem to be trapped in some form of time magic, freezing their bodies, which I can only assume is the work of the dark magic barrier. Time magic isn''t an affinity a person can just have, so a sacrifice must have been made to create such an effect." Freja shared her findings and Shaman felt a wash of relief from within her soul.
"Don''t get your hopes up yet, but for now we can assume they are alive and whoever did this, which was most likely us, doesn''t want your parents in the picture for whatever he ns to do." Freja brought the situation back to reality as although they were alive there are still too many unknowns.
"I understand, but still Is there anything I can do?" Shaman felt a bit useless as shecked the power to be at the forefront.
"Well this was also the other reason why I am here, I want to hire you and your friends to go out on missions for me." Freja could see the excitement on Shaman''s face but also dread.
''Wait but if I''m hired, I am going to go through more of Freja''s teasing. Still, this ce is too nice to leave, AHHHHHH'' Shaman was agonizing over it in her head as this was a good opportunity, but since it was Freja, Shaman was unsure if it was a good idea for her sanity.
''I shall have to ept my suffering just so I can live infort.'' Shaman internally cried as she could only imagine the torture of what was toe.
"F-fine, but this still doesn''t mean you get to touch anyone from my group." Shaman wanted to specify that she isn''t allowed to go near her members.
"Excellent, I make no promises so enjoy it while itsts. I wille backter as there are still a few things to talk about, especially Elysia''s family and Wolfy. Also, make sure you are not doing anything too spicy, otherwise, I might join you." Freja winked at Shaman before quickly disappearing in a sh of lightning.
"Oh, you BITCH!" Shaman already regretted being hired by Freja but there was no turning back now.
Chapter 135 Barrier
?Although Shaman did not seem to enjoy the teasing, it was rather the opposite as it was a nice break away from the stressful situations she has constantly been through.
''It''s hard to tell whether Freja is joking or not, so I better not let my guard down just to be safe.'' Although Shaman considered it joking, just fromst night''s vocal performance, Shaman did not put it past Freja to follow up.
''I should warn ra, but right now the bed is calling and seeing as we have a bit of free time.'' Shaman wanted to ry the information to everyone, but her bed looked too good to turn down.
''I''m going to sleep.'' Shaman ced the new clothes on the couch and crawled back into bed into Elysia''s embrace.
***
In a room that looked like a study that had a massive window behind a desk appeared Freja standing in front of the window. Books lined the walls head to toe with varying topics and on the desk could be seen some books alongside experimental technology that resembled parts of an engine.
"Pffhaha, thank you cutie~." Although Shaman was unable to hear Freja she thanked her for calling her a bitch.
''Now that Shaman is safe, the only thing that remains is to free her parents. I should pay a visit to the research team at the barrier.'' Freja opened a blood portal and a system menu came up.
[Choose your location]
Shiroi pce
Barrierb
Kiruya''s bedroom
Marsh''s bedroom
Different locations appeared on the menu and Freja clicked onto the barrierb, activating the portal. The blood began to swirl and Freja walked into the blood portal, shortly after she walked in it closed without leaving a trace.
*
In an undergroundb, many hawk beastmen were examining a ck smokey barrier. The barrier that held Shaman''s parents had also reached underground which made it easier to study it without attracting attention. The room did not have much else aside from ancient books and notes scattered across the many workspaces.
The hawks had great vision and an innate ability to be able to see things almost as if through a microscope. With this ability, they can examine the barrier and read parts of the magic circle maintaining it through the flow of mana. Currently, what upied most of their time was decoding the runes and learning how to arrange them in order to recreate the circle.
A red magic circle lit up at the end of the room and a blood portal opened up. All the hawk scientists quickly lined up before Freja walked through.
Freja stepped through the portal. She appeared before them wearing her usual ck and gold emperor clothes. Everyone was intimidated by Freja but they also adored her. Although she had the presence of a harsh ruler she was always fair and as long as you went by the rules you would be treated with respect.
Everyone in the forest knew not to get in the way of Freja as those who have tried to oppose or fight her have not been seen since.
In contrast to the harsh personality she projected on the outside, Freja was quite the wild one on the inside of which the general public was mostly unaware. Although, she was amon subject in many outrageous rumours spreading among the empire''s women.
The rumours imed among other things that many women of the empire have been taken by the empress, but the majority of the popce found it unbelievable. Although she was known to have many women by her side no one thought she would dare touch another person''s woman.
Freja in reality did not care for what people thought of her and she did what she wanted without being ashamed or worried about her people''s opinions. However, when it came to ruling and getting work done she was deadly serious. Those who have worked with her know that everything must be done to perfection and she won''t ept anything that is below her standard.
Each of the hawk scientists hired for their great eyesight was nervous as they were given a very important task of decoding the dark magic that surrounded the pce. They had made progress but it was slow and if things didn''t speed up it may be toote by the time they finish.
Freja walked up to the line and the sound of her boots echoed throughout the room. Everyone could feel the pressure and they hoped the work they had done was good enough for the empress.
Freja reached the end of the line where one female hawk was holding a clipboard with all their new findings. Freja grabbed the board while slowly caressing the hawk''s hand causing her to blush and look away.
Freja smirked and walked back to the middle of the line while reading their discoverings.
"So far we know it''s a time barrier and that only certain types of people are allowed to enter the barrier without being affected by the time-stopping effect."
"And the only new discovery we have made in thest month was a sentence that indicates a condition for activation? This pace is far too slow, you guys need to put your foot on the elerator otherwise, the next thing your eyes will only be seeing is pitch ck!" Freja did not yell but everyone could tell she was angry.
Freja did not show it but she was enjoying seeing the fear on their faces and had only sounded angry so she could see their reactions. She stood by her statement that things were slow but she knew they were working their hardest so she couldn''t me them for the slow progress.
*Sigh* "I will try to see if I can hire more people, but keep working, I don''t want to see any of you resting till you fall over from exhaustion." Freja walked back through the blood portal tossing the clipboard back to the female hawk.
Some of the hawk scientists fell to the floor as they were holding their breath the entire time. The pressure of just being around the empress was exhausting. Although they were threatened it had motivated them to work harder as all they wanted to do was meet the empress'' expectations.
***
"Hehe~ now that Shaman is asleep and no noise to stop us, surely I can help myself." Elysia had woken up and saw that Shaman was fast asleep in Elysia''s arms.
Elysia got Shaman on her back and went under the sheets so she could have her afternoon meal. But once again Elysia was interrupted as someone knocked on the door.
"Hey, it''s ra, did you guys want to look around seeing as we have some downtime." ra was at the door and Elyisa felt like exploding, even though she had forgotten the fight she still couldn''t bring herself to like ra.
Shaman had woken up from ra''s voice and sat up letting out a yawn.
"Sorry, what was that? I just woke up." Shaman was still a little dazed and hadn''t realised where Elysia was
"Did you want to hang o-"
"AHH~" Shaman yelped, cutting off ra as she felt something lick the inside of her thigh.
Shaman quickly lifted up the sheets to see Elysia between her legs.
"Elysia! What the fuck are you doing!" Shaman was not expecting Elysia to be so feisty in the morning, especially with someone at their door.
ra who heard the yelp started to blush as she could only imagine what Elysia was doing to Shaman.
"Hehe~ let me continue." Elysia was hoping she would drive ra away but Shaman seemed to have other ns.
"Elysia, not right now I have something important to tell everyone. Freja came by this morning while you were asleep with information about Himeko and my parents." Shaman would have let Elysia continue if it was any other situation.
"Hmph." Elysia pouted and she retreated her assault for now.
"Sorry ra, let us get changed first, then there is something you need to know about Himeko." Shaman hoped ra hadn''t run away, and thetter replied she would wait.
"Phew,e on Elysia we have some new clothes to try on." Shaman patted the pouting Elysia before leaning in.
"Tonight I promise, just hold on a bit longer." Shaman whispered into Elysia''s ear before jumping out of bed to try on the new clothes.
Elysia''s face went red and her mood instantly went back to normal.
''Hehe~'' Elysia was feeling happy and she got out of bed to change.
*
Shaman had gotten changed, although it was a battle and a half as Elysia still tried to pounce when Shaman was half-naked but was dodged. Shaman eventually had enough and tossed Elysia in the bathroom to change in peace.
Shaman had gotten into a rather simr casual outfit with a pair of ck shorts that were embroidered with gold on the sides. A pair of ck thigh-high socks were given to Shaman leaving a small bit of her thigh exposed. Shaman''sst piece of clothing was a baggy long-sleeved white top that had a ck cor. Although the sleeves were not long enough to cover her hands, She found the body of the shirt goes way past her hips.
''For a different world they have simr clothes to mine, don''t tell me Freja is also another person that has been transported here.'' Shaman knew there were others but had no way to tell. The influence of her world is everywhere making it hard to tell how much of it originated from her world.
''I guess I could try to see if she has a system.'' Shaman figured any person with a system must have been either transported from her homeworld or knew someone who was, just like Elysia and ra who have been granted a system.
Elysia, who had been shoved into the bathroom so Shaman could change, jumped out in her new clothes.
She was given a ck skirt which may have been considered too short as it was dangerously close to showing off her underwear. However, it was countered by the pair of ck stockings making the skirt less dangerous. Elysia was given a blood-red shirt that matched her tipped hair and eyes. Elysia upon jumping out did a twirl showing off her outfit and giving Shaman a good view.
"Looking amazing as always. ra! You cane in now." Shamanplimented Elysia and called for ra who was sitting just outside the door with Wolfy.
''I wonder how ra is going to react.'' This was Shaman''s burning question as she knew ra was rather conflicted.
''Let''s hope for the best.'' Shaman hoped ra would lean towards trusting Himeko as if what Freja said was true, Himeko was never there to harm them and she might have had a good reason to kill ra''s parents.
Chapter 136 [Bonus ] - The Beast (R-18)
?[A/N: THIS IS NOT CANON, I did a poll on discord and everyone wanted this chapter so here it is hope you enjoyed it, this was also me doing a bit of experimenting with R-18 so sorry if the quality isn''t good. ]
[WARNING: These chapters will include BDSM, so please read with caution and skip them if you don''t like it]
The mansion''s living room had a big coffee table in the middle surrounded by couches and a massive firece at the end. Arge window that took up one entire wall looked out to the mansion''s garden which had various flowers all cultivated carefully by the maids.
On the couches were Shaman, Elysia and ra all sitting, enjoying a small drink together. Wolfy had gone outside to explore the garden as he was unable to drink and did not want to take part in their girl talk.
Freja, being the wine connoisseur that she was, had created her own winery brewing the best wine to satisfy her tastes. Freja had given the girls her bestseller and quickly left to get a new yet to be released batch for them to try.
"I have to say this tastes amazing and makes me curious what Freja will bring next." Shaman, who had never really drank wine before, was pleasantly surprised.
"Hehe~ I want moorrrreeee~" Elysia, who had already finished her ss, was already tipsy and became flirty.
Elysia leaned over and hugged Shaman, trying to kiss her. She even tried pushing things further, but because ra was just across from them, Shaman did not want to continue.
"Just be patient, Freja will soon being with more." ra was taking small sips of her wine, trying to savour it the best she can.
"Ahhh~ such a refreshing taste, we should see if we can get a stockpile of our own so we can drink while we are out on a mission." Shaman figured since their inventory had no size limit they would be able to carry a stockpile of their own.
"That''s a great idea!" ra''s eyes shined with excitement as she was getting very fond of wine and being able to have it whenever it sounded like a dream.
"Hehe~" Elysia was already too far gone and she snuggled up to Shaman not letting go.
"I will say though, I think Elysia is going to need a limit." Shaman let out a chuckle as she could only imagine the chaos Elysia would cause if she was drunk while fighting.
*
They each finished their drinks and were now eagerly waiting for Freja to return with more.
Elysia had put her head on Shaman''sp and Shaman started to scratch behind Elysia''s ear causing her to purr.
ra chatted with Shaman, getting to know each other better while they waited.
Finally, after waiting for 30 minutes, Freja jumped through a blood portal carrying a massive keg of the new wine she wanted them to try.
"Hello my cuties~, sorry it took longer than expected, but I brought back plenty." Freja ced the massive keg in the corner of the living room and pulled out her own ss to get herself a drink.
The girls quickly rushed to the keg and used the tap on its side to pour their own drinks. Elysia had stumbled her way to the keg and barely managed to fill her ss without spilling. Although she had sobered up a little, she was still rather drunk and had to lean on Shaman to keep her bnce while drinking.
Shaman and ra took a sip of the wine and their faces lit up with delight as it tasted even better than thest batch. Freja smirked, finding their expressions adorable and continued to drink her own. Elysia on the other hand downed her entire ss and threw it on the floor. The ss did not break thanks to the magic circles reinforcing it.
Shaman and ra looked at Elysia wondering if she would be okay as they were unsure how much alcohol there was in the wine.
"I should also mention that this is the strongest drink we have made, so be prepared to catch her." Freja purposefully waited for them to start drinking as she knew how strong the alcohol content was. She was well aware any lightweight would get drunk with only a few sips.
Shaman quickly wrapped her arm around Elysia''s waist to make sure she wouldn''t fall, all the while she continued drinking the addictively tasty wine, not caring about what Freja said.
Even Shaman and ra, only having had half a ss, were already feeling it kick in.
''I swear alcohol should not work that fast, but I guess anything can happen in a new world.'' Shaman, who only drank a little in her high school years, found it absurd how quick it worked, but she couldn''t care less as she was enjoying herself.
ra decided to down the remaining half and quickly made it back to the couch so she wouldn''t fall over.
Shaman was not as drunk as Elysia, but still drunk enough to lose her filter and throw modesty to the wind.
Shaman, finishing the rest of her drink, pulled Elysia closer to her, looking at Elysia full of lust.
Elysia, seeing the look in Shaman''s eyes, leaned down giving Shaman a passionate kiss without caring who was watching. Their lips connected and because of the wine, the kiss felt all the more amazing.
They slowly began to walk back to the couch keeping the kiss going until they fell over its armrest with Elysia on top of Shaman. The middle couch that Shaman and Elysia fell on was also conveniently designed to also act as a makeshift bed. It left enough room toy down and it was clear that Freja had used this space for many other activities before.
ra who was watching started feeling hot between her thighs and was tempted to jump in but held herself back. Freja however, whispered from behind in ra''s ear, encouraging her.
"No need to be shy, go and join them, I need you all to get ready for me~."
ra blushed furiously at Freja''s words and turned around to only find Freja was no longer there.
ra''s better judgement wasn''t working and so she gave in to her desire to join in, no longer able to resist her urges. Freja''s words continued to echo in her mind which was thest push that caused ra to cave in.
Just as Shaman and Elysia were about to continue ra approached them.
Elysia turned and stared at ra who was wearing a ck dress that slowly turned dark purple towards its hem. ra also wore purple thigh highs whichpleted the gradient look with her dress.
"C-can I-I join." ra was fidgeting, embarrassed by what she was saying.
Elysia looked at Shaman and with the alcohol making the decisions for them they nodded at each other as a third person sounded exciting.
Elysia gestured at ra to join who beamed back at her with excitement upon getting approval. It was a surprise getting a yes from Elysia of all people, but the alcohol made her a different person.
They all moved to the middle of the couch giving them plenty of room to continue.
Without saying a word Shaman unbuttoned her shirt slightly revealing her white bra. Elysia who was quite bold had taken her red shirt offpletely exposing her red bra. ra did not want to be the only one to have clothes on so she took off her dress revealing a ck floral pattern bra and panties. Although ra didn''t mean to, she ended up showing more than Elysia who still had her skirt and stockings on.
Elysia saw this and, not wanting to be outdone, took off her skirt. However, she had also known Shaman tended to look at her legs when she wore stockings, so Elysia decided to keep them on. Between her red panties and long stockings, Elysia''s legs were now in full view.
Elysia felt like she had beaten ra, even though thetter had no idea they werepeting to begin with.
Elysia looked at Shaman with lust in her eyes as she slowly approached her while licking her lips. Shaman was up against the back of the couch mesmerised by Elysia''s body as she came closer.
Elysia went up to Shaman''s side and started kissing her neck causing Shaman to let out a small moan. ra had crawled over, still a little unsure of what to do, but would never get the time to decide. Shaman, who hadn''t forgotten ra, used her hand and grabbed a hold of ra''s chin, pulling her in for a passionate kiss.
ra felt a shock go through her as this was her first time ever experiencing such a passionate kiss with someone. Their tongues intertwined, intensifying the heat in ra''s thighs.
Elysia had also started to fondle Shaman''s breasts and Shaman in return used her other hand to rub Elysia''s pussy.
The tension was high and just before things were about to take another step a voice echoed in the room causing them all to look up.
"Look at these cute littledies enjoying themselves on my couch, how will you be punished for using my furniture? Oh, I know. Come here you three!" Freja sat in a single seat chair with her legs crossed watching the show in front of her and gave the order for them toe to her.
Everyone looked at Freja and, not wanting to disobey her, they quickly got on their knees in front of her expecting to be punished. They were all still in the mood and were tempted to ignore Freja, but knew it would be the worst choice they could make.
Freja leaned down grabbing a hold of Shaman''s chin and forcing her to look into Freja''s eyes.
"You know I warned you that I would join in if I caught you." Freja''s words sent shivers down their spines. Each of them got an intense throbbing sensation between their thighs as they could only imagine what Freja wanted to do to them.
"Let''s take this to my room." With a click of her fingers, she opened a blood portal instantly transporting them into Freja''s room.
The room was dimly lit red and across the wall could be seen various tools and restraints. The bed took up most of the room leaving a small space in front of it for other activities. On the opposite side of the wall of tools was a window that was being covered by a red curtain.
The girls found themselves kneeling on the bed with Freja sitting back at its other endpletely naked. The girls were unable to look away from Freja as although her body was on the more masculine side and had small breasts, they found themselves still being attracted to her.
"Come, show me how horny you all are~." Freja gestured at them toe and they all started to crawl over.
Shaman went straight to Freja''s side going for a kiss but was stopped just before their lips connected.
"You don''t know how much I have been waiting to have you in my bed, cute little fox." Freja whispered in her ear and before she could react pulled her in for the kiss.
Elysia had gone to the other side of Freja and begun kissing her neck while ra went for kissing the inside of Freja''s thigh.
While they were all preupied Freja unclipped their bras and tossed them off to the side.
Freja then grabbed Shaman and Elysia''s ass, causing them both to moan at the same time. Freja then pulled away from Shaman, breaking their kiss.
"Now my sweet darlings I want you allying down together," Freja spoke in a sweet but demanding tone and the girls followed her instructions.
They allid down with ra in the middle, Shaman and Elysia on their sides, sandwiching ra with their breasts.
Freja looked over the three of them and just the sight of them huddling together naked waiting for her excited her the more she stared.
"Let me hear your cute little moans." Freja then got on top of ra and began to lick her breasts which were of decent size but could notpare to Elysia''s.
While her tongue was upied, Freja sent her hands, slowly reaching down for Shaman and Elysia''s pussy. Just the touch alone caused Shaman and Elysia to quietly moan and as Freja got closer the more excited they got. ra was already moaning loudly as Freja yed with ra''s nipple with her tongue.
Freja''s hands went under their underwear and she began to finger Shaman and Elysia, each moaning loudly, which was music to Freja''s ears.
Freja then started to imbue her fingers and mouth with mana making the girls feel even better as the mana increased their sensitivity.
They all started to moan uncontrobly but just as Shaman and Elysia were about to cum Freja pulled out. She sat up while still on top of ra with a smirk as she could see the frustrated looks from all of them. ra wasn''t close to climax but she still felt exhausted and did not appreciate Freja stopping.
"If you beg for it nicely, I might shower you with love in all the right ces." Freja could see a bit of reluctance on their face but they craved her touch so in the end, they started begging.
"Please Empress, continue I want to be ravaged more."
"Empress Please I want your tongue."
"I''m begging you, Empress I want to feel you inside me."
Shaman, ra and Elysia each begged for more from Freja and hearing them say Empress really turned Freja on.
"But, before we continue you are going to have to satisfy me and I will reward you all for your efforts." Freja sat back down at the end of the bed waiting for the girls toe to her.
Their pleading faces had turned into excitement and lust as the promise of a reward caused them to crave Freja''s attention even more.
Elysia went between Freja''s legs and began to lick her pussy. Shaman and ra went to either side of Freja and started ying with her nipples. Freja then let out a satisfied groan as she watched the girls pleasure her.
Elysia started getting more and more aggressive exploring more of Freja, bringing Freja to use her hand to push on Elysia''s head.
"More my little fox~" Out of pure instinct she had also grabbed onto ra''s ass causing her to moan.
Because Freja moved her arm to push Elysia, Shaman ran out of space to y with Freja''s nipples, so to continue she decided to start licking Freja''s ear. Thanks to Freja being a she-wolf her wolf ears were extra sensitive enhancing the feeling.
Freja then finally cummed into Elysia''s mouth and Elysia who found herself getting addicted to Freja tried swallowing as much of it as she could.
"Good girl~" Freja patted Elysia, as thanks to her she was ready to reward them.
"All of you, get on all fours." Frejamanded them all and they each lined up in front of Freja. Elysia and Shaman were on the sides with ra in the middle all waiting for Freja. The three of them were facing away from Freja, presenting her with their ass.
Taking the opportunity, Freja leaned down, imbuing her teeth with mana and biting down on Shaman''s ass.
"Arghhhaaannnw~" Shaman was not expecting the bite and the initial pain caused her to cry but it slowly turned into pleasure.
Freja then leaned in next to Shaman''s head, licking the tear that started to fall down her cheek.
"You look so beautiful when you''re crying." Freja then leaned back leaving Shaman with a conflicting feeling of pain and love.
Elysia got excited watching what was happening to Shaman, wishing to experience it for herself and so her fox tail began to wag.
"Oh? You want it too cutie~" Freja saw Elyisa''s wagging tail, finding it adorable. Freja couldn''t help herself but lean in ripping Elysia''s stockings with her teeth and then biting Elysia''s ass.
Unlike Shaman, Elysia let out moans of pleasure not letting a single tear fall.
Not to leave anyone out Freja also bit ra''s ass, who surprisingly enjoyed it the most as after the bite she started begging for more.
"Moree~" ra wagged her ass wanting Freja to do it again.
Freja continued to bite ra leaving multiple marks and although Freja would have kept going, 2 fox girls were waiting for more so she had to stop.
ra was breathing heavily as she found the pain rather pleasurable and couldn''t wait for what was toe.
Freja then opened up a small blood portal and she reached inside pulling out a strap-on.
"Who first~." Freja put the strap on and waited for a response.
"M-me." Elysia being the boldest had spoken up wanting to go first.
"where do you want me to fuck you huh? Tell me." Freja went behind Elysia waiting for her answer
"r-right here" Elysia raised her tail and wagged her ass making it clear for Freja where to go.
Freja smirked, using her hands to rip off the rest of Elysia''s stockings and pull down her panties. Freja then prated Elysia''s ass and although it was painful, Elysia was letting out moans of pleasure. Freja also realised Elysia was a masochist as well as ra so Freja was rougher with them.
"Shaman,y in front of Elysia, and ra, you sit on Shaman''s face. I will deal with you in a moment~." Freja ordered them to get into position while she thrusted deep in to Elysia.
"AHHHH~" Elysia felt blood rushing to her head as Freja prated her deeper and deeper.
Shaman and ra got into position with Shaman in front of Elysia and ra sitting on Shaman''s face.
Elysia could not help herself and started eating Shaman out, moving her panties to the side and exploring Shaman down below. Shaman, not having a choice, had started to eat out ra who had taken her panties off just before getting on top of Shaman.
"Oh, Empress, please go harder! AAANNWWWW!!! " Elysia felt like she wasn''t in her own body anymore and was unable to control herself making her stop eating out Shaman.
Freja spanked Elysia''s ass adding to the pleasure as she was on the verge of cumming.
"Be a good girl and cum for me~."
Elysia felt a shock go through her body and she started to cum, her body was shaking and her thighs had started to cramp.
Elysiaid on the bedpletely exhausted and could feel her consciousness slipping. Freja pulled out and knew Elysia was finished for the night. Picking Elysia up in a princess carry, Frejaid her out on her back and within seconds Elysia fell asleep. Freja quickly kissed Elysia on the forehead as a thank you before returning to Shaman and ra.
"ray on top of Shaman." Freja wanted to fuck both of them at the same time and so she got ra toy on top of Shaman giving Freja ess to the both of them.
ra moved down on Shaman and bent over for Freja. ra''s face was positioned right in front of Shaman and they started to passionately kiss.
Without any warning, Freja went hard and fast in ra''s ass causing her to moan loudly in Shaman''s mouth. ra tried her best to keep the kiss but because of how intense Freja was she couldn''t keep it.
Shaman, wanting ra to feel even better, started ying with ra''s nipples and when she could, licked ra''s neck.
"Faster faster! Don''t stop!." ra was already begging and the rough treatment she was getting turned her on even more, so much so that she started feeling an intoxicating pain. ra''s mind was slipping and with the added pleasure from Shaman, ra felt like she could cum at any moment.
Freja increased the intensity letting her sadistic side show more.
"Come on you little slut~, cum for me." Freja pushed deeper and faster until finally, ra cummed. ra fell on Shaman, who hugged ra while patting the back of her head.
Freja quickly got ra off of Shaman, giving ra the same treatment before returning to Shaman.
"Sorry I got a little too invested in ra, but now it''s just me and you darling~." Freja wanted to switch between the two but she got too into fucking ra making her forget to switch.
"Hehe~ now fuck me please, Empress~." Shaman spread her legs and felt her pussy throb as all she wanted was Freja to fuck her.
"Call me mistress, my cute little fox~." Freja got close to Shaman and using her teeth pulled off Shaman''s panties. Freja then grabbed Shaman''s legs and pulled her closer and began to put it in.
Freja slowly pushed it in and was now fully inside causing Shaman to let out a moan. Shaman felt a wave of pain and tears started to form.
"Cry more for me, you look beautiful when you do~" Freja leaned in and licked another tear that started to fall down Shaman''s cheek.
Freja then started to move causing waves of pleasure to flow through Shaman.
"Faster Em- Mistress, please." Shaman begged for it to go faster and Freja picked up the pace.
"AHHH~" Shaman let out a moan and she started to lose herself.
Freja got more intense and Shaman started feeling like she wasn''t in her body anymore just like Elysia.
"Now tell me, will you be my little fox slut forever."
"I will forever be your little fox slut Mistress!" Shaman yelled out these words and she finally climaxed.
Shaman''s entire body was shaking and just like the others, she was on the verge of passing out.
"Good girl, now rest well, there is still tomorrow." Freja kissed Shaman on the forehead as she passed out, finishing off the session.
--------------------
[Bonus Chapter] - Aftermath (R-18ish)
It was the next morning and all the girls were still asleep in Freja''s bed. Freja herself had gotten in between them with Elysia to her right and Shaman to her left alongside ra. Elysia was hugging Freja''s side peacefully, while Shaman and ra had also hugged each other in their sleep.
The door to Freja''s room slowly opened and Kiruya peeked her head through to see if Freja was there. When she looked at the bed she was surprised to see who was in bed with Freja.
''Looks like they have fallen for Freja''s charm, I wonder if they are going to be a part of the harem now.'' Kiruya had a smug grin as she knew this would be a great way to tease the three.
''Seeing as they are still asleep I wonder if I should check if Freja recorded it like she usually does.'' Kiruya then made her way to the corner of the room where a bunch of tools and toys were hanging on the wall. She reached up the rack that held the tools and nabbed the crystal tablet at its top.
''Yes! Now let''s see what they got up to.'' Kiruya imbued the crystal tablet with mana and a small screen appeared.
Kiruya watched the recording which indeed depicted the events ofst night. She found herself getting turned on and so her hand travelled down below.
"Wish I was there." Kiruya muttered these words when suddenly Freja appeared out of nowhere and grabbed Kiruya''s chin.
"What''s my favourite little cheetah doing so early in the morning~?" Freja saw the panicked look on Kiruya''s face as she tried to hide the tablet.
"I-i was just curious! But when I saw them in your bed, I couldn''t help myself." Kiruya knew full well she was caught and despite her shy attitude, she was enjoying the situation.
"Fufu~ next time you will join them and you will show them how I really treat a woman~." Freja smirked and took the tablet out of Kiruya''s hands and tossed it in her inventory.
"Come back tomorrow~, we will have another group session if things go smoothly with the girls." Freja walked back to the bed while Kiruya was blushing profusely as the thought of it alone made her more excited.
"Yes Mistress." Kiruya quickly bowed and hastily left the room.
Freja crawled back into bed sitting in between the girls with her back up against the end of the bed. Elysia who was hugging her before wrapped her arms around Freja''s waist snuggling close to her.
"Such a cute fox you are~." Freja started to pat Elysia and she quietly purred from the head pats.
Freja closed her eyes and kept patting Elysia, enjoying the calm while the girls were still asleep.
*
ra was the first to wake up and she slowly opened her eyes only to find she was hugging a naked Shaman. ra also felt a lot of pain in her thighs and ass and seeing Shaman in front of her triggered a sh of memories.
Fragments of yesterday''s events went through ra''s mind as she remembered kissing Shaman on the couch and her moments spent on top of Shaman.
ra wentpletely red as she was questioning what her rtionship with Shaman was now. However, ra was facing away from Freja and Elysia so ra had not realised they were still in Freja''s bed.
''Well, if we did thatst night surely I can give her a kiss, she is asleep so she won''t notice anyway.'' ra wanted to give Shaman a morning kiss and figured she could get away with it.
Afterst night, her desire to be with Shaman grew. Giving into her selfishness, she convinced herself to push forward their rtionship.
ra pulled herself closer to Shaman so that their faces were right next to each other and went for the kiss.
Their lips connected and ra wanting to enjoy the moment more shut her eyes holding the kiss longer.
Shaman was woken by the kiss, shocked to find ra kissing her. ra on the other hand had shut her eyes firmly and hadn''t realised Shaman woke up.
Shaman also got a sh of memories, remembering what she did with ra and some of her moments with Freja. Shaman started to feel hot between her thighs again and caved into her desire.
Shaman tightened her hold around ra and got on top of her while still holding the kiss. ra was surprised she started getting pinned down by Shaman but she had no intention to fight back as for her it was proof of what Shaman felt towards her. Allowing Shaman to do what she wants, they started to passionately kiss, progressively getting more intense.
Shaman began to touch ra, who was letting out small moans and without realising it, they ended up waking Elysia.
Freja was already awake but she had stayed silent watching the show as she found it enjoyable to watch her prey y.
Elysia looked over, witnessing Shaman and ra make out in front of her. It took a moment for Elysia to realise that she wasn''t dreaming as she rubbed her eyes to make sure, but no matter what she did it didn''t go away. Unlike the other 2, she did not remember anything from the night before.
Elysia also noticed she was hugging Freja and she quickly backed away shocked at herself.
''What the hell happenedst night.'' Elysia looked around to find she wasn''t in her room and was stark naked.
Freja, noticing her confusion, pulled out the crystal tablet showing Elysia the recording of what happenedst night.
[I''m begging you, Empress I want to feel you inside me]
Elysia''s brain short-circuited, unable to believe she had said that as her obsessive side could notprehend it.
"Fufu~ you''re my little fox now so no getting jealous~." Freja tossed the tablet in her inventory then grabbed Elysia''s chin, who immediately started feeling hot down below.
This further broke Elysia. Her body wanted to submit to Freja, but her mind wanted to go berserk.
"Don''t listen to your mind and follow your heart~" Freja leaned in whispering these words.
Elysia, taking her words to heart, felt a wash of reliefe over her and the scene of Shaman and ra making out did not aggravate her anymore.
"Good girl~, now enjoy the show." Freja patted Elysia and pulled her in, allowing Elysia to hug Freja again.
Elysia had a nk expression while hugging Freja as her mind was getting turned upside down trying to process what was going on.
Shaman and ra stopped as they heard Freja talking, only now realising they weren''t in their room. Shaman quickly put her hands over her mouth as she saw Elysia awake and panicked for a moment.
"It''s okay Shaman, Elysia is okay now but she is going to need a little time to think." Freja quickly reassured Shaman and knew it would take Elysia a bit of time to digest what she is feeling.
Shaman was relieved to hear Elysia seemed to lose her yandere tendencies, but Shaman couldn''t help but feel saddened by Elysia''s expression, looking like she was mentally broken.
"A-are you sure? She looks rather broken." Shaman had to ask as she did not want it to be the case.
"She will be back to her normal self in no time, now keep going, entertain me~" Freja understood Shaman''s concerns and was not lying when she said Elysia will be okay.
"I- okay, but I don''t think I can keep going." Shaman felt awkward to keep going as now she knew she had an audience. ra shared the same feelings covering her red face out of embarrassment.
"Anaw~ that''s too bad." Freja was disappointed but she did not me them.
Shaman got off ra and sat on the bed a little lost on what to do.
"You can all leave, but make sure you are ready for tomorrow night and this time there won''t be any alcohol. I do want you to remember the night~" Freja smirked, pulling out 3 crystal tablets. Using a bit of mana Freja had copied the contents of the original tablet into the others and passed it to the girls.
"Take this memory tablet and make sure you are alone when you watch it fufu~" Freja had an evil grin as she could not wait to hear the response of the girls after they watched the video.
Shaman and ra blushed, quickly putting it into their inventories forter.
"I will take care of Elysia, I rmend going to the bath and rxing. I''m sure you are all sore fromst night." Freja held Elysia,forting her while she was still lost in her own mind trying to organise her thoughts.
Shaman and ra nodded, then started making their way out of the room, putting on any of their clothes they could find. ra however, just before exiting the room, had taken the initiative of holding onto Shaman''s hand, causing her to feel conflicted because of Elysia. Shaman pondered on it for a moment, but snapped out of it when she came to a realisation. Freja now basically owns them. In the end, it would not make a difference since they had many nights ahead of them.
--------------------
[Bonus Chapter] - Shaman x ra bath time (R-18)
Shaman and ra were walking down the hall half-naked as most of their clothes were left in the lounge. They figured heading straight to the bathroom would be better and they would get a maid to deliver them some new clothes.
However, Shaman was reluctant to leave Elysia but had no idea what to do to help. Shaman felt like being there would make it worse, but she wanted to be there tofort Elysia. For once, Shaman was at aplete loss, as everything she could think of felt like it would turn things for the worse.
ra saw the troubled look on Shaman''s face and knew exactly why.
''I only hope Freja can help.'' At the same time, ra couldn''t help but feel bad for Elysia''s current state, but at the same time, felt it was necessary.
ra held Shaman''s hand more tightly while continuing to walk down the hall to the massive bath Freja had in her mansion.
Shaman snapped out of her thoughts from ra''s gripping her hand harder, remembering what they were doing.
''That''s right, ra and I are going to the bath.. Me and ra.'' Shaman''s thoughts wandered for a moment, realising that if they stayed with Freja, technically they would also be together.
''Is it okay? I don''t really want to betray Elysia, but I already have with Freja, and it seems like we have gone under her wing.'' Shaman agonised over what her rtionship was and if it would be better to be taken by Freja.
''Freja is very open, even having 6 women by her side, so I doubt she would keep a tight leash around our neck and be free to do what we choose.'' Shaman did not take Freja as the type of person to limit someone''s free will, it was the girl''s choice if they wanted to stay.
''Ahh fuck it, I will talk to Freja about it. I should try to rx while I can.'' Shaman shook her head and focused on getting to the bathroom, but was rather distracted by ra in front of her.
Shaman could not help but stare at her ass as she saw multiple bite marks and was getting really curious about what happened in the recordings they were given.
''ra really does have a nice figure. Wait, what the hell am I thinking? We are just friends. Ahh, but can I even say that, I was prepared to fuck her just before if it wasn''t for being in Freja''s room.'' Shaman went down another spiral of thoughts, conflicted about what her rtionship was with ra.
*
Shaman and ra finally made it to the bath after walking through many hallways, passing many maids while in their underwear. Shaman was too busy spiralling in her own thoughts while ra was enduring the embarrassment, trying to find the bath as quickly as possible.
To the maids, it was a scene that they were used to and even went off to get new clothes for the girls as it was more or less a part of their routine.
ra pulled Shaman into the change rooms and let out a sigh of relief. Shaman realised they were here and her face wentpletely red as she still couldn''t keep her eyes off ra.
"Okay finally, we can rx." ra was out of breath and her legs were even sorer than they were before.
"I-I, yeah." Shaman was rather awkward, still wondering if she should ept ra. The reason for pushing Shaman to ept was the fact that, most likely, they would be staying with Freja and saw no issue with doing things with ra.
''I want to wait for Elysia, but my body says otherwise.'' Shaman squirmed thinking about what they could do in the bath but also was unsure if it would be a good idea as she had no idea what Elysia would be like.
ra looked up to see Shaman squirming with her hands in between her legs, finding it absolutely adorable. Shaman''s tail was wagging, further exposing how Shaman was feeling. Although her mind was conflicted, her heart was taking the lead.
''Maybe I should just do what will make me happy.'' Shaman wasing to terms with herself when it came to ra, but Shaman could not help but agonise over Elysia still.
Although shy when around a lot of people, when it came to being alone with someone, she was far from shy.
"Come on, let''s have some fun, just the two of us~." ra walked up to Shaman whispering in her ear.
''Okay, I can''t take this anymore.'' Shaman made up her mind and pulled ra in for a kiss. Thankfully, ra was only slightly taller than Shaman, making it much easier for her to reach ra.
ra was surprised by the sudden initiative and thought it would have waited until they were in the bath. Nheless, ra did notin, as this was what she wanted and, seemingly, Shaman as well.
They took off their underwear while passionately kissing in the change rooms, and once they were done, they pulled away.
Shaman and ra stared intently at one another, as once they entered the bath, there was no turning back from what they were about to do.
Shaman had a moment of hesitation as once again the thought of Elysia shed through her mind.
''If things go well with Elysia then this kind of rtionship should be okay.'' Shaman decided to ce all her trust in Freja that Elysia would be okay, willing to risk having an open rtionship.
Taking ra''s hand, Shaman walked into the bath area. The room was mainly marble, with light crystals across the roof. At the end of the bathroom was arge window that looked out into the forest and a small garden on the side of the mansion. On the sides of the room were magic circles sucking in the steam from the bath.
Shaman led ra into the water, pulling her across it and allowing them to float. Shaman then stopped moving, letting ra float into her arms to passionately kiss. They hugged each other while they kissed and slowly floated to the edge. Once they reached the edge, Shaman was able to sit down on the underwater seat while ra sat on herp.
Shaman moved her hands up ra''s body, reaching her breasts. Shaman then yed with ra''s nipples, causing her to let out small moans in Shaman''s mouth.
Shaman wanting to move things along swung ra around, and Shaman was now between ra''s legs while she was up against the bath wall. Shaman broke away from the kiss, and she slowly moved her hands down ra''s body.
"Please ravage me~" Shaman found herself bing even more enthralled by it. So, wanting to hear from ra more, she stopped moving her hand and used her other hand to hold her chin.
"If you want me to continue, you''re going to have to beg more~." Shaman seemingly flipped as her disy with Freja waspletely different. ra felt shivers through her entire body and instantly started begging.
"Shaman~ please, I''m begging you, I want you to call me yours~."
Shaman smirked as she was satisfied with ra''s words and felt shivers hearing them.
Shaman continued moving her hand and she started to finger ra.
"AHHH~" ra let out a loud moan, echoing throughout the entire bathroom.
"Moan louder for me, my beautiful demon~" Shaman went deeper, causing a louder moan.
"SHAMANNN~" ra screamed, and while it wasn''t as intense as it had been with Freja, it felt more intoxicating because she was with someone she loved.
ra was now on the verge of cumming and Shaman had only gotten faster and even started to kiss ra''s neck, giving her a hickey.
"I-i''m cumming~!" ra climaxed with her legs shaking while Shaman gave ra onest kiss.
"Good girl~, now it''s my turn." Shaman did not want to go too far as they were still recovering fromst night, so they stuck with doing something basic.
ra took a moment to catch her breath before they continued on with their session. Shaman while waiting for ra, sat up on the side of the bath and spread her legs, waiting for ra.
"What do you want me to do, mas- Shaman~?" ra knew exactly what she wanted to y, so she waited for Shaman''s orders.
"Oh, Were you about to call me master? By all means, my precious demon, call me master. Nowe get your meal~" Shaman guessed what ra was going to say, and when Shaman thought about the idea of being called master, it excited her.
"Y-yes M-master." ra got between Shaman''s legs and began to lick Shaman''s pussy.
"Mmm~" Shaman let out a satisfied groan and grabbed onto ra''s horn.
"AHH~" The unexpected grab caused ra to pull back and moan, as her horns were extremely sensitive.
Shaman had gotten a great idea and used her other hand to grab the second horn and force ra to continue.
ra received waves of pleasure throughout her body from her horns being grabbed and being forced to eat out Shaman made it even more exciting for her.
ra got more intense with her tongue, exploring every crevice of Shaman''s pussy. Shaman had let go of ra''s horns and was now on the verge of cumming.
"Yes! Make your master cum~" Shaman gave the order, and ra followed through.
"AHH~" Shaman''s legs shook while she cummed inside of ra''s mouth and tried her best to get everyst drop since she enjoyed the taste.
They had both finished and, knowing they should rest, stopped their little session before they got even sorer.
ra moved to the side so Shaman could get in the bath and so they could actually start resting.
"Let me sit in front of you, ra." Shaman got back into the bath and sat in front of ra.
Shaman leaned back and her head rested right on ra''s breasts. ra was a little unsure of what to do, but she wrapped her hands around Shaman, hugging her from behind.
"I love you Shaman~" ra was feeling extremely flirty as she had finally released her repressed feelings and let them manifest.
"Hehe~ I love you too." Shaman looked up at ra''s face, and she gave Shaman a kiss on the forehead.
--------------------
[Bonus Chapter] - The real Empress (R-18)
[A/N: Hey there, just wanted to say I would like all your opinions on how Elysia is treated in this chapter, like did it feel okay and does it make sense. The main thing is are you satisfied with the oue, also do note I can''t fit everything in one chapter so know if this were to happen it would be a lot longer for Elysia to recover ande to a conclusion (Speedrunning this shit). THIS ISNT APART OF THE MAIN STORY *ahem* this is just for the horny and me trying something out as a little test, anyway ENJOY!]
Shaman and ra finished their bath feelingpletely healed as the water seemed to have a healing property.
They spent most of the day hanging out exploring the mansion and were now getting ready for bed in Shaman''s room. Elysia was yet to return, and they assumed they would not see her until tomorrow, as it was ratherte. Shaman and ra were both wearing matching baggy t-shirts and just their underwear,zing around on the couch.
"I see why Freja wanted us to take a bath, my ass isn''t sore anymore." ra was moving her legs around to test if she was in pain and found she was back to peak condition. She had also gotten up and bent over the bed, purposely in front of Shaman to get her to make a move.
"We are just sleeping tonight!" Shaman got up from the couch to p ra''s ass as hard as she could.
"Ahh~" ra moaned and swung her hips for more. However, Shaman face palmed as she remembered ra was a masochist and it was exactly what she wanted.
"Just get into bed alright. I want to sleep and have too much to think about." Shaman felt mentally exhausted as the spiral of thoughts had continued throughout the day and even while hanging out with ra for the day, the thoughts did not stop.
''I wish I could see Freja, but she was not answering when I knocked on her door, so I don''t know where they could have gone.'' Shaman and ra paid a visit to Freja''s room to see how Elysia was but was unable to find her.
ra pouted as she wanted to get some bed action, but at the same time, she understood why Shaman was not up for it.
"Okay~" ra crawled into bed, with Shaman following shortly after.
Shaman and ra cuddled for the first proper time, which was a rather odd feeling for Shaman.
The reality was sinking in for Shaman, and she held ra tighter forfort as the weight on Shaman''s mind suddenly increased. She was on the verge of tears and ra, seeing Shaman in such a state, hugged her just as tightly and patted her head.
"It will be okay. I will be right here with you." raforted Shaman till they both finally fell asleep.
**
Outside, in a small gazebo surrounded by flowers, sat Freja and Elysia.
Elysia was still clinging onto Freja but was much more responsive and, instead of a dead look, it was now a gloomy one.
"You ready to talk, dear?" Freja had been with Elysia all day, making sure she was okay, waiting for her to be able to talk.
"I-i think so." Elysia''s voice was shaky and it was clear that she had been crying throughout the day.
Elysia let go of Freja and sat across the table, preparing to talk.
Freja sipped on some wine as usual, giving Elysia as much time as she needed as rushing her would only cause more problems. Freja was walking on a cracked ss bridge, and one hard push may have broken Elysia permanently.
"I-i think I am still in love, but I can''t help but think these emotions are fake. What I have had for Shaman has not been for who she is, but for what she gave me. After seeing her and myself being t-taken b-by y-you, I realise now that it was just me trying to shelter Shaman as the thought of change scared me. I didn''t want to lose everything again." Elysia started to cry, but she continued talking.
"After I felt the side of me break, the same feelings I had for Shaman dwindled and I began to question if what we had was real." Elysia tightened her hands as this was the scariest thought for her.
"I believe what you had was not real But if you want to continue travelling with Shaman, you are going to have to restart over and ept whatever the oue may be. I''m sure Shaman has been agonising over it all day, but it is up to you what you decide."
"Now I must specify that you can choose to either stay with me or go back with Shaman, but that is for you and Shaman to talk about." Freja did not sugarcoat her answer, as thest thing she wanted was to give Elysia any false hope.
''So it is either Freja or I try to find love with my proper self. '' Elysia was given 2 different choices to go down, and she needed to talk to Shaman to figure out what to do.
"I''m not going to force or get in the way. It is up to you and your heart toe to a conclusion. If all else fails, my arms will always be open for you." Freja ced her wine ss on the table and Elysia sat in silence, lost in thought.
"I-is it alright if I sleep in your room tonight? I don''t think I''m quite ready to see Shaman yet." Elysia was rather embarrassed, but she did not want to be alone.
"Oya~? Of course you can." Feja smiled and rested her head on her hand, as she was not expecting Elysia to already want more.
"No, no, no, I just want someone to hug I don''t want to do anything like that yet." Elysia blushed and quickly ran away back to Freja''s room.
Freja chuckled at Elysia''s reaction, as it was adorable and she could already see tomorrow night being even better than thest.
**
Morning came, and Shaman woke up to the sound of someone knocking at her door. Quickly got up without really thinking about who it could be and opened the door. Elysia was the one at the door, and Shaman panicked.
Shaman realised ra was in her bed and did not want to incur the wrath of crazy Elysia.
"It''s okay, I won''t get angry." Elysia lowered her head because what would have set her off did not enrage her, and she was only mildly jealous. This confirmed that she had lost the feelings she had for Shaman.
"I-i''m sorry." Shaman was at a loss for words, and all she could do was apologize.
"Please, don''t say that." Elysia was struggling to hold it together as reality was slowly creeping up on her.
"O-okay, did you want toe in then? It seems like we have something to talk about." Shaman lowered her head, unsure if it was the right thing to do.
Elysia nodded, and they entered Shaman''s room, where they sat on the couch.
Shaman sat in silence waiting for Elysia to speak and was terrified of what she was going to say.
"Shaman I''m sorry I didn''t love you for who you were, I only fell in love with what you gave me. I was at my lowest point when I saw you rescue me from the cultist, I had no hope in my life and was about to let myself die. I lost everything and you gave me everything without even caring about who I was. I just did not want to lose you to someone else." Elysia started crying, and ra, who was still asleep, did not wake up like she was in aa.
"Whatever you choose, whether it''s going with ra or staying with Freja, I will stay with you, but if you still want to stay with me, we are going to have to start over. As for myself right now, I can''t love you as I used to. I only loved you for what you gave, not for who you are." Elysia finished, and she bit her lip while crying, waiting for a response from Shaman.
Tears fell down Shaman''s cheeks and it took a moment to process what Elysia was saying.
Shaman stood up to walk around the room in circles, trying to calm herself down.
Shaman thought back to the decision she made in the bath about having an open rtionship with her group and Freja. Shaman couldn''t abandon ra as they had started to properly be close and she did not want to throw it away.
"H-how about we all go with Freja? That way we can all be together." Shaman found this was the best option for both ra''s and Elysia''s happiness. Shaman did consider just having ra and Elysia, but Shaman could never see them being more than friends.
Elysia was shocked to hear the answer, but it did sound like the best option, as that way they would be able to build up their rtionship again.
"I-i am okay with that, and from what Freja told me, we can leave whenever we want. She won''t force us to stay in a rtionship with her." Elysia wiped away her tears, and she was feeling morefortable now.
I just need to talk it over with ra, then we will visit Freja tonight to tell her our answer." Shaman let out a breath of relief as the feelings of worry had turned into excitement.
**
The girls were currently standing outside Freja''s room, hesitating to knock. Shaman was able to convince ra as long as they were able to have their own time alone, which was not an issue. While also waiting for the night, they had seen what they got up to the other night and were extremely embarrassed.
ra kept teasing Shaman about what she had said at the end, as it was something ra would have never thought toe out of Shaman''s mouth, especially after their bath session.
"So uhh fox slut, are you going to knock?" ra wore a smirk on her face while waiting for Shaman''s response.
"Oh shut up about that already, I''m your master. Do you want to be punished? Wait a minute, you will enjoy it. GRRRRRR!!!" Shaman knew that no matter what she did to ra, it would be a win for her, so all Shaman could do was put up with it.
"Fufu~ do what you want with me. I''ll be waiting~." ra was rather enjoying teasing Shaman, as her reactions were adorable. On the other hand, Elysia wasughing as it was always a great scene to see Shaman pout.
"AHH~ yes mistress, treat me like the little slut I am~" Kiruya''s voice suddenly rang out from Freja''s room, causing them to halt what they were doing.
"Oho? What''s this, 3 cuties waiting outside my room. What brings you here?" Freja then suddenly peeked through the door and spotted the girls standing just outside.
"Oh uhhh We have decided and we want to continue being with you, as long as we can leave whenever we want." Shaman quickly responded and lowered her head, waiting for a response.
"Ara~ of course, I was never going to restrain you, not until we were in bed at least~." Freja was delighted to hear that they decided to be with her and respected their wishes. She had also caused all the girls to blush with her statement, as now they were imagining being tied up.
"Why don''t youe join your dear friend Kiruya? We just finished warming up~" Freja opened the door all the way to reveal Kiruya bent over the bed heavily panting.
The girls were all reluctant at first, despite wanting to be with Freja. It was a rather unreal situation.
"Looks like you need a little pull~." Freja pulled out 3 cors of different colours that matched their hair. She went up to each girl and the cor attached itself to their necks before they could speak or move.
The girls did not try to take off the cor but felt rather turned on by it, causing them to squirm.
"Now be good girls ande inside~." Pure mana leashes came out of the cor into Freja''s hand, allowing her to pull on the girls, forcing them into the room.
ra and Elysia moaned in unison that being strangled by the cor felt pleasurable. Shaman did not mind the cor, but if she had the choice, she would rather have the leash. Shaman was also taking mental notes as this was a useful way to find out what ra and Elysia enjoyed the most.
"Get on your knees!" Freja sat at the edge of her bed andmanded the girls. All three dropped to their knees
"Good~, now lick my feet." Freja lifted her foot, waiting for the girls. Elysia was the first to start, followed by ra, as it seemed their masochist switch had already been flipped. However, Shaman did not budge, as she could not find it in herself to do something like that.
"What''s the matter, my little fox? You know. there will be consequences~" Freja''s eyes had a slight glow and Shaman felt a wave of pressure forcing her to quickly get close to Freja''s foot, but once Shaman was about to lick it, she was unable to.
"Fufu~, what a shame, Shaman, you''re already being punished and we haven''t even begun."Freja opened a blood portal and pulled out handcuffs and some rope. Shaman instantly knew what was going to happen, and she wondered if it would have been better to just lick her feet.
"Strip down to your underwear~"
Shaman, not having any choice, got up, taking off her shirt and shorts, leaving her in her white underwear.
"Beautiful as always~" Freja stood up and put the handcuffs on Shaman, not realising a blindfold was put on her. Shaman freaked out, but she suddenly felt herself being put on the bed.
Shaman was forced into the frog position and felt another pair of handcuffs being put on her ankles. The handcuffs on her hands were then clipped onto the ones on her ankles.
Shaman was now unable to move, unable to see what was going on.
"If you make a single sound, I am going to have to tie you up~" Freja whispered in Shaman''s ear, sending a shiver through her body. Taking this order more seriously, Shaman made no sound and waited for what Freja was going to do.
"Girls, have a little fun and warm her up. If she makes a sound, I will reward you~" Freja walked away and let the girls have their way while she went to prepare.
ra and Elysia had already stripped down to their underwear, with Elysia keeping her stockings again, knowing full well they would be ripped up.
ra was the first to pounce and, without warning, got straight to fingering Shaman. Elysia went to Shaman''s side and, using both hands, yed with Shama''s nipples. Thanks to Elysia''s height she was able to reach around Shaman without an issue.
Shaman was trembling as it was taking all her willpower just to keep her mouth shut.
ra had an idea and, moving to Shaman''s side, gestured at Elysia to use her other hand to finger Shaman''s ass and ra would take over one of the nipples.
Elysia, using one finger, fingered Shaman''s asshole, which was thest thing that made her finally crack.
"ANNWWWW~" Shaman''s moan echoed throughout the room as she failed to stay quiet.
"Fufu~ good work girls, now let me deal with this disobedient slut and give her some training, then I will reward you both~ " Freja walked back to bed, removed the handcuffs and picked Shaman up. Freja walked to the corner of the room where ropes were hanging from the ceiling.
Freja then started to tie Shaman to the ropes, suspending her in the air by the arms. Freja grabbed the whip off the wall and started to circle Shaman.
Shaman still had the blindfold on, having no idea what was going to happen next.
"For being my little fox slut, you sure like to disobey your mistress~" Freja then cracked the whip, and Shaman instantly knew what was next.
"I-i''m sorry, mistress. Please, it won''t happen again." Shaman started to beg for forgiveness.
"Are you sure?" Freja then whipped Shaman''s back.
"AHH~, m-mistress please, I will do what you want." Tears started flowing from under the blindfold.
"Anything you say?" Freja then whipped Shaman''s stomach, causing more moans of pain.
"Y-yes mistress." Shaman felt an intoxicating pain and found herself wanting to be whipped more. Elysia and ra were watching Shaman and had started to y with themselves as they imagined themselves in Shaman''s position.
"Why don''t you, my dear fox, start acting like one~?" Freja gave thest few hits around Shaman''s body, with the final hit being on her ass. A little bit of blood trickled down Shaman''s body from the whip wounds.
"AHH~ anything for you~" Shaman''s tail was wagging from excitement and was now ready to fully submit.
Freja released Shaman from the rope, letting her fall to the floor. Shaman took off her blindfold and got on all fours to crawl to Freja.
"Lick my feet, you dirty bitch!"
"Woof!" Shaman barked, and she immediately started licking Freja''s feet. While Shaman was licking her feet, Freja bent over and pulled on Shaman''s tail.
"ARF~!" Shaman let out a high pitched bark, and she felt herself getting turned on even more.
Satisfied with how Shaman was acting, Freja activated the mana leash again and pulled on it.
"Enough! Now show me where you want me to fuck you." Freja was going to finish off Shaman as there were 3 girls she still had yet to satisfy.
"Woof, woof~" Shaman turned around, pulling down her panties and spreading her ass in front of Freja.
"You whore~" Freja smirked and pulled out a strap-on from her blood portal. Putting it on, Freja slowly began to prate Shaman''s ass.
"Arf~" Shaman let out quiet barks as the pain was slowly bing more pleasurable with each passing moment.
Freja started picking up the pace and getting more aggressive, making Shaman''s moans louder. Freja spanked Shaman''s ass till it went red, adding to the pleasure. Freja finished her spanking then grabbed both the leash and her tail and pulled them both at the same time.
Shaman finally orgasmed and her entire body shook, causing her to lie on the floor with her ass up.
"Good little fox~." Freja was finished with Shaman and put her on the bed, allowing her to rest.
Kiruya, who had been recovering, was ready to go for more and had joined the others while she waited.
"Now for your reward, my cuties~, anything you want?" Freja went back to the three girls that sat on the edge of the bed.
Elysia had pointed to what looked like a hook, indicating she wanted to try it.
"Oho, the anal hook, sure. ra, what do you want~?"
"C-can you treat me like a ve?" ra spoke quietly, a little embarrassed by what she said.
"Fufu~ of course." Freja then went and grabbed the anal hook for Elysia.
"Elysia and Kiruya on the table." Freja ordered them to get on the table, which was in the opposite corner from where Shaman was tied up.
Kiruya and Elysia quickly climbed onto the table and were on all fours waiting for Freja.
Freja had torn a hole in Elysia''s stockings and ripped off her panties, allowing her ess
Freja inserted the anal hook into Elyisa, attaching it to her cor. Freja then pulled out more ropes, tying up Kiruya and Elysia together so if any of them moved, the rope would rub on their pussies. This also caused the anal hook to rub, adding to the pleasure, and because they had been tied with the same ropes, any movement made pleasure the other.
Elysia, feeling the hook for the first time, felt like she was a piece of meat and was getting addicted to the feeling.
"Ahh~" Both Kiruya and Elysia were moaning as they both moved to please each other.
"I wille back to you pieces of meat after I deal with this worthless ve~." Freja left Kiruya and Elysia to upy themselves while Freja went to deal with ra.
"I-" ra went to speak but was pped before she could even say a word.
"Worthless pieces of trash don''t speak." Freja activated ra''s leash and pulled her off the bed.
"You are going pleasure your master and if I am not satisfied, you will be punished severely." Freja spoke coldly and sat on the edge of the bed.
Pulling on ra''s cor again, she was forced in front of Freja''s pussy. Freja then grabbed ra''s horn, pulling her head into her pussy and forcing her to eat. ra started to eat out Freja the best she could to satisfy her master.
"You worthless spec of dust, get off me." Freja pushed ra away from her.
"Can''t even slightly satisfy me, tch should have just left you in a ditch." Freja got up and started to drag ra across the floor with the leash till they reached the ropes that were in the ceiling.
Freja grabbed a ball gag and shoved it into ra''s mouth, starting to fully tie her up.
ra was now fully suspended in the air by her hands and feet and was unable to move at all.
Freja then pulled hot candle wax out of her inventory that she had pre-made so she could pour it on someone.
"A being like you deserves to get burned." Freja slowly poured the candle wax over ra''s back and she began to scream.
"MMMMM~" because of the ball gag, ra was unable to scream properly.
ra then started to cry as she felt her skin burning but was also turned on by the pain.
"Good cry for me, at least that''s one thing you''re good for~." Freja licked the tears off ra''s face as it was exactly what she wanted.
Freja had finished pouring the wax and then pulled out a dildo that wasrger and started to shove it in ra''s ass.
"Mmm~" ra''s eyes started to roll back as she was finally about to cum.
"Cum for me, my ve~." Freja whispered in ra''s ear, causing her to climax.
ra passed out from exhaustion right after she cummed, as the pain had taken a lot out of her.
Freja then untied ra and ced her back in bed next to Shaman before returning to thest two.
"Ahh~" Kiruya and Elysia were itching for more and started getting more aggressive, but were stopped when Freja grabbed onto the anal hook and pulled it.
"AHHHH~." Elysia felt an immeasurable amount of pleasure and felt blood rushing to her head.
Freja untied Elysia from Kiruya, then grabbed Elysia by the hook and bent her over the table.
Freja then put on a bigger strap-on and prated Elysia''s pussy hard and fast.
"Dirty fox, bark for me~" Freja grabbed onto the hook while thrusting, causing Elysia to uncontrobly moan.
"Woof! Harder, Woof!" Elysia''s mind was going nk and she was already ready to cum.
"ANNWWW~." Elysia cummed and her legs went numb from the pleasure.
"Arf~" Elysia continued to quietly bark while still bent over the table. Freja carried Elysia back to bed and, like a broken record, kept barking quietly to herself.
It was now Kiruya''s turn, who was still restrained by ropes on the table, Freja then picked Kiruya up, cing her in the middle of the floor.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, my sweet darling~" Freja pulled out a whip and quickly cracked it.
"Ravage me, mistress~" Kiruya wagged her ass as she was put in a frog position,pletely restrained by ropes.
Freja then whips Kiruya all over her body, leaving many wounds all over her body. Blood trickled down Kiruya''s ass and Freja went to lick it off. While she was licking the blood, she was also biting, leaving her bite marks on Kiruya''s ass.
"Annn~" Kiruya moaned, enjoying every bit of pain she received.
"You can moan louder than that, my little kitten." Freja then spanked Kiruya''s ass, leaving a red handprint. It had stung even more because of the whip and bite marks.
"AHHHH~" Kiruya''s body flowed with pleasure.
"Meoww~. Please, fuck me in the ass, mistress." Kiruya''s tail was wagging, waiting for Freja to ravage her further.
Freja then prated Kiruya in the ass while pulling on her tail and cor, causing her to moan.
Freja continued to pound Kiruya while she felt like she wasn''t in her body anymore, intoxicated by the pain.
Kiruya came, and her body shook vigorously and she passed out on the spot from the pleasure.
"Good little kitty, now get some rest~" Freja had finished with everyone and carried Kiruya back to bed to finish off the night.
**
"MOTHER, MAMA, CLARA? WHERE ARE YOU?" Wolfy was running around the mansion looking for the party as they had vanished for thest few days, not knowing where they went.
"Please don''t tell me they left me?" The reality was sinking, and Wolfy started to get the encroaching feeling of loneliness.
"No they must be around, Freja must have taken them somewhere." Wolfy could still feel the connection with Shaman was close, so he knew they had not left him.
"MOTHERRRRR!!!"
[THIS IS NOT CANON AND DID NOT HAPPEN IN THE ACTUAL STORY]
Chapter 137 Conflicted Feelings
?ra walked into the bedroom with Wolfy in her new outfit.
ra wore a long-sleeved ck dress with her embroidered purple gems and now violet frills. The top of the dress as well as the sleeves were slightly see-through and had a floral pattern throughout them. She also had ck thigh high socks with a purple stripe around their top.
Showing off her new outfit, ra gave it a twirl. It was a perfect fit with her purple horns and highlighted hair, giving her a rather ssy feel.
Shaman finding herself stuck between 2 beautiful women could not help but blush as she never really realised how good looking they both were.
''Maybe I should try being a bit more fashionable.'' Shaman found her outfit ratherme and nd.
''If I''m gonna look beautiful I have to also have to dress the part. However, I''m gonna need to go do the dreaded clothes shopping.'' Shaman was not fond of shopping and would rather be doing other things.
Elysia, seeing Shaman lost in thought, took the chance to pounce and hug her causing them to both fall on the couch. Elysia sat up and Shaman somehow ended upying on Elysia''sp. For a single blissful moment, Shaman enjoyed thep pillow before remembering that they had something important to discuss. Shaman quickly sat up while ra made herselffortable on the single-seat couch. Wolfy took refuge on the bed and quietly listened in on their conversation.
Shaman took a deep breath as although she wanted to enjoy herself she had to get this talk over with. Freja also took an interest in Elysia and Wolfy which only meant that conversations were far from over.
"So I have some new pieces of information to tell you about Himeko, which should shine some light on her intentions."
ra turned her head as the mention of Himeko''s name left a sour taste in her mouth.
"I understand ra, what Himeko did to your parents is unforgivable but from your story, there is much more than meets the eye and what I''m going to tell you might be one piece of that puzzle." Shaman knew ra would be distasteful towards Himeko and only hoped that ra would see Himeko in a new light. They may never be able to be friends but at least stay on neutral terms.
*
ra had a troubled expression as the news from Shaman did reveal some crucial information about Himeko''s intentions.
"So possibly my parents gave Himeko a ce to revive, in exchange for something, to the point they got on their knees and begged for it." ra was considering this new theory as to why Himeko killed her parents, but it still didn''t give many hints at why her parents wanted to die.
"This is only just one small piece, we are going to have to go to the demonnds and get answers from Himeko herself." Shaman wished she knew more, but the only way to get more information would be to find where Himeko was revived.
"Tch." ra wasn''t happy as she wanted to hate Himeko, but the more she found out about her the harder it was to stay angry.
"You don''t have to like Himeko but when we do meet her again, please try to hold back." Shaman did not want to force ra to change as the situation was very delicate.
"I need time, I will be in my room, so if somethinges up you know where to find me." ra''s expression went cold, and she exited the room.
"Very emotional girl she is." Elysia leaned onto Shaman''s shoulder.
"Says you, I walk past a girl, and you are shooting daggers with your eyes." Shaman looked at Elysia unimpressed as she was no better if not worse.
"I- uhhhh, you''re not wrong." Elysia was unable to deny it and now felt a bit embarrassed.
"I''m surprised you haven''t tried jumping on ra because we breathe the same air." Shaman then flicked Elysia''s forehead.
"Ow! I know I shouldn''t be like this, but I can''t help it, you brought me back up from the bottom of the pit I was in, and I don''t want to lose you." Elysia pouted, giving some insight into why she is so possessive of Shaman.
"You should trust me more, if I didn''t want to be with you, I would have said so already." Shaman was a little annoyed, but she couldn''t be angry. Elysia dide from a rather dreadful situation so Shaman understood why Elysia would feel this way
"I will try." Elysia lowered her voice as she was unsure if it was possible. She has been having mental battles constantly, wanting to change her mindset, but was finding it extremely difficult.
"Good girl~." Shaman patted Elysia''s head and hearing the words good girl caused her to blush.
*
Not having much to do, Shaman and Elysia cuddled on the couch waiting for Freja since she still had more things to talk about. It involved both Elysia and Wolfy which made her worry since Elysia is from a dangerous family. Wolfy was not too much of a concern as the Freya Forest would allow him to evolve. In fact, a new system message has alreadye up on his status screen.
[Visit the dark forest springs]
Knowing that this ce was originally called the dark forest, they believed Freja would know where this spring would be. Himeko also suggested that Wolfy was a part of a race of wolves rted to Freja.
''Hopefully, Wolfy can get a nice power boost and even a new element.'' Shaman shared skills with Wolfy so if he were to learn a new element, she would also have ess to any of the skills he obtained.
Elysia was falling asleep while in Shaman''s arms but then a familiar voice echoed in the room.
"A, what a shame I was hoping to find you getting it on in bed, but instead you''re cuddling on the couch." Freja had returned and Shaman was already itching to run away as thest thing she wanted was to have fun in bed with Freja.
"And I hope you never see us!" Elysia, hearing what Freja said, quickly looked over the couch with an annoyed look.
"Pffhahaha, I am only kidding, but still be careful I might not be able to help myself." Freja gave them a pat on the head and Shaman let out a sigh as Freja was truly unpredictable.
"Now that I have some free time let''s talk about why you are with one of the most hated families in the fox realm. You are lucky I didn''t kill Elysia on sight, but seeing as you''re together there must be more to it." Freja sat down on the couch across from them and Shaman instantly got nervous alongside Elysia.
"Judging by how you''re already sweating buckets I assume you already know who Elysia is and are aware of her situation." Freja could see by their face how panicked they were.
"Y-yes, but Elysia is a runaway who just barely escaped while her parents were killed by the other family members." Shaman spoke for Elysia as it was already hard enough for her to listen.
"hmmm I see, so they were never truly wiped out just like I thought and it seems like quite of few of them are in hiding." Freja thought out loud while Shaman was still stressing about what was going to happen with Elysia.
"I won''t harm Elysia seeing as she wants nothing to do with her family and could be of great help instead, but you are going to need to dye your hair when in public. Same with you Shaman, people do not know of your existence and your hair is a dead giveaway, you''re lucky that you were in the human territory till now, otherwise someone would have eventually realized your position." Thanks to theck of knowledge the humans had of the fox realm they were able to walk around freely without any issues.
"We met many beastmen in the human cities but howe they never recognized us?" Shaman was rather curious as to why it was only the people within the fox realm that would recognize them.
"Well, the royal family don''t really rule over the territory, they just manage it as they want the people to live freely. This doesn''t mean they don''t have a strong presence, but you could say not everyone knows them well as they don''t appear in public often."
"Most people just know that the royal family protect them and try their best to improve the lives of their subjects. Themon folk won''t know you are royalty but anyone of high significance or who works for the royal family will instantly recognize you." Freja gave a quick exnation that made it sound like the royal family were rather isted from its people.
"It is also the reason why people have not noticed their disappearance as the pce is isted and surrounded by a forest like my little empire here. The higher ups kept it a secret, so no one is panicking just yet, but I have no idea how long the information can stay secret. I am doing my best to fill in the role, but people are going to start asking questions." Freja had seemingly taken on the responsibilities of the royal family for the time being.
"So pretty much I could walk around freely but it would only be a matter of time before some recognise that I''m royalty?" Shaman found it odd that people don''t really know the royal family.
"Yes and I can already see the question you''re about to ask. I''m going to be honest, I have no idea how your mother does it." Freja let out an awkwardugh as she did not know how Cecilia ruled without showing herself.
"Oh, well if everyone is happy it doesn''t really matter?" Shaman knew it would be a headache trying to fully understand and was simply grateful that she isn''t risking her identity.
"Yes, you are going to have to ask her yourself as you will most likely take over one day." Freja held her forehead as she''d rather not think about how easily Cecilia was able to run the ce.
Shaman froze for a moment upon hearing those words as she hadn''t realised that one day she will have to take the throne. She also had no siblings making her the only one to be able to inherit the throne.
"Can I just let someone else do it?"
Chapter 138 Have You Heard Of Earth?
?"Let someone else do it? Sweetie, you are the only one who can take over, but don''t worry, if we can get your mother free, it will be quite some time before you inherit the throne." Freja saw the worry on Shaman''s face as the responsibilities of a queen are daunting.
"Phew, at least that''s for future Shaman to deal with." Shaman was relieved that she most likely would not take over the role anytime soon.
"Doesn''t mean you can''t start learning." Freja smirked and pulled out a random book from her inventory.
"No, no, no, it''s fine, please put the book away." Shaman knew she could cheat but would rather not fry her brain about how to be a queen.
"Aww too bad, maybe another time." Freja threw the book back in her inventory.
"Anyway, you said there was something about Wolfy?" Shaman quickly changed the subject, wanting to find out what Freja had to say about Wolfy.
"Ahh yes, may I ask why do you have a pet wolf with my blood?" Freja casually asked the question, taking Shaman a moment to process what Freja just said.
"Wait, he has your blood in him?" Shaman knew Wolfy was from here but never thought he would be directly rted to Freja.
"Yes, although I have no idea how you got your hands on him, it seems to be mixed with your blood, technically making it our child." Freja was rather intrigued by how Shaman was able to obtain Wolfy, this caused a question to pop into Freja''s mind.
''Does Shaman also have a system?'' A system window opened looking at Shaman''s stats but found nothing out of the ordinary besides having much higher stats than a normal tier 5.
"Wait what?! Our child? You are kidding right? I know I have been a mother to him, but for you to be also his mother? Sorry but he is mine." Shaman was freaking out as she did not want Wolfy to be taken away because of his rtion to Freja.
"Wait, Freja is also my mother?" Wolfy poked his head up confused by this sudden revtion.
"Pffft, don''t worry it isn''t specifically my blood, but the blood of my race." Frejaughed as she purposely worded it that way to see how Shaman would react to bearing her child.
"Grrrr. I have no idea how I got him, I was killing some forest wolves and they had an egg with them. After I took it back I put a bit of my blood on the egg and it hatched the next day." Shaman red at Freja, hoping she would not dig deeper into the subject.
"Don''t look at me like that. Anyway it seems like I have gotten an answer to a question." Freja knew that this wasn''t natural and figured Shaman had a system.
"Now tell me Wolfy, where do you have to go to evolve?" As just onest confirmation Freja asked a question that only she knew the answer to.
"He has to go to the dark forest springs." Shaman answered without really thinking about it as she assumed it was known.
"Oh? How do you know about the sacred springs that not even my closet partners know?" Freja smiled as she just backed Shaman into a corner, as the ce she mentioned was only known to her.
"I uhhh." Shaman failed to find the words as she had no exnation that would not reveal the system.
"Then let me ask you this, ever heard of the ce called Earth?" Freja leaned in and Shaman''s eyes widened.
"Wait, so you are also transported?" Shaman could not believe what she was hearing, She did have her suspicions of other people being transported, but to actually find someone was not something she expected.
"So you are like Shaman?" Elysia had also sat up as she knew that Shaman was not from this world and was just as shocked as Shaman was.
"Fufu~ what a surprise, I wouldn''t have thought that there would be other people getting isekied." Freja was pleasantly surprised as this was her first time meeting someone from her own world that hasn''t tried to kill her.
"I- I have no words, I can''t believe there are other people who were transported. I also think the Pope is one since he has a system, but you can''t really confirm with him." Shaman felt relieved and instantly morefortable with Freja as they were both from the same world.
"There are others with the system who are likely transported but they usually end up getting greedy and think they are the main character of this world." Freja''s face went cold as she seemingly remembered some people.
"Aha, thest thing I would want to do is fight you." Shaman figured Freja was the one that fought with them.
"It''s in the past, but this is besides the point, you need to visit the springs. I can take you there, but I have to prepare some things first." Freja needed time as it was a sacred ce. Without taking the proper steps, Wolfy''s evolution process could be ruined.
"We can catch upter and talk more about home, but sadly this world''s responsibilities take priority." Freja was excited to talk to Shaman about her home but it will have to wait for when they have some more free time.
"I have a mission for you and your friends." Freja leaned back, pulling out a piece of paper.
"Already a mission? I thought we would have some more free time." Shaman was enjoying the downtime but it seemed like Freja wanted to keep them busy.
"You need to earn your stay. Don''t worry, I just have a few nobles that need to be killed." Freja wanted to put the new avable hands to work as she also had to run the fox realm leaving less time to do her own work.
''Wait why nobles?" Shaman found it odd Freja would be killing off nobles as they generally had quite a bit of power.
"They are corrupt. Someone leaked information about the queen, so now they are trying to take advantage of the situation to line their pockets with more money." Freja had a rather annoyed look as she skimmed the list of nobles that needed to be killed.
"Assuming that you are alright with killing weak nobles I expect you to be out tonight killing as many as you can." Freja passed the paper to Shaman.
Shaman and Elysia looked through the list of names and pictures of the nobles.
"So we just go to the address listed on the paper and kill them without being seen?" Shaman was unsure if this was a stealth mission or they are to barge in through the front door.
"Try to stay silent, but if you can''t, by all means, set their petty mansions on fire." Freja did not care for what method, as long as the job was done. Shaman and Elysia nodded with Elysia smiling as setting a mansion aze sounded fun.
"Alright my cuties~ stay safe, they are not that strong, but they could be a higher tier so make sure to do the job thoroughly." Freja, clicking her fingers, teleported out of the room to prepare the springs and left the girls toplete the mission.
*Sigh* "So much new information, I feel like my head is going to explode." Ever since they arrived in the Freya forest they had been given so much new information and it was hard to keep up.
"You can say that again, this isn''t even the end since we still probably have more to talk about with Wolfy." Elysia was not having it as bad since she relied on Shaman for remembering the important details.
"I was still a little shocked to hear that I am rted to Freja." Wolfy did not expect to hear news about his origins and was rather excited to learn more.
"Well you will most likely get personal training from Freja so good luck on surviving." Shaman could only imagine the mental torture Wofly will go through by being around Freja all the time.
"Maybe I should just hide." Wolfy went into his shadow as thinking about being alone with Freja sounded like hell.
"Pffft, I am sure it won''t be that bad. At least you will be able to evolve soon." Shaman tried to salvage Wolfy''s mood and it seemed to work as he poked his head out from his shadow.
"True, hurry up then." Wolfy wanted to evolve as soon as possible since there was a good chance he would get his human form.
"Okay, okay we will get ready now, Elysia I will go talk to ra so no burning the ce down while I''m gone." Shaman stared at Elysia, asst time she was left alone a dungeon room was set aze.
"I-i, okay." Elysia lowered her head embarrassed.
"Good, now I will be back in a moment." Shaman got up and left the room to go speak with ra.
Chapter 139 Preparations Before The Night
?Shaman knocked on the door to ra''s room to inform her of the mission.
"Who is it?" ra called out wondering if it was a maid.
"It''s me Shaman, sorry to bother you so soon but Freja gave us a mission." Shaman slipped the piece of paper under the door that had the details of the mission and list of people to kill.
ra got up and picked up the paper reading through the details.
"What time?" ra slipped the piece of paper back under the door. It was also only noon, so she wanted to know how much time she had before they went out.
"Just as the sun is setting,e to my room." Shaman picked up the piece of paper and put it in her inventory.
"Take care, I will be going now" Knowing that ra still needed space, Shaman quickly left.
"Yep." ra quietly responded and went back to bed.
*
Shaman walked back into her room to find Kiruya hade to visit.
"Hey Shaman, I have got some things to give you for your mission. Freja realised you haven''t stepped outside the mansion so you will need a map." Kiruya let out an awkward chuckle.
"If you hadn''t realised we would have ended up running in circles so thank you Kiruya." Shaman only just realised that they would be lost and was grateful for Kiruya.
"No worries, although it wouldn''t be too hard to find since they live in small mansions. Also, please try and avoid coteral damage, not all nobles are bad and not all servants areplicit." Kiruyaid out the map of the city on the coffee table.
"I also took the liberty to mark the map for you, so you know which ces to go to." Kiruya pointed at different red markings on the map.
Elysia sat down to Kiruya''s side while Shaman jumped over the couch, sitting down on her other side.
Shaman and Kiruya did not think much of it, but Elysia was trying her best to keep calm.
''Don''t get angry, don''t get angry Elysiaaaa, everything is fine, we are just looking at a map.'' Elysia was now concentrating more on not exploding rather than the map itself.
"Is that everything you need to give us?" Shaman was wondering if there was more since personallying over to give them a map sounded time consuming.
"Nope, I have these crystals which will allow you to instantly teleport back here." Kiruya pulled out a grey crystal and handed them to Elysia and Shaman.
"Oh, well that reduces the stakes of the mission quite a bit." Shaman felt now that they were given a free get out of jail card, the mission was going to be easy.
"Well this will be the only one you will ever get since they take a year to make and only in batches of 4. Also if you''re wondering why only 4, we do not have enough mana to make any more than that." Kiruya gave a short exnation as these return stones were a one time use and scarce.
"I see, so we can use this anywhere in the world then?" Shaman was rather impressed with the hearthstone as she didn''t expect they would exist. Although they were one time use, it was nice to know they had a way to instantly return if they ever needed to.
"You could be in a different universe and it will return you back here so use it wisely. I already gave one to ra so don''t worry about not having enough."
"I understand, is there anything else we should know?" Shaman was eager to n their assassinations as she could only imagine how cool it would be to silently kill a target.
"Only that Freja has put a mark on you to allow you to bypass all the magic rms. You do not worry about tripping magic rms unless you are spotted. Although it''s an invasion of privacy, Freja made this mark so she could pay a visit to some noble women undetected, but don''t tell her I said that." Kiruya looked around for a moment just to make sure Freja wasn''t listening in
Shaman had no words as it sounded like something Freja would do.
"Freja has tried to make this as safe as possible to see how capable you are so don''t disappoint." Kiruya stood up and went to their door before turning around.
"Good luck on your first mission, I don''t want to see my new friends die so quickly."
"Aha, we are not that hopeless, don''t worry, we will be back in one piece." Shaman waved and Kiruya exited the room while waving back.
Once Kiruya had left Elysia fell back in her seat in relief.
"Finally!" Elysia was already mentally exhausted from trying to fight the urge to strangle Kiruya.
"You did great, sorry I didn''t realise sitting next to her would cause you to stress out that much." Shaman realised she was rather physically close to Kiruya which probably meant Elysia was focusing on controlling herself instead of what was being said.
"It''s so hard to control these emotions, it''s basically be an instinct for me to feel this way." Elysia was frustrated at herself, since she wanted to improve herself but it was such a difficult task.
"Well since we have a mission tonight I won''t be able to reward you, but whenever we have a free night you can cash in." Shaman felt bad for Elysia. They haven''t been able to do anything and when they were about to, it got interrupted.
Elysia''s mood got better as she was wondering what was going to happen tonight and was d to hear it will still happen when they are free.
"Don''t get your hopes up too much, never know we may be killing these nobles for a few nights." Shaman did not want Elysia to get her hopes up as it may be a week till they get to do something.
"T-true, there are about 20 people on that list and we have no idea how long each kill will take." Elysia was a little disappointed but nheless still looked forward to that night.
"Speaking of which, they are all tier 6 - 7 but their level is lower than ours." Shaman found it odd that the nobles were high tier but were at such a pitiful level.
"Well, high tier does not necessitate high level. Remember how Wolfy started as level 1 but tier 4. Perhaps tier represents innate talent and levels represent actualbat experience?" Elysia guessed since they were nobles they might have higher innate talents.
"I guess, but you would think they would have to be somewhat strong to hold up as a noble. Wait nevermind, the guys in the human cities were rather trash." Shaman thought back to their time in Cholden and Victoria city. It dawned on her that they were rather low levels and power wasn''t the only merit to be a noble.
"But that would be weird, Because Freja seems rather strict and yet she lets them into her Empire?" Elysia saw Freja as someone who would be rather picky and wouldn''t let anyone who didn''t have a good character in.
"Well, as the acting queen of the Fox realm, she can''t just ignore pressing issues and shut out all the nobles in the absence of the true queen. Also, assuming it''s the nobles who leaked that the queen is missing, perhaps Freja wants them where she can keep tabs on them. That way it''s easier to fill the list of who must be taken care of"
"I wonder why no one is making a big deal that Freja has taken over for the Queen, perhaps she''s been increasing her influence even before these events and people simply assumed this is just her consolidating her power." Elysia started getting annoyed at the political mess they''ve been dragged into.
"Let''s try to go the stealth route. If we kill them before they see us we won''t have to listen to their excuses." Shaman could already see the headache if they let them go on a monologue.
"Anyway let''s see if we can get some dark clothes because I''m not sure about this bright red shirt and my other white shirt is not ideal for stealth either." Shaman knew she had her shadow skills but wanted to dress the part as she found it rather cool.
Elysia nodded and they both got up to get some clothes, leaving Wolfy behind.
''Wish I could evolve already.'' Wolfy had dozed off thinking about his evolution while Shaman and Elysia talked about the nobles. He hadn''t even realised they left the room before falling asleep peacefully on the bed.
Chapter 140 Ninja Cosplay
? ?Shaman and Elysia had gotten into full ck cloth bodysuits that they requested from a maid. Their body waspletely covered up with ck up to the neck. They let their hair loose, and fit their tails through the designated small hole in their attire.
They also learnt that tailoring has its own magic. One of the mansion''s maids could even create whole clothes with it as long as she has the materials.
Shaman and Elysia even watched the clothes be made in front of their eyes in only a few minutes.
"I have to say they get the measurements perfect, and it''s made with magic, I can''t imagine how much skill it takes." Shaman who was looking at herself in the mirror could not help thinking how precise the maid must be to use magic like this.
"Well, aren''t they a bit skin-tight?" Elysia was a little embarrassed as her curves were on full disy because of the ninja outfit Shaman had got them.
"Fufu~ but you look sexy, so I don''t see the issue here." Shaman enjoyed looking at Elysia.Even if they weren''t going to use stealth, Shaman would probably get Elysia to wear it.
"These ''ninja'' outfits don''t seem very effective plus your white tail sticks out even more now." Elysia blushed and tried to change the topic away from her body.
"That''s alright ra should have some ck dye for us to use."
"These outfits are great for nighttime and it''s not like we don''t have skills we can use for stealth." Shaman quickly used her [Shadow cloak] and appeared behind Elysia.
Shaman then grabbed Elysia from behind, pulling her to the ground in a hold.
"Ah~" Elysia let out a moan from the sudden grab around her neck.
"I was trying to prove a point, but it seems like I just turned you on instead." Shaman wanted to show that there would be no problems with her shadow skills.
"S-sorry but I''m just a little pent up that''s all." Elysia held her face as she had no control over it. Pretty much anything Shaman might do to Elysia will trigger her at this point.
"Doing it while killing people. I wonder how that will work." Shaman''s thoughts wandered for a moment, identally speaking out loud.
"SHAMAN!" Elysia yelled out to stop her as if they continued Elysia felt like she would lose control.
"Oops sorry." Shaman let go of Elysia and stood back up. Elysia sat on the floor taking deep breaths trying to calm herself down.
*knock* *knock*
"Hey, it''s ra, am I interrupting something again." ra was at the door and heard what was going on. She could not help feeling like she was stopping another one of their sessions again.
"Oh yese in, don''t worry I was just toying with Elysia." Shaman tried toe up with an excuse to exin the moan and Elysia calling out her name.
ra walked in her usual dress and was a bit shocked to see what they were wearing. She was almost convinced that they were in the middle of something, and she just walked in on it.
"I see you have taken interest in the outfit, do not worry I got one made just for you." Shaman reached in her inventory pulling out a ninja costume for ra.
ra took a step back and was conflicted about what she should do.
''Am I putting it on for Shaman or is this actually for the mission.'' ra was still unsure if this was cosy or if Shaman was being serious.
"With this, we will be able to hide better in the dark and thanks to my stealth skills we can get past any light undetected." Shaman had a proud smile as she thought it was a rather ingenious idea.
All ra could do at this point was to take the clothes and put them on. ra took the full suit and went to the bathroom to get changed.
"Also, can you give me the dye you bought?" Shaman almost forgot but remembered before ra went into the bathroom.
ra took out the dye and threw it to Shaman before shutting the bathroom door.
Shaman then took the opportunity to apply the dye to her hair while she waited for ra.
*
ra walked out of the bathroom with the ninja clothes on. Just like Elysia, her curves were on full disy and Shaman had to look away otherwise Elysia might assume the worst.
"S-so how do I look?" ra waspletely red and felt rather exposed despite being fully clothed.
"You look amazing, now that we are dressed and it is getting dark, I think it''s time we head out." Shaman wanted it to be dark as soon as possible so it would be hard to see their figure, keeping them from getting distracted in the middle of the mission.
ra, getting a bit of confidence, walked to the door where Elysia was waiting. Shaman looked over and seeing the 2 together caused her to blush. Shaman turned away holding her nose, not regretting getting the outfits.
"Shaman? Are you okay? Elysia was concerned as every time Shaman would look over, she would turn away. This made Elysia feel a little self-conscious.
''Does she not like it?'' Elysia looked down at herself feeling a little down, but when Shaman turned around with a bright red face, the reason became crystal clear.
"Y-yeah I''m fine." Shaman tried her best to keep calm and not freak out.
"Eh? Are you sure?" Elysia went up to Shaman with a smirk knowing full well Shaman was having a hard time. ra sighed and walked out of the room as she did not want to watch them flirt. Wolfy, who was sitting on the bed trying to ignore the scene, had also given up and followed ra out.
"AHHH, no stop!" Shaman quickly went into her [Spatial rift] and left the room to avoid Elysia''s assault.
**
On a wall that bordered the mansion stood 3 girls and a wolf. The sky had already gonepletely dark, making it very hard to see anyone on top of the wall. They gazed upon Freya Forest, which looked like a small suburban town that felt quite familiar to Shaman. The mansion was also elevated, making it only slightly lower than the top of the trees. The mainsion''s hill ended with a small cliff, but it was something you could easily slide down.
''Seeing as there are so many simrities, there must have been hundreds of people who were transported here before me, integrating our world''s culture with this one.'' Shaman now saw every simrity as the product of another person who had been transported.
"Ahem, now that we are outside, can you see why it is effective." Shaman cleared her throat and pointed towards the dark streets, which were only barely lit by crystal light.
"You are right, and I guess when nobody can see you, it doesn''t matter what you look like." ra was not a fan of other people seeing her and was now relieved that she was basically invisible.
"Damn." Elysia wanted to tease Shaman more but seeing as they were on a mission and it was too dark to show off, she couldn''t.
"Anyway, our first target is a level 20 tier 7 lion. He lives in a building with a lion''s head at the front, who would have thought." Shaman read out the first target on the list while Elysia looked at the map and found a building that was marked with a lion.
"Kiruya''s markings have made this much easier." Elysia was grateful as it had made finding the building a lot easier.
"Alright let''s make our way over." Shaman and everyone else jumped off the outer walls of the mansion. They all slid down the cliffnding at the base, then started to run in the direction of the target''s house, using the mansion as an anchor point.
*
Thanks to Rea, they were able tomunicate with each other without speaking a word.
ra had found the mansion and was standing on the roof of the opposing house, waiting for everyone else to arrive.
Wolfy came out of the Shadows, Shaman popped out of the rift and Elysia climbed up the side of the building.
"This looks like the ce." Shaman cringed a little as the lion at the front of the mansion was clearly a statue of the person they were trying to kill.
"Why would they get a statue of themselves? I can understand maybe Freja, but he''s just some run of the mill noble. He must have some ego." Elysia found the ce rather ugly, as the more they looked through the garden, the more things they found that resembled the target''s face.
"If I was Freja I definitely would want to kill this guy, I can''t begin to imagine this person''s personality." ra already did not feel any sympathy for their target and wanted to burn the entire ce down.
"Alright let''s not waste any time. The quicker we kill the targets the quicker we can rx hopefully." Shaman, wanting more time to rx, hoped that after clearing this mission they would get a little bit more free time.
Chapter 141 Assassination
?"Well, seeing as we have free ess thanks to Freja''s security bypassing mark, we just walk right in?" Elysia was unsure if the mark would really work.
"We don''t have much choice, I will use [Shadow walk] to get us in." Shaman grabbed Elysia and ra''s hand before activating [Shadow walk]. Wolfy jumped off the roofnding on the ground entering his own [Shadow walk].
They all slipped past the gate going past many statues of the target, each passing statue raising their urge to destroy. The girls opinion of their target was at an all time low and they were rather happy that they were killing this noble.
Guards wandered the premises all being half lions. When Shaman inspected them, she found they were stronger than the noble.
[Bob]
Race - Lion
Tier 7 - level 100
''That''s kinda sad, you would think in this kind of world, people with power would actually have some kind of fighting power.'' Shaman found it rather pitiful that the guards were a higher level than the noble.
They continued to go through the front garden, making sure they were not too obvious as seeing a moving shadow in the light is rather easy.
They made it to the front door, which had a lion''s face for a handle, but since they were in a shadow they slipped under the door. Thankfully no rms went off and they assumed that the mark must be working.
Inside the mansion everything was decorated in orange and gold which was not pleasing to look at. On one side of the hall there was a set of stairs going up with a doorway underneath. To the right were some rooms and a half-cat maid could be seen walking out of them.
Since ra and Elysia had no control on where they went, Shaman had to make the decision on where to go.
''There is probably a door with his face on it.'' Shaman guessed by how his face was everywhere, his room most likely had some gold version of his face on the door.
Moving up the stairs Shaman was instantly met with a door that had a golden version of the target''s face.
''You can''t be serious.'' Shaman was utterly unimpressed as the target''s ego must extend further than Freja''s libido.
Elysia and ra who were watching as well, were also pondering how far gone the target was.
Wolfy who followed behind them was rather disturbed by the constant imagery of the target.
While hiding in a shadow out in front of the door, a cat maid rushed out half naked screaming.
"Ohe on don''t be scared~" A male''s voice came from the room.
The cat maid kept running with clothes in hand.
The girls were now at their tipping point for how much they can bear the half lion. Even Elysia who only cared for Shaman was rather aggravated by what she just saw.
"What a shame." The half lion shook his head while putting on some clothes.
Shaman moved into the bedroom with haste and went into a dark corner of the room.
Wolfy stayed outside the room to keep watch and let Shaman know if anyone came near.
The bedroom itself was once again furnished in the red and gold theme, but this time there were paintings of the lion all over the walls. This made the girls want to throw up as everytime they thought it couldn''t get worse, it did.
The half lion turned as he thought he saw something move across the ground but found nothing out of the ordinary. He found it suspicious but did not think much of it.
However, soon after he saw it a second time and this time he took it more seriously.
"Who goes there, you face the great Maximus Maxor jr the second!!!" The half lion yelled out his name to whatever being was in his room.
"Who names their child that?" Shaman appeared behind the half-lion confused as she wasn''t even sure which part of it was his name.
"Wha- who are you!" The half lion turned around to find a fox girl in a fully cloth body suit.
"Me? You could say I provide the end of the road services." Shaman wanted to toy with him but it ended up back firing.
"Services? What kind of services?" The half lion licked his lips and Shaman looked at him with disgust.
"Go to hell!" Shaman pulled out Kotetsu and stabbed the man in the heart.
Elysia and ra had alsoe out of the shadow behind the half lion stabbing him in the back.
"Garrghhhhh!" The lion gritted his teeth as blood poured out of his mouth.
Unable to speak from the amount of blood that filled his mouth, he slowly died trying to get hisst words out.
The half lion''s body finally went limp and the girls pulled away their weapons.
"Thankfully he is dead, what an awful name as well." Elysia looked at the dead half lion on the floor in disgust.
"We should try to steal his money as well while we are here." ra thought back to the door under the stairs which possibly led to the basement.
"Good idea, let''s steal this man''s fortune and move on to the next target." Shaman liked the idea of no longer having money troubles as stealing directly from a noble''s personal vault surely had enough tost them forever.
Wolfy came into the room quickly popping out of the shadows.
"We have to leave!" Wolfy quickly jumped into [Shadow walk] after delivering his message.
Shaman quickly grabbed a hold of Elysia and ra pulling them into [Shadow walk]. They quickly hid themselves in the shadows and as they did, a group of guards rushed through the door. Each of the guards looked exactly the same making it impossible to tell who is who.
"Sir Maxor!" one of the guards ran to Maxor''s dead body checking if he was dead.
"H-he is dead." The half lion guard spoke these words and a relieved look was seen on everyone.
"Finally! We are free from this bastard."
"If it wasn''t for the high pay I wouldn''t have even bothered taking the job."
"We should let the maids know, I''m sure they will be happy to hear they are free from this filthy bastard."
Each of the guards spoke leaving the girls a little dumbfounded.
''I guess nobody will be missing this Maxor guy.'' Shaman thought there would have been a sad emotional response not a happy one.
''No matter, at least people are happy.'' Shaman knew some would be happy but she did not expect everyone to celebrate the noble''s death.
"Quick, let''s split his money before it gets taken away." One of the guards suggested taking the money and a smile appeared on all their faces. Without hesitating they all ran to the mansion''s vault.
''DAMNIT!'' The girls in unison mentally screamed as they wanted to take the money for themselves, but they couldn''t take it away from the guards who sounded like they were struggling.
''I guess we just have to rob the next noble.'' Mentally sighing in defeat, Shaman made her way to the window escaping the mansion unnoticed.
*
The girls and Wolfy emerged on the same roof from which they infiltrated the mansion when Shaman fell to the ground. Shaman was exhausted and needed a moment to regen her mana as moving 2 other people was quite taxing. Wolfy took this opportunity to sit down next to Shaman and use her back as a head rest.
"I really wanted that money." Shaman had alreadye to terms with it, but she still wanted toin.
"Not much we can do plus they need it more than us. At least we have Freja who can probably buy us anything we want." ra was keen on getting the money, but she also considered how Freja is a tier 10 and probably has a bigger fortune than the entire Freya forestbined.
"True, but Freja is scary." Elysia found Freja to be rather intimidating and would rather not ask her.
"We could always ask Kiruya, She seems to act like her secretary." Shaman saw Kiruya as the person to talk to about anything Freja rted, so Shaman figured they could ask her.
"She is definitely a lot more approachable." ra agreed with Elysia that Freja was rather intimidating and that Kiruya sounds much better to ask for things.
"Anyway, we should figure out where our next target is." Shaman was stillying on the floor, but knew they really shouldn''t be wasting any time.
"Oh yes, well the next target is just a street over and this time we are dealing with a half insect." ra looked at the target list reading out their next target info.
"A prey mantis who is also a tier 7 and is around level 60, his mansion is all green with dangerous nts outside the mansion and deadly traps on the inside." ra read out the information and already saw this being harder.
"Well, let''s hope we can just zoom past the traps with Shaman''s shadow walk." Elysia was unsure if this would be just as easy or did they have to be more careful.
"We will just have to find out. At least killing him will be easy. It''s a shame they are not higher in level, otherwise we could have gotten some levels." Shaman found that the lion gave a pitiful amount and that tier did not seem to factor in exp gain unlike the level.
"Just give me a few more minutes then we can head out." Shaman was not too worried for the next target since she could go solo if needed to.
''Let''s hope these aforementioned traps are not triggered by shadow walk like Elysia said.''
Chapter 142 Pitiful Guards
?The group found themselves in front of another mansion that looked like it was owned by a botanist. The entire ce was covered in nts, with many nts looking rather exotic and dangerous.
"Seeing as there are a lot of nts and bushes, surely this works in our favour as it will be impossible to see the shadow." Elysia did not like the look of some of the nts and would rather sit it out than get all tangled up.
? "Well I doubt they can sense mana so we should be able to get through the garden rather easily." Shaman was rather doubtful that nts could affect her so she figured it should be fine.
"We just have to take the path to the door, it isn''t like we are going through the garden." ra also thought there was no need to worry about the nts as they werepletely avoidable.
"True, let''s not waste anymore time then." Shaman grabbed Elysia and ra''s hands pulling them into [Shadow walk] while Wolfy used his own.
As expected they got past the gate with no rms and were now on the main path to the front door.
''So far so good, but something doesn''t feel right.'' Shaman felt a little uneasy so she proceeded to move slowly towards the front door.
Even as Shaman got closer to the door, the uneasy feeling would not go away.
''Why am I feeling like this now.'' Shaman trusted her abilities to keep her hidden, especially after being able to not get murdered by the pope.
Shaman got closer to the door, when she noticed the world around her started to spin.
''Oh fuck.'' Realising that they were being affected by a sort of drug, Shaman tried to move back.
''I thought we were not affected by the outside, but I guess we wouldn''t be able to breathe if my skills were to cut off oxygen.'' Shaman didn''t expect nature to be their worst enemy. Toote she realised [Shadow walk] was only effective against mana based elements, and was therefore useless against chemicals and other natural phenomena.
''Wish I knew that sooner-.'' Shaman felt light headed and ended up passing out releasing [Shadow walk].
Shaman, ra and Elysia appeared on the main path passed out from the gas.
Wolfy whogged behind freaked out as he was unsure what the hell happened. He was about toe out of the ground until he saw a noble with a snake''s head opening the front door.
"My, my some sneaky vixens and a demon girl this time, how many thieves do they have to send before they understand it is almost impossible to steal my nts." The half snake walked up to the girls with half snake guards in suits following behind her. The guards picked up the girls and started to drag them inside.
"Make sure to get as much information out of them, they have been sending a lot of low levelstely so standard chains should be fine." The half snake gave orders as they walked back inside.
Wolfy wanted to follow them in but he was still unsure if he would end up knocked out as well.
''Damn it what do I dooooo.'' Wolfy was freaking out. Since he was always following Shaman''s lead, he wasn''t the most battle savvy.
''There must be another way in.'' Wolfy looked around, but the only path led to the front door as everything else was just a massive garden.
''Lets try getting behind the building.'' Wolfy backtracked making his way behind the building to find a way in.
**
Shaman suddenly woke up as she felt cold water be sshed on her face. She found herself handcuffed, but from the sudden jolt of being woken up she broke them.
Shaman wiped her face while getting up from the ground, breaking the shackles which bound her feet in the process. This time Shaman noticed and looked at the floor to see the broken pair of shackles.
''Wait, where am I?'' Shaman looked around, noticing Elysia and ra who were also cuffed to the ground, as well as a bunch of guards looking at Shaman dumbfounded.
The guards snapped out of it and pulled out their weapons, getting ready to restrain Shaman again.
"Oh, how nice of you to wee me." Shaman summoned Kotetsu and unsheathed it.
The guards were surprised to see the sword appear out of nowhere, which finally made them realise that the fox girl in front of them was a lot stronger than they thought.
Shaman inspected all the guards finding they were the same tier and level as the guards in the lion''s mansion.
''I may be just barely stronger in level, but I shouldn''t underestimate them.'' Shaman was up against at least 4 guards, which was rather daunting. Not knowing if they use an element added anotheryer of danger.
''I should just try to be as quick as possible. They don''t know how strong I am guessing from their reaction, so I better take advantage of that.'' wanting to reduce the numbers, Shaman made the first move.
Shaman used her spatial rift to appear behind one of the guards in an instant decapitating the half snake''s head.
Shaman used her other hand to create an ice spear and threw it towards another guard, who was able to just redirect the spear, only getting clipped in the shoulder. Shaman went back into the rift this time appearing in between the guards.
Shaman covered her sword in mes and spun around spreading her fire across the room. Shaman made sure to not spew any mes towards Elysia or ra by putting up a water wall in their direction. Whenever an ember hit the water wall it would fizzle out, bing harmless.
The fire did not kill any of them, but it was good enough a distraction to allow Shaman to kill another guard. Shaman ran up to a guard who was using his own water element to put out the fire. Covering her sword in wind, she created a chainsaw effect, which moved with enough intensity to be visible to the naked eye.
This also amplified any mes near the de making it harder to put out.
Shaman sliced the guard in half with ease and jumped into her rift once again.
Just as she jumped into the rift, one of the guards summoned an earth spike right under where she stood. Knowing she might appear behind them, he also preemptively created a spike behind him and the other remaining guard.
However, to their surprise she did not instantly appear again. The guards assumed Shaman was using some kind of instant teleportation skill, not a dimensional shift, and therefore were surprised when they failed to locate her.
"Shit where is she?" The guard looked around the room, but was unable to see her.
"Maybe she ran?" It wasn''t umon for them to see a foe that was unaffected by the sleeping agent to run away.
"Maybe she could be above you?" Shaman wanted to have a little fun as these guards were doing a poor job at fighting.
"Good point, wait who said that?" The guard looked up and saw a pair of fox ears vanish into the shadows.
"Shit she is in the walls!" The guard then started manipting the walls and roof to try to pull her out, not knowing it was pointless.
The other guard, being unable to do anything, pushed his back against the other guard''s back to make sure they had little to no blind spots.
Shaman who had changed to using [Shadow walk] went underneath the guards, poking out her ck dyed fox ears again.
Shaman then poked up with her sword, which was covered in fire, stabbing the guard in the ass and setting him on fire. Shaman quickly pulled her sword back and moved away from the ground.
"AHHH!" the guard screamed while patting his ass to try and put out the mes.
The screams woke up ra, who was still being protected by the water wall Shaman left up.
Waking up in a bit of a daze broke the weak handcuffs without even trying.
"Who the fuck is making all that noise." ra did not appreciate being woken up in such a way so she became rather grumpy.
After looking around she realised that she wasn''t in her room and was actually in some sort of dungeon with cobblestone walls.
"No wonder my back hurts." ra got up from the ground stretching. She saw that Elysia was still asleep and that there were 2 guards fighting for their life.
''Looks like Shaman is toying with them.'' ra saw that one of them was running around with their ass on fire.
"Oi Shaman let me have a shot." ra knew Shaman was probably in the room somewhere and just as she assumed Shaman''s head poked out of the wall next to ra.
"Sure, I had my fun, they are rather weak despite having a high level, which makes me think they boosted their level." Shaman was rather disappointed in theck of a challenge, but was also grateful.
"Perfect, well lets hope it stays that way. Still, this doesn''t excuse the fact that we were caught. We really need to be careful next time, otherwise we won''t be so lucky." ra was d it was easy but they could have been killed on the spot.
"You''re right, next time let''s be more careful and not be so reliant on me and Wolfy''s shadow skills. Now go have your fun, they will soon realise you are awake." Shaman disappeared back into the wall to watch.
ra smiled and pulled out her de whips from her inventory, slowly approaching the guards.
Chapter 143 Burning The Garden Down
?ra''s whip des dragged along the floor bringing the 2 guards to finally notice her. Lightning crackled around ra as she walked up to them.
The guard that had been rather useless in dealing with Shaman sent a fireball toward ra.
ra kept moving forward as a loud crack of lightning boomed and the fireball was instantly destroyed. The guard paled, seeing ra''s sinister grin.
"My turn~." ra cracked her whips leaving deep cuts in the floor.
The earth guard put his hands on the ground raising spikes from both ground and roof, converging on where ra stood. A bolt of lightning, which should have been impossible indoors, crashed down on ra, leaving her spot empty as if she disappeared.
One of ra''s whip des swung around the fire guard''s neck and the other shed the earth guard''s back. The earth guard fell to the ground in pain while turning his head to see where ra was.
"Now let me ask you some questions and if you don''t answer his head goes flying." ra slightly tightened the des and blood started dripping from the fire guard''s neck.
"Like I would tell you anything!" The earth guard couldn''t care less about the fire guard. Even if he did, they were bound by a contract, so he was not allowed to speak unless he wanted to die from the curse of binding.
''What a shame." Without any hesitation, ra pulled on her whips and cut the fire guard''s head off.
"Now let''s have some fun~." ra stepped on the guard''s back where she cut him.
"Arggghhhh!" The guard grunted in pain, disrupting his focus and leaving him unable to use his spells.
"I will give you one more chance, are you going to answer my questions?" While saying this, ra twisted her foot, making him scream some more.
"Burn in hell bitch!" The guard insulted ra in onest act of defiance.
"Saying that to a demon, how ironic." ra retracted her de-whip back to its sword form and stabbed it directly into the guard''s heart.
''ra is kinda scary when she fights people.'' Shaman who was watching from the shadows was a little terrified of ra.
*sigh* "What a hassle, did not even bother to hear me out." ra whipped off the blood on her whips.
"What were you going to ask?" Shaman poked her head from the roof wondering what she was going to say.
"I was going to be funny and ask how his day was, but it seems like they are hiding something." ra, wanting to get a goodugh from seeing the confused guard''s face, found out that there may be something very valuable hidden.
"Also he may have been bound by some sort of contract, I have seen them before and they put a seal on you to make sure you do not spill any information. This is used a lot when hiring people to better protect the master''s secrets." ra guessed this was the reason why the guard refused to talk, which would indicate that there is something special in the mansion.
"I see, let''s try to get it out of the noble snake, but I think we will have somepany soon." Shaman could hear running outside what she believed to be a basement, indicating a bunch of guards were rushing in.
Elysia had also woken up and just like Shaman and ra broke the chains that were holding her down.
"Where the hell am I?" Elysia, waking up a little dazed, tried to gain her bearings.
''Hey sweetie~ we were tied up by some snake men who are about to rush into the room, do you want to kill them?" Shaman quickly went to Elysia''s side and while she exined what happened a bunch of guards barged in.
"Wait, we were tied up?" Elysia looked down to see broken handcuffs and shackles on the ground.
"Yep."
"Did they touch you?"
"How else would they tie me up?" Shaman, taking advantage of Elysia''s protectiveness, made sure her anger was directed at the guards who entered.
Elysia''s face went dark and Shaman could feel a sudden spike in mana.
"I''m allowed to burn the ce down right?"
"Yes, we are allowed to." Shaman gulped as she didn''t quite know what kind of destruction Elysia was going to do.
''Maybe getting that item ra mentioned will no longer be possible.'' Shaman believed that there was a high chance of it being destroyed, especially if Elysia goes through the entire mansion killing everyone.
Shaman walked back, going next to ra to watch the show that was about to happen.
"Uhh, that item may be ashes by the end of this."
"Oh well, looks like we really will end up asking Freja for money." ra felt like this was going to be a repeating theme of losing the riches of their kills.
"Yeahhhh." Shaman did not want to admit it, but at this rate, they would have to if they wanted to get things from the auction house.
A group of 6 guards rushed in, all holding different kinds of weapons.
Shaman was worried for Elysia, but seeing as how destructive she can be, Shaman figured it would be okay.
Elysia pulled out her spear and mes bursted all around her. Elysia''s eyes glowed red and the guards felt a wave of fear.
mes wrapped themselves around Elysia''s spear while she took a stance ready tounch herself at the guards.
The guards readied their weapons and started conjuring up some spells tounch at her.
"Die."
Elysia pushed the ground with all her strength and dashed towards the guards, surprising them with her speed.
Elysia stabbed her spear into the first guard''s head and let the mes burst out from her weapon, setting the entire guard''s body on fire. A few of the guards swung at Elysia but were blocked by a fire wall.
A guard who had the water element started filling the room with water, but what he did not expect was Elysia''s mes being so hot that any water that went near her got vaporised.
Elysia spun the spear in her hands for a moment before throwing the spear towards the water guard. The guard was unable to dodge the spear and had to take the hit.
The spear pierced through his chest pinning him against the wall. Upon contact with the wall, the spear exploded with mes, roasting the guard. More of the guards tried to throw spells of their own with one sending a wind sh.
Elysia made a bow out of mes, using it to fire an arrow towards the wind sh. The arrow made contact with the wind sh overpowering it thanks to its higher mana concentration, and feeding off its winds, bing even more powerful. The arrow made a hole right through the wind guard''s face, killing him instantly.
Another guard using the earth element tried to trap Elysia in an earth dome. Elysia, being unable to move, got caught in the dome and the guard mentally celebrated.
However, just as he was about to tighten the dome cracks started to form around the dome. Trying to speed up the process, the guard tried topress the dome, but before it could get any smaller, the dome was smashed open.
Elysia had punched through the earth dome, her hands covered with blood. The earth guard was in awe at how she was able to punch out through rock.
Elysia quickly went to her spear, pulling it out of the wall while covering it in mes. She turned and red at the 3 guards that remained making them all flinch. One of the female guards decided to make a run for it, but before they could reach the door a firewall blocked the entrance.
Elysia stabbed the startled guard from behind, piercing through her chest and burning her insides. The woman guard rolled on the floor screaming in pain as she was burnt inside out. Elysia flicked the blood off her spear while slowly walking towards the 2 remaining guards.
Wanting to finish things off quickly Elysia did something simr to her exploding arrows and condensed the mes on the spear to the tip.
The guards fell back not knowing what to do as it was a one-sided massacre.
Elysia, doing onest dash forward, stabbed into the stomach of the earth guard setting off the condensed me.
Elysia, never being able to gauge how much power she puts into her spells, caused a massive explosion within the basement. A massive fire pir rose from the ground, killing the other guard.
The roof of the basement was destroyed, exposing what was above them which seemed to be the garden.
"Elysia! I know we can burn the ce down, but I thought you weren''t actually going to." Shaman called out as she didn''t expect her to cause as much destruction with how she was fighting and figured the ce was not going to burn down.
Elysia by now killed all the guards and returned back to her "normal" self, losing the deathly re.
"Oops, I may have started burning the garden down." Elysia looked up and saw a fire was beginning, but she had no regrets.
Chapter 144 Raising The Flames
?"Elysia, just burn the ce down." Shaman gave up on trying to continue things as discreetly as possible.
"Really?" Elysia was shocked to hear Shaman as it was rather rare for them to let loose.
"Go ahead." Shaman sighed as she contemted this being a more effective way of dealing with the nobles.
"Mother?" Wolfy''s voice suddenly rang out from above as he appeared from the hole.
"Wolfy?" Shaman looked up and saw him poking his head through the hole in the roof.
Wolfy, seeing that it was Shaman, jumped down the hole. Afternding he went up to Shaman, getting on his back legs and licking Shaman''s face.
Shaman was surprised as it was a first for Wolfy to do this. Wolfy, realising what he was doing, quickly backed away and turned his head.
"I-i don''t know what came over me." Wolfy lowered his head embarrassed.
"Aww, Wolfy, that was so cute!" Shaman found Wolfy adorable, knowing it was rare for Wolfy to show this level of affection.
Shaman went up to Wolfy and started to give him pats just for how adorable he was. Wolfy''s tail wagged as Shaman was patting him. Meanwhile, ra was holding back the urge to pat Wolfy as well.
"Can I burn the ce down while you y with Wolfy?" Elysia was more eager to cause destruction and kill their target.
"Yes, go on ahead." Shaman waved Elysia off, who immediately dashed off up the stairs.
Elysia covered her spear in fire and dragged it along the wall leaving a trail of fire.
Shaman had stopped patting Wolfy and turned to ra who was patiently waiting.
"Seeing as Elysia will be taking care of the target, did you want to get out of here and watch the building burn to the ground?" Shaman thought they may as well just watch from a distance while they waited for Elysia to finish.
"Sounds good to me." ra liked the sound of it, but also was worried about how Elysia would react to them going off on their own.
''Hope Elysia doesn''t murder me.'' ra felt uneasy, but it seemed that over time Elysia had opened up to ra making her safer from Elysia''s wrath.
Deciding to take the hole as their way of escape, Shaman made adder out of ice. Wolfy, being unable to climb, went into a shadow on Shaman''s body.
Climbing out of the hole, Shaman was met with a garden that was slowly burning away. Wolfy got out of Shaman''s shadow and ra climbed out of the hole.
"I thought it would be more violent, but I guess the best of it is yet toe." ra thought the mini jungle around the mansion would be up in a ze.
"I will kickstart the mes a bit more then." Shaman clicked her fingers and fire appeared in her hands. Throwing small balls of fire around the garden started to create bigger fires.
"That should do it, now let''s leave before we are surrounded by mes." Shaman knowing this mission was too far gone decided to add more fire to the mix.
The small fire that was slowly burning the garden had turned into a proper bushfire.
Shaman, ra and Wolfy ran out of the garden, this time not passing out from the nts. By the time they reached the front of the mansion, the fire behind them was gettingrger and more violent.
Jumping over the fence, Shamannded and pulled ra into [Shadow walk]. Going up the wall of the building they re-emerged from the shadow just before they started the infiltration.
"Now let us sit back and watch the show." Shaman came out of [Shadow walk] and sat on the edge of the building. ra, taking the risk, sat next to Shaman, but not too close for safety measures.
Wolfy came out of his own [Shadow walk] and sat on the other side of Shaman.
"Hopefully she doesn''t attract any more attention." ra thought how a massive fire at a noble''s mansion was going to cause a lot of eyes to be drawn to it.
"Well if Freja said we can go this route, I''m sure it would be fine." Shaman was not confident, but she believed in Freja''s words.
"Hopefully." ra looked through one of the windows of the mansion just as a burst of mes came through them.
"Looks like it started." Shaman knew it was Elysia and that the inevitable destruction had begun.
***
Elysia emerged from under the staircase into a hall that was filled with more nts and overgrowth. The hall also looked identical to that of the lions but the decor represented that of the snake.
''Now let''s find this snake.'' Elysia made it to arge hall only to find a bunch of guards waiting there for her.
One guard attempted to sh Elysia from behind with a sword, but was blocked by a fire wall. Elysia spun with her spear, sending it through the fire wall and shed across the guard''s chest.
Because her spear was covered in fire, it had also burned the half snake guard alive.
The guards around all flinched and were rather terrified of Elysia.
Elysia turned to face the 8 guards that all had their weapons drawn.
"Pffthahaha, this is going to be fun." Elysia spun the spear in her hands while stepping back. Her smile sent shivers down the guard''s spine as they thought she was insane.
Some of the guards were shaking, but one managed to build up the courage to move, charging at Elysia with an axe. The fear could be seen in his eyes, but desperation took over him.
Some of the other guards sent spells towards Elysia. A water wave, fireball and a wind sh were sent in her direction, trapping her from moving.
Elysia, being able to fully let loose, allowed her mes to go wild. mes started flying around her and the tip of her ears and tail were burning like candles.
Elysia, not caring for the spells that were fast approaching, dashed forward towards the axe wielding guard. Once in front of the guard, Elysia stabbed directly into his face, killing him and setting his head aze.
The elemental spells were fast approaching and Elysia had no time to move out of the way.
Elysia stood up straight and stomped her foot on the ground, creating a pir of fire around her. The spells hit the fire pir, but were ineffective. The mes were simply absorbed by her pir, while the water evaporated.
Elysia overloaded her fire pir with mana, creating a small explosion, breaking windows and setting fire to the mansion.
Elysia emerged from the mes, already partly transformed as she did in the dungeon. However, this time Elysia was in control and was not in a mindless craze.
Her transformation also enhanced the mes that were on her ears and tail making them more violent.
''It seems like I can use it, ever since fighting the skeleton knight I have been meaning to try it again.'' After fighting the skeleton knight, Elysia had seen a new skill pop up in her system about her transformation.
The guards fell down in fear at the sight of Elysia. Their legs gave out making it impossible for them to even run, making it easier for Elysia to kill them.
"Well I don''t have much time to waste so let''s get this done quickly." Elysia disappeared on the spot and reappeared back in front of the groups of guards.
Elysia covered her fist in fire, condensing the mes to make it an explosive punch.
The guards had no time to react and before they knew it, Elysia punched the floor.
An explosion erupted from Elysia''s fist, engulfing all the guards in the mes and turning them to ash in an instant. More of the mansion was set on fire and parts of the mansion started falling apart.
"Now where is that damned snake, let''s hope he hasn''t run away." Elysia turned to the stairs and started to run up, looking for the snake noble.
*
Most of the mansion was falling apart because of the fire, but since Elysia had control over the mes, they did not affect her and were easily shoved out of the way.
Elysia kicked away some fallen wood that was blocking a door and then opened it. The snake noble that was inside fell back realising that what came to "save" him was one of the girls he caught. The room was a study that had no windows and was filled with books from top to bottom. A single desk was in the middle with books sprawled across them.
"S-stay away." The snake noble was crawling backwards till he hit the bookshelf behind him.
Due to the mes, Elysia had caused, by the time the noble noticed something was wrong, the door had already jammed, making it impossible for him to leave.
"My, look at who we have here, why don''t we y with some fire." Elysia smiled while covering her hands in fire.
Chapter 145 Killing Spree
?"P-please s-spare me." The noble snake was currently being held by the neck.
Elysia slowly tightened her grip, slowly killing him. She also set her hands ame, burning the snake noble''s neck.
"Sorry, but you need to die." Elysia saw the life drain from the noble''s eyes. Deciding that she had her fun, she fully closed her hand into a fist, instantly finishing off the noble. Blood ran down Elysia''s hand and through the fur that covered her arm.
"Now that''s over with, let''s get out of here." Elysia, finishing off another target, now needed a way to escape the mansion. Doing what she does best Elysia went up to one of the back bookshelves and condensed the mes on her fist.
Elysia punched the wall causing an explosion which turned the bookshelf and the wall behind it to ash.
A st of fire erupted from the back of the mansion, followed by a fox girling out of the hole.
Elysia got onto the roof of the mansion to look for Shaman, which Elysia assumed would be waiting outside. Spotting Shaman sitting on the roof of a side building, watching over the front of the mansion, Elysia ran in her direction, then jumped off the edge of the roof.
Shaman spotted Elysiaing in her direction and saw that she was in her fox form.
''Damn, she looks cool.'' Shaman was in awe of Elysia''s new form. Despite taking a more beastly look, the fire that came off her fur made her look like a video game character.
Elysianded in the garden which waspletely covered in mes, but she was able to move the mes out of the way creating her own path out.
Jumping over the fence, Elysia made it below Shaman and started to climb up the side of the building. Once Elysia was at the top sheunched herself at Shaman giving her a hug while turning back to her humanoid form.
Shaman fell back as Elysia jumped on her, waiting for praise.
"I assume you managed to kill the target?" Shaman just wanted to make sure she did not just cause a house fire and left without finishing the job.
"Crushed his neck like I was scrunching up paper." Elysia spoke in a cheerful voice, sounding extremely proud of what she did.
Shaman gulped and started patting Elysia, d that she was on their side.
"We should probably leave. I see people already trying to investigate what happened." ra heard the streets getting noisy as all the noise Elysia made woke people up.
"Should pick up the pace though, the quicker the better." Shaman wanted to move on as she still needed to choose her new element and memories of her past to go through.
"Don''t get too cocky! We were literally captured and could have possibly died." ra did not want Shaman getting ahead of herself as they only survived by pure luck.
"I decided we will no longer be discreet, we will just nuke the ces." Shaman gave up on being sneaky, since the loud and quick approach was easier.
"Didn''t Kiruya say keep the casualties to a minimum?" Elysia out of all people remembered a key detail Kiruya told them before they headed out. Elysia also sat up still on top of Shaman, but was no longer hugging her.
"..." Both ra and Shaman went silent for a moment before realising Elysia was the worst offender.
"Wait but you have killed the most people here?" Shaman was the first to point it out.
"I call it self defence." Elysia trieding up with an excuse.
"Technically they are the defenders." ra quickly refuted Elysia''s point as indeed they were the ones attacking them.
"Okay, okay how about we try to find the noble from the outside and try to kill him by sending a massive strike into that room." Shaman saw how most of the mansion had windows so if they could spot the noble, they could target that room with a skill and kill their target.
"Fine." ra could not oppose it as they all had long range capabilities, so killing the nobles would not be a problem.
Elysia nodded while averting her eyes as she could no longer argue that the guards needed to die.
"Alright let''s get moving, night time onlysts for so long." Shaman slid out from under Elysia''s legs and got up.
Pulling out the map, they oriented themselves and located the next target they had to kill.
*
The group shortly arrived at their next destination. This time they were dealing with a half rhino. The mansion had a grey theme with a lot of the building being made out of a grey stone.
"Alright let''s not waste any time." Shaman jumped off the roof and then over the fence.
Shaman and Elysia ran around one side of the mansion while ra and Wolfy ran around the other side looking through the windows for their target.
Shaman and Elysia were the first to find the target on the first floor of the mansion in some kind of dining room which had a massive window looking out the backyard. The half rhino sat at a table with a bunch of booksid out across it and looked like it was filling things in a journal.
''Why doesn''t he do it in a study?'' Shaman thought they would do this kind of thing in a more private space, but nheless it made things easier for them.
"Alright Elysia I will take this one, I will use [mesicon] and wipe him out in one blow." Shaman figured using her most powerful skill would do the trick and provide enough distraction for them to get away.
"Isn''t it kind of telegraphed when you use it? Won''t they notice?" Elysia remembered it took time for Shaman to cast the skill so seeing a bright fire outside a window would be kind of obvious.
"It''s an instant cast now don''t worry." Since Shaman was now able to handle the skill she could freely use.
Elysia did not question it and moved backwards to get out of her way.
Shaman got in position and took a deep breath before activating her skill.
Shaman pulled out Kotetsu and the gem on the hilt glowed a bright red. Shaman activated [de of mscion] and Kotetsu was engulfed in fire.
In an instant a massive de of fire was created, lighting up the area around Shaman.
Shaman rushed straight into the window, smashing her body through it. The half rhino had not realised what was happening and fell back into his seat as he watched Shaman.
Swinging her sword towards the half Rhino, a massive sh of fire flew towards him. The mes crashed right into him and mes engulfed the entire room. The half Rhino burnt to ash without even letting out a scream.
Shamannded on the floor and quickly dispelled her fire before she wasted any more mana. The guards were rushing to the room as the explosion had shook the building, drawing their attention to the dining room.
Shaman quickly jumped out of the window, returning to Elysia who was hiding in a bush.
"Let''s go." Shaman grabbed Elysia''s hand leading her to the back of the backyard before they jumped the fence.
Shaman sent a system message to ra to let her know where they were.
"How about we go in groups of 2?" Shaman thought it could be quicker if they split up instead of doing one by one.
"Since we canmunicate, if someone is in trouble we can always run over, so i don''t see why not." Elysia was not opposed as it would mean she would be alone with Shaman which was always ideal for her.
"Hey Rea, can we send images through the message thing." Shaman, who had not spoken to Rea in a while, finally acknowledged her existence.
[Oh, ummm yes I can do that for you.]
"Cool, send the map and list of targets to ra please."
[Sure can do]
Shaman was d that they did not have to meet up each time to see the map as ra and Shaman''s inventory were not connected.
''I wonder, how close do I have to get to ra before our inventory gets linked.'' Shaman knew entering a rtionshipbines your inventory, but did not know if that was the only way since she skipped a lot of steps with Elysia.
[Thank you Shaman, I assume you want us to head to a different target?] ra sent a message back asking about the map and list.
[Yes, I will head to the monkey. Just let me know which one you chose and if you need help shoot a message so me and Elysia can run over.]
[No worries]
Shaman was happy with the amount of progress they should be making if they keep up the pace.
''We might be able to finish tonight, although the sun may be rising by then.'' They had only killed 3 out of a long list of targets, but with 2 groups going they should be able to finish in time.
''Time to speedrun and hope we don''t run into any more trouble.''
Chapter 146 Chaos In Freya Forest
?"Alright Wolfy, let''s head to the half prey mantis." ra was on a side building next to the rhino mansion, looking at the map that Shaman sent through Reia.
Wolfy nodded, a little anxious that he isn''t with Shaman, but he trusted ra which helped him calm down.
ra quickly sent a message to Shaman on where she was going to make sure they didn''t cross paths.
"Let''s go." ra, with the map in front of her, started to run along the roofs of the buildings with Wolfy beside her.
*
Approaching a mansion that was bright green, ra saw some statues of prey mantises with a lot of vegetation around, telling her she was at the right ce.
"Alright Wolfy, I will run around the outskirts of the mansion and try to find the target through a window, but if he is nowhere to be found we will go in with your [Shadow walk]."
"What do you want me to do in the meantime?" Wolfy was unsure on what he should be doing.
"Either wait for me here or try to find a safe way in." ra did trust Wolfy''s skills, but she still wanted to keep him out of danger as much as possible.
Wolfy nodded and his tail started to wag, as he was going to be relied on which was rather rare for him.
ra found Wolfy adorable and could not resist giving him some head pats before jumping down.
"Good boy~" ra smiled at Wolfy and jumped off the roof,nding right by the fence.
Wolfy was filled with joy and was extremely determined to do his best.
Wolfy entered [Shadow walk] and went to investigate safe ways to enter the mansion.
*
ra ran around the mansion trying to find the target.
Unlike Shaman, ra was not able to spot him in any of the windows, with some being blocked by curtains.
''Looks like we have to sneak in.'' ra was at the back of the mansion, seeing if they could enter through a window.
In the back it was filled with bushes and vegetation, like a garden that has been unkempt for years, letting all the nts run wild.
''That window seems to be open, I need to get back to Wolfy so we can enter.'' ra wondered if Wolfy found another ce to enter which could be safer.
However, just as ra was about to head back to the roof there was rustling in the bush behind ra.
"Wolfy?" ra''s first thought was Wolfy, but it was odd as usually, he would appear at your feet not nearby.
What came out of the bush was not Wolfy but a half prey mantis. The prey mantis had the same arms and head as a prey mantis with the rest of the body being human. It also wore ab coat which indicated that it was not a bodyguard.
The prey mantis lunged at ra with its arms, in an attempt to kill her with one swift blow.
ra quickly went to pull out her whip des to block the attack, but due to the speed of the half prey mantis, her forearm got shed.
"Bitch!" ra jumped back holding her forearm which started to bleed heavily.
"Tch, seems like I am getting rusty." The prey mantis spoke, cursing itself for not being faster.
ra pulled out a bandage from her inventory to quickly wrap around the wound to stop the bleeding, while her demon regeneration healed it slowly.
ra quickly pulled up the list of targets. Afterparing her opponent to her target''s description, she confirmed that the target hade out to fight her directly.
''I can''t use my enhanced demon form yet. Last time I used it against Elysia I was out of energy after only using it for 30 seconds.'' ra thought about using it as the prey mantis seemed to be oddly stronger than the opponents she faced so far despite having a lower level.
''It might be because he is more beast than he is human, giving him an advantage.'' ra knew there were different degrees of beast people, where some would almost take their full form as a beast. Most half beasts resembled that of a human with some only having small features, these two types making up the majority of the poption. It has been said that the more you resemble your animal side, the more powerful your animal traits, which is why generally half-humans are stronger than normal humans.
"Now vixen, how shall I kill you, will you be part of my experiment or would you rather I eat you instead for a nice midnight meal." The mantis was cleaning the blood off his serrated arms, getting ready to attack.
"I prefer the third option where I burn you to a crisp." ra grabbed her de whips, mming them against the ground. With the added effect of ra''s purple lightning, the ground was burnt by her whips.
"Don''t get cocky! Just because you can use magic doesn''t mean you can''t be beaten." With incredible speed, the half prey mantis dashed at ra swinging his arms.
ra, being more prepared this time, was able to sessfully block the attack of the prey mantis. Retracting her de back into a sword, she collided with the serrated arms of the prey mantis.
''Here I thought all the nobles would be easy to kill.'' ra was not expecting a noble to be able to fight back.
"Tch." The prey mantis clicked its tongue. Although ra was unable to read his expression she could tell it was getting frustrated.
The prey mantis pulled back, jumping slightly back before attempting to go for another attack.
ra however, took the opportunity to keep up the pressure and swung one of her whips at the prey mantis. Since he had not jumped far enough he was in the range of ra''s whips, which moved at high speeds thanks to the lightning infused in them.
The prey mantis attempted to block the whip with one of his serrated arms. What he did not expect was for his arm to be cut clean off while an electrical shock went through his body. Feeling his insides burn from the lightning, he screeched in pain.
"Heh." ra found it amusing how quickly the prey mantis went down with that one attack.
''Let''s try something new.'' ra had something new to try as the help of her new system allowed her to create new skills.
ra manifested lightning in her hands and created a javelin out of it. Threads of loose lightning danced over her spear, lighting up the night and burning anything it touched.
Holding it over her shoulder, she threw the javelin towards the prey mantis that was still affected by the electrical shock.
The javelin made contact with the prey mantis''s chest, creating an explosion of lightning. The prey mantis was fried to a crisp, turning his entire body ash-ck and killing him.
His body fell to the ground twitching and falling apart, slowly being blown away by the wind.
"I was really worried for a moment there, but it seems like he has never been hurt in his life." ra thought she hade up against a strong noble, but it seemed to rely too much on its speed and the strength of its ded arms.
"Wolfy?!" ra called out hoping that wolfy was nearby so they could move on.
After a minute Wolfy appeared out of the shadows.
"Sorry I was at the front of the mansion." Wolfy poked his head out and spotted the burnt body of a half prey mantis.
"Was that our target?"
"Yep, we can move on." ra smiled and tried to hide the wound on her arm so Wolfy wouldn''t worry as it was almost healed already.
"I haven''t got a message from Shaman so we can assume they are still dealing with their target, so let''s go with the crocodile." ra opened the list of targets choosing the next one to face.
"Sounds good to me." Wolfy had no issues and fully came out of [Shadow walk] waiting for ra to move.
"Now where is h-" Just as ra was speaking a massive explosion went off in the distance.
"Oh please don''t tell me that was Elysia." ra''s thoughts went straight to Elysia as the likely reason for the explosion.
ra was about to send a message to Shaman when one appeared in front of her.
[I know what you are thinking, so before you ask yes, it was Elysia. Let''s just say she thought cing a bunch of bombs around an empty mansion was a good idea.]
ra stared in disbelief at what she was reading.
[Since when is blowing an entire ce up a good idea.] ra quickly responded.
[Since Elysia existed, now don''t worry, no one was killed, and the only body we found was that of a monkey. We hope it is the target, but you can guess why we can''t tell.]
ra''s face palmed as there was no way that there weren''t casualties, as they were all probably turned to dust in a matter of seconds.
Screams and yelling started to be heard throughout the city as the explosion had woken up everyone, drawing a lot of attention.
''Let''s hope Freja doesn''t punish us for this.'' Although Freja said they could go rather wild, this kind of wild may have been out of the question.
***
"HAHAHAHAHA, THEY ACTUALLY DID IT!" Freja, who was sitting in her bed watching the girls on the screen, could not believe that Elysia blew up a mansion.
"Oh my, I wish I could keep them here forever, they are just amazing." Freja was smiling as the performance they were putting on amused Freja greatly.
"You do know we have to pay for repairs right?" Kiruya who was sitting next to Freja had a worried look thinking about the paperwork and repairs that would need to be done.
"That isn''t an issue darling~ just enjoy the show and worry about itter." Freja, who had made Kiruya her personal secretary, tried to distract her from the oing work.
"Fine." Kiruya let out a sigh and snuggled into Freja watching the chaos alongside her.
Chapter 147 Final Target
?Shaman was face palming, wondering why she let Elysia put condensed balls of fire around the mansion. In front of her was the destroyed mansion of the monkey and Elysia going through the rubble looking for anyone alive.
"If he was here, I think he would be dead." Elysia yelled out after finding only dead body parts crushed by rubble.
"We should get moving, it doesn''t matter at this point." Shaman sighed, giving up the hope of keeping a low profile as this would have alerted all the other targets.
''They might think they won''t get targeted, but if they have something to hide then there is a high chance they will be on high alert.'' Shaman wanted to take the silent approach, but with each target it seems like they were getting louder and louder.
"Okaayyyyy~" Elysia dropped a piece of rubble she lifted up then ran to Shaman.
"Where to next?" Elysia asked with a big smile. Shaman shook her head in defeat as she could already see the next target getting simr treatment.
"Well, ra is heading to a crocodile, so that leaves us with the eagle." Shaman saw that they were about half way through the list and hoped that at this rate they''ll be able to kill them all tonight.
"Hope they can fly, so I can shoot them out of the sky." Elysia figured it would be good target practice .
"Let''s find out, the quicker the better I guess." Shaman gave up and was going to let Elysia have her fun.
Elysia pulled out the map and took the lead to the next target.
Elysia began to run and Shaman followed, wondering what Elysia was going to do next.
*
On top of a tform of ice that looked over a mansion made out of wood, Elysia was charging up a massive fire arrow.
"This could not be any more perfect." Elysia had a massive smile while she was preparing the arrow.
Elysia held her bow which was coated in fire, making it appear much bigger than it was. The bow was almost double Elysia''s size so it can hold the massive arrow she was creating. The ice tform she was on was created by Shaman and was constantly melting, forcing Shaman to keep putting ice under Elysia''s feet.
Elysia funnelled her mana through her bow and into the arrow that was growing more violent and slightly bigger, till she was at her limit.
Letting go of the string, the Fire arrow flew towards the mansion at a high speed.
The fire arrow burnt everything that got near it and anything the fire touched was turned to ash. As the arrow got closer, the mansion was set aze even before the arrow made contact.
As the mansion began burning to dust, the cries of the half eagles rang out, yet they ended as abruptly as they began. Once the arrow reached the ground, a small explosion urred, engulfing the entire ce in mes and turning it to ash. Part of the road and almost the surrounding houses were caught in the st.
Where the mansion once resided was now just a ck burning pit. Meanwhile, the neighbours checking out themotion through their windows were starting to freak out.
"What the hell is happening!"
"Somebody call the Empress or the guards!"
Chaos was ensuing throughout the different areas of the freya forest, creating a lot of confusion. Some people had put the pieces together and were celebrating, but many saw it as an attack on their turf.
The heat from the arrow was too much for Shaman to keep maintaining the tform, forcing her to let Elysia fall. Elysia lost her footing, and started falling to the ground without any chance to brace for it.
"Shiiit." Elysia did not think this through, but Shaman was ready to catch her.
Shaman jumped into the air just before Elysia was about to crash into the roof of the side building they were on. Shaman caught Elysia andnded back down on the roof, feeling a wave of pain go through her legs from the impact.
"Hehe, thank you darling~" Elysia was now in a princess carry, although a little awkward since Shaman was smaller in height.
"Shush Eli." Shaman''s face was red from hearing the words darling.
"I have to say that was amazing, but I can only do that a few more times." Elysia having a muchrger reserve of mana could produce a few more massive explosive arrows.
"We will quickly move to the other targets then. After that I will do something that can destroy the entire building." Shaman figured she could join in on the fun ande up with a way to destroy an entire mansion.
*
Moving on to the next few targets, Elysia used the rest of the arrows she could produce until she was unable to walk anymore.
While carrying Elysia, Shaman received a message from ra, reporting that 3 more targets were killed, leaving 2 left.
Deciding to take one each, Shaman made her way to the final mansion.
Arriving at the mansion of a half bear, Shaman sat Elysia by the edge of a side building letting her watch.
"Goodluck~" Before Shaman moved away Elysia gave Shaman a quick kiss.
"Aha thank you." Shaman was a little thrown back by the sudden shift in moodtely, but she wasn''tining.
Shaman jumped off the roof and approached the front gate of the mansion where a group of guards were waiting.
Shaman decided to practice some closebat as she rather enjoyed fighting with people.
"What are you doing here?" One of the guards yelled, suspicious of the fox girl dressed fully ck.
The guards had given the signal as well, pulling out all their weapons, waiting on what the fox girl would do.
"Not much, I''m just here to destroy the entire mansion." Shaman summoned Kotetsu, pulling it out of its sheethe.
The guards expected that answer, as explosions had been raging throughout the freya forest and the guards were told they were going to be a target.
With no further words, the group of 4 guards charged at Shaman.
The first guard to swing had a pair of long ws for weapons, with which he attempted to strike Shaman in the chest.
Shaman redirected the hit to the side, forcing the guard to go past Shaman. The next guard went to follow up with his great sword swang straight down onto Shaman.
Shaman blocked the hit while creating an ice knife on her foot and kicking the half bear in the groin. The guard froze on the spot, trying to keep in his screams and started falling to the ground.
Another guard with a spear tried to stab Shaman in the back.
Shaman grabbed the bear that was falling, using him as a shield and making the guard stab him right through the heart.
"Tch." The guard with the spear quickly pulled away, jumping slightly back.
"Oops you killed your own friend~ how could you~." Shaman put one of her hands to her mouth acting shocked. This aggravated the guard with the spear and he charged at her again.
Shaman dashed forward facing the spear head on, but before getting in range, she flipped into the air and using her foot stomped down on the spear. Her foot pushed it to the ground, halting the movements of the guard.
Not giving any time to react, Shaman decapitated the bear while hopping off the spear. Unfortunately, just as she hopped off she was met with a mace to the face. Shaman was confused as she did not see the guard in her field of view when she turned.
Getting hit in the face with a blunt mace Shaman slid back on the floor, holding her nose.
"Fuck that hurt." Shaman did not take a lot of damage, but it still hurt a lot and blood came from her nose.
The bear that had hit Shaman was not actually there but used a portal of some kind. Shaman saw in the back that the bear''s arm was missing, and yet it appeared right where Shaman was.
''He has space magic?'' Shaman was amazed as it is an element she wanted for herself but was not sure if it was actually possible.
Shaman pulled up the list of nobles to make sure that it wasn''t the target pretending to be a guard. Looking through the list she spotted an important note about the bear which confirmed to her that it was actually the target.
[Target uses spatial magic, this one is the most dangerous target so proceed with caution]
Shaman was in a little bit of disbelief as the most dangerous target was thest one on the list, realising it probably would have been smarter to go for them first.
''Damnit, I might need to get ra over just to make sure this one is killed quickly.'' Shaman was not confident that she could fight the bear with ease. Spatial magic had many applications and if she wasn''t careful she could find herself getting killed in an instant.
''Let''s y it safe and try to poke the bear with a stick first.'' Shaman using [heal] fixed her nose before facing the remaining guard and the target.
Chapter 148 Walk Back Home
?Shaman stared down the target waiting for him to move, anticipating a simr attack.
The remaining guard with the ws went for another charge, probably aiming to distract her.
''I wonder if I can see anything in my spatial rift.'' Shaman saw that the target was using portals, so she wondered if she could use them against the target.
''Wait, if he can use his portals like that, does that mean I can use my spatial rift to achieve the same thing?''
''Let''s try it.'' Shaman figured using the charging guard as a guinea pig would be a good test.
While shing down with her sword, Shaman opened up a rift in front of her and opened the exit behind the guard.
Shaman''s sword went through the portal, its deing out on the other side and shing across the guard''s back. The guard fell down on the ground, bleeding and barely able to move. To finish him off Shaman opened an exit above his head and pierced it with her sword.
''Wow that worked a lot better than I thought, but it drains my mana like crazy.'' Shaman thought it wouldn''t work as it seemed to open a portal to a different dimension, yet it would not alter the distance between its entrance and exit points.
''Maybe that space is to help visualise where I am, but really I just need to think where I need to go and I can open a portal to that area?'' Shaman pondered on it for a moment before Rea spoke up giving an exnation.
[Well done, Shaman you have identally evolved your skill even though you do not possess the element. You gained a new understanding of the skill, forcing it to change. I have no idea how you did this but it is what it is.]
Shaman was surprised to hear she identally evolved her skill without realising it.
''If I remember correctly, the better my understanding of an element, the easier it is to improve and create new skills.'' Shaman thought back to how she made her mescion skill and acquired the ice element.
''Anyway that is good news, maybe I should try it with my other skills.'' Shaman, recalling the baseline knowledge of her home world, wanted to use it more so she can improve even quicker.
''Now back to the target, I almost forgot about him.'' Shaman looked up to see the scared face of the target.
Not wasting any time, Shaman opened up a portal and prepared to throw Kotetsu in. The target realised what is likely to happen next and tried to open a portal to escape. Yet, just as he opened his portal, Shaman connected her entrance to his, throwing Kotetsu in straight for his neck.
Shaman was exhrated from the sess of her ruse, watching Kotetsu stab through his neck. The target stared at the sword in horror as he started choking on his own blood.
"Wow, that was cool despite the gruesome death." Shaman felt rather proud. Although her mana was significantly drained due to the new application of the portals, she was still happy to see improvement.
Shaman walked up to the dying target who had fallen to the ground, grabbed his neck and pulled out kotetsu. Blood started to profuselye out of his neck and Shaman quickly backed away to avoid it.
''Despite seeing blood so muchtely, I can''t help but feel a little bit disgusted by this scene.'' Shaman stared at the target trying to speak, but with each second the life was draining from his eyes.
''Anyway, the target is dead and I want to get into a nice bed already.'' Shaman realised that they had finally finished killing all the targets in one night.
Elysia, who was watching from the side, had regained enough strength to move and so she quickly made her way down to Shaman.
"Kyaa! That was so cool, Shaman. what you did with your portals, I never knew you could do that." Elysia ran up to Shaman giving her a hug.
Shaman tried to respond but she waspletely smothered in Elysia''s chest making it hard to speak.
"Oh and is your face okay? Can''t believe that piece of trash was able to hit you." Elysia slightly pulled away from Shaman to examine her face to see if there were any damages.
"Y-yes, but can you let go? We need to get out of here." Shaman Did not want to stick around the crime scene, as sooner orter more guards would arrive.
"Oh yes, let''s go." Elysia let go of Shaman and instead held onto her hand.
Shaman quickly sent a message to ra, letting her know that they had killed all their targets.
[Sweet, me and Wolfy just finished up here, so I will see you back at Freja''s mansion]
Shaman smiled, d that they were okay and there were no moreplications.
*
Taking their time, Shaman and Elyia found themselves walking hand in hand through the streets. The sound of yelling and confusion spread throughout the Freya forest while Shaman and Elysia calmly made their way to the mansion
"How long do you think we will stay here?" Elysia wondered what Shaman''s n was as it seemed like they found a ce to settle.
"It depends. We could stay here and do more missions for Freja, but sooner orter we may have to make our way to the demonnds for ra and Himeko." Shaman had a simr feeling of wanting to find a safe haven, but they could not stay for too long.
"Do we really have to go to the demonnds for ra?" Elysia pouted as although she did not mind ra, She wasn''t a fan either.
"Well she is possibly a demon queen so who knows, we may be able to get a demon army on our side." Shaman already guessed what ra''s identity could be.
"You do have a point, although we can''t see her status fully, it is kind of obvious what she is." Elysia had also assumed the same thing since the exnation of demon horns given by ra told them everything.
"Indeed, so let us not waste this opportunity." Shaman had a good feeling about ra, but she also expected it to be very difficult.
"We also have Himeko somewhere in the Demonnds that we have to find." Elysia remembered the cave that was mentioned to them where Himeko was supposedly recovering.
"It is going to be a mess. Honestly, I''d rather not think about it until the timees." Shaman was still unsure how ra was going to react but assumed it was not going to be nice.
"I''m still not happy that Himeko hid the truth from us, but I can''t imagine how ra feels having her very identitye into question." Elysia, despite her animosity towards ra, still felt bad for her.
"We have to hear Himeko out first. If what Freja said is true, Himeko wanted the best for us, so I don''t think we should just throw her away." Shaman was willing to hear out Himeko and was more concerned about how it will turn out for the others.
"Oh well, all we can do is hope that ra doesn''t overreact." Elysia sighed, understanding why Shaman did not want to think about it.
"At least now we should have some free time to ourselves." Shaman wrapped around Elysia''s arm giving her a smile, instantly lifting the mood.
"Hehe~" Elysia felt extremely happy and had a grin all the way back to the mansion.
*
Arriving back at Freja''s mansion, Shaman and Elysia were at the front gates with Shaman still clinging to Elysia.
ra and Wolfy were sitting on a brick wall by the gate waiting for Shaman to arrive. Seeing theme up to the mansion ra and Wolfy made their way down to them.
"You guys took your time." ra stared at them unimpressed for taking so long to get back to the mansion.
"You didn''t need to wait for us, you know." Shaman was surprised to see ra and Wolfy waiting for them, as she expected them to go to bed.
"Well, Freja wanted to see us before we went to our rooms." ra sighed as she would have much rather gone to bed, but there were still things to do.
"Alright fair enough, let''s get this over with then." Shaman could not argue with that and sighed before moving.
The group made their way into the mansion, entering the throne room where Freja sat in her throne with a sleeping Kiruya in herp.
"Well, Well my little cuties~, you seem to havepleted your mission already." Freja grinned while she slowly patted Kiruya''s head.
"We wanted to get it done quickly so we ended up doing it as fast as we could." Shaman moved her gaze to the side as she remembered that they had destroyed many mansions.
"I must say, the way you went about it was absolutely a st to watch."
"Wait, you were watching us." Elysia suddenly felt her heart drop as she was the main perpetrator of the exploding mansions.
"Fufu~ yes dear, I watched you all destroy the mansions and cause chaos throughout my forest." Freja''s gaze went cold and the girls all went silent, scared of what was going to happen.
"Now for your punishment for causing me so much trouble."
Chapter 149 “Punishment”
?Shaman, ra, Elysia and Wolfy all froze from hearing the words punishment.
"U-uhh, but didn''t you say we were allowed to burn down the mansion." Shaman, being brave enough to speak up, hoped that Freja was only joking.
"Oh yes, but I changed my mind." A sadistic grin appeared on Freja''s face.
"I-, okay." Shaman bit her lip and looked towards the ground, waiting for the verdict.
"Now I shall lock you up in your rooms for a week as punishment."
"Huh?" The girls and Wolfy looked at Freja, perplexed by what she just said.
"Fufu~ did you really think I would punish you for putting on such a magnificent show? Go on and enjoy your little break, the next mission will be a lot longer." Freja''s cold gaze disappeared as she let out a giggle.
Elysia fell to her knees out of breath as she was terrified of what was going to happen. ra put her hand to her chest and let out a sigh of relief. Wolfy rolled over onto his side, thinking that the end of them was just around the corner. Shaman took a deep breath while looking up at the roof and exhaled, a little annoyed but also d.
"Tomorrow we will deal with Wolfy, so make sure you are rested." Freja got up from her throne, lifting Kiruya in her arms. Freja then left through a blood portal leaving the girls and Wolfy.
Wolfy had poked his head up hearing what Freja said and his tail started to wag.
"Looks like you will be getting your human form tomorrow Wolfy." Shaman went up to Wolfy and gave him some head pats.
"Finally, I can use that scythe." Wolfy had not forgotten the weapon they received from the skeleton knight and was eagerly waiting for the day to use it.
"Oh! the demon weapon we got, I forgot we had it." Shaman opened up her inventory, spotting the demon scythe as well as the skill level up and select.
"Elysia and ra, we forgot to use the skill rewards we got from clearing that dungeon." Shaman got slightly annoyed for not remembering, as it would have been nice to have some extra skills.
"Hmm, I think we should save them though." ra didn''t think it was worth wasting what was essentially a free pass to a higher level skill.
"Howe?" Elysia was eager to use them right away and was about to reach for her system menu.
"Well think about it, if we reach max level with a skill, what happens when you use the skill level up on it?" ra was not sure if there was even a max, but it would only get harder and harder to level so saving them could be very useful in the future.
[It wont work] Reia quickly interjected crumbling ra''s point.
"Damn it, either way I think we should save the skill level ups. At least so we can level up our skills when it starts taking too long to level them up."
"Damn can''t argue against that." Elysia who was about to use the skill level up reluctantly closed her system knowing it would be better to save.
"Hmm now that you mention it, it would probably be a good idea. What about the skill select then?" Shaman liked ra''s idea as levelling up a skill is still rather easy at the moment.
"Well I''m not sure about that, I haven''t used it so I don''t know how it works." ra could tell what a skill level up is, but she was unsure what it meant by skill select.
"You can choose any skill you want as long as the skill is not above your tier. It gives you a long list of skills so it''s rather hard to choose."
"If that is the case, why not use it as a way to get more skills for the elements we already have. What I mean by this is that if you look at the name and description, you could replicate the skill on your own." ra was a little shocked they had not thought about it before.
"Ah, you make a very good point, but one thing I noticed though, is my ice transformed into something that allowed me to do whatever I want. If I could do that with all my elements then I would have no need for a bunch of skills and my imagination would be the limit." Shaman looked at her skill [Ice free form] that pretty much allowed her to create anything, with the only limit being her imagination and mana pool.
"I still think it''s worth a shot looking through, to give you inspiration." ra figured there would be skills on the list that would help facilitate more ideas.
"I guess so, but right now I just really want some sleep, it''s morning and I hear the bed calling." Shaman liked ra''s idea. However, Shaman and everyone else were exhausted from killing all night.
"You can say that again, my entire body is sore." Elysia got up from the floor and then pretended to stumble into Shaman.
Shaman caught Elysia by holding her shoulders to make sure both of them did not go falling to the ground. After getting caught, Elysia darted behind Shaman, giving her a hug from behind.
"Aha fair enough, Well goodnight." ra felt tired as well and so she took the initiative to leave first. Wolfy had also followed along, since he was suspicious of what Shaman and Elysia would do tonight.
''Better be safe and go with ra tonight.'' Wolfy, using ra as a scapegoat to escape the potential nightly activities, actually started to grow closer to ra.
ra did not mind this as he was still a wolf, but things would change once he got his human form.
''It''s going to be hard to see him as a normal wolf once he bes half human.'' This thought went through ra''s mind, who started feeling a little ufortable by this fact.
''At least he will get his own room, but I don''t know if he will be able to manage on his own.'' ra was worried that Wolfy''s habits will no longer be eptable once he has his human form which will take him a while to adjust..
ra shook her head, banishing those thoughts. After all, by the sound of it, Wolfy would be able to switch between the different forms easily.
Wolfy and ra both left the throne room heading to ra''s room.
"Sooo~ how about tonight." Elysia cut to the chase clearly wanting her night.
"I wish Elysia but honestly it''s hard enough to even walk right now, my legs feel like they could fall off after all that running." Shaman was too exhausted to do anything intense and would rather be at full energy so it would be more enjoyable for Elysia.
"I don''t me you, but if you ever change your mind don''t be afraid to jump on me hehe~" Elysia was willing to wait since she was exhausted as well.
"We can still snuggle though." Shaman grabbed a hold of Elysia''s forearm while looking up at her face.
"Let''s get going then." Elysia grabbed Shaman''s hand and then started to walk towards their room.
**
Afternoon came with a knock on the door of both Shaman and ra''s room, waking them up.
"Shaman, it''s past noon and Freja wants to see you." What sounded like a maid called them, requesting them toe out.
Shaman opened her eyes, still tired and wanting to go back to sleep, yet she forced herself to get up. Elysia still clung onto Shaman''s arm, refusing to let go or wake up.
"Yep, I''m awake, I will go see her in a moment." Shaman rubbed her eyes, trying to think why Freja wanted her.
Then it hit her that this was the day that Wolfy was going to get his human form.
"Oh shit, that is today." Realising that they should probably hurry, she poked Elysia in her side to wake her up.
"Kyaa!!" Elysia jumped from the sudden poke in her ribs.
"Sweet, now that you are awake, we have a Wolfy human form to go see." Shaman got straight to the point while getting out of bed.
However, as she got out of the bed, she stumbled on her legs which were not fully recovered and so she fell to the ground.
"HA! Karma." Elysia giggled as Shaman was instantly paid back for the rude awakening she just recieved.
"Ow! I was not expecting my legs to still be so sore." Shaman pulled herself up from the floor and slowly stood up.
"Okay, it is not as bad as I thought." Shaman, still able to walk, did not bother to change out of her white t-shirt and ck shorts.
Shaman went to the door and turned around waiting for Elysia to get up. Elysia wore a red t-shirt with a ck skull on it and a pair of nk panties which were barely hidden by the red shirt.
"Hurry! I don''t want to miss this, my son is growing up." Shaman was excited for Wolfy and could not wait to see how handsome her son was going to look like.
"Yes, yes I''m getting out of bed." Getting out of bed, Elysia went and put on her stockings but didn''t bother putting on anything else.
When Elysia was close enough to the door, Shaman grabbed Elysia''s hand and rushed out of the room to go get Wolfy.
Chapter 150 Silver
?Shaman and Elysia went past the maid who was at the door, going straight to ra''s room.
Swinging the door open, Shaman was greeted with ra and Wolfy about to exit the room.
ra wore a dark purple t-shirt alongside her thigh high socks and a pair of shorts.
"Ahh, somebody is eager." ra was still half asleep, so the sudden opening of the door made her jump.
"Aha well my son is finally growing up, how could I miss this!" Shaman quickly knelt down and started to pat Wolfy.
"Hehe~ finally." Shaman gave Wolfy a hug, unable to contain her excitement. Wolfy who was extremely nervous for the transformation couldn''t help but wag his tail vigorously out of excitement.
"Let''s not waste any more time and hurry." Shaman quickly stood up and grabbed Elysia''s hand, dragging her through the hallway to Freja''s throne room. ra and Wolfy followed, having to slightly jog to keep up with Shaman''s pace.
"Do you have to drag me?" Elysia was almost stumbling over her feet and wanted to know why she was getting dragged.
"Yes because as the second mother of Wolfy we must get there as quickly as possible." Although Shaman may not have been too excited when she first heard that Wolfy could evolve, now that it was finally bing a reality she couldn''t help feeling like a helpless fan girl.
"I can move on my own though." Elysia protested but Shaman did not listen, forcing Elysia to be in a constant state of almost falling over.
ra giggled watching Elysia struggle while also trying not to be too loud to avoid distracting Shaman from her excitement.
*
Arriving in the throne room they met Freja dressed in a casual white shirt and ck nts standing near her throne.
"Just on time girls and little Wolfy, follow me." Not wasting any time Freja opened up a portal and walked through it.
Shaman looked at Elysia then back at the portal, a little cautious of where it led. However, being too excited for Wolfy''s evolution, she quickly followed suit while continuing to drag Elysia.
Going through the portal, Shaman found herself in a cave with a pool of water which was glowing enough to provide ample light. In the cave''s ceiling was a hole that let sunlight in, providing nourishment for the vines that grew nearby. Simrly, the edges of the pool were also filled with overgrowth, giving the cave a very picturesque feeling.
By the side of the pool Freja knelt down looking at the water and seemingly using her system to analyse it.
Shaman and the group looked around in awe as the small cave they were in was a beautiful sight.
Wolfy walked up to the edge of the pool assuming this is what he will be entering to activate his transformation.
"Hold on Wolfy before you enter, give me a second to exin what this pool actually is." Freja, still looking at her system, put her hand up gesturing at Wolfy not to go any further.
"Okay so, this pool has some special kind of mana, probably divine mana, but all I know is that this pool is an abnormality in this world. I have tried to figure out what it is exactly, but I can''t seem to find a resemnce to anything else from this world." Freja went to exin what the pool was, making it sound like something that should not have existed in the first ce.
"Okay and so how is that relevant?" Shaman was curious why Freja was telling them about the pool and assumed there might be a catch.
"Well I don''t just want Wolfy to enter it, I want you three to also go in." Freja stood up and moved towards the girls.
"Wait, have you tried?" Shaman was rather sceptical as she knew there was a high chance gods existed and it wouldn''t surprise her if it had an effect on her.
"No~" Freja clicked her fingers, closing the portal.
Elysia and ra looked around and saw that there was no exit other than the hole in the roof.
"I''m assuming there is no second option and we have to enter the pool." Shaman sighed as although it was most likely not dangerous, she did not appreciate being a guinea pig for an experiment.
"Fufu~ yes." Freja wore a smug grin.
"Well, speaking of who should go first, how about Wolfy first then us? He''s bing human and I don''t know howfortable ra would be being in the same pool with him naked." Shaman waspletely fine with being with Wolfy but she also had to consider ra who was more of a friend than a mother to Wolfy.
"Hmm, well how about we go through the process with Wolfy first and then we will get you three to jump in." Freja did not expect them all to jump in once and was fine with them taking turns.
"Fine." Shaman was okay with that. And so, the moment of Wolfy''s transformation was only a few moments away.
''I need a new name.'' Shaman had a few names in mind, but she was rather undecided.
''Silver, Leo or Azure.'' Shaman thought out some of the names that she hade up with or were rmended by ra.
''I like Leo, but Silver is more symbolic.'' Shaman was jumping between names trying to decide what would be best for Wolfy.
"Alright Wolfy, all you have to do is enter the pool and swim to the middle where the light is the strongest." Freja went to Wolfy''s side pointing at the pool.
Wolfy looked over the edge a little hesitant as this was a life changing thing for him.
''Finally, I can be like mother.'' Wolfy hovered his paw over the water, knowing that once he steps into the pool, his life will change.
"Comeon Silver! I want to see my new handsome son!" Shaman yelled out calling his new name and Wolfy looked back shocked to hear it.
"Yes mother!" Silver, liking his new name, went into the pool and swam to the middle.
For a moment nothing happened and Silver was rather confused for theck of a reaction.
However, suddenly Silver''s body started to glow a bright silver. This blinded everyone, forcing them to cover their eyes.
"Shit! Is SIlver okay!" Shaman was worried as the sudden holy light was rather concerning.
"Yes he will be fine, it was the same with a few others that had a transformation." Even Freja was affected by the light despite being able to protect her eyes with magic which supported her theory it was some kind of divine mana.
After waiting for a minute, the light began to die down, allowing them to check whether Silver was okay.
In the pool of water was a naked boy with short silver hair alongside a pair of silver wolf ears and a tail. The boy was about 5''6" and looked like a young teenager. He sat in the pond slowly opening his eyes for the first time as a half human.
Silver opened his eyes revealing his crystal blue irises surrounded by a thin circle of violet, showing that Freja''s blood was indeed present in him. Silver looked around, getting his bearings and looking at his hands. Moving them around fascinated him with this new range of movement.
Silver puddled to the edge of the pool and tried to stand up on his own two legs.
Everyone was watching with anticipation, witnessing Silver''s first steps. While Silver attempted to stand up, Freja took the initiative to use blood to wrap a towel around Silver''s waist.
Using the ground for support, Silver attempted to stand up straight, slowly raising his hands off the ground till his back was straight. Looking at Shaman, a big smile appeared on Silver''s face as he finally managed to stand.
"Yes!" Shaman was excited and seeing the smile on Silver''s face melted her heart.
However, the excitement got too much and Silver tried to run towards Shaman, only to instantly fall over,nding on his face.
"Ow!"
Shaman seeing this quickly ran over to Silver, lifting him up and giving him a hug.
"Silver, you okay?" Patting his head, Shaman made sure there wasn''t a scratch, even using [heal].
"Aha yes im okay mother, just not quite used to walking." Silver looked up at Shaman a little embarrassed, but it was apletely new sensation.
Elysia had also quickly ran over. She may not have been as excited, but could not help feel proud of Silver.
Shaman seeing the smile on Silver''s face up close could not help but start to cry.
"Mother? What''s wrong?" Silver instantly got worried as it was rare for Shaman to cry.
"Oh I''m okay Silver, it''s just I''m so damn happy right now." Shaman held Silver tighter in her embrace. Shaman felt bad for not giving Silver more attention, but he had been her firstpanion and she had always seen Silver as a son. The first time Silver called her mother was a shock, but it had made her extremely happy.
"Thank you mother, but please don''t cry." Silver started to tear up himself.
"I know it''s a very touchy moment, but I need you to jump into the pool." Freja wanted to let them have their moment, but they still had things to do.
"Oh yes, aha sorry, Come on Silver let''s get you up." Shaman got a little carried away with her emotions, but she knew she had all the time to dote on Silver.
Wiping away the tears, Shaman stood up, bing Silver''s support for walking. Silver took his time slowly taking step after step, slowly getting used to his legs while they made their way to the wall.
Elysia had taken to the other side of Silver to provide that extra support.
Sitting Silver up against the wall, Shaman gave a quick kiss on his forehead before walking back towards the pool.
"Alright let''s get this experiment over with, I have a son to dote on."
Chapter 151 Fox Form
?"Freja you can''t watch." Shaman stood by the pool but knowing what Freja was like, Shaman knew she would enjoy watching them.
"Tsk, who said you could tell me what to do." Freja smiled at Shaman who realised she had no say in the matter.
"Then no touching or getting close unless it is ABSOLUTELY necessary." Shaman made sure to emphasise her point and ensure her message gets across.
"Hai, hai~ I understand, now go get ready." Freja crossed her arms while shaking her head.
Shaman was still a little suspicious, but she had to take her word for it.
"Let''s all jump in." Shaman turned to Elysia and ra.
Elysia did not look too happy and stared at ra for a moment.
"Elysia now is not the time! If you are that worried, we can wear a towel around us, besides we already have a she-wolf peeping on us." Shaman nced back at Freja, who waved at Shaman in response.
"I-, fine It''s okay." Elysia pouted even though she knew that nothing was going to happen, and they only had to hop in the water for a moment.
"Good." Shaman sighed, d another jealousy crisis was hopefully averted.
The girls then began to get undressed and wrapped a towel around their bodies.
Silver averted his eyes out of respect and tried to clear his mind.
"Ara~ Silver having a hard time there." Freja had walked to silver with a set of clothes in her hands.
"Y-yes."
"Here are some clothes and I will send you back to your own room to change, is that okay?" Freja felt a bit of responsibility for Silver as technically they were rted.
"Please." Silver grabbed the clothes in Freja''s hand and before he knew it Freja opened a portal underneath him. Silver fell through the portal andnded on a bed.
''So this is my room.'' Silver was finding this unreal. Like a dream hade true, he had finally gained a sense of identity for himself.
However, what he did not expect was a system prompt to appear in front of him.
[Silver, would you like to have your own system]
"Oh, is that you Rea?" Silver thought it was Rea, who was offering him a system like Shaman did with ra.
[Yep, it''s me. Shaman already has a deep trust for you, so I went ahead and used a system grant on her behalf.] This time Rea spoke up instead of using text.
"Oh if that''s the case then yes." Silver saw no problems and so he epted.
[Sweet, just a moment]
Silver closed his eyes waiting for Rea to finish what she was doing.
**
"Alright, are we ready to get in?" Shaman standing right on the edge of the pool faced Elysia and ra.
Both nodded their heads and stood to either side of Shaman.
They all got in at the same time, taking off their towels just before stepping in the water. Crouching in the water, they all went to the middle of the pool with Elysia grabbing hold of Shaman''s arm, making sure ra did not touch.
"Aha well, it looks like not much-"Just as Shaman spoke, both Shaman and Elysia started to glow. ra, however, did not and had to turn around from the blinding light.
Shaman felt a weird sensation flow through her body, feeling like her body was morphing. She did not feel pain, although she could feel everything in her body shift.
After a minute of transforming, both Shaman and Elysia found themselves in the air for a moment. Dropping into the water, Shaman looked around, finding that she felt smaller.
"Oh my god." ra froze for a moment upon turning around, causing Shaman and Elysia to panic a little.
"YOU ARE SO CUTE!!!" ra, unable to control her urges, came up to Shaman and Elysia, picking them up.
"Wha-" Shaman, still very disorientated, met eyes with Elysia finally realising what happened.
"We became foxes?" Both Shaman and Elysia spoke at the same time, as they had obtained a new form. Shortly afterwards, a system notification appeared in front of them.
[Fox form activated]
[Due to the user entering an ancient pool, the user has unlocked the ability to transform into its corresponding race]
Shaman did not know how to feel, as this was something she didn''t know she could do in the first ce.
Looking at Elysia, Shaman saw a fully ck adult-sized fox, which kept Elysia''s defining bright red tips and eyes.
Shaman was a fully white fox with her ck-tipped tail and ears, and with her sky-blue eyes which gave an aura of nobility.
ra hugged the both of them, rubbing her face up against their fur.
"C-ra you are crushing us." Elysia was able to get a few words out, wanting to be let go.
"Oop, sorry." ra lightened the grip she had on Elysia and Shaman, realising she was choking them.
"Well this is interesting, the same thing happened to me when I jumped in." Freja who was watching had actually tried the pool in the past and experienced the same process.
"huh? Didn''t you say, you never went into the pool?" Shaman, who could finally speak now that she''s no longer being choked, instantly picked up on this detail.
"Well, I did not jump in like you girls did." Freja smiled, getting them on a technicality. Truth being told, she just really didn''t want to ruin the surprise.
ra, who was still holding them, went to the edge of the pool putting them down. It took a moment for them to gain their footing as being on all 4s was a new sensation, but thanks to the system it allowed them to adjust really quickly.
Shaking their body to get rid of the water, Shaman already started to enjoy her new form.
"I don''t appreciate you tricking us, but I can''tin since I am rather liking the new form." Shaman walked around in a circle waving her tail about, having a bit of fun.
"Well it is rather handy so make good use of it. Now that you are done, don''t take too long. I will leave a portal here for 10 minutes. However, onest thing before I go. I will have another mission for you in theing days so don''t ck off too much." Freja, giving her final words, opened a portal and walked through, leaving the girls to themselves.
The cave went silent for a moment before Elysia spoke up with a realisation.
"Now you can carry me Shaman!" Elysia was thinking of all the new possibilities of having a fox form and was rather excited to try out a few cute ideas.
"I can carry you anyway, but it is awkward since you are taller, so having this new form works out." Shaman had also started thinking of the possibilities herself, curious what certain things would feel like.
"Ahem, before you go y out your fantasies, try turning back into your half human form." ra, who watched Shaman''s cute disy just before, wanted her to transform back before the urges came back.
Shaman was rather curious about what transforming would feel like, so she quickly opened her system looking for the skill.
[Fox form]
Thinking about the skill, Shaman felt her body start to morph back into her half-human form. A light covered her body, which started changing its shape until it began looking like her original self, but something was different.
Looking around Shaman felt herself to be taller than she usually was, finding that she was slightly taller than ra now. Elysia, who also transformed back into her half-human form noticed that she was now the same height as Shaman.
"Wait, did I get taller, or did you get shorter Elysia?" Shaman was getting even more confused than before.
[Oop looks like the spell wore off] Reia spoke up out of nowhere, giving a hint as to what happened.
"Please tell me you''re not serious! You are not telling me that this entire time, my height has just been nothing but a lie?" Shaman felt anger bubble inside her.
[Aha, let''s say someone thought it would be funny, but do know it wasn''t me that thought that] Rea sounded very nervous, knowing that Shaman was rather insecure about her height.
"Who?"
[I am not allowed to say]
Shaman got the answer she needed, knowing exactly who it might be. Taking in one deep breath Shaman prepared to scream her lungs out.
"YOU DAMN BITCH GOD OR GODDESS, WHY DO YOU DO THIS TO ME, I SWEAR ONCE I AM ABLE TO GET TO THE HEAVENLY PLANES OR WHATEVER YOU CALL IT, KNOW I''M COMING FOR YOUR ASS!!!!!" Shaman''s voice echoed in the cave, causing Elysia and ra to cover their ears.
"Phew, now that I got that off my chest, let''s get going." Shaman closed her eyes and took a moment to breathe.
Both Elysia and ra were a little shocked but were d that Shaman was not angry anymore.
"I have a son to treat, but first I need to go get some new clothes, my old ones are too small." Shaman realised this fact as she went to pull out her clothes from her inventory. Leaving her with only a towel.
Elysia was a bit better off, but her clothes had still be too baggy for her to wear.
"Oh well, let''s get going, we have a break to enjoy." ra was keen on the idea of rxing for a bit and doing a little bit of training.
"Indeed, also Elysia, tonight''s our night!" Shaman turned her head to Elysia and winked before walking through the portal.
Chapter 152 Steps Into Motherhood
?After getting new clothes from the tailoring maid, Elysia, Shaman and ra made their way back to their rooms.
Shaman nned to take Silver out to explore Freya forest and so she got into some casual clothes.
Shaman put on a pair of ck leggings alongside a white strapless bra. On top of that, she wore a white sweater that had its back and shoulders exposed, leaving her hair to cover her exposed backside. Saman also noticed she had regained a bit of chest. Although the change was rtively small, at least she was no longer a cutting board.
"I have to say, I look a lot better being taller." Shaman looked at herself in the mirror, finding herself to look a lot more mature rather than cute.
"Oh, why can''t the night already arrive." Elysia rolled around on the bed, wanting the day to be over already. Elysia had also changed some of her clothes and went with a red skin-tight sweater that tucked into her skirt.
"Patience, first we have a son to attend to and you need to shape up your act as his second mother." Shaman knew that Elysia did not have that same motherly feeling for Silver, but Shaman still wanted Elysia to try her best.
*sigh* "I know, but I don''t know how. Having a son randomly like this still feels weird." Elysia was rather conflicted as she wanted a blood-rted son, but at the same time, Silver is possibly the closest thing they will get to one.
"Hmm I understand, but try to embrace the situation. Silver is still rather young, so take advantage of that and let''s have a fun time together, as a family." Shaman turned around with a smile, making Elysia blush and look away.
"W-well he already calls me mama." Elysia spoke in a low voice while she poked her fingers together a little embarrassed.
"Ehhh? Since when? That is so adorable." Shaman was shocked to hear that Silver was already calling Elysia his mum.
"Anyway, That gives you more of a reason to be his mother. Come on let''s go, I''m sure he is waiting for us." Shaman was unaware that Silver already considered Elysia as his second mother, which made things a whole lot easier.
Shaman came up to Elysia, pulling on her hand to get her up. Elysia dragged herself off the bed after which she was pulled along by Shaman out of the room.
*
Shaman and Elysia quickly paid a visit to ra who was in her room to see if she wanted to tag along, but ra decided to stay in the mansion to do some personal training. However, the real reason was she didn''t want to be a third wheel or ruin their family time.
Shaman and Elysia stood in front of a room that one of the maids told them was Silver''s new room.
Shaman was filled with excitement, wondering what kind of clothes he was given.
''He should only be a little bit shorter than me and looks around 13.'' Shaman tried to guess what Silver''s age could be as it was never really clear when he was a wolf.
Shaman knocked on the door, waiting patiently for Silver to open.
After a few moments, the door started to open and a pair of wolf ears poked around the corner. Silver, timidly peeking from behind the door, checked to see who it was, but upon seeing it was Shaman he swung the door open.
Silver revealed his new clothes and Shaman was impressed with the selection. Silver wore a ck hoodie with a dark grey jacket over the top and a pair of ck jeans. The clothes matched his silver hair and made his bright blue eyes stand out even more.
Silver was a little embarrassed seeing the looks Shaman and Elysia were giving him.
"Ahhhh! You look so good." Shaman finally spoke and quickly went up to Silver hugging him. However, Silver noticed Shaman had gotten taller and was a bit confused about what happened.
"Wait mother, since when did you get taller?"
"Oh, After you left me and Elysia got a fox form and it undid a certain spell that a damn god or goddess put on me." Shaman looked up to the roof hoping her re reached whoever did it to her.
"You can turn into an animal now? Can I see?" Silver was curious, wondering what their forms would be like.
"Haha not right now, first let us go explore a bit in town." Shaman wouldn''t mind showing SIlver but they still needed to y around with switching forms before they started changing forms whenever they wanted.
Shaman pulled away from Silver and was about to start walking.
"B-but I want to see you as a cute fox." Silver pouted, hitting the heartstrings of Shaman.
''Oh is this the weakness where mothers can''t resist the upset face of their son?'' Shaman was close to falling over just from how cute Silver looked.
Elysia let out a sigh, managing to resist the cuteness, but still finding it hard to say no.
Meanwhile, Shaman pulled herself together and regained herposure, firming her resolve to resist Silver''s cuteness.
''If I''m going to be a good mother I cannot be swayed by his cuteness, I mustn''t fall into this cycle of letting him get what he wants just because he is so damn adorable.'' Shaman mentally prepared herself, as she was trying her best to be a good parent.
"If you can be a good boy, I will make sure to show you once me and Elysia are done testing the skill, is that okay?" Shaman slightly leaned forward and gave Silver a head pat.
"I guess that''s fine." Silver was a little disappointed, but he understood he''ll get his wish, so waiting wasn''t too bad.
"Alright, onward." Shaman grabbed Silver''s hand while Elysia positioned herself on his other side.
**
Shaman made sure that the tips of her hair werepletely white and that Elysia''s werepletely ck.
Making their way down the street, Shaman saw that the ce looked rather suburban. The buildings looked rather modern and she felt like she was back in her own world.
Silver ended up grabbing Elysia''s hand, which was rather odd for her. Elysia''s crazy side did not get aggravated or annoyed, but instead felt great joy about the situation.
''It really feels like we are a family.'' This feeling of happiness was something Elysia seemingly desired and did not want to go away. Remembering the words Shaman told her before they left, she decided to not hold herself back and embrace the situation.
Elysia broke out with a genuine smile, making Shaman happy, seeing as Elysia was finally epting the situation.
As they continued to walk down the streets, they found themselves in a sort of food court with a bunch of stalls on the side of the street, as well as a few stores of various foods.
Silver''s eyes lit up as he spotted many things that he wanted to try which he wouldn''t have been able to in his wolf form.
Shaman gulped slightly, hoping they had enough gold coins as she was unsure what the prices of things were here.
"Mother, I want to try that." Silver was drooling at the mouth as he pointed at a stall that was serving small pieces of meat on a stick.
"Aha, of course you would go for the meat option. They are called kebabs, I think." Shaman was rather unsure if that was the right word for it, but figured most things were named the same, most likely due to multiple people having been transported here.
Walking up to the stand, Shaman ordered a few kebabs for everyone and was grateful that the prices were in silver.
Passing over to Silver a few kebabs, he instantly started devouring the food like it was nothing and before they knew it, it was all already gone. Shaman and Elysia had not even taken a bite out of theirs and Silver was already done.
"That was quick." Elysia was surprised as she thought she was the one with quite the appetite.
"Hehe~ I want to try your cooking, mama." Silver turned to Elysia, remembering there were many meals that he wasn''t allowed to have.
''AHHH sooo cute.'' Shaman was internally screaming watching the scene unfold.
"Oh, of course, I will cook you something for dinner tonight then." Elysia had not cooked in a while thanks to Freja''s maids taking care of most of the chores and liked the idea of cooking again.
"Yay!" Silver smiled as so far he was having the best day of his life.
''To think he has killed a person before'' Shaman thought back and could not believe such an innocent-looking boy had already killed many people before.
''I wish I could protect that innocence forever, but maybe it''s for the best that he isn''t sensitive to murder. He was rather excited about that scythe.'' Shaman, if she had the choice, would have liked Silver to stay out of conflicts, but he was an important part of their group and unfortunately, Silver was used to the murder.
''Well, I should enjoy these moments while theyst.'' Deciding that there was no point in thinking about it, Shaman went back to enjoying their day out.
Continuing to walk down the street, they kept trying out different kinds of food as they enjoyed the time they had together as a family would.
Chapter 153 Silver And His Scythe
?"Hey mother, can I go into a lower level dungeon to try out the scythe." Silver looked up to Shaman with excitement as he wanted to test out his new weapon.
"We will have to see if there is a low level dungeon around, but first we have to get you registered at the adventurers guild. We will have to go speak to Freja to officially sign you up, so for now just use [Shadow walk] and sneak in with us." Shaman wasn''t against the idea, but the age of entry was 18 for adventurers and seeing Silver looked 13 with no real ID, it would be hard for him to sign up through any normal means.
"Oh yeah, Rea gave me a system and it said I can ess a shared inventory since I am your son." Shortly after getting the system from Rea, Silver received many notifications telling him of the benefits.
"Oh? Rea, did you do that?" Shaman was a little suspicious as this is a first for Rea to use one of Shaman''s skills of her own volition, but this was also directly rted to the system so it did not seem unreasonable.
[Yes I did it, you don''t need to worry about some other being interfering and stealing Silver] Rea reassured Shaman that nothing suspicious happened.
"You had me stressed out for a moment, don''t do that again and wait until I am around at least." Shaman, knowing that there are other system users, did not rule out the possibility that higher beings could take advantage of the situation.
[Aha it''s okay even if it wasn''t me. Due to your bond with him through the system, Silver would have beenpletely fine]
"That''s good to know. Anyways, we need to go find a dungeon, so let''s go look for an adventurer hall to see if there is one in the city." Shaman was relieved to hear that Silver would have been safe anyway.
"Yesss!" Silver smiled and Shaman was once again filled with joy seeing his excitement.
''AHHH he is so precious!'' Shaman was internally screaming, wanting nothing more than silver to smile.
"Well let''s hurry, we don''t have much of the day left." Elysia was both eager to see Silver in action as well as finally have her night with Shaman.
"First we will head over there towards that tall building." Shaman looked around for any obvious buildings that could be the adventurers guild, as they didn''t have a map or know where they were at.
Looking down the street, the first building to catch Shaman''s attention was different from the other general store buildings and was much taller, making it a sort of andmark.
Making their way towards the building, which started to look more like an office building the closer they got, Shaman was able to see a sign at the front.
"Adventurers Guild."
"Looks like my intuition of going to the tallest building has still yet to fail me." Shaman knew that important buildings like a guild would always have some defining trait making them easy to find.
"Now Silver, make sure not to say anything that indicates that you areing with us to the dungeon." Elysia Leaned over so she was eye level with Silver. Although they could just sneak in, if they didn''t need to, there was no point in breaking the rules.
"Mhm." Silver nodded and Shaman looked at Elysia with a smug look as it seemed her motherly side had started toe out.
Elysia quickly looked away blushing since she couldn''t help herself.
"Hehe~" Shaman giggled, finding this side of Elysia cute.
*
Walking into the adventurers guild, Shaman and Elysia were holding Silver''s hand as they approached the front desk.
"Hello, how can I help?" a rather young male half dog was behind the desk in a suit and a pair of sses.
''Hey, we are wondering if there are any dungeons around here and what tier would they be?" Shaman responded to the half dog, who thanks to her new mature look ended up blushed slightly as Shaman looked rather beautiful.
Elysia spotted this so she red at the half dog and he quickly shook off the thoughts he was having.
"Aha we have a few dungeons which are behind the building and they range from tier 3 to 6. For the higher level dungeons you would need Empress Freja''s permission to enter." Cold sweat went down the half dog''s neck as he answered, hoping that Elysia wouldn''t murder him.
"Sweet, thank you, can we also see if we are eligible for a rank up?" Shaman knew it had been a rather long time since they visited a guild hall and had a lot of Terikin cores to hand in.
"Oh sure thing." Reaching underneath the desk, the half dog pulled out a crystal tablet.
Shaman put her hand on the tablet showing her rather outdated information.
"Wow! You haven''t checked in for a while, do you have the appropriate tier cores so we can register you straight to rank C?" The tablet emanated a yellow light indicating the level Shaman was.
Shaman reached into her inventory pulling out a bunch of Terikin cores.
"Make sure to keep enough for my girlfriend Elysia." Shaman gestured with her head to who Elysia was.
Silver looked with curiosity, as although he had seen it before, he never really took interest in guild procedures. He also found that ever since gaining his own humanoid form, the world around him felt more alive and many new things now caught his interest.
The dog nodded and taking a few cores of terikin to verify Shaman''s achievements, updated her details. Elysia then put her hand on the tablet and received the same colour as Shaman. The half dog updated Elysia''s details and then processed the rest of the cores into gold.
Handing over a bag of a few hundred gold, Shaman deposited it in her inventory making money not a concern for a while.
"Also just so you know, you can''t take the boy with you, he looks rather young." The half dog noticed the teenage boy between the girls and wanted to give them a friendly reminder.
"Oh it''s okay we were just taking out our son. We were just stopping by before we dropped him off." Shaman smiled and took Silver''s hand before walking out of the guild house alongside Elysia.
*
Entering the tier 4 dungeon, they soon discovered that the beasts in the dungeon consisted of armoured animal people. Although they had a human figure, the knights were mindless, making them attack anything that came near them. Their entire body was covered in fur and they acted like wild animals, but somehow still had their suits of armour on.
"Alright Silver, here is your scythe. It''s time to show us what you got." Shaman pulled out the demon scythe she got from killing the skeleton knight the first time.
Silver nodded vigorously and held out his hands to receive the scythe.
Shaman ced it into Silver''s hand and the scythe instantly began to change to fit his size.
''Well that''s convenient, it did say the scythe can morph into other weapons, but I didn''t know it changed depending on the user.'' Shaman didn''t expect it to change, however, the size was not the only thing that changed.
The scythe handle waspletely ck, but the de turned into a dark grey with the sharp edge of the de being ck creating a gradient effect on the de. At the base of the de, a silver fox and a wolf head were carved with blue gems for eyes. This clearly represented Silver and his mother, making the scythe mean a whole lot more to Silver.
[Bindingpleted]
A system message appeared in front of Silver telling him that he had binded with the weapon. Just as he was hoping to get more of an exnation, a new window popped up with further details.
[User Silver has sessfully binded with the demon scythe and will now be the only one who can wield the scythe. Any attempts of using this weapon by other people the user has not specifically allowed will result with them being drained of their mana and attacked with the user''s main element. The scythe can be stored in a separate space and can be recalled at any moment. If the scythe is destroyed, the user will need mana and demon metal to restore it.]
Silver felt his head already hurting from all the information he was fed.
"Ohhh so that''s what the demon metal is for, good thing we have a use for it now, otherwise I would have sold it." Shaman leaned over Silver''s shoulder and read the system message he got.
"But why did the weapon suddenly bind to me and not you?" Silver was confused as Shaman touched the scythe many times.
"Probably because I did not ept the weapon, but since you fully epted the weapon, the system must have recognised you as its new owner and bound it to you.
"Hmm, that makes sense, but I have to say Silver, you are looking quite nice with that scythe." Elysia who was a little further back got a good view of silver with the scythe and despite the innocent look he had, it fitted him quite nicely.
"Hehe~ thanks." Silver felt extremely happy and the wagging of his tail showed that.
"Alright now that that''s out of the way, let''s try out this scythe. Me and Elysia will be close by so if anything happens or you don''t think you can handle it, call out to us." Shaman, although a little reluctant to let Silver go kill, didn''t want to shelter him as he had great potential.
"Yes mother!" Holding the scythe in his right hand, Silver dashed off in the direction of a small castle that housed the beast knights.
Shaman and Elysia followed Silver, keeping a bit of distance, but not too far just in case anything happens.
Chapter 154 Silver’s First Solo Dungeon
?Scythe in hand, Silver ran through the forest towards a mediaeval castle.
Shaman and Elysia stayed out of sight so as to not distract Silver, but still close enough to step in if it gets too much for him.
Silver made it to a clearing in the forest where the castle stood. He looked around for any beasts, but only spotted some by a massive metal gate.
Silver activated [Shadow walk] and using the brick wall to his advantage hid in its shadows while approaching the beast soldiers by the gate.
The bear soldiers were on all fours, their glowing red eyes frantically looking around for any enemy to dare approach the castle gate.
Silver''s shadow sneaked behind one of the bears and scaled up the nearby wall. Without making a sound, Silver jumped out of the wall and fell towards the bear. Swinging the scythe, Silver aimed for the neck of the bear.
As the de sliced into the bear''s neck, Silvernded on its back and then jumped off it while pulling on his scythe. The bear''s head came clean off without any issues and so Silver quickly went back into the shadows.
The few other bear soldiers that were around saw Silver and ran over to the dead bear''s body. The bears growled and frantically wed at where Silver disappeared to, trying to find where he went.
Taking advantage of theck of intelligence disyed by the bears, Silver spread out his shadow underneath all the bears. In an instant, Silver''s scythe and a couple shadow scythes came out of the ground, instantly killing the bears.
Coming out of the ground from his shadow, Silver turned and smiled giving a thumbs up.
Shaman and Elysia who were watching were impressed, however Silver looked in the wrong direction as his guess about where his parents were was wrong.
Shaman and Elysia were currently hiding in a bush on the opposite side Silver came in from.
''Still adorable.'' Shaman was proud of Silver as even though the small boy was killing things without a shred of remorse, his little pose at the end was nheless cute.
Elysia giggled and was happy to see that despite the sudden change in body it did not affect his ability to use his skill.
"Hey Elysia, now that I think about it, why don''t we go into our fox form since it will be easier to sneak around like this." Shaman was not too worried for Silver so she thought they could experiment a little with their fox form.
"I don''t see why not."
Taking the initiative Shaman began to transform into a fox. Surprisingly, her clothes had vanished and a system message came up.
[Clothes will be automatically put on when changing back to human form]
Elysia soon followed and received the same message as Shaman.
"I have to say it feels rather odd being an animal." Shaman was looking at her own body, finding it a little hard toprehend she was now a fox.
"Well at least we look cute." Elysia came up to Shaman and rubbed into her face.
"Hehe~ indeed, but we need to catch up to Silver, who knows how many beasts could be in there." Shaman started feeling uneasy since she was unable to see Silver and so she wanted to hurry.
Running up to the gate in their fox forms Shaman tried activating [Shadow form] and luckily it seemed all her skills worked.
However, Shaman noticed when using the skill that it felt easier to use all of a sudden.
''Wait is this like a natural form or something and so my power increases when I''m using it?'' This was the first thought that went through her mind, but she was unsure if it was because of Silver that [Shadow walk] felt easier to use.
Noting that she needed to test more of her skills, Shaman went ahead and pulled Elysia in with her. Going through the castle gates they caught up with Silver.
*
Silver, deciding to take a different approach to stealth, did not rely on his shadows to get around and instead snuck around.
Upon entering, he noticed that the soldiers were of a different race. Instead of bears they were now mainly cats and dogs that stood on their hind legs. The size of the beasts was also that of a human which looked rather odd.
''They are in full animal form, but they act so human-like.'' Peeking around the corner, Silver saw a group of 6 dog knights walking down the hall and couldn''t help feeling how out of ce it all seemed.
Silver let the group of dogs get closer before jumping around the corner. The dogs were confused at first, but they all still pulled out swords. Their eyes also started glowing red as if theirbat instincts had been activated.
Silver spun around with his scythe, gaining momentum and hitting the dog that was leading the group.
The dog tried to block Silver''s strike, but Silver''s strength overpowered the dog, easily slicing the knight in half.
The other knights did not bat an eye and proceeded to attack Silver without a shred of hesitation.
Finding himself under heavy attack, Silver used his shadows to form a shadowy sword, blocking some of their strikes with it and blocking the rest with his scythe.
Unused to dual-wielding, and struggling to protect himself, Silver almost lost his bnce. However, rather than struggling to remain upright, he simply let himself fall back, falling into his own shadow and escaping the strikes.
Quickly jumping out behind them, Silver shed down on one of the 5 knights while shooting up shadow spikes from the ground into the other 4. All of the knights were killed swiftly and Silver quickly ran away from the scene.
*
Silver made his way through the castle killing more knights, until he finally made it to the top where a throne room was located. Assuming that this was the final boss, Silver checked that he was prepared to take on the boss.
Shaman and Elysia were still nearby in their fox forms hiding in the shadows.
Silver pushed open the wooden door, revealing a grand hall with a throne at the end. Sitting in that throne was a big knight about the size of a giant orc. The knight waspletely covered in silver armour, making it impossible to tell its race. A great sword was stabbed into the ground in front of the knight and upon entering the knight grabbed the handle of the sword.
"So the intruder that has been killing my pets has finallye." The knight stood up and spoke which was a surprise.
"Heh, they were rather weak, just a little warm-up beforeing to fight you." Silver had a smug face, letting himself get a little cocky.
[Oi don''t get cocky and stay focused] A system message appeared in front of Silver which seemed to be from his mother.
''oop , getting a little ahead of himself.'' Silver took a deep breath. So far it felt like this whole thing was just a game, but thankfully his mother''s message brought him back to reality.
[It''s okay to say snarky remarks, but never underestimate or take it lightly] Another message came in and SIlver nodded his head.
"What are you staring at, hurry and fight me so I can teach you a lesson." The massive knight pulled out the great sword from the ground and rested it on its shoulder.
"Sorry, just nning out your demise." Silver, taking the knight''s invitation, dashed through the hall.
Silver spun the scythe while he was running and coated it in his shadows. Once he got close enough to the knight, Silver swung upwards. Trying something new, silver had sent a Shadow sh towards the knight, which caught it off guard.
The knight moved to block the shadow strike, but the shadows bended around the de. The knight was directly hit across the chest and was pushed back by the strike, leaving only a small dent in its armour.
"Is that all you got?" The knight had a smug tone as SIlver''s attempt hardly did any damage.
"Tsk, that was only a test." Silver wasn''t satisfied so he poured more mana into his attack and the shadows on the de grewrger, making the scythe look bigger.
"Don''t even try." The boss shed down with his great sword towards Silver.
Silver was able to easily dodge the attack, but once it hit the ground a bunch of rubble wasunched all over the room.
Being forced to dodge even more, Silver found himself further away.
''Dammit I need to get close.'' Silver nned to directly attack the knight with his shadow de, but he needed to get close first.
Silver rushed forward again, and so did the knight, dragging the great sword behind him.
The knight swung over his head directly into Silver, but Silver''s speed was too much and so he was able to jump in the air avoiding the strike. The rubble shot around once more, but Silver had jumped in the air on purpose so he would not be forced further away.
During the previous strike, Silver saw there was a brief moment where the knight''s sword would get stuck making him vulnerable. Taking advantage of that, Silvernded, ran up the sword and jumped into the air to sh across the knight''s chest.
The knight let go of his sword and jumped back, making Silver''s attack just a tad short, only hitting its chest piece with its edge. On the bright side, the chest piece did gain a massive cut, showing that Silver could easily pierce his armour.
"Tch." The knight was not amused and was stuck without a weapon.
"What was that about teaching me a lesson?" Silver had a smug grin knowing that the knight was now backed into a corner.
"This isn''t the end." The knight, knowing he didn''t have much time left, sprinted towards Silver intending to attack with his fists and potentially get his sword back.
"How stupid." Silver muttered under his breath.
The knight moved to punch Silver, but this opened the knight up allowing Silver to easily dodge and target his head.
Silver''s eyes glowed blue as he jumped in the air and spun. Holding the scythe in one hand, he lodged the de in the knight''s head going right through the helmet, smashing the knight to the ground.
[Dungeon cleared]
Chapter 155 Pats And Praises
?Silver stood in front of the corpse of the knight, catching his breath.
Grabbing onto his scythe he pulled it out of the knight''s skull and helmet, but upon pulling it out, the helmet crumbled to pieces. Now that he could get a proper look at the knight''s face, he was surprised to see it looked like a normal human, which confused Silver as he didn''t think humans could inhabit dungeons.
Shaman and Elysia hade out of hiding, approaching Silver in their fox form. Once they got close though, both Shaman and Elysia transformed back into half humans and thankfully the system put their clothes back on.
"Mother! Mama!" Silver threw his scythe into his inventory and then ran up to his parents.
Shaman opened her arms and gave Silver a hug alongside Elysia.
"You did such a good job, I''m so proud of you." Shaman started to pat Silver''s head, d that he wasn''t injured.
"I have to say, for someone who''s been in his new body for under a day, you got some nice moves." Elysia was rather impressed with how Silver was able to adapt to his human body.
"Hihihi~ thank you~." Silver was extremely happy and proud of himself for what he aplished.
"Now let''s head back home, I''m sure you are exhausted." Shaman was super pleased with Silver''s performance and could not wait to do some fighting with him.
"Mhm, but what about that knight? He is human." Silver was rather curious if it would have been someone from the outside.
"Hmmm let me check." Shaman let go of Silver, leaving him in Elysia''s arms and approached the body. Kneeling down on the floor, Shaman used [inspect] on the body.
[Beast tamer]
[Tier 4 leader]
[A human that has the power to control beasts to his will.]
[However due to him dabbling in dark arts in order to control other humans, he was exiled from his home and was forced to survive on his own.]
"I see." Shaman got the answer she needed and thanks to her being a higher level than the boss, she could even get a bit of his background.
"He used dark magic and was casted as an outsider, so I guess he built his own castle using beasts as his servants." Shaman exined it to Silver and Elysia, giving an exnation as to why he was a boss.
"Oh so he was a bad guy, okay then." Any shred of sympathy Silver had vanished in only a few seconds.
"Aha, he must take after you Elysia." Shaman was a little surprised how Silver took the news and it reminded her of Elysia.
"Well you are both my mothers, so why wouldn''t I?" Silver looked up at Elysia who was struggling to deal with the cuteness.
"You''re so sweet." Elysia was close to tearing up as what Silver said meant a lot to her. Elysia hugged Silver even tighter, now suffocating him in her chest.
"Careful, don''t want to kill our son now." Shaman smiled, seeing as her n of getting Elysia to be Silver''s second mother was progressing smoothly.
''Elysia seems to be much more epting now.'' Shaman could tell Elysia was a bit reserved, as if she was unsure if it was something she wanted. However, with Silver hitting her in the heart with his words, Elysia has now be a lot more attached to him.
''I wonder if we could do the same with ra.'' Shaman still had no idea how to deal with Elysia''s obsessiveness, but considered trying to extend it to also include ra.
''That''s not really fixing the problem though, but it can also be useful.'' Shaman suspected that when Elysia goes into a very emotional state, it enhances her power quite a bit, so by taking advantage of that she could take on entire armies.
''Hmm, I need to talk to Freja about this properly, I can''t figure this out on my own.'' Shaman did not want to rely on others, but the situation was tooplicated.
"Shaman?" Elysia was finished pampering Silver and was ready to go back home.
"Oh yes, let''s get going." Shaman and Elysia grabbed Silver''s hand and they made their way out of the dungeon.
***
ra had found her way to a hall meant for training and was practicing some of her movements.
ra spun in the air with her de whips extended and uponnding retracted them into a sword. Continuing the chain, ra used her whip des as dual swords.and stabbed into a dummy target.
*p* *p*
"Well done, I have to say, your fighting style is quite unique." Kiruya stood at the door pping at ra.
"Aha thanks. What brings you here today Kiruya?" ra holstered her weapons and walked up to Kiruya.
"Since Shaman and Elysia are out with Silver, I havee to tell you your next mission." Kiruya reached into her inventory, pulling out a piece of paper.
"So soon?" ra thought they would have had a little more time to themselves before going out again.
"Oh you don''t have to leave straight away, but it would be good if you could prepare before going."
"Oh, that''s understandable." Knowing this ra hoped to level up a bit more and get closer to tier 6.
"So, your mission is actually to make your way to elfheim and head to the capital." Kiruya started to read the contents of the mission to ra and so far nothing seemed to be dangerous.
"You are to deliver a few items for Freja to the King and Queen."
"Hold on, what''s so dangerous about this mission that we would need to prepare for it?" ra so far thought that this mission was just a postal service.
"I''m getting there."
*ahem* "The reason why the mission is dangerous is because in order to meet with the king and queen you need to clear a tier 6 or 7 dungeon just so you can get the chance to see them."
"But couldn''t Freja give us something to avoid this?" ra figured they could be given something that would allow them to bypass the dungeon trial.
"Aha I would say yes, but Freja wants you to fight for it." Kiruya felt a little bad for them, but it was ultimately Freja''s choice what they had to do.
"I guess there is no changing the mission if it was Freja''s decision." ra wasn''t against the decision as it would let them grind some levels to reach the next tier while also visiting a new ce.
"There is also no time limit so you can take as long as you want and once you are finished with the mission, use amunication talisman to let us know you are done." Kiruya closed the piece of paper and handed it over to ra.
"If you can also inform the other two, that would be great and you can all leave once you are ready."
ra nodded and stored the details of the mission in her inventory.
"If you need me I will be around the mansion and if not. You know where." Kiruya went a little red as she did not want to openly admit where and hoped her implication was enough.
"Aha I don''t think I will be disturbing you if that''s the case, but thank you Kiruya." ra knew exactly what she meant and blushed a little thinking about it.
"Anyway, bye bye~." Kiruya quickly ran off, leaving ra behind.
''Well back to training I guess.'' ra shook her head to get rid of stray thoughts and went back to training.
***
Walking back into the mansion, Shaman and Elysia were chatting away.
Once they reached the top of the stairs, they saw ra standing in the hallway by their rooms.
"Oh hey ra, what''s up?" Shaman was curious what ra had to say, as it looked like it wasn''t small-talk judging from her demeanor.
"We were given our next mission, I just came here to pass you the details." ra pushed off the wall she was leaning on and pulled out the paper she received from Kiruya.
Shaman grabbed it and had a look at the contents of the mission.
"Oh, I see it''s just a delivery, but with a little challenge before we can actually deliver it." Shaman did not mind the mission as they got to explore a new major territory.
"We don''t have a time limit so whenever we are ready we can start making our way over."
"Sweet, thanks ra." Shaman put the mission information in her inventory.
"Well, I''m off to sleep, it is ratherte now." ra was rather exhausted as she had been training the entire day and felt her body aching.
"Alright, goodnight then, I have a little Wolf to feed and put to sleep." Shaman put her hand on Silver''s head, giving him a pat.
"Night ra." Elysia reluctantly spoke to ra.
"Oh, haha goodnight Elysia." ra was surprised, but was d to see that Elysia looked like she was improving.
ra walked off to go to her room.
Shaman and Elysia led Silver into his room so they could use the kitchen to prepare some food.
Elysia cooked up some meat for Silver as a reward for his effort.
"Thank you Mama." Silver''s face was brimming with joy while devouring the food Elysia made for him.
"Well me and Elysia are going to go back to our room now, to get some rest." Shaman walked to the side of Silver so she could give her goodbyes.
"Yeah I know Mother, go have your fun with Elysia." Silver took another bite out of his meat.
"Ah." Shaman had no words as indeed Silver had been present for their activities and is regretting that she did not think much of it.
"Anyway, goodnight Silver." Shaman gave Silver a kiss on the forehead before quickly rushing away.
"Heh, goodnight naughty Mother and Mama." Silver wore a cheeky grin, wanting to see the reaction of his Mothers.
Shaman halted in her tracks as she felt her image as a pure mother was at stake.
Taking a deep breath Shaman turned to face Elysia who was blushing.
"Let''s leave before he makes it worse." Shaman whispered to Elysia while grabbing her hand.
"Goodnight sweetie." Elysia quickly said goodnight before Shaman started dragging Elysia.
Exiting the room, Shaman quickly walked back to theirs.
"Okay, I''m hungry." Shaman was hoping Elysia would cook some food, but Shaman also was really eager to get started.
"Hmm? Well isn''t your meal right here." Elysia took advantage of the situation and slightly lifted up her skirt.
"Oh, fuck it." Shaman found it unbelievably cheesy, but it worked as she pulled her in for a kiss.
Chapter 156 A Long Awaited Night (R18)
?Shaman switched on the soundproofing for the room so as to not disturb anyone else.
Shaman faced Elysia and without waiting another moment pulled her in again. Sharing another kiss, Shaman could feel her bottled-up desire about to explode. Shaman started to push Elysia back towards the bed while taking off their clothes and kissing at any opportunity.
Elysia had kept her stockings on since she noticed Shaman would often stare at them longingly.
"Haha, was it that obvious?" Shaman thought she had gotten away with staring, but seeing Elysia intentionally keep them on Shaman thought she was found out.
"Fufu~ Why would I stop you, you can stare all you want." Elysia, now being mostly naked, turned her back to Shaman and bent herself over the bed.
Shaman took off thest of her clothes and saw that Elysia had bent over.
"You asked for this." Shaman felt herself start losing control of her urges.
"I have been waiting for so long, use my body however you want~." Elysia''s tail was wagging, inviting Shaman over.
Shaman stood behind Elysia and used her hand to caress Elysia''s pussy.
"Oh? You haven''t been wearing anything underneath the whole day?" Shaman instantly noticed that Elysia was not wearing any underwear despite never taking off her stockings.
"Ngh~ I had the system take them off for me as we were getting undressed." Elysia slightly moaned while Shaman was lightly touching Elysia.
"Fufu~ I see, it makes it easier for me." Shaman slowly sped up until Elysia was more wet.
Not waiting much longer, Shaman ripped a small hole in Elysia''s stockings, exposing her pussy. Shaman then began to finger Elysia while also leaning over to whisper in her ear.
"I''m sure you are nice and sensitive down there for how long you have been waiting." As Shaman spoke she pushed her fingers in as deep as she could causing Elysia to moan loudly.
"AHH~, yes~ more~." Elysia had been restraining herself the entire time and hadn''t had much of a chance to pleasure herself while waiting. This made her a lot more sensitive, meaning Shaman did not need to do much to make Elysia climax.
"Oh~ already getting close, you can''t release just yet~." Shaman wanted to tease Elysia who was already struggling with her extra sensitive body and pent up desires. Shaman then suddenly stopped and pulled out her fingers.
"I thought I wouldst longer, but I missed this so much." Elysia had overestimated herself and was surprised at how deprived she actually was.
"That just means it''s going to be a whole lot more fun teasing you." Shaman had a smug grin while she turned Elysia around and had hery down on the bed.
Getting in between her legs, Shaman leaned in and kissed Elysia who in turn used her hands to fondle Shaman''s breasts. They held the kiss for about a minute until Shaman started to fondle Elysia''s breasts back.
Moaning in each other''s mouths, it wasn''t long till Shaman pulled away from Elysia. Taking a few moments to catch her breath, Shaman climbed onto the bed and leaned up against the head of the bed while opening her legs to Elysia.
"Come~ have a meal~." Shaman pointed down below and Elysia got on all fours. Crawling to Shaman with desire in her eyes, Elysia lowered her head and began to eat out Shaman.
"Mhhmm~." Shaman let out slight moans and, not wanting it to stop, Shaman wrapped her hands around Elysia''s ears. Shaman pushed down on Elysia''s head and let out a moan, but she did not stop.
Letting out more moans, another minute had passed and Shaman already felt like climaxing into Elysia''s mouth, but she needed to hold on.
Shaman pulled Elysia by the ears and what she expected to be a painful cry was actually more of a pleasurable moan.
"Oh fuck It feels good when you pull on my ears~." Elysia was huffing as she did not have much room to breathe.
"Turn around~." Shaman had gotten an idea and so she got Elysia to turn around while she was still on all fours.
Shaman got on her knees, but a note on the bedside table caught her eye. Although rude, Shaman stopped to pick up the note. Reading it, she found the contents surprisingly helpful.
[Under the bed is a drawer, hope you have a wonderful night.]
[Freja-sama~]
''Tsk this she-wolf, well if it''s her I can only assume it''s going to be something helpful.'' Shaman felt a little embarrassed, but she wasn''t going to turn down anything that could make the experience better.
"Come on~ what''s the hold-up?" Elysia was waiting patiently on Shaman and was wondering what she was doing.
"Hold on, I think I found something." Shaman reached her arm down the side and felt a handle. Pulling open the drawer, it revealed many brand new toys that Freja has seemingly supplied the room with.
"Fufu~ get ready darling~." Shaman pulled out a strap-on and Elysia freaked out a little as she knew there was no way she could handle it without cumming.
"Now if you cum I am going to have to punish you~." Shaman knew full well Elysia would not be able to hold it and the look in her eyes told Shaman everything.
Shaman put on the strap-on and she traced the outside of Elysia''s pussy.
Elysia however, despite the risk of punishment went ahead and tried to push on it to make it go in, but Shaman was able to pull away.
"Please~?" Elysia was getting desperate as the teasing was getting too much for her and so she wagged her tail and ass for Shaman.
"Good girl~." Shaman was satisfied and so she grabbed Elysia''s tail while putting it all the way in.
Elysia felt a wave of pleasure go through her body and felt like climaxing right away.
Shaman then slowly moved her hips, getting used to using the strap-on.
Elysia gripped the sheets focusing on not cumming while she was being fucked by Shaman.
Once Shaman was ready, she began to thrust into Elysia and slowly built up speed.
"AHH~." Elysia kept letting out moans with each thrust and her body began to move on its own. Shaman also pulled on Elysia''s tail with each thrust which caused a louder moan.
"Harder~." Elysia was enjoying every bit of it and wanted to be treated harsher. However, Shaman pped Elysia''s ass hard when she spoke.
"I only want to hear moans from your mouth~." Shaman thrusted even harder and Elysia let out an even louder moan than before.
"AHHHH~!" Elysia was barely able to hold on and started to not care what the punishment was.
Another 15 seconds went by of Shaman''s thrusting till Elysia finally climaxed.
Elysia then screamed her heart out while her body shook from pleasure.
"What a shame, looks like I have to punish you~." Shaman grinned while pulling out the strap-on and taking it off.
"Do whatever you want my body belongs to you~." Elysia took deep breaths trying to recover before whatever punishment Shaman was going to give.
"Good~ Now I''m going to need you to cum some more." Shaman grabbed Elysia by the hair and threw her on her back. Elysia let out a moan as pain to her felt more pleasurable.
Although not really a punishment for Elysia and more Shaman fulfilling her desires, Shaman liked to call it a punishment.
"Oh fuck." Elysia was not sure if she was going tost the night as she was already feeling tired.
However, the exhaustion will soon be forgotten as Shaman got between Elysia''s legs and started to eat her out.
"Mhm~." Elysia instinctively put her hand on Shaman''s head, but this caused her to stop. Shaman lifted her head and bit Elysia''s thigh causing her to recoil a little.
"More~." Elysia, knowing she would be punished by pain, put her hand on Shaman again. Shaman repeated the same action and Elysia moaned loudly.
Elysia then repeated the process a few times before Shaman stopped for a moment.
''Seems like pain won''t work.'' Shaman could see the look in Elysia''s eyes and considered switching roles to let Elysia have a go. Even the thought of being submissive was rather attractive for Shaman.
Elysia though was starting to lose herself a little and now all she wanted to do was pleasure Shaman to return the favour. The pent up desire of making Shaman feel good made Elysia want to have her way with Shaman, but was fighting against the waves of pleasure she was currently experiencing.
But Elysia wanted to have onest bite, so she pushed on Shaman''s head since she had stopped, but this time Shaman did not fight back and Elysia noticed the shift in her attitude.
"Heh~." Taking advantage of the situation, Elysia, wanting to return the favour, grabbed Shaman''s ears and pulled her up to a sitting position. Shaman did not enjoy it as much, but it forced her toply with what Elysia wanted.
Elysia pushed Shaman on her back and grabbed the strap-on that was onto the side. Elysia then put it on herself.
Pinning Shaman down, Elysia inserted the strap-on into Shaman causing her to moan.
"AHH~ fuck me hard~." Shaman was getting more and more turned on by the second as Elysia dominated her. Not bothering to go slow, Elysia started to thrust deeper and faster, causing Shaman to moan, but Elysia sealed her mouth with a kiss, cutting off her moan.
A couple of minutes had passed and Elysia started kissing Shaman''s neck, leaving marks on her body.
Shaman was now on the verge of cumming as her moans were getting louder by the second.
"Come on sweetie~" Elysia whispered into Shaman''s ear.
This pushed Shaman over the edge and she finally climaxed. Her body shook with pleasure and felt like she was out of her body.
"AHHHH~."
After taking a moment to breathe, Elysia pulled out the strap-on and took it off. Elysia could feel her body getting heavier as the adrenaline was starting to wear off.
"How was that?" Elysiaid down on top of Shaman who was still catching their breath.
"I wish we could do it all the time." Shaman did not feel like moving a muscle, but also did not want it to end.
"Aha me too, but we just don''t have the endurance quite yet to go all night, especially after being pent up for so long." Elysia positioned herself on Shaman''s side and used her arm as a pillow.
"Let''s hope while on the mission we get some chances." Shaman, using her other arm, tried to get the cover over them, but remembered it was wet.
"Hehe~ good idea." Elysia was not going to say no to more chances to have fun.
Shaman then noticed that the top sheet was different and when she felt around there were no wet patches.
"Oh looks like the covers we got were able to absorb our mess. I don''t know what the cover is made out of, but it seems like it was designed for this kind of thing." Shaman thought about Freja who had given them some toys to use and realised it would not be surprising in the least if the room was fitted for more things sex-rted.
"Well I''m sure our body heat would have been enough~." Elysia hugged Shaman as it did not bother her if they had covers or not.
"Hehe~ I know." Shaman still wanted them covered just in case they have any visitors in the morning.
Shaman got the cover out from underneath them and then pulled it over them. Getting morefortable, Shaman snuggled into Elysia.
"Goodnight sweetie~" Shaman gave a quick kiss to Elysia, which got a little intense before Shaman pulled away just for them to get back into it again.
"Aww no round 2 tonight?" Elysia was all for more action, but knew it was too much to ask.
"I can hardly move as is, so if we can tomorrow night we can have another round." Shaman wanted to make sure she could move the next morning, so she did not pursue it any further.
"Oh well, Night darling~" Elysia pulled Shaman into her chest as that was her favourite position while sleeping.
Closing their eyes, they both quickly fell asleep enjoying each other''s embrace.
Chapter 157 Innate Element
?Shaman opened her eyes, finding herself not in Elysia''s chest, but back in her pce bedroom.
''Oh? Another memory?'' Shaman was surprised to be forced into another memory. Unfortunately, she has been neglecting to catch up on them, as she would usually be either too busy during the day and too tired to remember to look at them at night.
[Yes and I am going to keep forcing them to happen since you are unable to do it yourself.] Rea''s voice echoed in Shaman''s head and sounded rather annoyed at her.
''Damn and here I was hoping for some nice dreams about Elysia.''
[Do it when you wake up, you need to check these memories more often otherwise you will miss key information. This memory will also activate your innate element called Stardust, so pay attention.]
''Oooo, sounds interesting, but why can''t I use it already?'' Shaman felt that if it was an innate element of hers, she should have had it since she woke up.
[Because of the system and you need to recite some scriptures to activate it, hence why you are looking at this memory.]
''I see, well thank you Reia.'' Shaman felt like she should have been more actively finding out about the past as she has reced the original person.
[No worries, expect this to happen more, now time for the memory to y.]
Time suddenly began to move and Shaman was able to hear the ambient sounds around her. The small rustling, breathing and the quiet chirping of the birds through the window.
Slowly opening her eyes, Shaman pulled herself up from bed and rubbed her eyes.
It was her 12th birthday and it was the day she was going to get her unique element.
"It''s today!" Remembering what was happening, Shaman was filled with excitement. Quickly jumping out of bed, Shaman changed out of her ck pyjamas into a mainly ck dress with white ents. Shaman also tied her hair up in a high ponytail leaving only her bangs that were too short to be tied back.
"Hehe~" Doing a spin in front of a mirror, Shaman was happy with the way she looked.
Shaman ran out of her room and quickly navigated the pce to the study where her dad was.
Shaman mmed open the door to her dad''s office giving him a small scare.
"Dad! Today is the day." Shaman tried to keep a serious face, but her tail was wagging and she couldn''t help but smile.
"Aha yes sweetie, we need to wait for your mother before we give you your present." Shaman''s father, a half fox, had short ck hair and a pair of sses he pushed up as he spoke. He wore a loose white t-shirt and a pair of ck track pants. His build was also rather slim, making him look like not much of a fighter.
"Can I go get her then?" Shaman pouted as she wanted to go get her element already.
"Hmmm, aren''t you impatient today. Guess it can''t be helped, I''lle with you then." Shaman''s father got up from his desk and went up to Shaman.
"I have to say you are getting taller by the day, you might be as tall as your mother by the time you''re 18." Shaman''s father, who was about 6''5" tall, found that Shaman was just below his chest.
"Soon enough I will be taller than you." Shaman crossed her arms and turned away, but did not stop her dad from patting her.
"Aha trust me you don''t want to be this tall, but enough talking, let''s go get your mother." Shaman''s dad then put his hand behind Shaman getting her to start walking.
*
"I wonder where she could be?" Shaman''s dad was walking down the halls, using his mana to detect where Cecilia was.
"Come onnnnnn." Shaman was swaying back and forth as they had been walking around the pce for about 5 to 10 minutes and had not found Cecilia.
"She might be getting your present ready, so how about we go hang out in the living room while we wait?" Shaman''s dad was a little perplexed, but due to the ce where they will be heading toter on, it did not surprise him if he wouldn''t be able to detect Cecilia.
"Grrrr, can''t we just make our way over there?" Shaman took a stance like she was about to pounce on her father.
"Oho, you want to challenge your father''s authority? We have to make sure it''s safe so we have to wait a bit longer." Shaman''s dad mimicked her pose while in the middle of the hallway.
"But I want to go now!" Shaman leaped at her dad.
"Not so fast." While Shaman was in the air, her dad moved quicker than she could see and before Shaman knew it, her dad had grabbed her legs and held Shaman upside down.
"Ahhh!" Shaman screamed, not expecting to be dealt with so quickly.
"Now let''s head back before you make a mess." Shaman''s dad lightly put her on the ground, but once he did, Shaman went ahead and bit his ankle.
However, Shaman''s tantrum had zero effect and her father stared at her with a smug look.
"Damnit." Shaman got out of her father''s hold and turned away from her father.
"Pfftt, adorable. Nowe on Shaman, don''t want to leave your mother waiting." Shaman''s dad patted her head before walking ahead towards a living room.
"Hmph, you win this time." Shaman admitted defeat for now, but she was determined to win one day.
*
Laying upside down on the couch Shaman was kicking her legs while waiting for her mother.
Her father was reading a book while also trying to poke Shaman with his other hand. Shaman was constantly blocking his hits but every now and again he would seed causing her to yelp a little.
"You know sitting like that makes it easier for me."
"Shush, I''m bored."
"Oh my~ isn''t it my two favourite people?" Cecilia had finally arrived and was in a shrine maiden outfit.
"Mum!" Shaman quickly got off the couch and ran up to Cecilia.
"Hello my cutie, you ready to go activate your element." Cecilia gave Shaman a hug while also patting her head.
"Mhm!" Shaman nodded furiously alongside her tail.
"Ren dear, can you guard the area while I''m with Shaman?"
"I was going to do that anyway." Ren closed the book he was reading and stood up.
"Thank you. Now that it is sorted out, let''s make our way to the shrine." Cecilia picked up Shaman and despite her being rather big now it did not bother Cecilia at all.
"Woah." Shaman was not expecting to be picked up, but before she could say no Cecilia seemingly teleported in an instant.
Appearing in front of a shrine, Cecilia put Shaman down on the ground.
The old traditional Japanese shrine was in full view and waspletely surrounded by nature. Turning around, Shaman saw that they were in the mountains and could see the pce from where they stood.
"Nice view isn''t it?" Cecilia wrapped her hand around Shaman''s shoulder and admired the view alongside her.
"Mhm yes, but we should go get my element." Shaman liked the view but was more keen on her present.
"Fufu~ eager girl you are, just like your father." Cecilia turned and grabbed Shaman''s hand.
"Hmph i''m nothing like that geezer." Shaman''s image of her dad was a shut-in who always had his nose stuck in a book.
"Yet you still brawl in the hallway like kids?" Cecilia covered her mouth with one hand hiding her smile.
"Y-you saw that?!" Shaman''s face went red as it was rather embarrassing.
"Mother knows everything, so don''t go trying to hide anything." Cecilia booped Shaman''s nose before pulling her along inside the shrine.
"..." Shaman stayed silent trying to fight off the embarrassment.
Inside the shrine was rather bare, but on a pedestal was an old looking scroll.
"Huh? Is that it?" Shaman was confused as she didn''t know how a scroll was going to help her get an element.
"haha , don''t worry I was confused as well when I first did it, but trust me this ce holds our most sacred treasure."
"But it is out in the open, we can see home from here."
"That is just an illusion sweetie, this ce is deep underground." Cecilia told Shaman the truth as there was no point in hiding it.
"Ohhh that''s so cool. Did you do that?" Shaman had always aspired to be like her mother so she wanted to learn as much as she could from her.
"Fufu~ it was indeed, but enough about me, today is about you. Now I need you to go up to the pedestal and read out what''s on the scroll." Cecilia exined what Shaman had to do and she nodded before walking up to the pedestal.
Shaman''s tail wagged in excitement as she got closer and when she reached it, she took a deep breath.
Cecilia took a step back and knelt down on the ground. A few magical circles activated around her and then one at Shaman''s feet.
"What?" Shaman was confused by what''s going on and panicked for a moment.
"It''s okay Shaman, concentrate on reading out loud the words, I am just stimting your mana so try to bear with the odd feeling.
"Mhm." Shaman felt a weird sensation through her body, but taking her mothers advice went ahead and read the scroll.
"To all my ancestors and the people of the fox race. I hereby dere my loyalty to my race and my conviction to use my power for the good of the people. I call for the legendary kitsune Akrone to bestow power upon thy vassal. Please ept this pledge, for I shall follow the way of the kitsune and strive to be stronger. Akrone, Please grant me the power to fulfil these duties." Shaman finished speaking and the words on the scroll began to glow a bright purple.
''Hmm? That''s odd.'' Cecilia had not seen the text go purple before as when she did this it had gone blue.
Shaman held her hands together and shut her eyes waiting for something to happen. Soon another feeling flowed through and Shaman had no way to describe it.
Opening her eyes she saw a word appear in front of her.
[Stardust]
Chapter 158 [Stardust]
?Shaman suddenly shot up from her bed and held her chest. Elysia was also woken up by the sudden pull on her nket.
"Huh? What''s wrong sweetie~ it''s still early morning." Elysia was rubbing her eyes trying to see what was wrong.
"I- I''m okay. I was just in my memories and the shock in the dream seems to have startled me awake." As soon as Shaman woke up, the sudden shock she suddenly felt from seeing the words stardust seemingly brought her out of the memory.
"Oh what did you see?" Elysia sat up and leaned on Shaman''s shoulder half asleep.
"I saw my parents and I was reciting a scripture to activate my innate element." Shaman checked her system to see if anything was out of ce.
"Ohh, so do you have the element now or do you also have to recite it?" Elysia was rather curious about the memory, especially about Shaman''s parents who would hopefully be her future mother and father inw.
"Rea told me I have to recite it, but damn these memories feel so real." Shaman had calmed down, but unfortunately she was now wide awake so getting a bit of extra sleep was not going to happen.
"I wonder if I could have a dream like that." Elysia''s imagination wandered for a moment and drool leaked from her mouth.
"Oi, you have me right here if you want to try anything." Shaman knew exactly what Elysia was thinking, especially afterst night.
"Oh yeah, well how about some early morning action to start our day." Elysia already felt herself getting into the mood.
*sigh* "Only a quick one." Shaman saw no harm and thought it would be a good way to spend some of the extra time they have in the morning.
"Yes!" Elysia then pulled Shaman back down in the bed.
***
<20 minutester>
Elysia and Shaman got dressed into their casual clothes from yesterday, but Elysia had to go get a new pair of stockings from the maid who was thankfully awake and made sure to get a few extra pairs.
"Hehe~." Elysia was in a great mood and was sliding around on the kitchen tiles while waiting for Shaman.
"You seem to be enjoying yourself." Shaman came out of the bathroom and instead of her usual hair down, she had actually tied it up like she did in the memory.
"Damn, you''re looking more like a mother by the day." Elysia quite enjoyed the new hairstyle and could not stop admiring it.
"Aha, thanks. This is what my hair was like when I was little and I thought to try it." Shaman did a slow spin to show off all the angles and was quite happy with Elysia''s reaction.
"Ooo, well I like it a lot." Elysia quickly went to Shaman''s side and hugged her arm.
"Good, now let''s find a space to activate this new element of mine." Shaman was d that the system preserved the memory so she did not need to memorise what was on the script.
"I can''t wait to see, you haven''t actually told me what it is." Elysia had been left in the dark on what the element was and was rather excited to find out.
"I never told you? Well I guess it now has to be a surprise."
Shaman and Elysia then walked out of their room looking for a hall or a space where they can be alone.
*
After getting directions from a maid, Shaman and Elysia found themselves in a training hall. There was various equipment and dummy soldiers. Shaman was also able to feel that the room was heavily reinforced with magic, meaning they don''t need to hold back.
"This should do, now Elysia I want you to stand back." Shaman didn''t know if anything would happen if Elysia stayed close, but would rather be safe than sorry.
Elysia nodded and sat down on a bench that was by the exit.
''Okay now I just need to recite it.'' Thinking about the memory, an image of what was on the script appeared in her mind and she began to read it out loud.
"To all my ancestors and the people of the fox race. I hereby dere my loyalty to my race and my conviction to use my power for the good of the people. I call for the legendary kitsune Akrone to bestow power upon thy vassal. Please ept this pledge, for I shall follow the way of the kitsune and strive to be stronger. Akrone, Please grant me the power to fulfil these duties." Although the script wasn''t there Shaman could already feel the same sensation as she did when in the memory.
A purple light started to glow on Shaman''s chest and Elysia, who was watching, stood up, ready to jump in if it looked like anything had gone wrong.
[Stardust element acquired]
A system message appeared in front of Shaman and soon after the glow in her chest died down.
Getting down on one knee, Shaman held her hand to her chest, still feeling a lingering effect from the light.
"Shaman?" Elysia was concerned, but assumed Shaman was okay since it looked like she wasn''t in pain.
"Yes I''m fine. Just like I described earlier, that feeling I got when in the dream was a little intense." Shaman stood up feeling much better and opened her system.
[Elements]
Wind - Tier 4
Fire - Tier 4
Water - tier 4
Ice - tier 4
Stardust - tier 5
"Oh? It''s already tier 5." Shaman was rather surprised that it started at tier 5, but guessed it was the fact that it was her innate element.
"Soooo, what is it?" Elysia had slowly walked up behind Shaman, itching to find out what it was.
"I''m not entirely sure what I can do, so let''s find out." Shaman knew that she was able to conceal herself with it from when she saw Freja in her memories.
"Mhn." Elysia nodded and stepped backwards waiting in anticipation.
Shaman stood up and allowed mana to flow through her body.
Thinking about the element, soon purple and blue dust started to rise from the ground. The dust then swirled around Shaman, the space between the dust particles was so dark, it reminded her of the darkness of space. The shimmering dust particles were reminiscent of stars in the night sky and whenever the particles swirled, images of gxies formed. The sight was so surreal, no one would guess it was made of tiny specs of dust.
Elysia was amazed by the sight and felt like the stars were in front of her.
Shaman seeing this effect decided to try something fun and so she lifted her hands up and sent the dust to the ceiling.
Covering the entire ceiling with the dust, Shaman had created a mini night sky within the training hall.
"Wow." Both Shaman and Elysia were in awe of what Shaman had created. However, it was draining her mana, so unfortunately she needed to take down the sky she created.
The dust covering the ceiling then stopped moving, breaking the illusion of the sky.
Shaman knelt back down as the mana expenditure had exhausted her. She still wasn''t used to her new element and still had much to learn about how to efficiently wield it.
Elysia quickly went to Shaman''s side to make sure nothing serious had happened.
"That was amazing." Shaman couldn''t believe such an element existed. It felt like a bit of a budget space element, but nheless she was happy with it.
"I would say do it again, but it seems like that took a lot of mana to do." Elysia helped Shaman lean on her and moved towards the bench so Shaman could sit down.
"It did not take all of it, but it used a lot at once which I was not ready for." Shaman looked at her system and only about a third of it was consumed, but due to it all being spent at once it took the wind out of her.
"Sheesh that''s a lot. Don''t you have about 8000 points of mana?" Elysia was able to see Shaman''s status and was surprised about the amount that was taken.
"Yes I do and I still need to use some more to figure out what exactly this element can do." Shaman still had no idea how it worked and needed to y around with her new capabilities.
"Did you want me to go get anything then?" Elysia wanted to be helpful rather than watch despite the beautiful view.
"Can you go get ra and Silver? I want them to be here so we can have a group training session and test it out against an opponent." Shaman thought it would be a good idea for everyone toe as it would hopefully give her a few ideas on how to apply her new element while also allowing Silver to get some more fighting experience.
"Sure." Elysia nodded and left the training hall.
''Now let''s have a look at the description.'' Shaman hoped by looking at the element through the system, it would give some hints to how to use it
[Stardust]
[An element that has the power of space and illusions. Although not know for its offensive capabilities it allows the user to manipte the vision of those around them and to traverse through a separate space]
''Oh I see, so I can use it like my spatial rift, but it has its own separate domain and can only be entered through the portals I create.'' Shaman took a guess at what the separate space meant. If she was right, it could mean she had her own storage domain and a space she could use for escaping.
''I can also create illusions, but how does one even do that, definitely gonna need to test that on someone.'' Shaman could not quite grasp how she would create an illusion, but judging from how she made the sky, it might be a simr process.
''Alright, now that I have somewhat of an idea, let''s y around a bit.'' Shaman recovered and stood up from the bench.
Entering the middle of the hall again, Shaman once again began to manipte the dust around her.
----------------------------
[Shaman Shiroi]
Age: 18
Race: 5 tailed Fox Girl
Tier: 5
Level: 110
MP: 8000/8000
[Skills/Spells]
Sword domain, Iron skin, Inspect
Wind sh lvl 10, Slicing tornado lvl 6, Sword gale lvl 7, Wind crescent lvl 5
Deep sea lvl 5, Tidal wave lvl 5, Water Shield lvl 5
zing sword lvl 10, Fireball lvl 4, de of mescion lvl 2
Ice free form
Spatial rift
Chains of earth
Heal
Lovers call
(Passive)
Light regeneration
Blessing of the fox
- Negate mind control (once aware of control)
- ssified
- ssified
(Shared skills with Silver)
Shadow cloak, Shadow dash, Shadow w, Shadow Bite, Shadow walk
[Attributes]
(The + is added stats from items they have equipped)
Vitality: 600 +30
Agility: 650 +45
Intelligence: 710 +60
Strength: 750 +50
Dexterity: 710 +38
Defence: 600+50
Chapter 159 Separate Space
?Shaman raised her dust from the ground, trying to imitate her mother who also had a dust element, and formed the dust into something physical that could be used to move or grab someone.
After creating a small tform in front of her, Shaman stepped onto the dust tform which felt as if she was trying to step into the starry night sky. The dust''s illusion effect yed with Shaman''s eyes, as it looked like her foot would just go straight through.
Slowly cing her foot onto the dust tform, Shaman had sessfully created something physical out of the dust.
''Looks like I can use it to travel around like my ice, but it works more like a hoverboard than a slide.'' Shaman could imagine herself using the dust as a way of getting around since she could move the tform at will.
Shaman, wanting to test it out, stood on top of her newly created tform and almost lost her bnce.
''I need to concentrate so much just to keep it steady.'' Shaman was already struggling as she had to constantly make sure the dust stayed condensed and stable as she stood on it.
Once Shaman was stable on the tform, she slowly tried raising herself up from the ground.
''Okay, so far so good.'' Shaman was getting the hang of it more and more as each second went by.
After a few more seconds of raising herself high off the ground, Shaman saw movement at the door, breaking her concentration. The tform wobbled and Shaman fell back towards the ground.
"Shiit!" Shaman was about to use her wind to save her fall, but Elysia, who was the one at the door, quickly ran and caught Shaman.
"I leave for a couple of minutes and you are already hurting yourself." Elysia held Shaman in a princess carry.
"I was just about to save myself, but you beat me to it." Shaman pouted and blushed, happy that Elysia came to her rescue, but also indignant at the implication she needed saving to begin with.
"Hehe, too bad, your queen hase to save the day." Elysia acted proudly and was treating the situation like Shaman was a damsel in distress.
"Mother!" Silver had juste through the door and instantly sprinted over.
"You can let me down now." Shaman nudged Elysia to put her down so she could hug her son.
"Oop." Elysia quickly put Shaman down.
Shaman instantly opened her arms and Silver jumped into them for a hug.
ra had also walked in, but still in her pyjamas and looked like she had only just woken up.
"Oh hey ra, howe you haven''t gotten ready?" Elysia was a bit confused by ra''s wardrobe choices, but since it was nothing urgent, she couldn''t really me her for being a bitzy.
"Oh, I nned not to do much today. I exhausted myself quite a lot with training, so I figured I will watch and head back to bed when you''re done." ra yawned and took a seat on the bench.
"That''s a shame. I was hoping to test out my new element, but if you don''t want to, that''s fine." Shaman let go of Silver and started to pat his head instead while she spoke.
"I don''t mind throwing a few spells at you, but I''m not doing anything that requires me to move a lot." ra was fully capable of using her lightning, but would rather not move around.
"If that''s the case, I will askter for you to throw some attacks at me."
"Can I see the new element you got mother?" Silver looked up at Shaman, curious what it was.
"Here." Shaman held out her hand and created a small ball of dust in front of Silver.
"Woah, you can make the stars?" Silver was confused about what it actually was as it looked like Shaman held a mini gxy in her hand.
"It''s called stardust, it allows me to control space and create illusions."
"What else can you do with it?" Silver wanted to see more as his interest peaked.
"That''s why you are here, we are going to test out my new element and see what it can do." Closing her hand and making the balls disappear, Shaman took a few steps back, getting ready to start experimenting.
"First I want to test out the space aspect of the element and get an idea of how versatile the element is." Shaman swirled her hands and visualised a portal-like entrance in front of her with the dust.
The dust took the form of a portal and Shaman found once it was created, the burden of having to keep her concentration was gone.
''Seems like the system took over, but why isn''t it registering as a skill.'' Shaman expected the system to start adding skills to her status, but nothing had appeared.
''Hmm no Rea, must mean that I will find out soon.'' Shaman half expected Rea to randomly speak up, but she had stayed silent.
Shaman walked up to the portal and slowly stepped into it. Just as she was hoping, her leg went in without any difficulty. Getting more confident, Shaman put her entire body into the portal and looked around. The portal closed behind her, leaving her alone in the separate space.
It was like she was standing in outer space. No matter where she looked, her sight was filled with the shining stars. Only once she learned to tune them out, she noticed that behind them was the vague white outline of the hall she was in before.
''At Least I know where I am.'' Shaman walked around the empty room until she had a good grasp on how her location in the separate space matched with the original room.
Wanting to get out right behind Silver, Shaman stood behind where he was and opened another entrance. Silver had not noticed the portal yet and so Shaman stepped out while poking Silver in the head.
"Ahh!" Silver screamed as he was shocked to see Shaman randomly appear from behind him.
"Hahaha~ it''s only me Silver." Shaman was greatly amused by Silver''s reaction and wanted to do it again.
"So how was it?" Elysia was worried for a moment when Shaman vanished, but quickly calmed down when she saw Shaman re-emerge.
"It works simr to my rift, but when I was inside I felt like I had a lot more control." Shaman did not know how to describe it, the only way she couldpare it was that her old rift felt like a tunnel she used while the new separate space was like her own house.
"Maybe you can manipte the space in whichever way you want, sort of like a lucid dream."
"That could work, but to do that at the moment I think is going to require a lot of mana, so how about we all go in." Shaman wanted Silver to see what it was like as the scenery inside looked rather magical.
"Yes!" Silver''s eyes were shining with excitement as the brief glimpse of the portal when Shaman entered had already piqued his curiosity.
Shaman opened up another portal and found that it did not take much mana to create, which was rather handy.
Silver jumped through instantly, but as he was about tond, Silver realised he can''t see any floor. Panicking, Silver braced himself for a fall when his feet hit solid ground. Tripping over his own feet Silver fell face first onto the space floor.
Shaman and Elysia tried hard not to giggle while they quickly went inside to help Silver up.
"Geh, I was not expecting that." Silver got up with the help of his mothers and steadied his feet.
"Pfft, it was adorable so don''t worry about it." Elysia could not hold herughter in, but tried topliment it so Silver would not get angry.
"Oi don''tugh." Silver pouted and turned his head to Shaman.
"Heh~." Shaman let out a smallugh and Silver felt betrayed.
"Grrrr." Despite Silver acting like a brat, he could not help butugh a little at himself when he reenacted it in his head.
"ra, did you want toe in as well?" Shaman looked back out the portal and called out ra''s name to see if she wanted to alsoe in.
"No, it''s okay." ra was not keen on moving and preferred to stay on the bench.
"Alright~." Shaman closed the portal and ra shut her eyes to see if she could sneak in a few more minutes of sleep.
"Woah." Silver looked around, feeling like he was walking in outer space.
Even Elysia was in awe and wandered around on her own, taking it all in.
"As far as I know, we can stay here as long as we want since my mana is not being drained." Shaman opened her status screen, noticing that it was not going down at all.
"Ohhh so we can sleep in here instead if we are outside or even in a dungeon." Elysia instantly thought of different ways to apply it.
"Just as I thought, that way we can bepletely safe, but I still am not confident in staying here for too long so we will need to test it a bit more before we do." Shaman did not want to jump straight into staying in a separate space for too long as there could be some unknown side effects.
"You''re right, let''s try to store a beast in here and see if there are any effects on it." Elysia wanted to use a person, but that would be more of a hassle to deal with.
"Good idea, but let''s move on, I want to test some more things." Shaman wanted to move on as they spent way too much time testing out the skill.
"Alright Silver we areing out now." Shaman called out to Silver who had ended up running around the room trying to see if there were any walls.
"Okayyy." Silver had not bumped into any walls and whening back to Shaman he ran through the outline of the training hall unimpeded.
Shaman opened up a portal back to the hall and they all stepped through.
"Okay now let''s see how the illusion part of this element works." Shaman had some great ideas and was going to have a little fun with what she was going to do.
Chapter 160 Confusing Elysia
?"Elysia, I''m going to be using you to test out these illusions so prepare yourself." Shaman was a little unsure if it was a good idea as Elysia does not have the best mental stability.
''Should be fine as long as I don''t show her anything that she would consider bad.'' Shaman''s thoughts drifted to creating an illusion of her and ra, which Shaman knew would cause the training hall to go up in mes.
''Yeah let''s not.'' Shaking her head, Shaman focused on doing something Elysia would like.
"Okay, I''m ready." Elysia mentally prepared herself for whatever she was going to see, but hoped it was something good.
"Alright, here goes nothing." Shaman wanted to test if she could make Elysia see multiple Shamans and how that would look.
The stardust swirled around Shaman for a moment before shooting itself towards Elysia.
Elysia shut her eyes instinctively as the dust was aimed right at her face. Realising that nothing had hit her, Elysia opened her eyes to see what happened.
"Huh?" What Elysia did not expect was to see 5 Shaman''s surrounding her.
The real Shaman who was further back could see the copies of herself, but was unsure if Silver could.
"Hey Silver, can you see 5 of me surrounding Elysia?" Shaman whispered into his ear and Silver looked up at Shaman confused.
"There are 5 more Mothers?" Silver tried squinting his eyes while looking at Elysia, but could not see anything.
"ra, can you see 5 more of me around Elysia?" Shaman wanted to make sure that only she could see the illusion.
"No, I see nothing." ra hearing the question was a bit amazed as she could see the visible confusion on Elysia, indicating that she was indeed seeing something.
"Hmm it seems like only I and the person being affected will see the illusion." Shaman liked this detail as in a group fight it will make it harder to break illusion through a third party.
''Heh let''s have a little fun seeing as no one else can see them.'' Shaman had full control of the illusions and so she began to move them closer to Elysia.
''Oh my they are moving.'' Elysia had no idea how to react as she knew it was an illusion but had no way of breaking it. A detail she also noticed was that the eyes of the copied Shamans looked like the stardust element.
The fake Shamans were now in arms length and they began to touch Elysia.
''Wait I can feel them.'' Elysia began to freak out as the copies started moving their hands all over her body.
One of the copies restrained Elysia while the others began to tease her.
"Ah~ this is not fairrrrr." Elysia screamed out while also letting out a small moan.
ra had facepalmed and Silver was still confused about what was actually happening. Shaman was giggling to herself as she couldn''t believe that she could feel the copies.
''It must be a mental thing rather than actually creating copies, so right now her brain is thinking she is getting touched, but in reality, nothing is happening.'' Shaman dismissed the illusion before it got too intense. Elysia fell to her knees heavily breathing as the situation itself was something she had fantasised about.
"Ahem, please don''t do that again. At least not in front of everyone." Elysia''s face waspletely red as she didn''t want it to stop, but remembering where she was, Elysia felt a bit of shame.
"Hehe~." Shaman now had new ways to tease Elysia without moving and got lost in thought about all the different scenarios she could apply this.
"Oi." Elysia pouted as she saw the cheeky expression Shaman had and knew it did not mean anything good for her.
"AHEM!!" ra loudly cleared her throat as this was not the time and ce for it.
"Oops, my bad." Shaman got a little carried away, but now that she had an understanding of how it worked, she wanted to move on to something else.
"Maybe another time, anyway Elysia I want you to send some weak attacks towards me." Shaman wanted to test if she could use the dust as a defence. Shaman also gestured to Silver to stand back or sit by ra, just so he would not identally get hurt.
Silver decided to go sit by ra and watch from a distance unless Shaman called for him.
Elysia got up from the floor, still distracted by the lingering feeling of all the hands of Shaman that vited her.
Elysia then pulled out her bow and prepared a few basic fire arrows to shoot towards Shaman.
"Ready." Elysia signalled she was ready and Shaman thought of an idea of how to use her dust.
"Go for it." Shaman prepared her dust at the ready for the attack toe.
Elysia shot the arrow at a rtively slower speed just to make sure that if Shaman failed it could easily be dodged.
Shaman erected a wall of dust, intending to use it as a portal to the separate space. Just like in her fight against the half-bear noble, she also opened an exit portal. And yet, even after the arrow entered the first portal, not a thing came out of the second..
"Damn seems like I will have to use my spatial rift for moves like that." Shaman peaked into her portal and spotted the fire arrow on the ground, slowly fizzling out.
"Alright, send a few more attacks." Shaman once again prepared herself.
Elysia shot a few arrows that were the same as the first arrow. This time Shaman took a more physical approach with the arrows and blocked them like she was using a shield. The fire arrows disappeared upon contact and Shaman sessfully defended against the light attacks.
"Now your spear." Shaman knew the attacks were rather weak and wanted to test if there was a limit.
"I won''t be behind it so hit as hard as you can." Shaman then created a wall, allowing Elysia to hit it as hard as she could.
"Hehe." Elysia summoned her spear and walked up to the stardust wall.
Preparing to stab right into the wall Elysia took a deep breath, wanting to put as much effort as she could into the strike. Twisting her hips Elysia stabbed right into the stardust wall. Unexpectedly, a crack appeared on it, spreading out as if it was ss. Elysia continued to push into the wall until eventually the wall broke apart, turning back into dust.
"Okay so it''s a physical object until broken." Shaman was a bit confused as to why it cracked like that, but it seemed the dust condensed together to create the object and when it breaks it will turn back into dust.
"Is that all?" Elysia was unsure if there were any offensive ways to use it as it seemed to be more of a support element.
"I think that will be it for now as I can''t think of how to use it offensively. At most I would be just using an illusion and then taking them out while they are distracted." Shaman had already formted ways to apply the illusions in battle as well as a good way to defend against attacks.
"Hold on, if I can create condensed objects does that mean I can use it like my ice to create weapons?" An idea had struck Shaman as when she created the wall it had physical properties.
Shaman quickly, using her dust, created a replica of her sword.
Shaman gripped the replica and created an ice block in front of her.
"Let''s see how durable it is." Shaman wanted to see how effective it was and so she swung down on the ice box. Upon contact the stardust sword cut into the ice, but quickly broke right afterwards, turning into dust.
"Hmm, it is very brittle, looks like this is only good enough to get a quick hit in." Shaman was a little disappointed, but she was only tier 5, meaning there was still a lot of improvement to be had. Also, after the sword waspletely gone, a system message appeared.
[Element control has improved]
[Unlocked Stardust free form]
''Finally the prompt I had been looking for.'' Shaman was hoping to get this as the same thing happened with her ice.
''Looks like if I use the element in a lot of different ways, the system will allow me to use it as I see fit without requiring a different skill for every single type of application.'' Shaman had proven a theory she hade up with ever since she got the ice free form skill and hoped to achieve this with the rest of her elements as well.
"Well at least you found ways to use it." Elysia already saw the element as extremely strong just for how versatile it was.
"Yes, I can''t reallyin." Shaman realised she shouldn''t be asking for too much as this was already a huge boost in power. Now she could even take on people who are much higher tier.
"If that''s everything, how about we go hit up the tier 5 or 6 dungeon?" Elysia was eager to do some fighting and thought why not spend the day getting some levels.
"We will go tier 5 as I don''t want to get too far ahead of ra in levels, plus I want to try out some more things while in battle, so we better take the safer option." Shaman wanted to try converting her elements into a free form like her stardust.
"I assume you''re noting with us ra to the tier 5 dungeon?" Shaman still wanted to make sure, but the tired look on ra''s face already gave her the answer.
"I will sit this one out." ra yawned. Although she did want to go, she did not feel like it was a good idea in her current state.
"Alright, Silver, go get ready and meet us out the front of the mansion." Shaman knew Silver woulde so she urged him to get ready.
"Yep!" Silver hopped off the bench and instantly rushed out of the room to get into more outdoor clothes.
"Now that we know what we are doing, let''s get going." Shaman went up to Elysia and grabbed her hand.
"Mhm." Elysia nodded. As they turned to leave, they noticed that ra had already left, seemingly to her room.
As they exited the training hall, they found Freja just outside with ra and Silver.
"Something urgent came up, we need to talk." Freja''s grey eyes did not have the same yful look, indicating that whatever it was, it was quite serious.
Chapter 161 Unexpected Visitors
?"Follow me." Freja turned around, flicking her blonde hair back. Opening up a blood portal, Freja walked straight through and everyone else followed.
Appearing on top of a gate that was on the edge of the Freya forest, they all looked down to see a bunch of armed soldiers that resembled all the races Shaman and her group killed on their assasination mission.
"Uhh did we cause this?" Shaman instantly noticed this detail and could not help but suspect it was her fault for an army appearing at Freja''s doorstep.
"Yes it was, but I wanted this to happen." Freja wore a sadistic smile, looking as if she was about to jump in and murder the army herself.
"Empress Freja! We havee to your forest to seek vengeance for our leaders. You dared have them killed and you shall face the consequences!" A half bear in rather extravagant armour was leading the marching army.
"Ara~ is that so, well I''m afraid I was not the one to murder them, but it was actually these 4 I have with me." Freja looked at Shaman who had a shocked face.
"Huh?" Shaman had no idea what Freja was thinking, throwing them under the bus like this. Suddenly a voice echoed through each of their heads.
''Do not worry I will make sure you don''t get hurt, but I want you to beat their leader so I can take control over their army for myself.'' Freja exined the n to them and Shaman instantly felt relief that they were not being betrayed.
''Hang, how did they even get here, aren''t there high tier beasts?'' ra interjects as she remembers that the forest is guarded by wild powerful beats.
''I actually have control over the beasts so I let them through on purpose.'' Freja''s exnation had caused Shaman and the rest to feel a little annoyed as they were rather terrified whening into the forest with Kiruya.
''Haha, I know what you are thinking, but I do not have full control, they just listen to me whenever I offer them a good meal, so realistically they could have been wiped out before they got here despite me shooing the beasts away.'' Freja went into more detail, better exining the circumstances of the Freya forest.
The half-bear leader, hearing Freja''s deration, signalled hismanders over and soon the murmuring of a heated discussion could be heard.
The leader then turned back towards the gate and eximed "If you are willing to let us have their heads, we shall leave. But if not we will take it as if you participated as well." The half-bear was rather happy about the oue as he did not want to fight Freja, but due to a contract he and the othermanders are forced by oath to get revenge on whoever killed their masters.
"You sure can, but you are going to have to fight for it." Freja opened a portal beneath each of their feet and transported them in front of themanders.
"Tch a simple duel will be no problem." The half-bear was okay with fighting for their heads.
Shaman quickly looked at each of themanders and leader''s status so she knew who was the strongest.
[Jorn]
Half-bear
Tier 7
[Perry]
Prey mantis
Tier 6
[Skald]
Eagle
Tier 6
[Ralpeal]
Crocodile
Tier 6
After examining each of their status, Shaman instantly knew who should be fighting who. Sending a message to each of them, Shaman wanted to make sure the fight was advantageous to them as much as possible.
Elysia was given the eagle, ra the prey mantis and Silver the crocodile. Shaman was particrly worried about Silver, but she had made sure to say in her message to just hide if the fight was too much.
"Now who shall I take on." The half bear raised his mace, scanning each of the 4 opponents in front of him.
"It will be me." Shaman was unsure if she could win, but with her newfound element she believed that she stood a chance.
"The rest will fight yourmanders." Shaman saw that Elysia, ra and Silver got into position, each facing themander Shaman assigned to them.
"You know what to do." Jorn turned to the rest of themanders and each of them nodded. Perry had mantis ws, Skald had a bow and Repeal had ws. Each of them took a stance, ready to face their opponents.
"I hope you are ready to meet your end, you low-life scum." Jorn gripped his mace and was prepared to begin the duel.
***
The purple tipped 12 tail fox sat on her couch watching the scene unfold.
"It''s a shame my little height gag fell apart because of my own blessing." The 12 tailed fox rested her chin on her hand while eating some fruit.
"Akrone, I know you wanted to tease the poor girl, but she clearly has aplex about it." A woman who was over 2 metres tall stood over Akrone with a rather exhausted look.
"You have to admit it was rather funny, but I can''t use my powers anymore to help since this damn seal is taking all my energy to break." Akorne sat up and looked up at the extremely tall woman.
"You are not wrong, but just because you can imitate my powers does not mean you should. It''s hard enough getting here to pay you a visit as is." The woman sighed as she already felt the connection getting weaker.
"At least you are only a projection! I am already stuck here, so I do what I can not to go insane from theck of social interaction."
"Indeed, but I have to say you have chosen quite a unique one to follow." The tall woman took a look at the screen that showed Shaman and her group.
"Mhm. That old man transported her a few months ago and she is making great progress. It''s also the reason why he sealed me since he didn''t want me interfering, but I did anyway." Akrone giggled to herself, finding the situation rather funny.
"Well it''s for a good reason, if you help her too much you will make her go insane." The woman rolled her eyes as if this had happened before.
"Yes, yes I know what I''m doing, I don''t need to be constantly reminded. Besides, he knows I will break out soon and hasn''t even bothered to stop me, so clearly he wants me to do something when I''m out." Akrone felt excited as she was itching to help Shaman and it was only a matter of time.
"There is no stopping you." The woman facepalmed as she knew it was pretty much a taboo for gods to help people.
"Hehe~ I already know she will be meeting us in a couple years so why not?" Akrone smirked as she was rather confident in Shaman''s ability.
"I would not go too ahead of yourself, she still needs to beat that pope who has made a deal with an underworld god." The woman''s face got serious as the mention of the underworld made the atmosphere tense.
*Sigh* "I am aware, I don''t know how he was able to get in contact with one, but that tells me whoever it is must be strong." Akrone did not like that thought, but it was the main driving factor for her interference in Shaman''s life.
"Well, hopefully Freja will be able to inherit the throne soon and be the new Lucifer, but I''m afraid she is refusing to go any further until she saves her best friend." The woman changed the view on the screen to Freja who was watching the fight down below.
"She acts as guardian for Shaman and her group at the moment, so I think it is good she hasn''t gone yet, as they need a ce where they can go back to. Just tell that withering husk to hold on for a bit longer." Akrone was rather d for Freja''s presence as it meant Shaman and her group would generally be safe.
"If he heard you say that, he would have dragged you down to the underworld." The woman sighed as Akrone just insulted one of the most powerful gods.
"He isn''t here so no need to worry about the devil himself." Akrone''s seal had also given her freedom to speak her mind without having to worry about being overheard by other gods.
"To think you''re the next god to get the title of supreme god."
"Hard work is what gets you there, I am sure it''s a surprise to those old fogeys that love only giving family members this title."
"I''m d for that since it''s been quite some time since someone who hasn''t had a family connection obtained the title."
"Well they had to once I beat them in a duel in a mere few seconds. To think they use such outdated divine magic." Akrone''s face had a look of disgust, thinking back to the duel as the people she fought had to use incantations.
"They don''t like change, so what did you expect?"
Akrone shrugged as it only made it easier for her to rise.
"Ooo the fights are starting!" Akrone quickly switched the screen back to Shaman who had finally started her fight with the bear.
Chapter 162 Battle With The Commanders
?The duels between each of themanders were beginning and Freja watched from above, ready to jump in if any of the girls or Silver were going to die.
''I don''t think Shaman will be able to beat the bear, so hopefully she can at least draw out the fight until Elysia or ra are done.'' Examining the stats of the bear, Freja was concerned for Shaman and how she would deal with him.
''If she can beat the bear by herself, I might not need to send them on that mission to Elfheim.'' Freja''s intentions for the mission were for them to improve and grow stronger before she sent them to the demonnds.
''I think I will still send them to Elfheim anyway and hopefully they get to at least tier 6 before returning.'' Although Freja was confident in their abilities so far, it still wasn''t a good idea to send them out to the demonnds under levelled.
''No matter, this fight should give them a decent boost in their level, so let''s hope they will push for tier 7 once in Elfheim.'' Freja was confident in her decision and so she gotfortable with a ss of wine alongside a chair to watch the battle.
***
''I wonder if they can fly?'' Elysia looked at the half eagle Skald, a female half-eagle who had wings on her back, but Elysia was unsure if she would be able to hold her own weight in the air. Skald also had an eagle head and feathers along her body, resembling her beast race more than her human side, which many would consider as having a purer bloodline.
Skald also wore rather over the top armour, decorated in gold with an embossing of the crest, signifying which family she was from. However, the armour did not cover any of the wings, nor did it have a helmet, leaving some major weak points open.
''I should aim for them if I want to end this quickly, but I can''t assume she is weak, the eagle is tier 6 after all.'' Elysia knew not to underestimate her as it was clear Skald worked hard for her power, so it would not be as easy as just shooting them out of the sky.
"I have to ask, were you the specific one that killed my master?" Skald did not believe that the group of 4 they were fighting were the ones to kill them.
"Oh yes, I did. Do you want to know how I did it? I think it was the one where I blew up the entire mansion altogether." Elysia smiled. Although she didn''t quite remember who or how she killed the nobles, she still wanted to y the role as a viin.
"Tsk you damn vixen." Skald looked at Elysia with disgust, as the smile she gave had a tinge of madness behind it, making Skald believe her words.
"I wonder how I will get to kill you?" Elysia pulled out her bow from her inventory while pondering how she would go about attacking Skald.
Skald was getting irritated by Elysia''s attitude, so she decided to be the first to attack. Skald prepared her own bow. It was adorned with feathers, and from each of its sides had what looked like the wing of an eagle. Conjuring up a wind arrow on her bow, Skald aimed straight for Elysia.
Elysia, seeing Skald was attacking, did nothing and paced around like she was still thinking, pissing off Skald even more.
"Die you annoying vixen!" Skald fired the arrow at an impressive speed, but it was not something Elysia couldn''t handle.
Instantly breaking from her aloof attitude, Elysia got on her knees and shot a fire arrow at the oing wind arrow. Skald had a smug look as she could tell Elysia was weaker than her as the arrow Elysia shot did not exude the same level of power as her own.
The arrows collided, but to Skald''s surprise they stayed suspended in the air. Elysia showed a smug face as it was clear Skald had underestimated her.
"Maybe you should go build a nest and have a family, away from danger." Elysia stomped her foot on the ground and suddenly her arrow got stronger, absorbing the wind from Skald''s arrow to use as fuel.
Elysia''s arrow eventually overpowered Skald''s and was much stronger than before. Skald narrowly dodged the arrow, but burnt herself in the process as the heat from the me was able to burn her just by passing close by. The arrow almost made its way to the soldiers behind Skald, but Freja raised a wall of ck mes protecting them.
"Oops." Elysia knew Freja wanted the army, so identally killing them was going to be a no go. This action from Freja had also reinforced the idea that she really was throwing away Silver and the girls.
Skald, deciding on a new approach, began to use her wings to fly into the sky.
"Ooo moving target practice~." Elysia prepared a few more fire arrows ready to shoot the Skald out of the sky.
Skald did not say a word and prepared what seemed to be arge-scale spell. A green magic circle appeared in front of Skald, its size just barely eclipsing her own. Finally, she softly spoke a few words.
"Shall the wind punish the vixen and rain down a windy hell upon her!" Skald spun in the air and fired a wind arrow into the magic circle. The arrow seemingly split into hundreds of arrows and began to rain down on Elysia.
"I can do that too!" Elysia was rather excited, so before the wind arrows reached her, Elysia shot back with her [arrow storm] skill, aiming high into the sky.
Once her skill was released, Elysia used [fire wall] and took cover, letting it block the oing arrows.
Skald was confused by Elysia''s actions as generally spells that cover arger area need some form of incantation to increase the power. Following the arrow with her eyes Skald was amazed to see that the fire arrow itself suddenly split into a bunch of arrows.
''How the hell.'' Skald did not see any magic circle or anythinge from Elysia, but what shocked her the most was that the arrows did not lose any power upon splitting.
The storm of arrows was fast approaching Skald and there was not enough time for her topletely move out of the way due to her being distracted. Skald began to dodge the arrows in the air while trying to use her wind to redirect the arrows. This however, backfired as it caused the arrows to explode in her face.
"Argghh!" Skald took the brunt of the explosion in the air and found her body getting covered in severe burns. The rain of arrows however did not stop. The arrows kept oning and so a few of them managed to hit Skald''s wings, causing them to catch on fire.
"AHHHH!" Skald screamed in pain and fell to the ground with her wings still burning.
The wind barrage had stopped and Elysia came out of her fire wall with a few scratches as the arrows that hit the ground would explode into wind shes.
"I just got new stockings and there are already holes in them." Elysia looked at her legs which were covered in cuts. Her arms did not have it any better and she was slightly bleeding from the many cuts.
Skald, who managed to put out the mes on her wings, stood back up, still heavily breathing.
"Ha.. Haha Is that really all you have to say?" Skald could not believe the girl in front of her was more concerned about her stockings than the battle they were having.
"Hmm well, I''m sure my girlfriend will love the look of it, but the cold breeze doesn''t feel nice." Elysia put a finger on her chin, giving Skald a genuine answer.
Skald took a deep breath and, knowing that Elysia was just trying to provoke her, channelled the wind into her hand creating a wind sword.
''Surely she doesn''t have short range capabilities.'' Skald did not believe Elysia would have been able to fight at close range and so she sprinted forward using the wind to increase her speed.
"Oh my~ I guess we''re going to use a melee weapon now." Elysia stored her bow and pulled out her spear, which caused Skald''s eyes to widen.
''No it''s just a bluff, no way she can use it properly.'' Skald wanted to believe Elysia would have been inexperienced as mastering 2 weapons takes years of work as well as talent.
Skald swung up with her wind sword to sh across Elysia''s chest, but before it could reach her body Elysia blocked the sword, holding it to the ground.
Elysia''s face changed from innocent to serious which had intimidated Skald, but nheless she smiled as it seemed like she had a n.
Still pushing on Elysia''s spear the wind de warped around the spear and essentially phased through it.
Elysia was not expecting this and tried putting up a firewall to block the blow. However, she was too slow and so Skald managed to sh across Elysia''s stomach. Thankfully Elysia was able to move far enough back that the cut wasn''t deep, but it was painful.
"Tsk you damn bird bitch." A switch had flipped inside of Elysia and she no longer was going to toy with Skald like she had been throughout the fight.
Elysia raised her spear and covered it in her mes. Skald jumped back, wary of Elysia''s next move, but was still happy to see she finally managed to cause Elysia some real damage.
The tips of Elysia''s hair turned into an orange me as she was pouring mana into her mes, causing some physical changes in her body.
Skald seeing this swallowed her saliva as although she got a confidence boost fromnding an attack, what wasing next terrified her.
Elysia taking the initiative dashed forward, leaving a trail of mes behind her.
Skald prepared for the attack. Knowing her wind would only add fuel to the fire, she tried condensing her windde, improving its power and its resistance to the fire.
However, just before Elysia got close to Skald, Elysia had hit the ground with the bottom of her spear. Suddenly fire spears hade out of the ground charging towards Skalds body.
Skald screamed in agony as the fiery spears stabbed into her, burning her insides.
''How the fuck did she do that.'' Skald had no idea how Elysia was able to cast spells so instantaneously at her tier.
''Damnit have the generations just evolved or is it something else?'' Skald had spent years studying wind magic and was able to almost instantly cast powerful spells yet Elysia was able to do it instantaneously while being a lower tier than her.
Elysia using one hand thrusted her spear into Skald''s heart, killing her instantly and turning her to ash.
Elysia dismissed the mes and fell to her knees as she used a lot of mana and the pain in her stomach red up.
''Well at least I beat her.''
Chapter 163 Clara Killing Her Prey
?Elysia fell to her knees exhausted from the fight. Pulling out some bandages from her shared inventory, Elysia treated her wounds as she did not have any healing spell like Shaman.
''Looks like I am the first one to finish.'' Elysia looked around and saw everyone still fighting. Elysia tried to get up from the floor, but her injured stomach ached in pain every time she moved.
''Ah fuck, it even hurts to breathe.'' Elysia held her stomach, knowing she had no choice but to sit back and watch.
''I can try to use my fire bow from range, but it doesn''t look like any of them need help.'' Elysia was able to conjure up a fire bow and fire arrows from it, but she couldn''t see an opportunity to use it at the moment.
Dragging herself towards the gate, Elysia leaned back, taking full view of everyone''s fight.
''Goodluck everyone.''
**
ra stood in front of the prey mantis. Not wanting to reveal she had whips, she started off having them retracted into swords.
"You think your puny des will be able to handle my ws?" Perry, a male prey mantis, also shared very beast-like traits. Having serrated ws for arms and a head of a mantis, it was a rather grossbination when seeing it on a human body.
"Heh don''t underestimate me, otherwise you will get squashed like an insect." Lightning shed around ra''s des as she drew them from her waist.
"You demons live peacefully in your ownnd, let''s see how soft you have gotten." Perry was the first to make a move and dashed forward to ra.
ra attempted to dodge, but she felt her feet get rooted to the ground by the trees.
''Shit he uses nature.'' ra shed down with one of her swords, freeing herself from the tree roots. Using that opening, Perry followed up with a horizontal sh right to her neck with both his ws.
ra barely managed to raise her other sword to block the blow, but wasunched to the side. Her feet dragged along the ground and eventually came to a stop, while her neck got a slight cut from her own de being pushed up against her.
''Damn he is strong.'' ra did not expect Perry to be so strong, let alonebo his attack with an element.
"Tch." Perry was dissatisfied that ra managed to live and so he dashed once again for another attack. This time, ra was more weary of his element and better prepared herself for the attack.
ra covered her swords in lightning and stabbed the ground. This had burnt the roots underground, disabling the root attack Perry was going to use again.
Dodging Perry''s assault by a thread, ra brought up her swords once more. She then shed down at a greater speed thanks to her lightning and forced him to go on the defence. Even after Blocking with both his ws, ra still put a massive amount of pressure on Perry, causing his feet to dig into the ground.
What Perry didn''t expect was for the top of one de to detach, seemingly guided by the lightning to wrap itself around one of his ws. Pushing ra''s de back, the detached part of the de had hooked onto his arm, slicing it almostpletely off.
Perry''s state was not looking good. His serrated des had turned ck, burned from the lightning, and one of his arms was on the verge of being cut off.
"How do you like that?" ra retracted her whip de while Perry held his arm that was profusely bleeding. Perry did not say any words while he focused on healing the wound with his nature magic.
''Of course he has healing magic.'' ra saw the green glowe from his hand and soon the bleeding from his arm came to a sudden stop.
"To think I would use this on a demon of a lower tier." Perry had suddenly punched the ground and tree roots began to surround him.
"Great, he has tree armour." ra saw the tree roots wrap around his body, creating a sort of protective armour.
''I should keep my distance.'' ra''s first thoughts were that he might be able to send attacks from anywhere on his body. The only weak spots were his arms as they were the only parts not covered by the tree armour.
''My lightning should be able to burn it, so I should try to strike it to see how it reacts.'' ra needed information before going in for any big attacks as they could very well be negated easily by the armour Perry was wearing.
Perry''s body was now covered in wood, which seemed rather impractical, but thanks to it being infused with mana it acted like part of Perry''s body, allowing him a surprising range of movement.
ra this time did not have her whip des retracted and was going to try for long distance attacks from further away. Spinning her whips to either side of her, ra had created two circles of lightning.
Perry, not waiting for ra, had punched the ground again, creating tree spikes that shot towards her. Swinging her des in an X shape, ra countered by sending a stream of pure lightning into the spikes.
The wooden spikes were instantly burnt up. They barely even dyed ra''s lightning that continued on, heading straight for Perry. Perry hurriedly raised up a wooden wall, which managed to hold in ce the iing lightning. The wall began to burn as it was slowly getting destroyed, but the lightning was getting weaker and weaker until it fizzled out.
ra did not stand still while her lightning was being stopped by the wall and managed to get behind Perry without him noticing.
This time, instead of using her whips, she created a lightning spear and threw it at Perry. It travelled as fast as lightning, making it impossible to react to, forcing Perry to take the brunt of the blow.
Landing in his stomach, the lightning pushed him up against his own wooden wall, breaking it apart. While Perry was still getting pushed through the air by the lightning spear, his wooden armour was being burnt up, revealing his body.
"ARGGGGHH!" Perry screamed in pain as he felt like he was being struck by lightning over and over again. Pushing through the pain, he grabbed onto the spear that was now in his stomach, burning his hand. Using his nature element he was able to snuff out the lightning and stop the attack.
Landing on the ground, he held his stomach. The armour he was wearing underneath had turnedpletely ck, only one push away from falling apart.
Perry ran while trying his best to heal his wounds, but ra chased after him, not giving him enough time. Using her now retracted whip des, she had swung down hoping to take out one of his arms.
Using the wood to push himself out of the way, Perry managed to dodge ra''s des, but the lightning that hade out from her attack struck his arm. Paralysed by the attack, he felt his body locked up and unable to move.
Continuing her momentum ra spun in the air and shed down with her other whip de, cutting one of his arms off. Perry screamed in pain. Trying desperately to get away, he put up a bunch of wooden walls, creating a dome.
Quickly recing his arm with a wooden one, he had stopped the bleeding and created a temporary prosthetic.
"Don''t think you are safe." ra had retracted her des and stabbed into the wooden dome, sending her lightning all over the dome and burning up the wood. What ra failed to realise was that Perry still had control over the wood and so knowing where she was Perry sent a wooden spike into ra.
ra moved her head, dodging the spike, but more hade out and so her shoulder and hip got prated by wooden spikes.
ra jumped back in pain and fell to her knees while covering the wounds with her hands.
Focusing on her demon regeneration, she had to stop the bleeding even though it made her defenceless. Luckily, she thought of an idea of how to take advantage of Perry''s cockyness.
"Now look at how this turned out, without your weapons you are useless." Coming out of the burning wooden dome, Perry had approached ra who was focusing on healing.
"Shut up, you were barely able to handle me." Trying to act desperate ra wanted to make it look like she was on herst legs.
"You can hardly stand and all it took was a couple strikes, I would just call you a fly that was annoying to catch." Perry now stood in front of ra, using his prosthetic wooden arm which he had turned into a spike, he positioned it under her chin.
"Now face the punishment of going against the noble families." Perry went to stab ra in the throat, but she had grabbed a hold of the spike and pulled him closer while infusing her lightning on her hand.
ra''s lightning had increased her speed, making it hard for Perry to react in time, especially at such a close range.
Barely avoiding the spike which caused another cut on her neck, she reached out with her other arm, grabbing Perry by the neck while standing up.
"Just because I look weak doesn''t mean I can''t fight!" ra with her infused lightning hand gripped Perry by the neck sending an electric shock through his body.
Perry swung with his other arm, using his w to try and cut ra''s arm off, but before he could move it, ra sent a massive wave of lightning through his body, making his muscles tense up, unable to move.
Crushing his neck even more, ra strangled Perry with one hand while sending lightning through his body so he couldn''t move. Soon Perry died, his entire body frozen in the same position.
Letting go, ra let Perry fall to the floor. She stood over it, ring at the corpse.
"Damn that hurt." ra flicked her hands as using a lot of lightning on her body had caused a small amount of burning. Walking over to the slowly disintegrating wooden dome, ra pulled out her whip des and stored them in her inventory.
''Looks like Elysia has finished and Silver is about to finish up, I should heal and go help Shaman.'' ra felt her wounds slowly healing, but they would take a bit more time to finish as they were not small.
ra limped her way close to Elysia who was up against the gate to also watch over the fights before she jumped back in.
Chapter 164 Death Roll
?
Silver was standing right in front of a female crocodile that resembled a human more than the othermanders.
The main features Raphael had were dark blue scales along her body and the teeth of a crocodile. Her gauntlets, embedded with the same scale as well, had extremely sharp ws. Silver could only guess they were meant for grappling and restraining her opponents.
She also had dark blue hair that went down to her waist and eyes sharing the same colour.
Feeling extremely nervous, as this was his first proper fight against someone stronger, he wasn''t sure if he could pull it off.
''Mother trusted me with this fight, I can''t let her down.'' Silver motivated himself as he knew Shaman wouldn''t assign him a task he had no chance to seed.
"Ha! Seriously? A child? You can''t be serious." Raphael wasughing as she couldn''t believe that a child was amongst the murderers.
''Looks like I am getting underestimated, I should use that to my advantage.'' Silver had the luxury of looking weak because of his age and size, so he was going to take full advantage of Raphael''s rather naive mindset.
Pulling out his scythe, he spun it around while also coating it in shadows.
"Oh my they gave you a toy~. I''m so scared." Raphael smiled, showing her teeth and raising her arms into the air. Silver sighed as it wasn''t the best feeling being treated like a toddler. Although he had barely lived for 1 year, he was still mentally an early teen.
Stopping the scythe from spinning, SIlver prepared to go on the defensive as he wanted to see what Raphael could do.
"Now let''s y!" Shooting forward Raphael appeared right in front of Silver and stabbed at him with her ws.
Silver was surprised by how fast Raphael was, but he was still able to react to the attack. Using [shadow cloak] Silver had partly vanished from her vision, making it harder to discern where his exact position was.
Still striking forward, Raphael hit nothing but air and came to a stop, looking around for anything odd. Thanks to the gate casting a shadow, it had made it easier for Silver to hide and prepare a chance to counter-attack.
From the shadows of the gate, SIlver swung upwards sending a shadow spike at Raphael. Infusing her gauntlets with mana she was able to grab the shadow spike and break it apart.
"Oho you can use magic, now that''s a surprise, but it''s too weak!" Knowing the general area of where Silver was, she hit the ground with her gauntlets and a small earthquake quickly followed. Shortly after, walls of stone came out of the ground, trapping Wolfy and Raphael in a circr dome and even building a roof, blocking all escape paths. Then to the surprise of Silver, she had started filling the room with water.
''2 Elements!'' Silver was surprised to see Raphael being able to use 2 elements as it was a rather hard process without a system.
''Wait, it might be her gauntlets, but can weapons even have skills on them?'' Silver''s knowledge was limited, but he would assume the worst case scenario just to be safe.
The water had not filled the entire room yet, but Silver did not take any chances and, thanks to them being stuck in an enclosed space, he easily used [shadow walk] to hide on the roof. Raphael was still in the water, swimming around at great speeds looking for Silver.
"Tch where are you? Stop hiding you coward!" Raphael peeked out of the water to shout her taunts, but Silver stayed on the roof, hiding in the shadows.
''I could stay here and not move.'' Silver considered not showing himself as Raphael might dispel the room if she thought he escaped.
However, Raphael was able to tell Silver was still in the dome due to a slight presence she could feel in her small domain.
<10 minutester>
SIlver had stayed on the roof unmoving, watching Raphael swim around and was rather bored.
''I think I will fight.'' Silver had enough waiting around. It was their goal to kill themanders after all, so there was no point in waiting around.
Since the dome was already draped in darkness, Silver only needed to merge his shadow with it to start covering the ceiling with his shadow swords. Once it waspletely covered, the rain of shadowy swords descended on the pool.
Raphael was not expecting this attack, let alone that it woulde from the roof.
"So that''s where you are." Raphael red at the ceiling while blocking the swords with her gauntlets. Once the swords stopped falling, Raphael dived as deep as she could and then swam back up,unching herself to the roof.
With a single punch, she destroyed the earth dome, letting lighte inside it as she fell back into the pool. Silver had dodged the attack with ease and proceeded to leave the now opened up dome. Coming out of [shadow walk], he was about to leave through the hole when he suddenly felt something bite him in the leg.
Raphael had jumped up again, using the hole as bait, and managed to catch Silver.
Using her ws to dig into Silver''s leg, she forced him to let go of the edge and be dragged into the pool.
Still biting down on his calf, Raphael dragged Silver into the water and started to spin, trying to rip off his leg. SIlver didn''t even bother trying to resist being spun by Raphael, as he was in agonising pain, his blood spilling into the pool.
"AHHH!" Silver screamed in pain while fighting to keep his head above water.
Desperately trying to think of a way to get out of her maw, Silver realised his shadow was in her mouth.
Conjuring up a shadow scythe inside her mouth, heunched it up into her head, killing Raphael instantly. Finally, the rolling came to an end, but Silver''s leg was still trapped by Raphael''s teeth. Still, at least the dome she had created fell apart, releasing the water within.
Silver was moved by the water towards the gate with a dead half crocodile still attached to him. Laying on the ground to catch his breath, Silvery still, not moving a muscle, as even the smallest of movements resulted in pain from the teeth biting his leg.
SIlver had sessfully killed Rahphael rather, and rather easily at that, but he had still sustained a lot of injuries in one of his legs. Elysia who sat at the gate saw Silver''s condition and quickly ran over in a panic.
"Silver! Are you okay?!" Elysia had slid to his side, not caring for her injuries as the sight of Silver gave her the adrenaline to push through it.
"Haha, I''m okay, but it definitely hurts a lot." Silver imed he was ok, but with the asional groans of pain he was releasing, Elysia was hardly convinced.
"Look at you, clearly you are not okay." In a panic Elysia pulled out general first aid supplies and started to patch up the cuts that were on his leg.
SIlver shook slightly as it hurt everytime Elysia touched his leg, but it needed to be done as he was still bleeding.
Once Elysia got to Raphael''s maw that was still biting down on his leg, she could not hold back the urge to pull out Raphael''s teeth and crush her head.
"Stupid crocodile bitch hurting my son!" Elysia threw away the body and started to patch up Silver''s leg until she finally managed to stop the bleeding.
"Phew. You should be all good now." Elysia took a deep breath, calming herself down now that Silver was okay.
"I should havee and helped, I''m sorry Silver." Elysia felt guilty for not jumping in to help Silver earlier, but her injuries prevented her. Even now it was a struggle to get over to Silver.
"Don''t be sorry mother Elysia, I still won the fight! Besides, I knew what I was getting myself into by fighting alongside you." Silver understood that he would get hurt and injured, so he didn''t want Elysia to feel bad.
"Doesn''t change the fact you are my son and I still want to protect you." Elysia pouted as Silver made a valid point that was hard to argue against, but she still didn''t want Silver getting hurt.
"Haha it makes me happy to hear that." Silver smiled brightly and Elysia couldn''t help herself, but pull Silver into a hug.
Getting smothered by Elysia''s chest, Silver was unable to breathe.
"Ow! mother I can''t breathe!" In a strained and muffled voice Silver tried to get Elysia to let go.
"Oop, sorry hehe~" Elysia lightened her grip as Silver pulled free. His face waspletely red as he averted his gaze away from her.
"Now let''s get you back over by the gate." Elysia wanted Silver to be a safe distance away as Shaman''s fight was still going on.
When Elysia tried to move, she found herself unable to, as now that she had calmed down and her adrenaline subsided, the pain in her stomach came back.
"Ah fuck it hurts. CLARA can you carry Silver?" Elysia was down on her knees. Having no one else to call on, she asked ra toe get Silver as she was the least injured thanks to her being able to heal.
Chapter 165 Mind Games
?Shaman stood in front of the half bear Jorn, contemting trying to take him down using her stardust. Jorn looked rather human, only his ears and fur betraying his true heritage. He was wearing armour simr to the rest of themanders and his hands carried a mean looking mace.
''This should be a good opportunity to test if my illusions will affect him or not.'' Shaman was confident in her stardust, but Jorn being a tier 7, it could bepletely ineffective.
"Nowe you little fox." Jorn spun his mace, inviting Shaman to get closer.
"Oi, I''m not little." Shaman knew full well what it''s like to be truly small, so she did not appreciate thement.
"Tsk, whatever." Jorn didn''t care and continued to wait for Shaman to make a move.
''He probably has a space element like the noble.'' Knowing the element of the noble made it a safe guess weather if Jorn had something simr or not.
''Let''s see if I can apply an illusion.''
Pulling out Kotetsu, Shaman changed its affinity to the stardust and the gem by the hilt turned purple. She had also activated her sword domain, creating a field of red and purple dahlias, which came as a surprise to Shaman. It had also increased in size, but she had felt no other effects than feeling stronger when within the area.
''Seems like a few things have changed since Ist used this.'' Shaman was able to guess the change in colour was due to Elysia''s hair and eyes turning red as well as Shaman obtaining her stardust.
Jorn had stepped back at the sudden appearance of the flowers, but, realising that they did nothing, he decided to ignore them.
Now that she was prepared, Shaman covered her sword in ayer of stardust, making it look like the night sky.
Dashing forward towards Jorn, she quickly opened a portal in front of her who''s exit was right above Jorn.ing out of the portal above Jorn, she had caught him off guard and shed down at his head.
However, Jorn''s speed greatly outssed Shaman, thanks to which he was able to parry the attack with his mace. Using his other hand, he punched at Shaman''s face while thetter was still in the air above him.
Creating a wall of stardust next to her face, she was able to block the attack and push herself away from Jorn,nding safely.
Jorn didn''t give up and opened up a portal of his own. Shoving his mace into it, he opened the exit point behind Shaman''s head.
The mace hade out of the portal, but Shaman expected this, responding by opening her own portal in front of Jorn''s, his mace going right through it. With his mace in the portal, Shaman dashed forward while shing horizontally across Jorn''s chest..
Using the armour on his arm, he blocked the oing strike from Shaman while he pulled his mace back. Shaman, using the dust on her sword, created a spike that shot towards Jorn''s shoulder.
Piercing it, Shaman was sessful in getting the dust to contact his skin, which allowed her to start the illusion.
Getting his mace out of the portal, he gritted his teeth and smashed down at Shaman with his mace. However, Shaman turned to dust in front of his eyes, disappearing from the battlefield.
"Get back here you vixen!" Jorn looked around looking for Shaman, but was unable to see anything.
Suddenly 4 Shaman''s had surrounded Jorn, who instantly realised it was an illusion and decided topletely ignore whatever the copies did. Standing proud as if the illusions would phase through him, he let them attack. He had already noticed that the eyes of the copies were of a different colour, reinforcing his belief that they were fake.
What he did not expect was that when the illusions attacked, they would actually physically touch him.
"What?" Although they had not done any damage thanks to the armour he wore, he still felt the impact, causing him to stumble.
Seeing more illusions try to attack, he took them a lot more seriously. Spinning around, he both blocked and retaliated against the illusions that came after him. Shaman, taking the opportunity while he was preupied, created stardust weapons and shot them into Jorn.
Jorn turned towards the stardust weapons and, using his hand, he created a portal to use as a shield. He had sessfully redirected them by opening another portal into a copy of Shaman.
''Tsk looks like I need toe out.'' Shaman used [shadow walk] to hide from Jorn and wanted to use the illusion to slowly wear him down, but it was clearly not working.
While still keeping the illusionary Shamans constantly attacking, she had entered her portal.
Opening it from below this time, Shaman used [shadow cloak] to make it harder to notice her, although she expected Jorn to be able to see right through her cloak.
Jabbing upwards into the back of his thigh where there was no armour. She had managed tond the attack without Jorn noticing and caused him to jump in pain.
"Ah you fucking bitch." Throwing his mace at the ground where the blow came from, Shaman quickly went back into her portal to escape. This attack had also opened him up and the illusions which were still attacking him managed tond attacks into some of his joints, doing more damage. Blood started seeping from his armour and staining his fur.
Roaring, he turned his hands into bear ws and started killing the illusions with his ws.
Shaman, not wanting to waste any more mana on the illusion, decided to stop throwing fakes at him and instead use her other elements. Although she wanted to exclusively use stardust and a couple other skills, the fight would drag on for longer than she would like.
''I should abuse the enraged state Jorn is in.'' Seeing that it looked like he no longer adhered tomon sense, she wanted to abuse it.
If I can create decoys then I might be able to get a few hits in.'' Treating Jorn like a bull, Shaman created a copy of herself in front of him and as she expected he charged at it, destroying the copy.
Appearing out of [shadow walk], Shaman now had a n in mind and hoped she will be able to finish the fight.
''Everyone seems to be almost finished with their fights.'' Shaman saw that Elysia and ra were finished.
Jorn spotted Shaman, so he ran towards her while picking up his mace. His eyes emitted a red glow while the many cuts across his body have mostly already closed.
Throwing his mace at Shaman, he opened a portal right in front of her a moment before impact. Expecting it to appear behind her again Shaman turned around, yet she saw no portal open and was confused for a moment.
It turned out the mace went straight through the portal and used the back of it as the exit. The mace had struck Shaman in the back and she fell to the ground winded. Getting a hold of herself, she quickly crawled back into [shadow walk] to recover. Jorn stomped down where her body was, but got disappointed when he hit nothing.
Seeing more copies and unable to distinguish real from fake in his rage, he once again rushed to them with his mace.
''Fuck let''s not fight him head on.'' Shaman regretted not using her decoys right away as she nned to switch with a decoy, but the mace attack caught her off guard.
Using the decoys to avert his attention, Shaman appeared behind Jorn, activating [de of mescion].
The sudden increase in heat made Jorn turn his head, but before he could block or retaliate, Shaman had already swung down on him. shing his back, the armour melted and a massive gash opened up. Blood spurted out, but Jorn didn''t even flinch and still turned to hit Shaman with his mace.
Getting hit in the side, Shaman felt her ribs break and gotunched to the side. Stabbing her sword into the ground to slow herself down, she came to a halt and held her ribs in pain, trying to use [heal] while she assessed the damage.
Shaman coughed up a bit of blood and saw Jorn kneel down as the massive cut on his back was bing hard to ignore. The red glow in his eyes vanished and he seemingly returned back to normal.
"For a weaker tier fox you surely know how to fight. To think you even have more than one element I''ll admit I underestimated you." Jorn was surprised by how Shaman had two elements as it turned the fight greatly in her favour.
"Heh, you haven''t seen everything yet." Shaman stood up, her ribs still broken, but was confident she didn''t have any internal bleeding.
Jorn''s eyes widened when wind started swirling around Shaman, as she suddenly pulled out a third element.
"No wonder you are so strong." Jorn got up from the ground, crushing a crystal in his hand that was infused with a heal spell that closed the wound on his back.
Shaman created a second katana out of ice and, wanting to try something new, covered it in stardust as well. She hoped this would make for a sturdier sword that could both send ice spikes as well as open portals with her stardust.
"Ha, a fourth, don''t tell me there is a fifth." Jorn suddenly felt the fear of defeat as it showed how much of a "genius" Shaman was.
Just to show off Shaman sent a small wave of water at Jorn''s feet which had enhanced the feeling of defeat.
"Ha Haha, you must have been holding back before." This had actually infuriated him as it was clear he was stronger in power. However, it seemed the fox girl in front of him didn''t see him as worthy enough to use everything from the beginning.
"Hmm not really, I just wanted to test out my new element." Shaman gripped the second sword intending to duel wield.
''Let''s hope I can pick this up quickly.'' Shaman wasn''t sure how to fight with both weapons in her hands, but decided to give it a shot anyway.
Jorn growled at thement as it felt like he was being toyed with the entire time. Now no longer going to use minimal effort, Jorn decided to go all out and began to transform.
His body got bigger and had obtained more of a bear-ish look. While his eyes had stayed normal, his fur pulsed in waves of red as his new form now towered above her.
"Damn I wish my animal form made me stronger than just a cute little plush that Elysia can hug." Shaman, realising it was his animal form was envious, as it made him significantly stronger, but her form had only changed her look and made her cuter.
"ROARR!" Letting out an echoing roar, Jorn had finished transforming and was now a full fledged bear.
"Let''s hope I can finish this." Shaman herself did not feel confident, but hoped her mixing of elements will be enough to tilt the tides in her favour.
Chapter 166 Bear Attack
?Jorn, still in his bear form, red at Shaman while also preparing for an attack. Smashing his paws on the ground, he propelled himself forward whilst opening a portal in front of him.
Entering the portal, Shaman had no idea how he would attack, but then she remembered she had [spatial rift].
Not wasting any time she opened up a portal herself and jumped into it. As she had hoped for, she saw Jorn in the same space.
''It seems like we go to the same dimensional space.'' Shaman had appeared behind Jorn who had yet to notice her, giving her the perfect opportunity to attack. Wanting to try out the ice stardust sword, she opened a small portal around the back of Jorn.
Using the ice that was underneath the stardust, she shot ice spikes into it, which acted as a portal and ice spikes came out of the small portals she created around Jorn.
Quickly exiting the space, all she heard was a loud roar of pain before it was cut off.
Soon, a portal opened up and Jorn exited it with ice spikes all along his backside. The rage was visible on his face as although the spikes did minimal damage, it was enough to piss him off.
"Heh, d to see you enjoyed it." Shaman wanted Jorn to be enraged again, asst time it happened, his attacks became a lot more straightforward and easier to avoid.
Jorn Groweld at Shaman''sment as he was unable to speak while in his animal form.
"Come on, I''m waiting." Shaman gestured at Jorn and it seemed like it was enough to get him to charge at her.
Running up to Shaman, Jorn lifted up his both paws and went for two simultaneous strikes, but before they could connect, he opened 2 smaller portals through which his paws disappeared. Another set opened up behind Shaman, but this did not bother her as she opened a stardust portal underneath her and slipped away.
Jorn pulled out his paws and went over to where Shaman opened her portal. What he didn''t expect was for a massive ice pike toe out, piercing him right in the chest. The portal Shaman had used hadn''t actually closed, but shrank in size making it hard to notice.
Shaking his body to break the ice, Jorn found his body getting weaker. Despite his upgraded form, it seemed he was still no match for Shaman.
More portals opened around Jorn and fire spears came shooting out of them.His fur catching on fire, he started burning alive as the spears which pierced his body were refusing to dissipate.
Shaman, poking out of a portal below Jorn, stabbed into his stomach and ran the de across. Blood spewed out of Jorn. In an attempt to first get rid of the mes, he fell on his back. Unfortunately, that only worsened his wounds, his blood further soaking his fur. With such an immense amount of blood loss, he already started to lose his consciousness.
''Here I thought his bear form would have increased hisbat strength, but I guess animal forms are really just for looks.'' Shaman expected a bit more from the form, but it seemed to do nothing other than be intimidating.
Walking out of the portal Shaman was going to finish him off for good. Approaching his head, Shaman covered Kotetsu in wind that swirled around, creating a chainsaw-like effect.
"A shame that you did better in your human form. This one just made you a bigger target." It had dawned on Shaman that he had done more damage when he was a half-bear, where he was able to perform moreplicated skills.
Jorn had started to return back to his human form and so he was once more able to speak.
"I WAS DESPERATE!" He screamed out as he was still being burnt by the fire.
"Oho I see, so you were hoping I would be scared, tch how pathetic do you think I am." Shaman was looking for an honest fight and to have it just devolve to someone getting desperate left a rather bad taste in her mouth.
''Since when could weak willed people get to tier 7.'' Shaman, still being rather oblivious to how people got power in this world, found it ridiculous that someone like Jorn got to a higher tier than her.
''There must be more to this than just training and being born a high tier.'' Shaman''s first thought was, tiers had been given artificially and there had been no proper prior training beforehand.
''I need to ask Freja.'' Needing to take care of Jorn who was on the verge of death, Shaman pushed those thoughts away and simply decided toter go ask Freja more about how the world works.
Raising her sword in the sky, she shed down, decapitating Jorn''s head.
Having officially ended the fight, all the soldiers that hade with themanders now surprisingly cheered for their victory.
"Huh?" Shaman looked around confused, as she expected the opposite reaction, but then she thought back to the lion''s mansion when as soon as he was dead, the guards had stolen all his belongings.
"Well done, I have to say, my hopes were not high." Freja had appeared by Shaman''s side while pping.
"Freja? Can you exin what''s going on?" Having a growing suspicion that the soldiers were conscripted or were forced to fight, she still wanted a proper answer.
"Hmm I don''t really know, but my guess is that the nobles had forced them to fight against their will." Freja had no idea, but she was going to capitalize on it nheless. Flicking her blonde hair, she walked in front of the soldiers and created her own tform made out of blood.
"Shaman, head back to the front of the gate, everyone is waiting for you there." As Freja was climbing up the stairs she quickly turned her head and informed Shaman where to go.
Shaman nodded her head and quickly rushed to the gate, however, when she started running, her ribs suddenly stung with pain.
"Shit I forgot they were still broken." No longer in battle, the pain from her wounds red up in full swing, so she had to slowly make her way to the gate.
*
"EVERYONE SILENCE!" Freja''s voice echoed out, bringing the cheering soldiers to attention as silence descended on the clearing.
"Ahem, good. Now I have no idea what''s with your enthusiasm with your leaders dying, so if anyone would like to kindly inform me, I will allow him to speak." Wanting to gather information, she hoped that it was as simple as being happy to have been freed. One soldier had stepped forward and waited to be addressed.
"Speak!" Freja was impressed with their discipline, since she expected a bunch of people to try to speak up, but it seemed like there was a leader amongst the soldiers.
"W-we were forced to fight for themanders, as the nobles had taken over our town and had threatened the families of many. As we were preparing, me and many others had nned this opportunity to rebel against themanders if a full blown battle had urred." The soldier felt extremely nervous as the pressure Freja gave off was enough to strangle somebody.
"Quite bold of you to n something like that. I like it." Freja smiled as she had nned to take in the soldiers from the very beginning. Furthermore, seeing as the nobles had taken overnd in secret it would be a good opportunity to expand her little empire.
The soldier let out a sigh of relief, d that Freja did not seem hostile towards them.
"Since you have been brought against your will, I want to offer you this." Freja had taken a moment of pause to make sure she had everyone''s attention.
"I would like you all to join the regional army of Freya forest. Of course you will get the chance to see your families and you can opt out if you want, but I want to give you the opportunity to fight." Freja knew that if she did not allow them to back out, then she would be no better than the nobles.
The soldiers stood there silently, as they were conscripted against their will, but they were still rather tempted as the empress had given them a lot of freedom.
"Can we leave at any point and can you guarantee our family''s safety?" A soldier amongst the crowd asked the questions that were on most of their minds.
"I can assure you that they will be safe. I am working in direct coboration with the queen herself, so you should know it''s always the people first." Freja did a small bow to show her sincerity and all the soldiers feltpelled to join.
"As it stands you will all have time to return home, so feel free to use this time to decide whether to join my cause. It also seems the nobles have been making moves in the fox realm right under my nose, so if you would like to join my personal crusade against them, now is your chance." a sadistic smile appeared on Freja as now she had to prepare to go on an expedition purging some people who were trying to take advantage of the queen''s absence.
Murmurs of revenge spread among the soldiers, as many wanted to get back at the nobles for what they did. It seemed like these events happened to more than a few viges and the soldiers feltpelled to join Freja to stop it from happening again.
"If you want to stay, please stay where you are and if you wish to leave, start going home." Hoping she had convinced all of them, she waited for their answer.
Nobody moved from their position as many soldiers looked around, seeing if anybody was going to leave.
"WONDERFUL! Now follow me so we can get you ready. Don''t worry it won''t be long, I will set up teleporters so you can visit your families." Freja was pleased with the results, as she now has her one little army.
Chapter 167 Recovery And Upgrades
?All the duels had finally finished. Due to eachmander having a high tier as well as proper battle prowess, everyone had managed to level up.
[Shaman]
Level: 110 -> 120
[Elysia]
Level: 106 -> 113
[Silver]
Level: 103 -> 110
[ra]
Level: 108 -> 114
Kiruya had arrived by the gate and saw Shaman walking over. Seeing that she was injured, Kiruya went over and helped her walk to the gate.
"You did great Shaman, let''s get you back to the mansion." Kiruya got Shaman to sit next to Elysia, who was trying not to move because of a cut in her stomach. Sliver was leaning on Elysia''s shoulder, asleep, as he had passed out from exhaustion and ra, being the least injured, casually sat across from them.
"Alright sit tight while I transport us back to the mansion." Kiruya had not really shown any of her capabilities until now, so this will be the first time any of them will see her element.
Standing in the middle of them, Kiruya spread her arms, her hands facing towards the ground. Suddenly in a small radius everyone started getting picked up into the air.
With everyones hair flicking back and forth, it was clear they were being lifted by wind. After a few more seconds, Kiruya had already raised them further from the ground, getting as high as the gate.
Going over the gate, Kiruya carried them slowly through the air, keeping a steady pace so Elysia did not get hurt from any sudden movements.
"Thanks Kiruya."
"Aha no worries Shaman, if things had gotten worse, me and Freja would''ve jumped in to help, but you have outdone yourself this time." Kiruya is a tier 8, as well as one of Freja''s strongest, so if things had gotten worse then Kiruya was more than capable of helping.
"I don''t know if getting broken ribs is a great oue, but I have to say he did not seem all that strong. It makes me wonder if they were given their strength.'' Shaman knew that people can be born in a higher tier, but wasn''t sure if there was a way to increase someone''s power through artificial means.
"That''s something we do not know, but it''s very well possible that someone has created a way to boost someone''s power and is selling it through the ck market." Kiruya did not have much information and thought Freja would be more informed than her.
"I see, well seeing how the nobles did not have very ethical ways of operating, it wouldn''t surprise me if they did use the ck market." Shaman heard Freja''s speech and the soldiers telling their story, so it was clear their business in the fox realm was far from over.
"It''s something you shouldn''t worry about. If I recall correctly, you will be heading to Elfheim and I might being with you." Kiruya had talked with Freja while they were fighting themanders and thetter considered sending Kiruya with them.
"Huh? Aren''t you tier 8 and much stronger than us?" Shaman was a little confused, as if Kiruya came with them it would make the mission rather trivial.
"Yeah, she said something about bing friends since she noticed I liked you guys." Kiruya was slightly blushing as she was also admitting she was fond of Shaman''s group.
"Heh, I''m surprised Freja is letting her little kitten go so far away." Elyisa, who had been listening, couldn''t help making a snarky remark.
"Shush!" Kiruya was nowpletely red. Even worse, the wind tform she created began to wobble.
"Woah"
"Ahh!"
Screaming out from the sudden movement, Kiruya quickly regained herposure and stabilised the tform.
"Oops." Elysia, knowing she was to me, couldn''t help looking away from Kiruya to avoid eye contact.
"If you keep that up while we do the mission together, I swear I will beat it out of you." Kiruya red at Elysia.
"Uhh She would enjoy it." Shaman interjected, getting her own sneaking remark in.
"SHAMAN!" Elysia was now the one blushing and felt extremely embarrassed.
"Pfft." ra struggled to keep herughter in, but also blushed a little thinking about the scenario.
"Heh, it isn''t so fun now is it?" Kiruya, happy that Elysia got a little taste of her own medicine, couldn''t help but revel in it.
"Well we could say the same about you." Shaman, wanting to share the teasing, went for Kiruya.
"Yeah so?" Kiruya this time not being flustered by it had left Shaman at a loss for words as Kiruya had suddenly be somewhat shameless.
"Damn." Shaman gave up as it was probably not good to try to tease the very person transporting them through the air.
*
Landing in the courtyard, the maids hade out to help transport the group to get healed of their injuries.
"What can''t the maids do?" Shaman was surprised as it seemed like the maids were capable of anything and covered almost all the basics of life.
"Hmm, other than fighting we pretty much have a maid for everything." Kiruya walked beside Shaman, who was in a stretcher being taken to a medical room.
"Freja has given us all a specific job and has even awakened magic in us to do our jobs better, so do not worry if you have any troubles, as there will always be someone suited for that job." One of the maids had spoken up giving a small brief.
"So do you get paid or do you just live in the mansion?" Shaman was rather curious as it seemed like they never left the mansion, let alone see them outside of their job as a maid.
"Freja pays us in. Varying ways, but do not worry, we have rotation in shifts and have our personal lives, but we keep that very separate." The maid blushed as it was clear Freja had given some service of her own to the maids.
"Aha, I see." Shaman did not have any more questions andid in silence.
*
In a room that looked like a nurses office, Shaman, Elysia and Silverid in a bed while ra sat in a chair.
ra was quick to be healed as her injuries were minor, but everyone else needed a bit more care and mana to repair.
This time the maids had changed into nurse clothes and sat by the beds, using healing spells.
''I swear all these uniforms are just for Freja''s enjoyment.'' Shaman looked at how lewd the uniforms were and she found itpletely unnecessary.
Gritting her teeth through the pain, Shaman could feel how her ribs were being put back together. The spell had also given a soothing feeling, but it had not fully negated the pain, making it rather ufortable.
Elysia had a better time as it was just the closing of the wound, but she had soon passed out, as the only thing keeping her awake was the pain. Silver, who was already asleep, did not feel anything and his leg was back to normal.
"Alright, you should be all healed up, some other maids wille in and take you to your rooms." The maid smiled and Shaman nodded.
''I should use my points before I forget.'' Knowing she had gained quite a bit of levels, she did not want to forget to use them.
[Attributes]
Attribute points: 500 -> 0
Vitality: 600 -> 700
Agility: 650 -> 720
Intelligence: 710 -> 800
Strength: 750 -> 800
Dexterity: 710 -> 800
Defence: 600 -> 700
Feeling the satisfying wave of powering up through her body, Shaman felt rxed as any feeling of difort washed away.
*
Maids hade in and taken Shaman, Elysia and Silver to their rooms while ra had gone with Kiruya.
"So you''reing with us, but Freja has an ulterior motive for this, doesn''t she." ra was just outside her room and had confronted Kiruya about her joining the mission.
"Well it''s not really a secret, but yes, Freja wanted me to keep an eye on you, but there really isn''t much to it. My feelings are genuine and I am rather fond of you guys, but Freja is using this as a way to monitor everyone." Kiruya did not try to hide it as it wasn''t something that secretive.
"Oh, well I wasn''t expecting you toe clean like that." ra expected Kiruya toe up with an excuse, but instead she just told her the truth.
"Don''t worry, I won''t be babysitting you. You still have to do the fighting and I will only help if there is any real danger." Kiruya, having a rather easy job this time, saw this as a vacation as it was unlikely she would need to help.
"Thank you, I guess." ra wasn''t sure how to respond, as although it sounded like she was beingzy, ra did prefer to do the fighting herself instead of relying on Kiruya.
"Aha don''t worry about it, go get some rest and when you guys are ready to leave just call for me." Kiruya''s tail wagged, showing her excitement for the mission.
"Sure thing, although I feel like I could go and do some training."
"No!" Kiruya wouldn''t let ra train, as although she may be fine, it was better she rested.
"Okay, okay, fine, I will go rest." ra felt the sudden pressure from Kiruya showing a bit of her strength and ra did not dare go against her.
"Good, see youter~." Kiruya went back to her cheery self and walked off while waving at ra.
ra waved back and then entered her room to get some rest.
Chapter 168 Traveling To Elfhiem
?
A few days had passed and Shaman''s group was getting ready to leave the Freya forest. Currently, Kiruya was talking to Freja in her office about an issue involving Shaman.
"I need you to help Shaman with stopping Elysia from bing some crazy yandere incapable of letting anyone near Shaman." Freja had nned to do it herself, but because of the pressing matters of the fox realm, it was hard to set aside time.
"Me? I mean sure, but you''re the expert when ites to this sort of stuff." Kiruya didn''t have much experience and Freja was her second rtionship she has ever had.
"Trust yourself a bit more, I even prepared a book for different kinds of scenarios. It''s not like I can''t help you at all, I just can''t physically be there." Freja pulled out a book and a small ck box.
"In the box is a small crystal that canmunicate with me directly, so whenever you need some help, please use it to call me. You can even take out the crystal while something is happening so that I can give you some advice on the go." Freja pushed the items at the end of the desk and Kiruya stored the box in her inventory while opening the book to see what was inside.
"Wow, you really did cover everything." Kiruya flicked through the book, which was filled with a myriad of oddly specific situations, with different branches of things to say for different effects. There was even a page about herself and her personality.
"Fufu~ I have dealt with every kind of woman in my life, I''m sure my guide will be of great help." Freja was rather proud as she had worked on this book for several years and it hade in handy when meeting new people she was interested in.
"Aha thank you, but I''m still unsure how I''m supposed to approach this." Kiruya was happy to help Shaman, but the situation seemed soplicated.
"At the end of the book there should be some tips, but what I can tell you right now is, don''t try to seem like you are breaking them up, otherwise Elysia will try to strangle you." Freja knew that for anything that seemed like a threat, the first thing that goes through Elysia''s mind is how to kill or remove said threat.
Kiruya nodded and started to formte ways to approach the situation at hand.
"Alright, I think I have a way to help, but I will definitely need that advice on the go." Kiruya nned to keep the crystal on her whenever approaching the situation, as getting live feedback would be extremely useful.
"Just be careful, I may not always be avable, so I rmend trying closer to the evening as I will just be in my office unless somethinges up."
"Got it."
"If you have no more questions, get going before they leave without you and enjoy your trip with your new friends." Freja smiled and quickly got up to give Kiruya a goodbye kiss.
***
"Are you ready to go Elysia?" Currently in their room, Shaman was making sure they had put everything they needed in their inventory. Shaman also made sure they had plenty of spare clothes as they tend to get ruined quite frequently.
"Yep!" Elysia hade out of the bathroom wearing a red sweater and skirt and walked over to Shaman.
"Sheesh what was taking you so long." Shaman had been waiting for almost 30 minutes.
"I-I, uhhh was busy." Elysia blushed as she knew they were going on a long trip and needed time to prepare herself for theck of action during that time.
"If that''s the case why didn''t you ask me?" Shaman instantly knew what Elysia was doing and wondered why she didn''t ask.
"B-because it would make it worse since it would only make me crave it more." Elysia put her fingers together, shy to fully admit why.
"Oh aha well, since you''re done, let''s not keep everyone else waiting." Shaman grabbed Elysia by the hand and walked out of the room to the front gate.
*
Silver, Kiruya and ra were already waiting at the gate, with ra looking rather impatient.
"We were supposed to leave 30 minutes ago." ra tried to not sound angry, but was annoyed that they took so long.
"Aha sorry." Shaman didn''t want to say why, but ra and Kiruya had already made their assumptions about why they took so long.
"No need to be annoyed ra, at least now there won''t be a super clingy Elysia." Kiruya saw the light in the situation and figured it would be better if they weren''t pent up while on their trip. Elysia had looked down at the ground, letting her hair cover her face to hide the blush.
*Sigh* "You''re right, let''s get going." ra couldn''t argue against Kiruya so she had to give up and move on.
"Why do you like to do it so much?" Silver, who had been in the other room when they were first together, didn''t understand why they liked to do it so much. However, thement had hit Shaman directly in the soul as she didn''t want to remember how Silver was only in the next room over when he was a small wolf.
"B-because we enjoy it and have desires, now please try to forget you ever saw or heard anything." Shaman quickly spoke, trying to salvage the situation as she wanted to keep Silver somewhat innocent despite being able to murder people without mercy.
"Hmm okay, but it sounds fun."
Shaman face palmed as the innocence was still there and yet at the same time it was something she didn''t expect to hear from her son any time soon. Elysia had covered her face with her hands as it was extremely embarrassing to think about how their son had basically seen or at least heard everything they did.
"Pfft, haha" Both ra and Kiruyaughed, as watching Shaman desperately trying to protect Silver was entertaining.
"L-let''s just move on." Shaman pulled Elysia by the arm and walked ahead of everyone.
*
Picking up a few lizard mounts for the 5 of them, they soon approached the gate where the battle had urred.
"What about the wild beasts, or did Freja do her thing again?" Shaman was still concerned about the forest, hoping it was safe.
"Oh don''t worry, the mounts are from the forest, so as long as you don''t make too much noise or aggravate the beasts, we will bepletely fine." Kiruya exined the situation, which put Shaman''s worries at ease.
The gate was arge structure made out of wood and heavily reinforced with nature magic. The gate was then lowered into the ground, allowing them to pass through and exit the forest.
"You sure cleaned up quickly." only A few days had passed and already the entire front was cleaned as if nothing ever happened at all.
"Once again the maids came in handy. No matter the damage, they can still restore the forest to a certain degree as long as it isn''tpletely destroyed." Kiruya had led the repairs after her talk with ra and only took a few hours to clean up.
Shaman nodded once again, amazed by the maid''s capabilities to basically do anything.
Moving along the trail, the mounts had walked through at a moderate pace to avoid disturbing anything in the forest. Once out, they were met with hills and open fields as well as some towns that could be barely seen in the distance.
"We will be heading through the fox realm into Elfheim, so we should have easy passage until we reach the border." Kiruya exined their route and had taken the lead as she pretty much knew the entire realm off by heart.
Everyone nodded their heads in agreement. Just asst time, Shaman and Elysia were on one mount while ra and Silver were on another one together. Shaman wanted Silver to be with her, but because there were no bigger mounts and no way she could let Elysia be with ra, it was better for him to just go with ra.
The mounts picked up the pace and so the journey to Elfheim capital began.
***
A rather young elf boy was training with a sword and bow in what looked like a courtyard.
"Ren! Your father requests for you." An elf maid had called out from the entrance of the courtyard, causing Ren to stop his training.
"What does he want?" Putting away the sword in its sheath, he looked at the maid wanting the reason.
"He said we should be receiving guests soon and wanted you to greet them when they arrive."
"And why does that matter, I''m 19 now. Why do I have to stay cooped up in the pce still?" Ren had sounded rather annoyed still having to follow his father''s orders and wanted nothing more than to get out.
"He wants to talk about something else, but he didn''t say what and I heard the visitors are adventurers so it could be your ticket out."
Ren''s ears twitched a little bit at the maid''s words as it was rare for anyone aside from nobles to visit.
''Maybe he wants me to do dungeons with them.'' Ren smiled, knowing that he might be finally able to leave without having his back constantly watched.
"Alright fine I will see him" Ren wiped away the sweat and walked out of the courtyard to his father''s office.
Chapter 169 Fox Realm Delicacies
?After a few hours of traveling had passed, Shaman and her group had stopped in a nearby town to grab something to eat. The town itself resembled the architecture of rural Japan and it was rather peaceful with only a few people on the streets. Shaman and everyone else had stopped by a restaurant so that they had somewhere to sit down and talk.
Walking into a restaurant that had a traditional Japanese feel to it, Shaman could not help but feel she was back in her original world. The restaurant wasn''t too busy, so they walked straight in without issue and grabbed seats in one of the corners.
They had also already sold the cores from when Silver did his solo dungeon run, earning them some more coins. Although before leaving, Freja had given them 10000 gold coins for the trip, so they hardly needed more cash.
"We have too much money." Shaman, when walking through the town, saw how everything was extremely cheap.
"Just you wait till you get to the capital, the auction house there would require millions of coins. The only reason why basic things are so cheap is because a lot of people don''t be adventurers. There is also a continent widew that requires all basic living costs to stay low even while everything that involves adventurers has be extremely inted." Kiruya exined why there was such a discrepancy in prices.
"Wouldn''t that mean people could retire as early as 18?" Shaman was a bit confused by thew, as even at tier 1 getting cores was rtively easy and yielded a good amount of coins.
"You didn''t read the terms and conditions?"
"No?" Shaman averted her gaze as she didn''t even know such a thing existed to join the adventurers guild.
"Nobody does, so don''t worry. The thing that happens to most people is that when they try to leave they are not able to since you need to serve the guild for a certain number of years." Kiruya had seen that situation y itself many times as she used to work for the guild directly and had to enforce punishment on those that refused to follow the terms.
"How many years?" Shaman was a little worried as it seemed like it was impossible to get out.
"For most it''s 30 years, but exceptions are granted for those with valid reasons, like ruling over a country for example." Kiruya could only think of one example as it had to be a significant reason that makes youpletely incapable of contributing.
"Sheesh, alright." Shaman didn''t like the amount of time, but then the thought of her bing the queen of the fox realm appeared.
"Aha don''t worry, there is also another way and that''s through getting approval from anyone at tier 10, so someone like Freja."
"Oh that''s cool, but I don''t think that''s something I should be worrying about for a while anyway." Although 30 years was far away. Shaman, having the connections she had, would have no problem quitting whenever she wanted to, not that she was nning to stop anytime soon anyway.
"Seems like even knowing one person at tier 10 makes your entire life easier." Elysia couldn''t imagine what her life would have been like if she were an adventurer alone as it was a rough upation to begin with.
"As long as you are talented and put in enough effort before taking on the tougher challenges then it isn''t too hard to rise in the ranks." ra who had trained for as long as she remembers had found progressing not so tedious.
"There are many factors, but it has only been recently that schools are starting to incorporate training into the curriculum." Kiruya, while talking, waved at a waitress wanting to order.
"So we are in a period where adventuring will start being a part of everyone''s lives." Shaman started considering that this world might be a little more progressive when ites to adventuring, at least ifpared to most of the novels she''s read in the past.
"Yes. Oh I will have some of the tizzard please." Kiruya ordered some food for herself and everyone else followed.
"I will take whatever you think is the best meat dish." Elysia didn''t know the difference between the different dishes as they all had unique names of beasts she hadn''t heard of.
"Hmm, same as Moth- I mean Elysia." Silver also wanted something meaty, but only being born a few months ago, had no clue what most things meant.
"I''ll try the farab sushi." Shaman had picked something at random as she wasn''t a picky eater.
"Give me what Shaman is having." ra couldn''t make up her mind so she copied Shaman''s meal.
The waitress took note and walked off leaving them alone.
"What are these names?" Elysia was the first to ask the question on everyone''s mind. Although ra was more familiar with the menu, Shaman and Elysia both were unfamiliar with these kinds of dishes.
"Oh my how naive, these meals are made from the wild beasts found in the fox realm, so they are quite popr." Kiruya had forgotten that Shaman was someone who was transported, so her world knowledge was ratherckluster. Elysia on the other hand had been isted from the world while she was hiding with her parents. She also barely scraped by when she was a street rat finding anything she could eat.
"Hope they are good." Shaman and Elysia were both keen on trying what they got. Elysia was also taking this opportunity to see if she could get some recipe ideas.
***
After eating their meals, Shaman and Elysia were pleasantly surprised by the taste.
"Eli, can you make this?" Shaman looked at Elysia who was next to her, waiting for an answer.
"Eh? Eli?" Elysia however, was more caught up with the sudden nickname she had received.
"Can you?" Shaman was now grabbing a hold of Elysia''s clothes looking up at her.
"I-I ummm, I think so, but I would need to find a recipe at least." Elysia answered Shaman honestly, but she still wanted to know where the nickname came from.
"Yes!" Shaman had enjoyed the food so much that, when ra wasn''t able to finish her dish, Shaman had instantly finished it off for her.
"To think this one can use 5 elements." Kiruya held her head as watching the scene made it hard to believe that the person in front of her was already so powerful.
"Hehe Mother is great! Although she gets very serious when fighting, she is always having fun outside of battles." Silver spoke up, hearing Kiruya talk about Shaman.
"You have a great mother so make sure you protect her." Kiruya smiled at Silver and found him absolutely adorable.
"Mhm."
"Shaman! What''s with the nickname?" Elysia had blushed as she never thought she would receive a nickname and, since it was from Shaman, it caused her heart to flutter.
"Oh you mean Eli? It just sort of came out, do you not like it?"
"Of course I do, just wasn''t expecting it." Elysia''s voice trailed off while she turned her head away.
"Hehe~ are you embarrassed Eli~?" Shaman had leaned in and whispered in her ear, which further made Elysia embarrassed.
"No I''m not!" Elysia used her hands to cover her face and avoided any eye contact.
"We are in a public ce." ra, unable to watch any longer, brought up how they were in a public ce.
"Oop." Shaman quickly backed off Elysia as shame had suddenly kicked in.
Elysia let out a sigh of relief. Sure, she would have liked to y along, but she is still trying to restrain her sexual urges so as to not disturb everyone.
"If we are finished eating then let''s move on." Kiruya had enough as well and was surprised how ra is able to deal with seeing so much affection.
Getting up from their seats, Kiruya and Shaman paid for their meals.
Retrieving their mounts, they had continued their journey to Elfheim and were now rtively close to the border.
***
"Tsk, even after searching all the nearby towns and small cities, that demon girl was nowhere to be found."
In the middle of the capital, Pope us sat in his throne room all by himself, looking at a scroll that contained the reports of the search parties he sent out.
"It must have been her at the dungeon entrance. I was 100 percent sure I sensed a demon, but it had vanished the moment I got there." The Pope clenched his fists, ruining the scroll in his hands.
"Not to mention Himeko got away and I have no idea where she went." After Himeko had used her family skill, the Pope had no way to track her as the skill gave her apletely new body, making any sigils on her old body useless.
The pope stood up from his throne and a rather old looking butler came out.
"Orders sir?" The butler bowed awaiting the words of the pope.
"Get the leaders of the underground toe visit me in the usual spot, we need to move on with the n soon." The Pope vanished from the spot after giving his orders and the butler left in a haste.
Chapter 170 Getting Through The Border
?Another couple of hours passed, and the group easily made it to the border. Coming up to a castle gatepletely made up of wood, they were stopped by some elves which wore silver and golden lined armour and carried spears decorated with golden leaves at the base of the de. Long white hair came out from beneath their helmets and long ears peeked out the sides while their eyes were hidden behind a face shield.
"Hey, Rein!" Kiruya waved at the two elf guards and the one she was addressing lifted up his face shield.
"Long time no see Kiruya, it''s been a while since you came to Elfhiem." Rein walked up to the side of the mount and Kiruya handed him a sheet of paper.
"It has and I''m joined this time with some friends."
"Oh? Well nice to meet you Kiruya''s friends. Seeing as you''re with her, we won''t need to search you." Handing back the piece of paper he gestured at some guards that were inside the gate to let them through.
The tree roots that blocked the path sunk into the ground, allowing them entry to the elven territory.
"Stay safe and don''t cause any trouble, otherwise I will throw you out myself." Rein smirked as it was a genuine warning, but because Kiruya''s reputation was good, he doubted anything of the sort would happen.
"Thank you." Going through with ease, Shaman and her group officially entered Elfheim.
Looking at their new surroundings, they saw a forest of giant trees in the distance, which they assumed was their destination. To their left there was a mountain range that seemed to be on the border with the human territory of Elysium. On the right, it was a vast field with a few clumps of trees in the distance.
''I guess we are still following the Elf stereotype of living in a forest.'' Shaman could tell the giant trees in the distance would be as tall as the skyscrapers from her world.
"Now that we are through the checkpoint, I''m sure you can already tell where we are going." Kiruya gestured towards the massive trees and everyone nodded.
"I wonder if we can climb on top of them?" Elysia thought about the view you would get and thought of it as a great date spot.
"The trees are sacred so I doubt you could go climbing them." ra shook her head as what Elysia said was rather childish.
"Don''t we have to go through a dungeon to get to the capital?" Shaman remembered that they needed to clear a dungeon in order to get an audience, which made it sound like it was in the dungeon or at least connected to one.
"No, no, just the pce is hidden away through the dungeon. No one actually knows where it is located, but it is somewhere in the Elfheim territory." Kiruya borated more on where they were going.
"So the dungeon brings you to apletely different location that no one knows where it is?" Shaman interpreted it. as a sort of wormhole which would 100% confirm that dungeons are aplete separate space.
"Yep, and it''s what makes the pce one of the safest ces. Many high tier humans have tried locating it, but failed every time."
"Wouldn''t that mean the pce could actually be a dungeon inside a dungeon?" Silver figured that if it couldn''t be found and the only entry was inside the dungeon, then what if the pce was in its entirety inside the dungeon instead of on the actual continent.
"Hmm I don''t know the facts, I am just telling you what most people know." Kiruya really didn''t know the truth, but still wanted to give some base knowledge about the territory.
"Oh well, let''s just enjoy the trip and hopefully we can clear the dungeon while also getting a few levels." Elysia didn''t really care as she just wanted to see if the tall trees could be a viable date spot.
"True, we do have at least a couple days worth of travelling, despite how close the trees may seem." Kiruya had done the trip many times and knew how long it took, so as long as they didn''t have any hups, they would arrive rather quickly.
Hearing how much time was left, Shaman leaned back into Elysia''s chest, using them as a pillow. Elysia hugged Shaman, however, what she thought was just Shaman being affectionate soon started to take a turn.
Shaman moved Elysia''s hand down, but before Shaman could continue, someone yelled out.
"OI! if you''re that desperate wait until after we stop and you go do what you want in the dark night!" ra red at the two as Shaman wasn''t being very discrete.
"Tssk." Shaman stopped what she was doing, but she continued to stay in the same position. Elysia was blushing as she wasn''t opposed to it, but certainly would need to wait.
Kiruya shook her head while lightly chuckling as she had never heard of someone doing it on a mount.
''I wonder if I should ask Freja.'' Kiruya was in her own thoughts while ra kept a close watch to make sure Elysia and Shaman didn''t do anything. Silver sat in front of ra bobbing back and forth trying to distract himself.
***
The sun was setting and it looked like the trees in front of them didn''t move at all. Going slightly off trail, they found a small oasis of some kind that had a flowing river which went into a jungle like forest.
Setting up some shelter for themselves and a campfire, Elysia had started to cook for everyone.
"I better not hear you two while I try to sleep." ra stared at Shaman as she wouldn''t let up what she tried to do while they were travelling.
"Yes, don''t worry we won''t disturb you." Shaman blushed while looking away.
"I-I don''t think we should, plus I prepared to not do anything for a couple days." Elysia spoke quietly, a little embarrassed since she would rather do it inside as there was no privacy where they were.
*Sigh* "I only wanted to tease you Eli, I didn''t n to really do anything." Shaman knew Elysia was restraining herself, so for a bit of entertainment, Shaman wanted to see how far she could go.
"Good thing Freja isn''t here, she would have no shame." Kiruya, wanting to make light of the situation, said it could have been a lot worse. Both Elysia and Shaman got shbacks to when they could hear Kiruya on their first night at the mansion.
"Oh yes, it could be."
"Mhm indeed."
? Both Elysia and Shaman agreed, as they knew how loud they could get and being in such an open area, it would be hard not to hear them.
***
Ren was standing in front of a door and moved his blonde and ck hair back before grabbing the handle. He wore rather casual clothes, only having a white t-shirt and ck tracksuit pants.
"What is it father?" Ren entered a rather small office, its wallspletely covered in old books.
"Good, you came, we will be having some adventurers sent from the Freya forest and I would like you to join them." Ren''s father had not even looked at him and was reading a book while talking.
His father looked rather young and wore robes of white and green. His hair was long and was a very light blonde.
"Yes! Finally, who are these people exactly?" Ren, who wanted to leave the pce to explore the continent, was finally getting his chance.
"It is a group of 4, with 2 fox girls and a demon girl. The 2 fox girls have a son called Silver and is travelling alongside them. It is also noted from Freja that despite Silver''s age, he is to not be underestimated." Reading from a piece of paper on the desk, Ren was surprised it was basically a group of girls.
"Umm, are you sure I should be going with a group full of girls, let alone ones that have a kid?" Ren wasn''t sure if he would befortable in a group full of women.
"Ah you will be fine, one is a couple and you know demon and elf rtionships are impossible, so don''t go trying anything and just try to get along." Ren''s father red at Ren''s emerald green eyes as it was clear what he was thinking.
Ren had felt a little relieved and only hoped he could get along as he hasn''t had much contact outside of the pce.
"They should be here in a couple days, so make sure you are ready to leave by then and make sure to spend some time with your mother." Ren''s father gestured for him to leave, which annoyed Ren as it seemed like his father didn''t care.
''I swear, every time he wants me to do something, it''s just for his own ego or benefit.'' Ren walked out of the room and his first thoughts were of how his father might just be taking advantage of him.
''At least I get some freedom now, but I''m still not sure about joining a group full of girls.'' Ren felt rather nervous about relying on his social skills and got worried whether they would really get along.
''I''ll go see mother now.'' Ren, knowing his mother was much more knowledgeable, decided to go consult her for some help.
Chapter 171 Entering The Capital Of Elfhiem
?A few days passed of constant travel and Shaman was finally at the entrance of the capital city of Elfhiem. Currently, Shaman and her group were in line to get into the city, as they needed to get checked before entering it.
The trees were as tall as skyscrapers, blocking the sun to the point ofplete darkness, the only light being mana crystals that were ced throughout the forest. The trees were made of white wood with vibrant green leaves that scaled with the size of the tree.
"Wee to Elwood." Kiruya introduced the ce while they waited as they were pretty far back.
"Have to say the entrance isn''t that grand." Elysia looked at where they were entering and there was no gate or anything, just a small building for the guards.
"Well that''s because they don''t want to interfere with the tree''s growth, which is why the paths are unpaved, unlike other cities. There are a few teleporters, but they are only for the army and royalty." Kiruya gave them a quick run down of the history of the ce and why things are a certain way.
Kiruya further exined about the forest that the entire thing is covered in a magical dome that is powered by a mana crystal. This acts as a defence as well as a way to detect ill intent towards the royal family and the city. The crystal is also treated as a sort of monolith as it was found within a tree that dated even further than the kingdom.
There also hasn''t been a change in rule for hundreds of years with all of their leadersing from the same bloodline. This was thanks to the Elf''s rather forward-thinking. Whenever leadership is passed on to the next generation, there would usually be a drastic shift in policies that suited the general public.
"Seems like you need quite the sizable force in order to get through the forest." Shaman saw the capital as an imprable fortress, but as most things go, there has to be a weakness.
"Mhm, not something you can just walk in and destroy." Kiruya felt her throat getting sore as she had been exining a lot of things about Elfhiem on their trip.
Shaman looked at Elysia since she liked to cause destruction and if anybody was going to do it, it would be her.
"W-what are you looking at me for?" Elysia awkwardlyughed and avoided eye contact.
"We''re next." ra already knew a lot of the information already and was paying attention to the line that was slowly progressing forward.
A couple of guards in matching uniforms approached them with a stone in hand.
"State the purpose of your journey and please put your hand on the stone." The guards presented a stone to each of them and they all put their hands on it.
"We are just visiting and n to take on the dungeon." Kiruya stated the reason and there were no objections from the guard.
"Alright, you shall enter, but don''t forget to follow the rules while within the city." The few guards stepped aside, allowing them entry to the capital city Elwood.
*
Making their way through the forest, weaving through the trees, they were able to see the light of the city.
"Did they have to make the path soplicated?" Shaman was sick of the constant turning. Although it wasn''t that rough of a ride, it certainly made getting to the capital take longer.
"Aha don''t worry, almost everyone who isn''t an elfins. Sadly their pride won''t allow the forest to be touched." Kiruya was used to the winding path, but she did share the opinion that it was annoying, especially to those with big cargo.
Finally reaching a straight path, they were able to get a good look of the city and see what kind of ce it was.
Going through an archway, the noise of a busy city echoed out. The city was massive and, just like the Freya forest, was surrounded by a forest but on a muchrger scale. The buildings were mainly made out of wood and had a very natural aesthetic. There was also abination of y and some bricks throughout the buildings. There were not many tall structures, but the sheer size of the area made it hard to see to the end.
However, looking out in the distance, it was clear where the dungeon was, as there was a tall tower that screamed royalty.
"I expected tall buildings." Elysia thought of the previous ces they had been to and expected to see a much grander city.
"The city grows along with the people. Since most things are made out of natural elements, they are able to expand the buildings on the go. It is also a factor that elves live a much longer life, so the need for apartment buildings is that prevalent." Kiruya also wasn''t used to the site of a capital city being so minimal.
"It also helps that only elves can be permanent residents, so you would have to find a town outside if you wanted to live in Elfhiem."
"Makes sense since I''m sure they don''t want any outsiders staying in their sacred territory." ra knew that it had only been with the recent King of Elfhiem that the capital opened up to visitors.
"The previous few kings have been quite protective of the tree that contained the crystal, but with the opening of the dungeons, they were able to move it to a safer location, which is where we are heading now." Kiruya pointed at the very building Shaman saw, confirming where they were going.
*
Stopping by a ce where they could have their mounts looked after, they officially entered the capital Elwood.
"Now what''s the n?" Shaman wasn''t sure if they were going to go straight to the dungeon as it was midday.
"Hmm we will find a ce to stay first, then we can decide on what to do." Kiruya didn''t have anything in mind as they were not in a hurry.
"Are we able to explore a bit?" Elysia wanted to look around the ce with Shaman as they hadn''t gone out to do something fun in a while.
"After we check-in at the adventurers inn, you will have the day to yourselves, then tomorrow we can go scope out the dungeon." Kiruya wanted to do some things herself, but there were a few things they needed to do before they went out.
"Can Ie with you Mother?" Silver wanted to join Shaman and Elysia, as they were in a new ce and he wanted to see it with them.
''Oh no, what do we do?'' Shaman was already faced with a dilemma as she wanted to hang out with Elysia, but didn''t want to leave Silver.
However, before Shaman could think of a response, Elysia had proven prepared for such a question.
"Now Silver, me and your mother want to spend some time alone, is it okay if you wait a little longer before we explore the city with you." Elysia patted Silver''s head, hoping he would ept.
"Hmm fine, I will just spend some time with auntie ra." Silver didn''t mind and was secretly considering exploring on his own.
"Huh? Auntie?" ra stepped back a little shocked as this was the first time she was hearing this.
"Well are you not a part of the family as well? You''re not another mother so you got to at least be auntie." Silver didn''t quite have a grasp on how families worked and seeing as ra wasn''t in a rtionship with Shaman, thought she was more like her sister.
"U-umm, at least call me big sis or something. Auntie makes me feel old." ra, who wasn''t that much older, didn''t like the sound of auntie.
"Oh okay." Silver didn''t mind, so there were no issues in changing her moniker. Kiruya, Shaman and Elysia though had giggled as they found ra''s reaction rather cute.
"So ra, are you alright with Silver?" Shaman trusted ra, but wasn''t sure if she would want to be stuck with him.
"Aha it shouldn''t be a problem, plus he seems old enough to look after himself, so don''t be too worried." ra wasn''t too keen on exploring and preferred to get some sleep as she was exhausted from all the travelling.
"Alright, well if that''s sorted let''s check in and get on with our day." Kiruya pped her hands and led everyone to the inn.
***
"They have arrived." An elf in a green cloak was standing behind a building in an alleyway watching over the group.
"Good, keep watch of them and make sure they don''t get into trouble." A voice came from a small rock that was attached to the elf''s ear.
"Yes your highness, is there anything I should do in particr."
"Just keep an eye on them, I need to know if they are worthy of being with my son."
"Understood." The green hooded elf vanished back into the alleyway to follow Shaman and her group.
Chapter 172 Date In Elwood
?Shaman and Elysia checked-in at the inn, getting themselves a room together. They also witnessed first hand how rooms are created. The inn master had shown them the process and it was rather fascinating.
The wood that the building was made of extended out and would start to form the room. It would make the shapes of the beds and tables, furnishing the room on the spot. Then a wave of green energy went over the room turning it from a wooden sculpture to a modern home.
This confused Shaman and Elysia as they didn''t know how wood could create a nicefortable bed. The inn master exined that it was mainly special effects and that there are magic space storages in the hotel. The wood was not turning into real furniture.
*
Kiruya gave Shaman a map so that they knew their way around and wouldn''t get lost in the city. Leaving them to do their own things Kiruya locked herself in her room to report back to Freja about their trip.
ra had instantly fallen asleep in her room as being in a nicefortable bed worked on her like magic, putting her to sleep.
Silver was in his room gettingfortable and was nning to go on a trip all by himself in Elwood.
Shaman and Elysia already left the inn, heading towards a food court district to have a little date while they had time.
Walking hand in hand, they passed through the busy city, which was mainlyposed of elves. Some of the older elves looked at the 2 fox girls with an annoyed expression, but they had expected that as they assumed many still had misgivings about allowing outsiders in the capital.
"Other than the old ones, everyone seems nice." Elysia whispered to Shaman as she noticed some of the res.
"Well, if suddenly your territory opened up to everyone while your whole life is based around this ce, then I can see why you would dislike visitors." Shaman figured that the older elves did not appreciate the opening of the capital city, but it wasn''t their concern.
Continuing to make their way through the streets, they found themselves in a square za filled with stands and restaurants. People from many races converged on the food district and filled many of the stalls and ces around.
"Do we want to try something new?" Shaman was curious about the kinds of food that Elfhiem would have and seeing such an expansive selection, thought it was a good opportunity.
"Oh yes, I need to ask all the restaurants for their recipe books so I can absorb the information through the system fufu~." Elysia had asked the food ce they went too on their trip to have a look and thanks to the system was able to take in all the information.
"Looks like we have a n." Shaman knew that if Elysia was able to cook any meal it would make it so they could choose whatever they felt like even without having to go into a city.
*
Walking into many restaurants and ordering small bits of foods to eat, Elysia managed to look through some of the cook books they had. Although some were more protective, some were eager as they wanted to spread their food to other ces.
Elysia was in a good mood and although she had a slight headache from absorbing so much information, she did not let it spoil their day.
"Oh Elysia, there seems to be a way to get on top of the forest." Shaman spotted a set of stairs that went around some of the trees, heading into the leaves.
"We are going right now." Elysia, seeing the chance to get her ideal daring spot, didn''t waste any time heading towards the set of stairs. Grabbing Shaman''s hand Elysia rushed to the spot Shaman pointed out.
Arriving at the set of stairs, there was a small line as guards were doing checks on people before they went up.
"Huh it must be a popr spot." Shaman didn''t see people walk up the steps so she wasn''t hopeful that it was a ce they could go to.
"Then it must be a great spot, let''s hope we can just walk right up without any issues." Elysia was filled with excitement as it''s been so long since they have gone out to just have fun.
Shaman nodded her head and tried to listen carefully to see if she could find out what was up the stairs. Still, she doubted it was something they couldn''t do as there were varying races in line. There were also couples in the line, so this helped reassure them that this was a tourist attraction spot.
Moving up in line, Shaman wasn''t able to hear anything other than the flirting couples and guards asking for people''s hands to check their ID.
"I wonder if it''s linked to the adventurers guild ID, or if the rock the guards are using has some special property." Shaman didn''t have to carry anything on her to confirm her identity as it seemed like there was a magical database.
"Hmm I think it just sends a mana wave through your body to determine who you are, but that''s just my guess." Elysia tried thinking about how it worked, but before they could continue their talk, it was now their turn.
"Hand please." The guard spoke in a monotone voice as it was clear he didn''t want to be here.
Putting their hands on the rock, it scanned them and soon a magic projection appeared in front of them.
"Enjoy your stay and please do not touch the tree or pull any or the leaves, otherwise there will be consequences." The guard gestured for them to go through. Meanwhile, Elysia''s excitement was already building up.
"Yes! It''s what we thought it would be." Elysia pulled on Shaman''s arm and they began to go up the stairs to the top of the tree.
*
Making it to the top, they found that there was a wooden tform just above the tree, giving them a view across the entire forest as well as much of the continent.
"Woah." Elysia went to a wooden railing that was on the edge and was able to see the borders they entered from as well as a mountain range that separated Elfheim from Elysium.
"Good thing it''s a nice day." A cool breeze came across the top of the trees and their tails flowed with the wind.
Shaman came to the side of Elysia and hugged her while taking in the view.
"I promise I will try to get better." Elysia''s expression saddened as she had been agonising over what Shaman said about not being so overprotective.
"I know, and you have improved so much already. I can already see you are getting better with ra." Shaman hugged Elysia even tighter, trying to reassure her that she was improving.
"Aha thank you, it''s so hard to keep myself under control at times, but I can tell that I''m not jumping to conclusions as often." Elysia didn''t feel the same anxiety whenever Shaman was with ra or even Kiruya, managing to keep her calm.
"As long as there is progress then we can say we are getting closer to a solution, although some of the ideas I have are not that very good." Shaman thought of ideas to help Elysia, but a lot of them were not ideal and wouldn''t solve the overall issue.
"Hmm?" Elysia was curious what they could be, but seeing Shaman''s rather nervous face, she wasn''t sure if she wanted to know.
"Don''t get the wrong idea, but the thought crossed my mind that maybe we could extend this obsession to ra." Shaman tried to not set off Elysia, but thankfully she didn''t react strongly.
Elysia took a deep breath, stopping herself from yelling or setting anything on fire.
"Although the idea seems usible, I don''t know how long it would take and if I could in the first ce." Elysia wasn''t sure, but for it to work, she would need to battle the constant urge of going crazy and not wanting to ruin a friendship, it was difficult to even start.
"Again it''s not a good idea as it doesn''t fix the problem, but it also urred to me that this crazed state you go into may be useful when in battle." Shaman also thought how it could be beneficial for them, but didn''t know all the pros and cons in keeping it.
"We will just have to see along the way and decide what''s best for us." Elysia didn''t want to turn down the ideapletely as it would make things simpler, but there were also other factors to consider like everyday life.
''If I could have better control, or even dial it down to only the extreme cases, then maybe I could really one day see it as a boon.'' Elysia hoped to achieve something like this as it would make the whole situation a lot less stressful.
"Indeed, now let''s enjoy the time we have now, don''t want to get all doom and gloom on such a nice day." Shaman pinched Elysia''s ear so she would snap out of her thoughts.
"Sorry about that." Elysia didn''t mean to make it a serious talk, but it was something she needed.
"Don''t worry about it." Shaman, using one of her hands, grabbed Elysia''s chin and pulled her in for a kiss.
Chapter 173 Silver’s Solo Adventure
?While Shaman and Elysia were having a passionate kiss on the viewing tform, Silver was busy nning his trip.
''ra is asleep and Kiruya is busy in her room, so I should be able to go out unnoticed.'' Silver was left unattended and, wanting to explore the city, was about to leave his room. However, as he turned the handle, he froze in ce, suddenly struck by anxiety.
''Should I wait for Mother or big sis ra?'' Silver was extremely anxious about going out alone, but the urge to explore the city was stronger. Taking a deep breath, Silver opened the door and walked out of the inn.
Pulling out a copy of the map that was given to him, he made his way to an entertainment district.
''I hope I don''t have to spend too much money.'' Silver looked in his own inventory, confirming he had a decent amount of gold coins, but since they are in the capital the prices for things could be extremely high.
''It''s a ce for elves, not adventurers, so surely it won''t be too expensive.'' This is what convinced Silver that it would be okay as only elves were allowed to permanently stay in the forest, making it more likely things were cheaper despite it being a capital city.
''Let''s just go.'' Silver shook his head and followed the map to his destination.
*
Making it to the entertainment district, Silver looked around for any stores or areas where he could have some fun.
''Although I just wanted to look around, surely there are some games I could y.'' Silver liked the scenery, but was more keen on having fun and since he couldn''t go into the dungeon alone, he had to make do with other things.
Walking along the street, Silver had gotten a few concerned and confused looks.
Silver started feeling anxious until suddenly a tall female elf who looked beautiful approached him. The elf wore a green dress that was skin tight with a silt at the bottom revealing one of her legs. Her hair was ck which made her green eyes stand out, although one eye waspletely covered by her hair.
"Boy do you know where you are?" The female elf leaned over and made sure to not seem like a kidnapper.
"I was looking for ces to have fun and it said this was the entertainment district so I thought there could be some games I could try." Silver spoke, a little embarrassed in the woman''s presence, causing him to avert his eyes.
*Sigh* "Show me the map." The elf held out her hand waiting for the map, hoping that he had just misread it.
"H-here." Silver ced the map in the elf''s hand and she quickly opened.
"You gotta be shitting me, they haven''t even updated the map." The elf facepalmed as the map Silver received, had the wrongbels for some of the areas, which exined why a 13 year old was in the adult entertainment area.
"Oh." Silver didn''t know what to say as it was Kiruya who had given him the map.
"I''m so sorry, they switched some of the designated areas,e with me and I will take you to where you wanted to go." The elf knew how dangerous it could possibly be for someone so young and wanted him to leave as soon as possible.
"I r-really shouldn''t be goi-." Silver wasn''t sure if he should trust the elf, but before he could protest she grabbed his hand and dragged him.
"Call me nor, now let''s get out of here." nor gave her name and dragged the small wolf boy out of the district.
*
Once they reached a different area of the forest, nor let go of Silver.
"Good, no interruptions." nor looked around nervously trying to see if anyone was following her.
"T-thank you." Silver was blushing and looked away as he couldn''t help but stare if he looked.
"No problem boy, but I need to go, make sure you get a new map." nor quickly left, almost jogging, but her dress limited a lot of her movement.
Silver took a deep breath and wasn''t sure what to make of what just happened.
''I hope she is okay. Although I was ready to pull out my scythe, I didn''t want to cause a scene.'' Silver this entire time had his system inventory open ready to pull out his weapon if anything happened.
''Maybe I should follow her to see if she is okay, it looks like people might be following her.'' Silver noticed her rather nervous looks and didn''t have a good feeling about it.
''She helped me, so I should help her.'' Silver, deciding to see if nor was going to be okay, quickly rushed into the alley that she ran into and hid in the shadows.
Going along the wall he searched for nor and upon approaching the entertainment district spotted a few wealthy looking men surrounding nor.
"Where is our money?" One of the men had encased his hand in wood, creating a de.
"L-like I said I will have it by the end of the day." nor red at the elf who held the wooden de to her neck.
"Yeah right, you''re too busy leading a little boy around the city." A more chubby noble elf spoke up about seeing her and Silver together.
"I couldn''t leave a kid in that area, plus it''s none of your business what I do." nor bit her lip as she only wanted to help Silver, but it looked like it caused the debt collectors toe after her.
"LIke we said, you could always pay us in other ways. Why are you being so stubborn?" A rather skinny elf shrugged his shoulders looking rather disappointed.
"I am not selling my body! Now let me get back to my job, my break is about to finish and I don''t want the pay to be cut." nor was getting frustrated and the tips of her hair started to turn green.
"How about no~?" The elf with the wood de pushed the de closer to nor''s neck.
However, before anyone could realise what happened the arm of the noble elf was cut off. Stepping back in shock and pain the elf held his arm that was now in half while screaming.
The other 2 elfs backed up, but a pair of shadow chains came from the ground restraining them.
"Who goes there? Unhand us now!" The skinny elf was frantically looking around for whoever was doing this, but was met with silence.
nor stood in shock as she was unsure what was happening and who it possibly could be.
"You will pay for this if you don''t let us go now!" The chubby elf was sweating and tried to throw out any threat he could.
While the chains were restraining the elves by their arms, dark des came out of the shadows, pointing themselves towards the immobile limbs before shooting forwards. The des then passed through the shadowy chains and pierced right through the arms of the 2 elves.
They both screamed in pain and fell to their knees, trying to cope with the pain.
nor was terrified as she didn''t know whether or not she would be next. Not wanting to stay any longer, she quickly broke into a run, but was suddenly grabbed and pulled back into the shadow of the wall.
The 3 elves were left to bleed and would slowly die if they didn''t get any medical attention.
"Whoever that was is going to pay!" Gritting his teeth, the elf with the wooden de tried to stand up.
"Boys quick, we need to get healed." The elf with the de limped out of the alley while the other two tried to cover their profusely bleeding arms.
*
Silver came out of the shadows while pulling nor with him.
"Phew that was close, you okay?" Silver turned to nor who was rather disorientated by being in the shadows.
"I-it''s you boy?" nor blinked a few times as she didn''t believe the same boy she guided would have saved her.
"It''s Silver and yes I did just almost kill them." Silver would have liked to kill the elves, but knowing it would only cause more trouble, decided to only injure them, as the news would spread like wildfire if nobles were killed.
"Huh? There is no way you did that." Finding it hard to believe, she took a good look at Silver''s face to make sure she wasn''t mistaking him for someone else.
"I-I can''t believe it, you are the boy I helped, how the hell are you that strong?" nor could barely believe what she saw was all done by someone so young.
"That would be because of my mother who is on a date right now, but that''s all I can tell you." Silver knew he wasn''t allowed to talk about the system unless he knew 100% the other person had one like Freja.
"W-well thank you. I don''t know how I could ever repay you." nor looked down to the ground as now she thought she umted another debt.
"Oh don''t worry, this is free of charge hehe~." Silver didn''t expect anything back and just wanted to help. Hearing his response, nor sighed with relief, but she still felt obligated to do something.
"I should head back though, I used quite a lot of mana holding those chains for so long and I don''t want my Mother to know I went out alone." Silver needed to replenish mana as fast as he could, as he knew Shaman could tell he was up to something by simply looking at his mana bar through the system.
"Wait, what''s your mother''s name, so I could at least thank her?" nor didn''t want Silver to go quite yet without any information.
"Hmm her name is Shaman, but we are not here for long so I doubt you will see us." Silver didn''t see the harm, so he said her name.
"T-thank you." nor didn''t know if she could find his mother, but at least she had something she could work off.
"No problem, but I really need to go." Silver didn''t want to dy any longer, so he jumped off the roof and started to sprint back to the inn.
Chapter 174 Dark Elves
?Silver had returned to his room and quickly jumped on the bed, hoping his mother wouldn''t notice he went out on his own.
''I Hope nor is okay, it was nice to help someone, but those nobles may end up causing more problems.'' Silver was worried that he created more trouble for nor and possibly some for his mother.
''I didn''t show myself so it''s fine, but maybe I should have killed the nobles then and there.'' Silver didn''t want to anger any of the higher powers of the capital, so he opted for injuring them instead.
''Only time will tell if I did cause any trouble.'' Silver rolled over in bed, feeling anxious about the consequences of his actions.
*
? "Silver~ we are back." Shaman and Elysia had gotten back to the inn and came to check on their son. Peeking into his room, Shaman saw Silverying on the bed, supposedly resting.
"Hello mother, how was your date?" Silver turned over to look at Shaman and was hoping she wouldn''t notice anything.
"Hehe~ it was great. Anyways, I thought since there was still some time left, we should go explore and head to the dungeon to see what it''s like." Shaman walked into Silver''s room and sat on the edge of the bed.
"Hmm? What about big sis ra and Kiruya?" Silver sat up as he would have thought they would all go together.
"Oh Elysia said she would go get ra and I also think Kiruya is all good to go. However, she said not to wait for her, seeing as she can''t really help unless we are in serious trouble." Shaman found Silver''s reaction a little odd as earlier he was so excited to go out, yet now he seemed much more calm.
"Are we going now?" Silver wasn''t sure if there was still some time or if Shaman nned on leaving at a moment''s notice.
"Hmmmmm." Shaman stared at Silver directly in the eyes as if she was trying to find something.
Silver was extremely nervous and wanted to avert his gaze, but that would be an admission of guilt.
Shaman opened Silver''s status window and saw that Silver used a bit of mana. Although it could be just using magic for everyday use, Silver only uses shadows which heavily suggests he went out.
"Silver."
"M-mother."
"Where did you go?" Shaman wasn''t angry with Silver yet and first wanted to know where he went.
"I-I umm, went to the entertainment district because I was bored and big sis ra was asleep." Silver didn''t want to lie, so he opted for only telling part of the story.
"But why did you use your mana?" Shaman wasn''t buying it as there wouldn''t have been a reason to use it if he was just walking around.
"Because it''s faster." Silver averted his eyes, hoping Shaman wouldn''t dig any deeper.
"Say it while looking me in the eye." Shaman grabbed Silver''s face and forced him to look directly at her.
"I-I''m sorry Mother I went out and identally beat up some nobles." Silver couldn''t bring himself to lie right in her face.
"Is that all?" Shaman thought it would be something worse, but what Silver did seemed rtively tame to her.
"Y-you''re not angry?" Silver was going to cry, but Shaman''s reaction was a surprise to him.
"Why would I? I know you wouldn''t beat someone up unless they were doing something horrible, so tell me, what happened?" Shaman felt proud of Silver, but she wanted to hear the full story before she praised him.
"Well" Silver then went on to exin how he went to the wrong area and an elf named nor helped him to get where he wanted to go. However, he followed her and found there were nobles trying to get money out of her and even threatened to assault her.
Shaman stopped to think for a moment after hearing the exnation and nodded her head.
"Silver I am so damn proud of you." Shaman, hearing what happened, couldn''t help but feel super proud of her son for helping someone. She also hugged Silver while patting his head to show she was really proud.
"T-thank you mother!" Silver''s face lit up with happiness and hugged Shaman back with his tail wagging happily.
"However, you still shouldn''t have gone out on your own without telling ra or Kiruya." Shaman was d that Silver was okay in the end, but it did not excuse how he left without saying anything.
"I won''t do it again." Silver lowered his head as it was indeed stupid of him to go out without anyone knowing and the least he could have done was ask before going out.
"I know you are capable of defending yourself, but I would still like someone to know where you are." Shaman didn''t want to baby Silver as he was mentally at least 13 years old from what the system said about him.
"Mhm." Silver nodded, happy to hear he had some freedom.
"Now let''s get going, we have a scoping out to do." Shaman pulled away and gave Silver onest pat.
Silver nodded and Shaman took his hand, heading towards the front of the inn where everyone should be waiting.
*
Walking outside the Inn, they found Elysia, ra and Kiruya already there, waiting for them.
"Are we all good to go?" Shaman asked onest time before they headed towards the tower which was at the other end of the city.
"Yep." ra yawned, regretting letting go of the great sleep she was getting, but she wanted to have a look at the dungeon as well.
Elysia went to the side of Shaman and wrapped her arms around Shaman signifying Elysia was ready to go.
Kiruya nodded her head and changed her outfit from the usual casual clothes she wore. Now changed into more revealing clothes, Kiruya wore short jeans and a crop top, giving her a midriff. In addition, the end of her tail was now fitted with a de and her weapon was visible on her back. A ck and orange de that went in a circle was on her back, which looked like it split in two with handles on one end.
"Ohh? What kind of weapons are those Kiruya?" Shaman was intrigued by the weapons as it was something she has never seen before.
"It''s better if I show you. Also, I will be joining the fights this time around, as we are only investigating and I sort of want to join since it''s been a while." Kiruya awkwardly chuckled as it''s been a few months since shest fought and she wanted to scratch the itch she has had for a while.
"That''s fine, we are only scouting out the entrance anyways, so seeing you fight would be a treat." Shaman felt excited as she was yet to see how Kiruya fought and was really curious.
"Just focus on your scouting and leave the fighting to me. You''ll be clearing it on your ownter anyways" Kiruya was embarrassed seeing Shaman so excited, as no one had really taken an interest in her fighting style before.
"We understand, now let''s hurry!" Shaman didn''t want to waste anymore time as it was gettingte in the afternoon and she didn''t want to stay out for too long.
*
Walking through the city, they had made it to the ratherrge tower and saw it served as an adventurers guild as well. Inside were a bunch of different tiered adventurers going in and out of the dungeons as well as the auction section.
"So this is the ce?" Shaman looked around the ce, noticing it was rather grand, with most of the ce being ented with green.
"Yep, and we are going into the tier 6 and 7 dungeon." Kiruya pointed to a gate which clearlybeled which tier each dungeon was.
"Are there 2 levels to the dungeon, seeing as it is split between 2 tiers?" Shaman remembered Ebonscale dungeon which had 2 levels to it with the first being tier 4 and the underground being tier 5.
"It sort of is, so the dungeon will be rather odd. As you may have heard, harder dungeons start developing their own societies rather than just containing wild beasts." Kiruya paused for a moment as she tried to find the best way to exin it.
"So what we will be dealing with is a separate race?" Shaman was a bit concerned as the theory of the dungeons being portals to other worlds, or at least snippets of other worlds was bing more usible.
"Yes, so the dungeon is that of dark elves and through that dungeon is the second exit to where the pce is, but there is more to it than that. I will get to that when the timees. For now, prepare yourselves, as it may be a rather daunting task." Kiruya knew it was hard for many people to kill what seemed like normal people, but the dungeons allowed them to essentially respawn an infinite amount of times.
"I understand, this will be a tough one indeed." Shaman wasn''t afraid of killing, but it seemed like the clear conditions may be rather harsh in order to pass.
"Good, now sit back, watch, and try to learn." Kiruya took the lead and walked towards the dungeon. Everyone else followed, preparing themselves for what they were about to see.
Chapter 175 Morales Out The Window
?After going through a check, Shaman and the group all entered the dungeon without any troubles.
The group walked down the stone steps until they reached the bottom, getting a view of the entire area.
Like a normal mediaeval city, there were houses scattered in a field as well as a castle in the distance. A noticeable detail was the giant tree that came out of the castle which Shaman assumed is the dark elves'' world tree.
''Kiruya wasn''t lying when she said it would be a separate society.'' Shaman saw purple skinned elves living out their daily lives as if it was a fully functioning world.
"Although they look real, just know that as soon as they see us, every single one will try to kill us, so don''t be fooled." Kiruya knew this was a difficult stage for an adventurer as it would seem like they are killing innocents.
Everyone nodded. Although it was hard to not see them as just normal people, they needed to ept that they are not actual people.
''Think about it like it''s a video game! They''re just mobs that will respawn and this is just a super realistic MMO.'' Shaman had a better time at epting that they are just things created by the dungeon, but ra and Silver still felt wrong about murdering them. Elysia didn''t didn''t mind either way, she only cared about the people close to her so it didn''t phase her if she had to kill, especially if said enemy poses a threat.
"First, I want you to scout out the area and get familiar with it while I will clear it. Try not to enter prematurely until I have fully cleared the area. Other than that, keep watch and take note of the kind of elves we are dealing with." Kiruya exined what she wanted Shaman and the rest to do, hoping that watching her fight would help lessen their doubts about killing the dungeon dwellers .
"So we watch you fight while scouting the area and get familiar with the type of dark elves we would be fighting?" Shaman confirmed what they were doing with Kiruya and thetter nodded.
"Alright, I will take the lead. They usually have a few patrols near the entrance so we will use them to demonstrate what I meant." Kiruya wanted to make sure they knew that no matter what they do, they will get attacked, so at least they will be on guard at all times.
Kiruya, seeing everyone nod, started to walk down the path that led to the outskirts of the city.
*
Spotting the patrol that Kiruya was talking about, everyone stopped and let her confront the group of 4 dark elves that wore the same armour as normal elves but in ck.
Everyone pulled out their weapons just in case, ready to jump in if Kiruya got in trouble. Although they doubted they would need to, they still wanted to be on their guard.
Kiruya stood in front of the patrol as they approached. Once they were close enough, a sudden dark purple glow appeared in their eyes. They seemingly switched into attack mode without even trying to converse with Kiruya and charged at her with their spears.
"Die!" The dark elves coordinated their attack, each one going for different weak spots on Kiruya, but as they were about to reach her body, she jumped in the air.
Using her wind she stayed elevated in the air while pulling out her weapons. The circr de split in 2 as she wielded each half in a backwards grip, the circr des extending along her forearms.
The dark elves moved to throw their spears, at the same time conjuring up wind to enhance their throw. However, before they could let go of their spears, Kiruya pushed herself with her wind back onto the ground behind them.
Using her tail, she shed across the backs of 2 of the elves while dashing forward. Leaving them no time to turn around to block or retaliate, Kiruya spun with her des in hand, slicing right through their armour. Stopping in their midst, Kiruya spun onest time on the spot and sent out wind des, chopping off the heads of the dark elves.
Their bodies fell to the floor, having been easily defeated by Kiruya, impressing everyone as her movements were rather elegant.
''She really does have the fighting style of a feline.'' Shaman also noticed that Kiruya''s movements were very cat-like, as when shended on the ground she stretched out like a cat would.
"So, as you can see they are rather rabid. Of course since they are on the outskirts, they are the weakest of their kin, so don''t underestimate them once we are further in." Kiruya walked back to everyone hoping they understood.
"Even a child will act like this?" ra hoped the answer was no, but it looks like that won''t be the case.
"Sadly no, but they can''t do anything to hurt you, so if you really can''t bring yourself to kill them, then at least knock them out." Kiruya saw the conflicted look on ra which was understandable.
"Well if they attack us we kill them, not like we can save them." Silver was indifferent about the whole situation as his moralpass was quite off when it came to certain things, only seeing these issues as ck or white.
Shaman was speechless at Silver''s words, but at the same time couldn''t argue or tell him off as he wasn''t wrong.
"That''s the harsh way to put it, but Silver is right. No need to think too much about it since when wee back here everything will return to normal." Elysia wouldn''t hesitate to kill as she already established in her mind that things will return to normal once they have left.
"We will continue forward. Once we are by the town, that is where the path will split off, so you should look for a route into the castle." Kiruya sighed as there was a clear split in the party between those who would kill and those who would hesitate.
''Hope they will understand that they truly are beasts despite their appearances.'' Kiruya was given direct orders by Freja to not disclose the true identity of the dark elves before their scout mission.
''It would make this a lot easier if I could say they are shapeshifting beasts, but Freja wants to make everything a trial.'' Kiruya didn''t see the point in withholding any information, but she couldn''t go against Freja''s orders.
*
Continuing further down the path, they made it to the edge of the town which had a small stone wall surrounding it.
There were a few guards on the outside, but Kiruya pounced on them with ease, using her tail to slice their throats before they could make any noise.
"Here is where we will split off, I would rmend following the wall unless you think you can make it using your stealth skills, but know the safest way is to follow the wall until you reach the castle." Kiruya wanted to leave them with some advice before they parted ways for the time being.
"Okay, when did you want to meet back up?" Shaman wasn''t sure if they could take as long as they wanted or would need to be quick.
"I don''t mind, but I prefer to regroup in no more than an hour. You will know when that is as I will cast a tornado which will be the queue to retreat." Kiruya nned to use one of herrger scale spells as an indicator if they ran out of time.
"Alright, I will have Elysia shoot a massive fire arrow into the sky like a firework if we finish early." Shaman wanted their own indicator and looking at Elysia who loves to explode things thought they could take advantage of that.
"If that''s all then let''s get this mission underway. I will see you in at least an hour." Kiruya stretched herself out like a cat before grabbing her weapons.
"Be careful Kiruya." Shaman knew she would be okay as she was a tier 8, but couldn''t help worrying.
"Don''t worry I will be fin-." Kiruya started to walk through the gate, but she tripped over her own feet and face nted into the ground.
Everyone stared nkly at Kiruya as they didn''t understand how she fell over.
"Umm are you sure you will be fine." Elysia wasn''t sure what to say other than to ask if she would be okay going alone.
"Yep! I will be fine." Kiruya shot up from the ground with her facepletely red.
Shaman facepalmed and shook her head as it reminded them that Kiruya was a rather normal clumsy girl.
"Don''t fall over next time Kiri!" Silver gave Kiruya a nickname and waved her off while giggling to himself.
"I-I yep, bye!" Kiruya was too embarrassed to retort back at Silver and quickly ran into the town.
"Now we should get moving. Do we want to use my shadows and cut through or follow Kiruya''s advice?" Shaman didn''t mind either way and wanted to see how everyone else felt.
"It would be quicker to cut through." Elysia wanted to cut through and also have a shot at a few elves.
"I don''t know." ra was still having a moral battle with herself as she didn''t want to kill a child even though they were in a dungeon.
"I''ll go with whatever." Silver didn''t mind and would do whatever his mother chose to do.
"We don''t have to fight if we cut through, so ra you don''t have to fight this time, you can leave it to us even if we do encounter elves." Shaman figured since they were not meant to be fighting that ra could sit back.
"Thank you." ra was d and felt relieved that she wouldn''t have to fight yet.
"Alright Silver, please take ra in your shadow and I will have Elysia. If we are ready to go then let''s start making our way to the castle and find a way in that we can infiltrate through."
Chapter 176 Pillage
?
Feeling embarrassed for tripping over, Kiruya sprinted into the town to create a bit of chaos.
''Damn it! I was looking so cool too.'' Kiruya wanted to be a role model for them, and so she tried her best while they were in the Freya forest to not trip over anything. However, now that she had tripped over once more, the image she was trying to build was ruined.
''Ahh whatever, let''s just destroy the town.'' nning to release her frustrations since her n was ruined, she pulled out her des and propelled herself with her wind.
The dark elves spotted Kiruya running into the town and, going into a simr state like the guards, they grabbed the closest weapon to them. Soon, the group chasing her grew in size as even the children joined in, resulting in a cacophony of screaming and yelling.
"Die!"
"Leave now!"
"You dare enter our territory!"
Kiruya made her way to the middle of the town to gather the elves that were chasing her. Jumping on top of a small fountain, Kiruya waited for the dark elves.
40 elves reached the fountain, trying to stab Kiruya. They rushed inside the fountain, trying to get closer, and even started to climb on top of each other. Since they were unable to use magic, it took them a moment to get in range with their pitchforks and knives.
"Alright let''s begin." Seeing the elves getting too close, Kiruya jumped up into the air while coating her des with wind. Kiruya then shed towards the group of elves, sending wind shes that were too fast to dodge.
Making use of the newly created opening in the crowd, Kiruyanded on top of the dead bodies, now standing in the midst of the elves.
The elves all turned with their weapons, randomly striking for any part of her body.
Kiruya dashed forward into the group of elves and deflected many of their strikes, giving her an opening. shing the chest of elves of varying ages, Kiruya started to shred through the group, not allowing any of them to get close with their weapons.
Slowly, the group of 40 dwindled while a pile of dead bodies was building up.
Blood covered the central area and the first group of elves were dead. Many were children, young adults and even elderly, but no matter what you did they would continue to attack unless you killed them.
However, once they were killed, their bodies deformed into that of a beast, revealing what they truly are.
"I wonder if the others will find out." Kiruya knew that sooner orter the girls would notice the changes and was curious how they would react.
While she was speaking to herself, more shouts rose from another part of the town as well as the clinking of armour, suggesting that guards from the castle wereing.
''Seems like I will have to use some bigger skills.'' Kiruya turned and saw a few hundred elves charging towards her.
Spinning her weapons in her hand, wind swirled around her arms creating small tornados.
Sprinting forward right into the elves, Kiruya shed forward while running, shooting tornados into the massive group of Elves.
Many tried to dodge, but the wind current stopped them from moving out of the way and dragged them into the tornado. Blood spewed everywhere as they were torn to shreds by the constant wind pressure.
Kiruya kept running directly into the group, starting a repeat of the previous events as Kiruya tore into her enemies while deflecting their attacks. She also used her tail to kill elves by stabbing them in the neck or pulling them onto her weapons.
Noticing that there was a significant amount of elves beginning to stack, she realised she needed to push them away or else be overwhelmed. Kiruya responded by setting up a twoyered wind barrier, the inneryer swirled like a tornado while the outer kept gettingpressed.
The elves trudged through thepressed air, but got deflected by the constantly swirling inneryer. Shortly after, thepressed air exploded, killing 50 elves at once as they were torn limb from limb. Blood rained down onto the town, but her inneryer of wind kept kiruya in a dome of dryness surrounded by a sea of blood.
Turning on her heels, Kiruya saw more guardsing from the castle alongside some more civilians from the surrounding town.
''Geh they just keeping in greater numbers.'' The rest of the town''s poption was now rushing to her location and now the city guards wereing as well.
''I need to be more careful.'' Knowing that a significant amount of guards wereing, the use of magic will be more prevalent, providing more of a challenge for her.
Stretching her body out like a cat, Kiruya was ready to take on the next wave of elves.
However, even before the mob could get anywhere near her, a squad of elven archers released a volley of arrows at her, propelled by their wind magic. Kiruya was able to sense the mana fluctuation in the air and easily moved her body as if she was dancing, dodging the arrows with aplomb.
Not wanting to deal with the archers longer than necessary, Kiruya connected her two weapons and suspended them in the air in front of her. Aiming it towards the castle where the arrows came from, she built up wind in the center of her spinning weapons, forming it into a ball.
Pulling her arm back, she punched with all her strength,unching the wind ball as if from a cannon towards the archers. Crashing into the wall, a burst of wind exploded from the point of contact, causing the tform the archers were on to copse, dropping them to their death and burying them under the rubble.
Punching a few more times, Kiruya eliminated the long range threats and now had to deal with the small army.
Moving her focus back to therger group of enemies, Kiruya hopped on top of a building and then on to the air, suspending herself with her wind magic. Once she gained her bnce, she positioned her weapon in front of her and suspended it in mid-air once more.
''Now let''s see how many I can kill.'' Kiruya nned to do arger scaled spell to get rid of most of their forces.
Spears were being thrown from the ground, but Kiruya was able to deflect them or move out of the way as she pushed herself with her wind.
Kiruya then coated her arm with wind, moving it around in circles like a miniature tornado and letting it gain in power as it moved more and more air towards the tip of her fist. Kiruya let the airpress at her fist until she could no longer control it, then punched out once again with all her might, aiming through the centre of her suspended weapon and towards the ground. A massive boom echoed throughout the dungeon as thepressed air expanded in an explosion of wind, crashing down on the elven army.
The elves that were underneath got instantly crushed to mush as the impact of the wind ttened them on the ground. The ground itself turned into a crater with cracks running through it. Blood coated the ground and flowed through the cracks of the crater, creating a small pool at the bottom.
At least 3 quarters of the elves that came out were crushed. However, instead of making Kiruya happy, this only annoyed her as she wanted to kill them all.
"Tch." Clicking her tongue, Kiruya softlynded on the ground and brought out her weapons once more.
''I was hoping the magic amplifiers I got on them would increase the area of effect, but it seems to only increase the strength of my magic.'' Kiruya looked at her weapons as she recently got them upgraded, which was one of the reasons why she wanted to fight.
The remaining elves, not caring about the people that just died, sprinted at Kiruya in desperation.
Rolling her eyes, Kiruya threw her des going right through the elves with ease, killing them.
Using wind to control the rotation and direction of the des, she was able to kill the rest of the elves before they even got close.
*Sigh* "Finally, that should be most of them." Kiruya was feeling exhausted as she used a lot of mana on therge scale attack, pushing herself to use more mana than she usually would.
"I don''t think the stronger dark elves wille out." Kiruya looked over to the castle where the second part of the dungeon mainly took ce and waited to see if the higher tiered elves woulde out.
"There is still 30 minutes left so hopefully they can finish up before then." Kiruya, having some more time to kill, went to look for a high ce to observe from while she waited.
***
"What the fuck is this thing!" Shaman and her group had encountered a group of elves while going through the outskirts of town.
Elysia had just finished killing them as she was curious how they would react, but just as they were leaving, they noticed the elves taking a new form. The bodies retained the same colour as the elves, but turned intorge dogs with ratherrge mouths.
"It looks like a beast." Elysia picked up a stick and was poking at what they thought was a dark elf but now turned beast.
"It''s happening to the others too." ra looked over to the more fresh bodies and saw that they were also transforming back their natural form.
"So they are not elves but beasts in disguise?" Shaman wasn''t too sure what to make of it and found it a bit bizarre.
"Well, we learned from Silver''s dungeon that there is a story to every dungeon, so maybe whatever this beast is, it took over the local race and is pretending to be them?" Elysia recalled the time in the dungeon with Silver and how the boss had a story behind him.
"Hmm their status says nothing other than dark elf still so I think we need to kill the boss before we find out more information." Shaman was intrigued by the ''dark elves'' and now knowing they are not truly people made it easier for everyone to kill them.
"Phew, at least now I know they are not actual people." ra let out a sigh of relief knowing that it''s all pretend and not real.
"You sure are affected by this whole thing a lot more than us." Elysia turned to ra and was a little surprised that she was so emotional to the elves.
"Well ever since my memories were unlocked, my emotions have been haywire. Even during the bit of training I did as an assassin, it was a rule to never hurt children under a certain age. So it was hard to go against that since I lived by those rules for quite some time." ra exined more about her situation and it made sense why she had such a strong reaction.
"Alright we still need to scout the outside of the castle, so let''s not get too distracted." Shaman was able to hear the fighting in the town and knew that they shouldn''t stay idle for too long.
Bringing Elysia back into the shadow and Silver with ra, they continued down the outskirts to the castle''s edge.
Chapter 177 Route Into The Heart Of The Castle
?Shaman and her group managed to make it to the castle walls, but upon arrival they found some dark elves patrolling on the outside. Coming out of the shadows by a house, they nned on what they were going to do.
''Why would they be all the way out here?'' Shaman opted to circle around to the far side of the castle, where she thought there would be no elves outside the walls.
"There might be a secret entrance, or they are just patrolling the castle grounds as well." Elysia whispered into Shaman''s ear what she thought, ounting for the fact that this was a dungeon and somon sense doesn''t always apply.
"Hmm, let''s use our fox forms and see if they attack. If not, we will investigate the wall to see if there is anything out of ce." Hoping to get it done quickly, Shaman chose to try and avoid any unnecessary fighting.
"Sounds good."
"Silver, ra, stay here while we investigate the wall while in our fox forms. If you hear fighting thene, but for now stay here." Rying the n to ra and Silver, they both nodded.
"Alright Eli, let''s go." Shaman and Elysia then transformed into their fox forms.
After transforming, Elysia went up to snuggle her head into Shaman''s body but was dodged.
"We can do thatter." Shaman using her paw smacked Elysia on the snout and caused her ears to droop.
*Sigh* "Come on, the quicker we finish, the faster we can do whatever you want." Shaman didn''t quite understand why Elysia became so yful and thought it might have to do with being in their beast form, but now wasn''t the time.
"Okay." Elysia nodded and her ears perked up again.
ra, who was watching from the side, couldn''t help but shake her head at the scene as this was supposed to be a serious mission.
"Heh, Mother and mamma Elysia are cute." Silver was giggling to himself, finding both his mothers rather adorable.
"Oi, don''t say that to us. Anyway, we are wasting too much time." Shaman yelled at Silver, but knowing they had limited time, couldn''t dwell on it.
Running out toward the castle wall, Elysia followed Shaman. As a first test they were going to run by the dark elves to see if they would get aggravated.
Waiting for the patrol toe back around, both Shaman and Elysia ran past the dark elves. Surprisingly, they did not react to Shaman and Elysia''s presence at all and continued their walk like usual.
Shaman wanted to test it further and touch the guards, but seeing as they wont target them, she figured they should just move on.
Switching to telepathy just to make sure they did not alert anyone by ident, Shaman started to examine the castle wall.
"Eli, start going to the right and I will head left. Yell out if you find anything!" Shaman figured there would be a draft or some other indicator if there was a secret entrance. The only fear Shaman had was that she was overthinking and that the guards are just patrolling since it''s just their job.
"Mhm." Elysia felt anxious in leaving Shaman alone, but she still listened as that''s what Shaman entrusted her to do.
Shaman went along the wall, following the guards from a safe distance.
''So far nothing with the wall, and the guards are acting normal.'' Shaman wanted to see if the guards checked a particr area or did something out of the ordinary.
After following the guards for about 5 minutes they approached the main gate. The guards looked around for a moment and went down into a trench that was by the gate. One of the guards then waved their hand and a secret wooden entrance was revealed.
Shaman instantly contacted Elysia about what she saw and instructed her to join her down the trench. Meanwhile, Shaman followed the guards inside, finding herself in a rather old tunnel resembling a tomb, that went towards the middle of the castle.
Having still gone unnoticed, Shaman used her stardust to create an illusionary cover on herself. She nowpletely blended in with the wall, masking her presence.
''I don''t think Elysia will be able to catch up.'' Shaman didn''t know if Elysia would understand, but when she was about to run ahead, the entrance suddenly caught fire.
After it was burnt down, a little ck fox with small mes at the tip of its ears and tail stepped into the tunnel.
''Damn it.'' Shaman wasn''t surprised, but it was so shy that the elves noticed and turned around. Seeing Elysia and her mes, the elves went into their crazed state.
"Oops." Not expecting anyone to be on the other side, Elysia quickly prepared a fire bow she could remotely control. However, as the elves went charging at Elysia, Shaman came out from behind and shot ice spears at them.
Just like Elysia, the tips of Shaman''s ears and tail became frozen to represent the element she was using.
The spears impaled the elves in the back of the neck, going right through the gap in their armour.
"Elysia, next time we are doing something stealthy be more discreet, I don''t want a repeat of the noble killings we did." Shaman remembered how Elysia blew up the mansions instead of killing the target silently.
"Hehe, sorry but that''s just too boring." Elysia did not like going covert so she would always lean towards the most destructive methods avable.
''I''m afraid of the second element she will choose.'' Shaman knew Elysia could get a new element, but hadn''t bothered to or hasn''t had the right circumstances to do so.
"Whatever, let''s continue forward." Shaman couldn''t keep being angry as there were no more immediate problems and only hoped Elysia would temper her recklessness.
"Okayy~."
Going deeper into the tunnel, they had not encountered any more elves, yet still found it rather eerie.
"If it wasn''t for us being strong, I would have been terrified." Shaman wasn''t a fan of quiet ces, but having Elysia with her and the capability to defend herself made even things she found scary seem trivial.
"Well it''s the least of our worries. After feeling the pope''s pressure, nothing can reallypare." Elysia could still feel the pressure that came from the pope as it left a rather strong impression.
"We will most likely have to fight that seeing as he is directly linked to the trapping of my parents." To make things worse, Shaman wouldn''t be surprised if Freja threw her in the ring without warning.
"I would rather not, surely Freja could fight him." Elysia didn''t want to go down the path of being the protectors of the continent and preferred to go off to live peacefully with Shaman.
"I''m sure we will fight alongside her, but we need to level up, hence why we are here." Shaman knew they were progressing at an abnormal rate, but without it, they would run out of time.
"Let''s hope that''s the end of it after he is dead." Elysia knew she couldn''t get out of it, so at the very least she hoped that it would be the end after killing him.
"Don''t forget I may have a territory to rule."
"Urggghhh, are you sure you can''t continue to be a runaway princess?" Elysia was now having second thoughts about getting married to a queen.
"Aha, we''ll just have to wait and see. Apparently we live for a long while, although not as long as elves, but still a decent amount." Shaman heard from Freja at one point that the fox race lives quite long lives, so she might be a hundred years old before having to take over the territory.
"I''ll just not think about it for the time being." Elysia already could imagine the pressure of running a territory and didn''t want to deal with it.
"Fair, we are at the end of this tunnel anyway, so make sure you stay focused." Shaman saw the tunnel opening up to a bigger room and assumed it was the exit.
Cautiously walking out of the tunnel, they found themselves in a massive open room and what looked like the trunk of the world tree they could see from the outside.
"Woah." Mesmerised by the view, Shaman and Elysia walked closer to the tree.Moving closer, they saw a pool of water at the base of the tree, and a few dark elves bathing in it.
"Looks like we ended up in the core of the castle, right where they protect the tree." Shaman was surprised that the secret path led straight here.
"Well when you never sustain any attacks, having lived in a secluded space, a shortcut to certain areas would be something you would want." Elysia assumed because the elves lived rather peacefully, that the shortcut was made just to reduce travel time.
"Either way, we have a way directly into the heart of the dark elves'' castle, so we should head back now." Now having a way in, Shaman decided to head back for now and report their findings.
Elysia nodded and followed Shaman out the way they came, excited for their future raid on the dungeon.
Chapter 178 Kiruya’s Intervention
?Returning back to Silver and ra, Shaman filled them in on what she saw.
"I wonder if we can take anything from the world tree." ra assumed that if this was an instance of another world, then the world tree would have some value to them.
"After we clear all the elves we can y around and see if we find anything, but for now we have to focus on clearing it, once we return of course." Shaman liked the idea, as the pool of water she saw with Elysia might have special effects.
"Why don''t we just go and clear it now?" Silver thought that there was no point in waiting and they could go ahead.
"Kiruya said we are only scouting today as we need to face this dungeon by ourselves so we can get the experience." Shaman had the same thought, but it was understandable as they needed to level up.
"Just let me send a really powerful explosive arrow and I could wipe the whole town if you want?" Elysia smiled while pulling out her bow, getting ready to fire into the sky.
"Do thatter! Just send the signal up in the sky to let Kiruya know we are finished." Shaman smacked the back of Elysia''s head to get her not to blow up the entire town.
"Sheesh fineee." Elysia pouted since she couldn''t cause the destruction and chaos she wanted.
Aiming into the sky Elysia prepared an arrow to signal Kiruya. Condensing the fire arrow as much as she could so it would explode in the air, Elysia fired the arrow into the sky.
Wanting to be a bit fancy Elysia tried to create an image out of the fire in the sky. As the arrow exploded, Elysia concentrated on the fire, using the mana she imbued in it to exert some influence over the explosion. Trying to create an image of a fox, Elysia felt a massive headache from trying to control the fire. However she was still able to create the image she wanted.
In the sky an image of a fox''s head appeared, which should be an obvious indicator to Kiruya who it was.
Falling over, Elysia was caught by Shaman before hitting the ground.
"Did you have to be so extravagant?" Shaman shook her head as it was clear it took a lot of mental energy from Elysia.
"Haha well I couldn''t destroy the town so why not do something cool." Elysia held onto Shaman''s shoulders, making sure she didn''t fall.
"That was sooo cool!" Silver was amazed by what Elysia did and ran up to her with his eyes shining.
"Thank you~ Silver." Elysia felt a different feeling of joy from impressing her son and was feeling incredibly proud of herself.
''Maybe Shaman''s horrible idea of epting ra might be possible.'' Elysia felt herself opening up more ever since Silver became a proper son to her. The other side of her was also not as active and seemed to have calmed down considerably, especially ever since she started dating Shaman.
"Alright, let''s head back to the entrance of the town and get out of here." Shaman picked up Elysia in a princess carry which Elysia wasn''t expecting.
"You know you don''t need to carry me? Although I''m notining." Elysia was perfectly capable of walking as she only had a headache, but wasn''t going to turn down being carried.
"Urgh." ra who was silently watching, walked off as she was actually quite jealous and didn''t want to see more.
"Oops." Shaman didn''t mean to annoy or make ra ufortable and felt bad for her as it must be hard to always see Shaman with Elysia.
''Have to wait and see how much progress I can make with Elysia and maybe we can try something.'' Shaman didn''t admit to Elysia yet, but she was keen on the idea of including ra in the rtionship as Shaman didn''t see any more members joining her group.
"Oh well, let''s get going." Shaman wanted to think about itter as right now they need to get out of the dungeon.
*
Arriving back at the entrance of the town, Kiruya was sitting on a stone wall waiting for the rest to return.
ra was the first to arrive shortly followed by Shaman with Elysia in her arms and Silver.
"We finished 15 minutes early, so good work everyone." Kiruya hopped off the wall and lightened the fall with her wind.
"Thank you, we found a secret entrance that goes straight to the world tree, so once we clear the first area like you did, we can go right to the heart." Shaman was already getting excited for the castle invasion and couldn''t wait.
"Good, you found it." Kiruya knew of the entrance, which is what she hoped they would find.
"Alright now that we are done, let''s head back and get some rest." Kiruya turned on her feet and headed towards the exit. Shaman and the rest were relieved that so far things were going smoothly, hoping that tomorrow would go the same.
*
Returning back to the surface, Kiruya gathered all the cores and sold them, getting them today''s profits. Although Shaman and the others did not participate in the killing, Kiruya still gave them an equal portion for their scout work.
Heading back to the inn they were staying in, they each went to their rooms. Shaman, who was about to walk in, saw Kiruya gesture at her toe over. Thankfully Elysia was already asleep in Shaman''s arms so she nodded to Kiruya and quickly put Elysia in bed.
Sneaking her way out of the room, she made her way to Kiruya''s, wondering what she needed.
Peeking her head into the room, Kiruya sat in a wooden chair with a few notes in front of her.
"Shut the door so I can activate the sound proof spell." Kiruya waited for Shaman to close the door and once closed she clicked her fingers.
A thin wind barrier started to encase the room they were in and once it was done seemingly vanished.
"Now we can talk without disturbing the others." Kiruya then used her wind to move a chair for Shaman to sit in.
"So what did you need to talk about?" Shaman was able to tell Kiruya wasn''t doing anything with ill intent and was more worried about what she had to say.
"Well I''m sure you will know when I say Elysia." Kiruya flicked through the pieces of paper that were on the desk.
"Oh." Shaman sighed as she guessed Freja asked Kiruya to help her with Elysia''s obsession for her.
"Yeah I wanted to have a chat before I start thinking of ways to help as I''m not exactly the best for this kind of situation and wish Freja didn''t leave it all up to me, but that''s another issue." Kiruya scrunched up the paper in her hand slightly as she didn''t appreciate being left with work she wasn''t confident in doing.
"Either way I appreciate it, so let''s hope we cane to a solution." Shaman felt bad for Kiruya, but any help was weed.
"I just hope that Elysia isn''t too obstinate about it or is at least willing to change." Kiruya could already tell how much of a headache the situation can be and wasn''t looking forward to it.
"Well good news there, she is trying to not let her emotions get the better of herself and has made a lot of progress. For example she didn''t get annoyed by your presence unlike with ra, which is why their friendship is a bit awkward." Shaman exined more details about Elysia and how she seems to be getting better at managing it.
"Oh I see, well that makes things much easier, but I have to say the idea about having it extend to ra sounds dangerous." Kiruya was also given a couple of the idea''s Shaman had.
"We figured that we might as well use it to our own benefit rather than get rid of it entirely as it seems to increase her power." Although passed out when Elysia went off the rails in the skeleton knight dungeon, Shaman did see the aftermath, which was a terrifying increase in Elysia''s potential.
"Hmm, it definitely could be useful, and seeing as you don''t intend to look for new members, changing the rtionship to include ra might be a good idea." Kiruya, being a part of a polyamorous rtionship with Freja knew what it was like.
"If you decide to go down that route, you have to be close friends, you can''t just include ra randomly, she needs to earn her ce." Kiruya knew this all too well, as many of the other women that would join Freja would usually back out due to constantly shing heads with other members. So it was better if they got to build up the friendship while keeping in mind that they could also enter the rtionship.
"I don''t intend to make my own harem, but yeah, if it could be a threeway it would make life a lot easier. So thank you for your insight, I just need to convince Elysia to go on a few "dates" with ra." Shaman knew that this could be a disaster, but in order to mend their friendship they first need to talk to each other one on one.
"I will try toe up with other ways, but if you''re sure you want to go this route with ra, then be sure to tread carefully and go slowly, you can''t rush this."
"Mhm, I''ll try for now, but if it doesn''t work out then we will just try to eliminate it all together." Shaman hoped that things would work out with ra, but in the end it''s up to both Elysia and ra to be willing.
''I also have to get closer to ra, but I don''t think that will be an issue.'' Shaman, although not sure, has noticed the subtle signs ra has shown which indicate there is some interest.
"If you want to have another talk, we can meet again around the same time when you next return from the dungeon. Also, if you need help with anything else, do let me know." Kiruya was willing to pull a few strings to make things go as smoothly as possible.
"Thank you again, I haven''t really had the chance to talk it out, so I definitely will being back." Shaman, who only informed Freja about the situation, was getting worried that she wouldn''t get much help as it had been a while since she told Freja. Shaman was also getting a bit lost on what the best choice would be and she couldn''t go to ra since it also involved her.
"No worries, now go snuggle with her before she wakes up and realises you are in another girl''s room." Kiruya chuckled a little at what she said, but was also worried since she was the girl in question.
"Aight, take care." Shaman got up from the seat and quickly went back to her room, hoping Elysia was still asleep.
Chapter 179 Disruptions
?Shaman managed to sneak back into bed without Elysia noticing and took a moment to think about how to deal with the situation.
''Once we clear the dungeon and we meet with the elf king and queen, we could spend a little time sorting this out.'' Shaman wanted to get their mission in Elfhiem done as soon as possible and hit tier 7.
''It may take us a few weeks to get the exp needed, seeing as the dark elves at the start are rather simple tier 6 with the guards being tier 7.'' Shaman used her [inspect] skill on the dark elves, which gave her an idea of the different tiers they can expect to encounter in the dungeon.
''The outside is the beginning, inside is where all the tier 7''s are and I assume there is a deeper level for the tier 8 dark elves.'' Assuming that there was more to the castle, it would be quite a long dungeon to clear.
''Hmm this is going to take longer than just a day.'' Realising the length of the dungeon and them being a lower level, they may spend a couple weeks grinding.
''If that''s the case, I will try to see if there are a couple days where I try to get Elysia and ra closer.'' Shaman wanted to take advantage of the breaks they will get to act out the idea she had with Kiruya and hopefully there will be some more progress.
''Now let''s just get some sleep, I can talk about it with Kiruyater.'' Shaman, pushing the thoughts away, got herselffortable and fell asleep.
***
"Your majesty Raiu, they have started to infiltrate the dungeon. They are currently tier 6 so it will most likely take them a month at most to get here." A hooded elf kneeled before the elf king who was looking out a window at a sort of entrance behind which the pce resides.
"Hmm that should give me enough time to prepare Ren. We could even send him out at the end of the dungeon as a little test." Pushing up a pair of sses, he formted a n on how to wee their new guests.
"Do you still want me to watch over them?" The hooded Elf was requesting more orders as he found this to be rather rxing from his usual work.
"Hmm, keep observing them, but no need to report to me, just make sure they do not cause any trouble until they arrive and I will contact you if I want a report." Raiu threw behind him a piece of paper and the hooded elf held out his hands.
"Understood." The elf was about to leave, but Raiu put up his hand to stop him.
"Make sure that they don''t encounter nor, she mustn''t return back to the pce, not until she has learnt her ce." Raiu had an annoyed look remembering the female elf that silver bumped into.
The face of the hooded elf went pale as he recalled the boy talking about meeting an elf with that same name.
"Y-your majesty I''m afraid the young boy identally made contact with her." He spoke hesitantly, soon after feeling a sudden pressure fall on his shoulders and dropping him to the ground.
"Damn it, at least it was the only young boy. Whatever you do, make sure she doesn''t meet with the white fox." Raiu rxed, allowing the hooded elf to get up from the ground.
"U-understood, it seems like she only briefly helped the boy, but that''s all, so I should be able to keep her away." The hooded elf quickly exited the room, d that he wasn''t punished.
Once the hooded elf left, Raiu opened a holographic screen, which appeared in a sh of green light. On the screen was nor, working at the bar.
"At least she is trying, maybe she will be able to return finally." Closing the screen, he sat in a chair and opened up a green system menu.
''As her father I should have been less harsh, but grandpa wouldn''t let me and now I have to y as the cold dad, what a pain.'' Raiu sighed as he was forced to kick out his own daughter because of his grandpa, the previous ruler of Elfhiem.
''Hopefully the guard fails and they do meet. Maybe I could interfere a little, seeing as gramp''s power is weakening and he shouldn''t be able to hear the messages I send to the guard.'' Now that the previous ruler was nearing the end of his life, his power withered as well, giving Raiu more freedom. As such, he considered changing the mission objective of the guard monitoring nor.
''Once he is dead, that self imposed curse will finally be gone.'' Raiu clicked something on the screen and vanished on the spot.
***
Woken up by the shining sun, Shaman slowly opened her eyes and was greeted to the usual scene of being smothered.
Slowly rising out of bed, she patted Elysia, waking her up as well.
"Morning Shaman~." Sitting up, she wrapped her arms around Shaman, hugging her.
"Morning Eli~ ready to kill some dark elves?"
"Mmm murder." Being half asleep, Elysia wasn''t sure what she was saying, but it was still amusing.
"Pfft, cute." Shaman giggled and quickly got out of bed, Changing into her usual outfit. Elysia followed suit and once they were both ready, they walked out of their room.
ra was already up and Silver just got out of his room, but there was no Kiruya to be seen.
"Is Kiruya still in her room?" Shaman looked over to her room, trying to see if she could hear anything.
"Oh, she already went ahead. We are going to have breakfast together." ra saw Kiruya leave and was told where to go once everyone was up.
"I see, well let''s go then."
*
After eating breakfast, they headed straight for the dungeon. However, along the way a woman called them out.
"Is that you?" nor was walking home from her job, having just finished her night shift, and spotted SIlver walking with a white haired fox girl.
Silver and Shaman both turned their heads to see who called them out, but once they turned they saw a woman get dragged away.
"nor?" Silver recognised the voice and became worried as it would seem the woman is getting abducted.
"Was that thedy that helped you?" Shaman was sceptical, but seeing someone get abducted so quietly and without anyone nearby, must mean whoever is doing it is strong.
"Y-yes I think it was, we should go see." Silver wanted to help and although it may not be her, still seeing something like that and not acting on it felt wrong.
"Alright, before we head to the dungeon, there is something we need to take care of, as I''m sure you''ve heard." Shaman turned to everyone who was listening and they all nodded their heads.
"I''ll go ahead, they shouldn''t be able to outrun me." Kiruya didn''t mind helping, as it will help build a positive rtionship with the elves, which was always wee. Running off, Kiruya climbed up onto the roof quickly and tried her best to track down the abductor with her nose.
Shaman and the rest all began to run down the alley. Luckily, thanks to it being early morning, not many elves were out and about, making it rather quiet.
*
<10 minutester>
Kiruya peaked over the side of the roof and pointed in the direction in which she found the abductor.
Going where Kiruya directed, the sound of a muffled woman echoed out, instantly getting the attention of everyone.
Walking around the corner, they saw the same woman and a hooded elf who was seemingly trying to knock her out.
Shaman quickly inspected the 2 elves and saw that one was indeed nor, but the other was a tier 8. This caused Shaman to back away as this was a fight she didn''t think she could win even, but when she looked up she saw Kiruya already pouncing on the hooded elf.
Pulling out her des, she threw them at the elf at high speeds. However, before they evennded, he vanished from the spot. Appearing above Kiruya he went to hit her in the back, but Elysia was already preparing an arrow.
Firing the arrow at high speeds, Elysia was able to prevent the attack from the hooded elf.
Falling back, the hooded elf stood on the roof and looked down at the group.
"Tch." Knowing he just failed his mission, he decided not to go up against the 5 people he is meant to oversee.
''I''ll have to report right away.'' Deciding to just report back right away, he once again vanished from the spot, leaving them alone in the alley with nor.
Kiruya sat on the ground heavily breathing, as she was quite terrified that she would have been severely injured, seeing as she was unable to react at all.
"You okay?" ra went to Kiruya''s side to make sure she was okay while Shaman went to nor.
"nor?" Shaman sat nor up against the wall and she slowly opened her eyes. Seeing the fox girl she saw before, she remembered the name Silver told her.
"Shaman?"
Chapter 180 Elanor
?
''Tsk, I failed, I need to report to his majesty.'' The hooded elf sat on a nearby building still watching over the group.
Pulling out the piece of paper he received, he activated the magic circle that was on it and a connection was created.
"They made contact with nor." The elf got straight to the point, hoping that he wouldn''t be exiled himself.
"Good, Now keep watch. I couldn''t say it before because of the old man''s magic that encases the castle, but I wanted them to meet." Raiu informed the hooded elf that it was a good thing they met, but this confused him as it was aplete contrast to his orders fromst night.
"I am currently out doing errands, hence I can talk about it, but I want my daughter back so I hope our visitors can bring her along. Now continue your observation and report to me when they are close to entering the pce grounds." Raiu cut off the connection, leaving the hooded elf shocked about the news.
''Well this is an interesting twist, but the king''s orders are absolute.'' The elf was relieved as he didn''t lose his position and seemingly did the right thing in just abandoning nor.
''I just hope I don''t get involved even further than I already am.'' The elf who was a normal soldier for the king could tell this issue was very personal, so for his own safety hoped that this is all he has to do.
*
"Shaman?" nor said Shaman''s name out loud as it was the name she was told and hoped it was her.
"Hmm? You know my name? Silver did you tell her my name?" Shaman turned to Silver who was looking up into the sky, pretending that he did nothing.
*Sigh* "Whatever, Are you okay?" Shaman examined nor''s body and came to the realisation she had quite the proportions.
''Damn, where are mine?'' Feeling a little envious of nor, Shaman once again prayed her next evolution will bear results for her body.
"Y-yes, he didn''t hurt me." nor, still shaking from the experience, found it hard to calm down.
"Good. Hey Kiruya, should we take her back home or to our room?" Turning to Kiruya who sat up against the building wall, thought about it for a moment.
"Hmm we will take her back to ours for safety and escort her home after we''ve assessed the situation." Kiruya got up from the ground with the help of ra and grabbed her weapons that were lodged into the ground.
"Alright,e with us, we will get you somewhere safe." Shaman helped nor up and, feeling that her legs were still shaking, Shaman used herself as support for nor.
''Calm down, we are just helping.'' Elysia took deep breaths and was digging her nails into her own hands trying to calm down. As her blood trickled down, the coldness of her blood caused her to snap out of it. Quickly bringing her hand to her mouth Elysia tried to lick it off to hide that she hurt herself.
''This is so frustrating, I wish I could get over this already.'' Elysia was getting angry at herself for not being able to control her feelings as it was bluntly obvious they were only helping.
"Elysia? Your hand are you okay?" ra saw the blood on Elysia''s hand and knew something was wrong. Reminded again that Elysia needed help, ra resolved herself to get closer to Elysia for Shaman''s sake.
''This is my chance.'' Although ra wasn''t aware of the ns Shaman had, ra herself figured out on her own that she needed to close the gap between them.
"O-oh I''m fine." Elysia turned her head, as ra was thest person she wanted to tell about her problems, especially since they indirectly involved her.
"Here." ra gently grabbed Elysia''s hand and pulled out bandages to stop the bleeding.
Elysia''s core shook as the switch inside her was almost flipped, but the gentle touch of ra was oddly soothing. This was enough of a distraction for Elysia to not allow herself to go crazy.
ra felt a sudden burst of hatred and disgust, but then it suddenly disappeared. Looking up nervously while patching Elysia''s hand, she saw her face blush slightly.
''What the hell is going on?'' ra wasn''t sure what to make of the reaction, but she continued what she was doing which seemed to work.
"All done." ra, not wanting to ruin the moment, cheerfully spoke and smiled despite her confusion.
"T-thank you." Once ra was done, Elysia was able to breathe again as she no longer felt her other sideing out.
"Come on you two, we need to leave." Kiruya saw everything happen and, since she was aware of the circumstances, let things y out until they had to leave.
"Oh yesing." ra panicked for a moment and blushed a little as it was rare for her and Elysia to be seen together.
''Why did my heart suddenly race?'' Elysia felt her head spinning while ra was touching her hand and felt a familiar feeling to what she had with Shaman. When Shaman saved Elysia and was taking care of her, she felt for the first time this genuine care. It didn''t matter to Shaman who Elysia was. Such unconditional care which was something shecked for many years.
''No, no, no that can''t be happening.'' Elysia did not want to continue the thought as there was no way she coulde to like ra.
Elysia, needing more time to sort out her thoughts, stayed at the back, holding her head, trying to understand her own emotions while following the group.
**
Returning back to their inn, Shaman sat nor down in a chair and nned to ask her some questions.
"Do you know why you were targeted?" Shaman assumed nor was someone popr as the rather expensive green dress and looks suggested she was well off.
"It could have been the debt collectors, they have been getting more aggressive about taking my body as payment." nor''s first thought was the noble debt collectors that were insistent on using her body and were now taking extreme measures.
Shaman was speechless as it was a horrible situation to be in. She couldn''t believe someone like nor was going through such circumstances.
"Then may I ask where youe from?" Shaman wanted more background knowledge and hearing nor had to pay some kind of debt, she wondered if there was a way they could help.
"I-I umm." nor wasn''t sure if she should say that she was from the royal family and since they were outsiders it would look bad for her father''s reputation.
"If you don''t want to say it''s okay, we all have our secrets about our identities." Shaman, seeing nor fidget upon hearing her questions, decided to not push and switched to asking about something else.
However, Shaman''s words affected nor differently and made her feel morefortable about disclosing who she was.
''Looks like they are not the type of people to care.'' While initially worried she would be discriminated against, nor was now hopeful that they could help since they are adventurers.
"I am the exiled daughter of king Raiu." Taking a deep breath, she realised how silly it sounded, as if she was doing some kind of roley.
"I knew it!" Kiruya who was leaning up against the wall had a feeling it was royalty as thest time she went to the pce, she saw a little ck-haired girl and nor had the same face as that girl.
"Huh?" nor looked over to Kiruya and was surprised to hear that someone potentially knew who she was.
"Wait, why are you exiled?" Shaman was surprised by the reveal and now had more questions about how the hell she ended up where she is.
"Hold on Shaman, let me quickly jump in." Kiruya now knowing who nor was, intended to give a bit of background knowledge to help Shaman understand.
''Correct me if I''m wrong at any point, nor." Kiruya then cleared her throat before beginning to exin a bit about royalty.
"Now as you see nor has ck hair and not the usual blonde which signifies royal blood. Thest time I visited, which was many years ago, this one here was barely a teenager. Now for the issue as you may have guessed, nor has no sign of royalty on her and I can assume the old ruler who is still around didn''t quite like the so-called impurity in her." Kiruya paused for a moment and, seeing nor bite her lip, guessed that so far everything she said was correct.
"I don''t know if this was the only issue, but since a defining trait is a super important part of their culture, especially to the older elves, they used this as an excuse to forcefully exile nor from the family. Adding insult to injury, to restrict her movement they even forced her into debt." Kiruya finished leaving everyone speechless.
"S-she is right, my great grandfather couldn''t stand the sight of me and since he still has more authority over the kingdom than my father, grandfather forced him to kick me out. I have been trying to get back, but every time I get close, the guards turn me away." nor knew of the secret entrance to the pce that avoided the dungeon, but every time she would be denied.
"Hmm, we can sneak you in when we go to the dungeon since we are here to visit." Shaman, thinking aloud on a whim, saw no harm in helping, seeing that nor was in a very unfair situation. She also considered the fact nor was royalty. Worst case, they could "pretend" nor snuck in with them to get to the pce.
"Really?!" A glimmer of hope appeared in nor''s eyes as she looked at Shaman, hopeful she wasn''t just hearing things.
Chapter 181 Helping Elanor
?"Yes, we can get you back to the pce, but we are only tier 6 right now, so we need to do a bit of training to at least reach tier 7 before we take you with us." Shaman felt quite nervous seeing that now she is directly meddling with an issue that isn''t even rted to her.
"Hmm, I can always take you to the secret passage." nor thought they would be able to sneak in through there, but Kiruya interjected.
"Bad idea, we want an alibi, so if we go through by clearing the dungeon and you just happened to slip by, then that''s a lot more usible than appearing randomly through the secret entrance." Kiruya didn''t want anyone to get exiled and at least with this method, there is no way they can be prosecuted as long as everyone has their story straight.
"I agree with Kiruya. Although it would be quicker to go through the secret passage, it''s undeniable that we will have a better time getting away with it by clearing the dungeon." ra was all for being quick, but seeing as they were dealing with the daughter of the royal elf family it was best to go the safer route.
"Can''t we just sneak to the end of the dungeon and leave nor there? I mean there are always people entering the dungeon, so it will be impossible to tell who smuggled nor in, especially since we can hide her." Silver put in his opinion which was reasonable, but there was 1 w.
"The entrance is sealed by the dark elf king, so we can''t sneak by without killing him, and since it''s a tier 7 leader we need to be prepared." Kiruya liked Silver''s thinking, but factors were stopping them from doing it.
"So we are grinding until we get to tier 7, then we take on the boss?" Elysia, who wasn''t really interested in nor''s situation,id out their first objective.
"That''s the n, so after that, we will take nor in and from there it will be up to her." Shaman turned to nor, who was on the verge of tears as ever since she has been kicked out, it has been nothing but misery.
"T-thank you so much, I will try my best to not be a burden." Unable to hold back the tears, nor began to cry. Aside from Elysia, The others all had smiles on their faces, d that they were able to help.
"Alright, if that''s everything sorted, is there anything in particr you need before we go head for the dungeon to get some levels?" Shaman knew they had taken quite the detour, but she still wanted to get to the dungeon, so she hoped there wasn''t anything else.
"W-well depends, other than the nobles that are constantly on my back, there isn''t much that needs to be done for me." nor''s voice was still shaky, but she wiped away the tears and tried to speak clearly.
"Hmm, well you can stay in my room for now and we can rent another one once we are back, unless there is something you need to pick up from home." Shaman''s first thoughts were to kill them, but since she doesn''t have direct permission from someone high in power, it was a stupid idea.
"Murder?" Elysia, hearing nobels, had her interest piqued as she enjoyed toying with some of the nobles during the killing spree they had in the Freya forest.
"Elysia no! Not this time." Shaman turned and slightly smacked Elysia on the top of the head.
"Aww." Elysia''s ears drooped down as she cradled her head.
"Aha, if it''s okay, after you return can we go to my ce so I can get my belongings? Luckily I don''t have work tonight." nor did not mind waiting for them to return as after the failed kidnapping she was almost too scared to go outside.
"If you are willing to wait then that''s great, have some money so you can get something to eat at this inn''s small restaurant downstairs." Shaman didn''t mind, but she definitely didn''t want to leave nor without something just in case.
This action alone almost brought nor to tears as it had been years since she has ever been shown genuine kindness.
"I shall be waiting for your return." nor tried to smile, which ended up melting the group''s hearts.
"Alright well, let''s get this levelling done." ra was eager to get it done as the quicker they cleared, the faster they coulde back to help nor.
"Yes, we have a town and a part of a castle to raid, so make sure you are prepared for a long fight." Kiruya didn''t know what to expect from the 4 as they could end up clearing the first area in a matter of minutes.
"Elysia, no just blowing up the entire ce." Shaman red at her, knowing full well what Elysia was itching to do.
"Hmph." Turning her head away and pouting, Elysia felt she was unfairly called out. of course she WAS intending to go out with a bang but she didn''t even say anything yet, how was this treatment fair?
*Sigh* "Anyway nor, rest here for now and we should be back in a few hours." Shaman shook her head as it was bing moremon that Elysia would opt to just destroy things in a big st rather than take things one on one.
"Mhm." nor nodded and tightened her hold on the handful of gold coins she was given.
"Yay! I''ve been itching to fight for so long." Silver did a little hop to the door as he was excited to get back into fighting again.
"Let''s make our way then, take care nor." ra followed after Silver while waving to nor. Soon everyone exited the inn, leaving nor all by herself in Shaman and Elysia''s room.
''Little brother, finally I get to see you again.'' Thinking about her brother Ren, who managed to stay in the pce for still having some blonde in his hair, she hoped he hadn''t been brainwashed by grandfather.
''Knowing dad, he has been doing his best to protect Ren. Just before I left it seemed like grandfather was ill, so I doubt he can use his magic anymore. Not to mention the curse my father mentioned that prevented any of us from ending that old bastard''s life.'' nor gritted her teeth in anger as the old hatred that has persisted in her heart for many years resurfaced once more.
''Having to fend for myself when I was only 16, I''m surprised I havested thest 6 without dying in a ditch somewhere.'' nor remembered when she was first kicked out, which initially wasn''t even in the capital city but in a small town nearby. It was only recently that nor was able to move into the capital, but as soon as she did, it seemed her great grandfather prepared a few nobles to make it a living hell for her.
''Now that I have met some people willing to help, finally, I can see Ren, mother and father again.'' nor missed her family, which has been her motivation in trying to work her way back into the city.
Putting down the coins she was given, nor made her way to the bed andid down, nning to get some sleep before she went to get something to eat.
***
"Have you found her?" A noble who was missing part of his arm looked at a few half canines who were kneeling.
"Yes, she seemed to have been picked up by a few adventurers and is currently staying in their inn."
"Hmm good, get together a few people and kidnap her, we are getting revenge on whoever did this to me." Grabbing a hold of his arm that was yet to be reattached, a sinister smile appeared on his face as he fantasized about his revenge.
"Right away sir! By tonight she will be here." The half canines quickly exited the room to carry out the orders.
"After this, finally I''ll get paid and I will no longer have to worry about expenses ever again." Thinking back to the deal he made with the previous ruler of Elfheim, he couldn''t wait to be done with the impurity that was nor.
"I should let the others know of my moves, otherwise they will start knocking at my door for answers." Although he was greedy and wanted the reward money for himself, there was more than enough to share.
"Just you wait, nor, soon you will be begging at my feet." Licking his lips, he turned and exited the small backroom where the meeting was held.
***
"Alright, is everyone ready to start clearing?" Shaman looked out to the town they nned to attack and was making sure everyone was ready.
"Yep."
"Mhm."
"Hehe finally."
Elysia, ra and Silver all responded while pulling out their weapons and taking position next to Shaman, ready to move.
"Each of us will take a quarter of the town. If you finish early, wait in the middle. Then once we clean up the town, we siege the castle!" Shaman pulled out Kotetsu and couldn''t wait to start levelling again.
Everyone nodded while Kiruya stood back to watch the show, as she wasn''t allowed to participate unless they were in trouble.
"3, 2, 1 annnnd GO!" After a short countdown, the go signal was given and they all sprinted into the town, each going to their respective area to eliminate the dark elves.
Chapter 182 Up In Flames
?The group of 4 were running into the vige of dark elves, when ra and Silver split off to go to their own sections.
"No blowing up the entire town Elysia." Shaman wanted to make sure Elysia didn''t go full destruction mode andy waste to the entire town.
"Tsk, I know, I n to use my spear anyway." Elysia pouted, annoyed she couldn''t let herself lose, but she hadn''t used her spear in a while so it wasn''t too bad.
"Good, now let''s clear the town." Shaman said, as they approached the split-off point, and Elysia nodded. Going their separate ways, Shaman hoped they could finish this as soon as possible.
*
Running to the centre of the quarter she assigned herself, Shaman yelled and made as much noise as she could to attract all the dark elves in the area.
"Oiiii! Come over here!" Reaching a small open area in the middle, Shaman halted her movements and waited for all the elves to arrive. Gripping Kotetsu, she changed the affinity to fire and activated [de of mescion], causing her de to violently burst out with mes.
''It feels so much easier to use.'' Remembering when she burnt the mana circuits that ran through her body, it was a weird feeling to be able to use the skill without issues.
The dark elves were growing in number with a few guards among them preparing to attack. Slowly inching closer to Shaman, murmurs of hate and threats of death echoed among the crowd.
Once close enough, Shaman pulled her de back, preparing to release an attack that would hopefully wipe out the majority of them, aiming to make it an easier fight.
The dark elves didn''t stand still and charged at Shaman with whatever weapon they could grab, doing whatever they could to reach her and even throwing their weapons at her when they couldn''t.
Dodging the thrown weapons, Shaman then spun on her feet and swung Kotetsu with great force releasing a highly condensed fire de.
Cutting straight through the initial line of dark elves, the fire de reached the middle of the elven horde when it suddenly exploded. Burning to ash half of the dark elves in an instant, the fire spewed everywhere, setting fire to the buildings and charring all nearby nature.
Switching Kotetsu to ice, Shaman turned her attention to a group of elves who were just behind the new zone of destruction and were unaffected by the mes.
Not caring what happened to their fellow elves, they continued to rush at Shaman. Some of the guards that were also part of the group tried mimicking what Shaman did and sent wind shes in her direction.
Activating her sword domain, flowers sprouted and Shaman noticed something changed again within it. Icy air filled the area, which she could only assume was because of her affinity with ice.
''Now that I think about it, I haven''t really checked the system in a while.'' Shaman had been ignoring the system for a while so she forgot its capabilities at times.
''No matter, I need to focus.'' Not wanting to get distracted as the attacks were getting closer, she needed to concentrate.
Letting the elves get close, Shaman quickly used the cold air to her advantage, slowing the wind des which she then easily dodged, all while dashing into the group of elves. Shaman got into the rhythm of parrying the blows of the Dark elves, then countering with her own attacks, killing each of them in an instant. She also created a second sword out of stardust and ice, allowing her to defend herself from most directions, which she would need as by now she was deep amidst the elves.
Constantly turning, blocking blows, shooting ice spikes into elves and slicing limbs off. Shaman was making quick work of the group of elves and was getting closer to killing them all. Thanks to her being nimble, Shaman was able to dodge and parry the attacks with utmost efficiency, leaving herself just barely enough room to avoid getting hit.
However, once some of the guards joined in on the assault, they proved to be much more difficult.
As the first guard to reach her thrusted their spear, Shaman jumped up in the air while dispersing her ice de and then ced her hand on top of the spear. Channelling her Ice on it, she tried encasing both spear and dark elf in ice, but the elf reacted in time. Letting go of their spear they swirled wind over their hand and went to punch Shaman who was still in the air.
Blocking the strike with the t side of her sword, Shaman was sted back into some regr elves that attempted to sh at her while she was still flying through the air.
''Shit.'' Seeing the elves going for an attack she stabbed her sword into the ground and used her wind to slow herself down. She brought herself to a stop before reaching the elves, but this did not stop them from charging at her with reckless abandon.
Raising her free hand she summoned water from the ground, trapping the elves that were about to attack in a water bubble. They began to drown in the bubble and Shaman left them there to die.
However, as she turned her attention back to the elf guard, 3 more guards joined the first one and rushed at her with their spears. Quickly raising an ice wall which was broken down shortly, Shaman still managed to stall the elves long enough to create her ice and stardust sword again.
Opening up a few stardust portals, she sent ice spikes in the blind spots of 2 of the guards, disabling them temporarily. The other two continued their attack, with both each attacking a different location.
Using her two swords to block both of them, her ice sword ended up shattering as the elves reinforced their weapons with wind increasing their destructiveness.
Unable to block the attack, Shaman got stabbed right in the stomach and blood began flowing out.
"Argghh." Shaman shook from the pain as she held the spear that was now lodged into her stomach. The other elf was able to pull back and strike again and this time went for Shaman''s head.
However, before he got close, Shaman released a bunch of mes from her body and gripped the spear tighter. The elves tried to back away because of the heat, but the elf holding the spear hesitated to leave their weapon and failed to get away in time. Feeling their skin melt they screamed in agony as they slowly burned to death.
Once the elf was dead, Shaman shattered the weapon in her hand and pulled out the de from inside her. Looking at the remaining 3 elf guards, Shaman was pissed off as she red at them menacingly.
Holding her stomach to stop the bleeding, she used her own fire to cauterise the wound shut for the time being. Coating her sword in ice, she then dashed forward while dragging it across the ground to create a small trail of ice.
The guards suddenly felt a tinge of fear. Even though they were all in their usual crazed state, something within Shaman still caused them to feel danger.
The elves, although terrified, moved to block Shaman''s assault, but found she didn''t go for an attack but instead created an ice floor in front of them. Failing to understand Shaman''s n, they plucked up the courage to step forward to go for an attack.
However, upon stepping on the ice tform, dozens of ice spikes rose from the ground, impaling the elves with ease. The majority of the elves were now dead with only a few normal ones left, but Shaman quickly conjured up ice spears and sent them directly into their heads.
Once everything was dead, the pain from the stomach wound kicked in, dropping Shaman to her knees.
"Ah fuck that hurts." Heavily breathing, Shaman tried using heal on the wound, but the size of the wound was too much for her to heal fully.
Laying on her back in the flower field of her sword domain, Shaman took this moment to rest.
''I need to be more careful with those guards, they are weak one on one, but if they are together they can do some nasty stuff.'' Shaman saw how their teamwork was wless, but due to them being innately weaker than Shaman, it wasn''t too hard for her to react or counter them.
Looking over to the side, Shaman saw buildings on fire in the distance and wondered how Elysia was going with her fight.
''I just hope she doesn''t do any big atta-.''
*BOOM*
"God fucking damn it, what did I just say!!" Screaming out, she held a small hope that Elysia would hear her, but with the entire ce shaking and bursts of fire erupting from several buildings, it was a dim hope indeed.
''Gosh this woman won''t ever stop with herrge-scale attacks. If she did all this with just her spear, I can''t imagine how much stronger she would be at tier 10.'' Shaman was bewildered by how vtile Elysia was with her fire and couldn''t imagine what it would be like at tier 10.
''At least it was only her area, but now I can imagine elves from the castle are on their way.'' Shaman got up from the ground feeling a bit better and headed towards the middle of the town to wait for the oing wave of elf guards from the castle.
Chapter 183 Fire Fox
?
After splitting off from Shaman, Elysia was sending explosive fire spears at the dark elves'' houses, getting the attention of all the elves in her area.
Finding a small park for her to group all of the elves in one ce, Elysia waited for them on top of a tree.
Hearing the rabid growls below and seeing a massive crowd form, Elysia was ready to begin ughtering.
Flicking her spear, she entered her hybrid fire-fox form and the ends of her hair turned into fire. Her fox features also became more prominent, with her hands and feet gaining fur with the same fiery effect.
''So I canbine this fire transformation and my [bloodline arts] that I got back in Ebonscale.'' After fighting the skeleton knight in Ebonscale and transforming into what her family calls their true form, Elysia''s bloodline power was unlocked, allowing her to enhance her speed and power.
''Still have more to find out, but that diary my mother gave me might have some hints.'' Elysia saw in her system menu that there were many more bloodline arts she could learn, but she had no idea how to get them.
''Anyway, I have a show to put on.'' Elysia smiled and jumped off the tree she was on as the dark elves were now too close.
Spinning in the air Elysia dived directly into the crowd of elves while coating her spear in condensed fire.
The elves thrusted their weapons into the air to catch Elysia, but she was too fast for anyone to do anything. Slipping past the weapons of the elves, Elysia squeezed her way into the crowd while hitting the ground with her spear.
The condensed fire that was on the spear exploded, turning all nearby elves to ash and giving Elysia space. She also released all 6 of her tails as she realised her increase in power came from how much of herself she transformed into a fox. Each tail shared the same trait of the tips being on fire, however, the top of the me had a slightly blue hue to it.
''Is my me getting hotter?'' Elysia was aware that as her fire grew hotter, it would change to a blue colour, but no matter how much she tried, she couldn''t get her mes hot enough.
''Maybe it''s because I recently went up a tier, anyway I can''t waste any time.'' Elysia hadn''t tried ever since getting tier 6, so she thought it might be now possible to get a blue me, but because the dark elves were fast approaching, she didn''t have time to think.
? Pivoting on her feet, Elysia shed across the chest of a few dark elves killing them.
Moving the spear behind her, she blocked the blow of an elf. She then used the thin fire coating on her spear to send a small fire spear into the elf''s head. Not even getting a second of reprieve, Elysia now had a group of 5 elves all jump at her at the same time.
Stabbing her spear into the ground, a wave of fire spewed out from the hole it created, which stopped the 5 elves from getting closer. Leaving her spear in the ground she dashed to the first elf and using her ws, pierced through the chest of the elf.
The elf''s body burned from the inside and was discarded to the side like trash. Elysia then moved on to the other elves, killing them with her bare hands. She would grab them by the head, slice their necks and crush their body. A crazed look appeared on Elysia''s face as she spilled blood.
Her mes also started to transform a little as now the small blue tint was turning red with each kill.
Once she finished off the group of 5, Elysia didn''t keep still and dashed towards where the majority of the elves were. Still using her bare hands Elysia was ripping through the elves not caring for her own safety until finally, her mes turnedpletely blood red.
[Element fire has evolved]
[Fire -> Blood fire]
Getting a system notification, Elysiapletely ignored it and continued to shred through the bodies of the dark elves. However, now her mes were much more vtile and any elf that came close felt their blood boil.
This did not stop the elves from attacking and due to the sheer amount Elysia was now surrounded by, their attacks were finallynding. Getting shed across the back and her various limbs, Elysia was taking a lot of damage, but this did not stop her. She continued to rip elves'' heads off while her mes consumed their bodies.
One effect of her mes that instantly became apparent, was that the fire had a life-leaching property. After the mes burnt one of the elves'' bodies, the wounds on Elysia''s body would be set on fire and slowly the wound would close.
Red mes arose from all around Elysia as they burnt the corpses of everything she killed and the only thing left was the guards. For some reason they had stood back, but Elysia didn''t care about what they were doing. Knowing her hands wouldn''t go through their armour, Elysia went back to her spear and pulled it out of the ground.
Once her hand touched the spear, red mes instantly coated it, violently thrashing around.
The group of at least 10 guards all brandished their spears, infusing them with wind. Little did they know it would only fuel Elysia''s mes even more.
The guards got into a circr formation and surrounded Elysia to block off any means of escape.
Standing still, Elysia did not move and carefully watched over the guards, waiting for their next move.
Not being patient some of the guards began to make their move while others kept the circle. 4 out of 10 charged at her and a small whirlwind appeared at the tips of their des. Elysia erected a fire wall all around her and when the spears connected with the wall, the wind caused an explosion. In the split moment of contact, Elysia was able to forcefully take over the mana in the wind and use it to further amplify the fire, causing the explosion.
The elves were sted back, but were not killed. However, it was evident by their now burnt forearms that they took a lot of damage.
The fire wall came down and at the tip of Elysia''s de was a highly condensed ball of fire. The elves instantly could tell it was dangerous, as the ambient mana in the air was erratic and kept getting sucked into the ball she was creating.
Knowing what wasing would kill them, they all rushed at Elysia in an act of desperation. They attacked with everything they had, sending whatever wind attacks they could all the while trying to close the distance. Elysia didn''t even bother blocking the wind attacks, which were weakened anyways from their mana getting sucked out of them. In the end, they only left small cuts on Elysia''s body.
Raising her spear to the sky, Elysia was close topleting her attack, but now the dark elves were close enough to hit her. Still not caring, she let their spears stab her. Blood spewed out from her body as she coughed up blood from her internal wounds.
"Got you." Smiling Elysia shed down, hitting the ground with the condensed ball of fire. Things went silent for a moment until a loud boom echoed out, followed by red fire engulfing the area.
All the guards were killed in an instant and thanks to their bodies getting burnt by the blood fire, Elysia''s wounds were already closing letting her escape mortal danger.
Elysia, who was in the middle of the st, waspletely unaffected and instead was embraced by the mes, making her feel stronger.
Once the mes dissipated and the area cleared up, everything in the proximity was ck or turned to ash, making it look like a wastnd.
Elysia slowly let go of her mes, changing back to her normal half human form. Once back to normal, Elysia fell to her knees as the amount of mana she used in a short period of time was exhausting and she needed a moment to recover her strength.
"That was fun." Falling on her back, Elysia took a moment to embrace the feeling of victory and let her body recover.
"Wait, I wasn''t supposed to do big attacks like that oops." Elysia remembered that Shaman explicitly said to avoid doing anyrger scaled attack that would attract attention.
"Oh well, just means more fighting, but I should probably get to the centre." Elysia didn''t mind, but she knew there were going to be more waves of dark elvesing soon.
"Hope Shaman is still preupied, I can already hear the lecture." Elysia felt shivers as she knew how scary Shaman can be when it came to doing things right.
''I wonder if we can just clear it today.'' Elysia thought for a moment. So far, the dungeon wasn''t hard. Although the guards posed a threat as they are more intelligent, with the 4 of them it seemed easy.
''Only one way to find out.'' Elysia got up from the ground after somewhat recovering from the exhaustion and made her way to the centre.
Chapter 184 Lightning Quick
?Chapter 182 - Lightning quick
ra, being one of the first to split off, wanted to finish up quickly, so she infused lightning into her legs which enhanced her speed. She also struck lightning onto the surrounding buildings to get the attention of the elves.
After running ap of the area she was assigned, all elves in the vicinity were now aggravated, chasing ra down. Once she was confident that most of the elves were following her, she spotted a town hall-like building.
''I could use the walls to my advantage.'' ra had an idea on how to eliminate the elves which required an enclosed space, so a town hall would be a suitable location.
Running to the hall, ra kicked open the door, taking it off its hinges and hitting a couple of dark elves that were behind the door. Walking in, ra crushed the 2 elves'' heads and made it to a small stage that looked over the hall.
The hall itself was rather standard and had a massive open space that was upied by chairs. There were also carvings on the wall which depicted an elven king or some such, which ra assumed to be the boss of the dungeon.
''I should be able to work with the pirs, just have to make sure I don''t destroy them.'' ra analysed the room and found the walls to be too far apart. However, the supporting pirs in the hall were thick and close enough to be used.
The dark elves started funnelling into the hall, but due to the sheer number of them, they had trouble advancing, stumbling over the chairs and tripping over each other.
ra pulled out her de whips and electrified them, encasing them in lightning. Lightning shot out from the whips as ra waited for the Elves to get to the centre of the hall.
Once the main horde of dark elves which only consisted of normal elves were in the centre, ra made her move. Lightning still coursing through her legs, enhancing her speed, she jumped off the stage andtched on to one of the pirs. Extending out the whips as much as she could, she then propelled herself, jumping off the pir and into the horde.
The elves tried to retaliate with their makeshift weapons, but ra was too fast for them to aim properly and their attackspletely missed.
Swinging her whips down in an x shape, she created arge lightning sh that would explode on touch. The elves that were directly hit by the lightning were killed while the others would get paralysed as well as severely burned.
Landing in the middle of the horde, which was opened up thanks to her attack, ra started to take out the paralysed elves. Without even moving from her spot, ra whipped the elves, either giving them deepcerations or electrocuting them with her lightning.
This also created an indirect shield from the other approaching elves, as the reach of the whips made it hard to approach ra unharmed.
Blood sttered everywhere while lightning charred the hall, filling it with burn marks, and yet there was still plenty of killing left to do.
Once ra finished off the paralysed, she retracted her whips. Of course, the Elves that were trying to approach wouldn''t miss this chance and all rushed her at once. Some elves even managed to hide behind the chairs, stealthily getting closer while ra was using her whips which caught her off guard.
A child elf with a knife came out directly behind ra and with his small knife stabbed her in the back.
"Bastard!" ra went to stab the child with her retracted whip, but at thest moment hesitated since it was a child.
''Fuck.'' ra''s instincts told her not to kill, but she knew that they were just beasts taking on the form of elves.
This allowed some of the elves to get close enough, stabbing ra in the stomach and shoulder. Coughing up some blood, she dropped one of her whips and grabbed the pitchfork that was in her stomach.
"Fucking damn it." ra got angry at herself for hesitating and violently struck all around her with her lightning.
Looking up directly into the eyes of the dark elf that stabbed her, a purple glow appeared in her eyes and the pitchfork in her hands shattered. Lightning crashed down onto the elves that surrounded her, freeing her from their weapons.
Blood poured out of ra''s body, only to scab over quickly thanks to her demonic regeneration.
''It still bloody hurts.'' Although it wasn''t fully healed, it allowed her to continue the fight without bleeding out. More elves came rushing at her, so ra picked back up her other whip and overcharged both of them. The lightning discharged, not only killing a couple of elves, but also creating a wave of lightning that halted the enemy charge for a moment.
ra then sprinted and jumped on top of one of the chairs and propelled herself onto one of the pirs. Using one of her whips to wrap around the pir, ra held on and charged lightning into her feet.
The elves below tried throwing their weapons as the guards which were by the entrance attempted to throw wind attacks. However, before they got close ra vanished from the pir in a bolt of lighting. A streak of lightning went above the elves to another pir and bounced off it.
The lightning kept jumping around the six pirs, leaving the elves unsure of what to do as they lost sight of ra.
Soon there was a constant line of lightning that connected all the pirs as ra appeared above the array of electric lines. All the elves'' attention instantlynded on ra, but all they could do was watch as she was too high to reach.
ra''s whips were extended out and were what created the lightning streaks in the air. This pulled them to their utmost limit, but thanks to the material the whips were made of, they could stretch with the help of mana.
Tugging on the whips, the pirs broke off from the roof and came crashing down onto the horde. Quickly retracting the whips, ra lifted one in the air and hooked it into the ceiling so she did not fall together with the pirs.
The guards unfortunately were too far back to be affected, but the rest of the elves were all crushed by pirs. However, this left the hall in a mess and made the area very awkward to battle on.
''I should move this outside.'' ra didn''t want to bother dealing with all the rubble and dead bodies on the floor, so she started to swing on her whip.
The guards were not idle and attempted to throw some of their spears at ra, but before they could, she was already on the move.
Going through a window that was close to the ceiling, ra made it back out to the front and used her other retraced whip de to stab into the building to slow her fall. Jumping off the wall, she turned to face the entrance and the group of 5 guards that came out.
ra considered using her demon form, but it would cost too much mana as they still had the castle to fight through.
''Hmm, maybe I could do a lesser version.'' Not wanting topletely rule it out, ra thought that she could partly transform parts of her body instead.
''Wait don''t we have an assistant through the system? Rea? Is what I thought possible?'' ra remembered the forgotten assistant that had stayed quiet for a long time.
[Hmm? Someone is talking to me? I''m not hearing things?] Rea with a rather depressed tone came out of hiding.
''Yes now tell me.'' ra felt a little bad, but this wasn''t the time for catching up.
[Oh yes, well you haveplete control over the skill so you can change how much you want to transform.]
''Thanks.'' ra now knowing she won''t be draining herself fully of her mana, began to transform her arms and legs.
''I still can''t even go into full form yet, but at least I can with some of my body parts.'' ra knew she still wasn''t capable of a full body transformation but was still able to partially enhance her body. But now knowing she can target certain parts of her body, she could reduce the mana consumption by a lot.
The dark elves came rushing towards ra with their reinforced wind spears, but it was pointless as ra vanished from where she was standing.
Since ra targeted her legs, she was now able to move at an even faster speed while paired with her lightning. This also corrted to her attacks as she was able to swiftly stab the elves in the back of the head before they could even turn to face her.
Killing 2 elves right away, she pulled her retracted whip des out of their necks and swung outwards while extending them. Managing to precisely hit the gap in the armour on their necks ra was able to decapitate 2 more elves, leaving only one.
Due to the final elf beingst he was able to react and go for a strike, but before he could even get close his arm was suddenly torn off. Confused by what just happened, he didn''t have time to see where ra went as before he knew it his vision went ck.
killing thest guard by decapitation as well, ra now finished eliminating all the elves in her given area. Getting rid of the transformation, ra fell to her knees. Although it didn''t use much mana, it was still very taxing to use.
''Phew now that''s over, I can rest.'' ra, knowing she most likely finished first, was going to take a moment to breathe.
*BOOM*
"Oh for fucks sake." Knowing exactly who that explosion was from, ra knew her rest was going to be cut short.
''Looks like I''m heading straight to the middle.''
Chapter 185 Shadowy Execution
?Silver, splitting off to his own section, felt a bit nervous as he would be facing opponents that would be more on par with his level.
''It won''t be as easy as that beast tamer dungeon.'' Reminding himself not to get overconfident, Silver already found himself in the centre.
"Whoops I didn''t attract their attention." Silver only had a few elves following him as he was too busy in his thoughts to create any noise.
''Maybe I can do this quietly. No, that would take too long.'' Silver thought about going around the town using his shadows to kill the elves silently, but it would take him forever.
''I guess yelling will just have to do.'' Silver had no other option as he had no skills that could help him make noise.
"HEY, YOU DARK ELF BASTARDS, COME AND GET ME!!!" Yelling as loud as he can, he could already hear movement as small groups of elves started converging toward him.
''Hopefully that''s enough.'' Silver didn''t want to kill his throat, so while he waited, he went to deal with the first few elves that followed him.
Spinning the scythe in his hand, he watched a few elves charge at him with knives and gardening tools.
Putting the artificial sun to his back, Silver stopped his scythe and raised it up high, casting its shadow on the ground before him, awaiting the oing elves. Once they stepped onto the shadow, Silver stabbed the ground with his scythe. The shadow erupted from the ground in response, shooting out shadow spikes that resembled a scythe''s de. The elves were all skewered and killed with ease, giving some time for Silver to prepare for the rest of the elves.
Recalling back the shadow, Silver looked around where the elves wereing from, so he could n where to go next. Spotting a group of elvesing from a market area first, Silver jumped into his shadow and made his way to the elves.
Once he was under their feet, like he did with the previous elves, he shot up shadow spikes killing most of them while alsoing out to finish off thest elf himself. Having killed 5 more elves, Silver saw the next waveing, but this time there were a lot more elves than he could take out at once.
The group of 15 elves saw Silver surrounded by dead bodies and rushed forward, making their way over to him in a frenzy. However, just as they reached him, Silver disappeared in his shadow, confusing them.
Shortly after, at the back of the group of elves, a couple of elf heads were decapitated. The others turned around, but as soon as they did more elves were killed. Realising that the enemy would always attack from behind, they quickly formed a circle, but this only worked in Silver''s favour.
Appearing in the middle of the circle, Silver spun on his feet and cleanly cut all the elves in half. Blood sttered everywhere tainting his silver hair. He tried to avoid that but was unable to get in his shadow quick enough.
''Damn it, I''m going to need Mother to wash my hair with her water.'' Silver wanted to avoid getting bloody as it was annoying to clean.
Silver, now having dealt with a lot of the basic elves, was left with only a single group of 25 elves. 5 of which were guards and the rest being normal.
The elves looked around for Silver, but they were only able to see the corpses of their own kind which infuriated them even more.
Silver knew the guards were trouble, so he decided to target them first, but upon exiting his shadow to execute one, he suddenly turned around.
The guard thrusted his spear at the exact location where Silver woulde out, yet it hit nothing as Silver managed to get back in his shadow.
Breathing heavily, Silver needed a moment to calm down as he didn''t expect the guard to respond so quickly.
''Okay so I can''t sneak up on them.'' Silver tried to figure out what he would do as getting the jump on them was now virtually impossible.
''I will just have to fight head on, but I need to get rid of the fodder first.'' Silver was not idle for too long, making his way to the part of the group where the normal elves were gathered. However, the normal dark elves were spreading out to look for Silver as they knew he was close, but were unaware he was in their shadows.
Silver jumped out of the shadow of one of the elves, sliced them in half and then spun on his feet. Extending out his scythe as far as he could, he managed to hit a couple more elves before the guards rushed him with their spears.
Silver repeated this process, but the guards were getting quicker, learning Silver''s attack patterns and preparing attacks where shadows extended. When only a fewst normal elves remained, the guards prepared themselves once more for retaliation, aiming to hit silver when hees out for thest remaining elf.
However, Silver knew this, so he made sure thest elf would be close to a building so he would be able to exit the shadow without getting hit.
Jumping out of the side of the building, Silver swung down with his scythe and pierced the head of the elf while still in mid-air. The guards were already striking back, but they did not expect Silver toe out from above and miscalcted their trajectory. des of wind passed just below silver, who leveraged his scythe, still stuck in the elf''s body, to push himself away from the projectiles, only getting scratched on his back.
Silver fell to his knees in pain as there was a massive cut on his back that kept bleeding. The guards charged at Silver, but he quickly went back into his shadow to get back to safety.
''Damn it that hurt, I should have just instantly gone back into the shadows.'' Silver regretted staying out as he thought he would have time to counterattack, but instead it backfired, getting him hurt.
Taking a moment to recover, he came out of the shadows behind a building and wrapped himself in bandages trying to stop the bleeding as much as he could.
Once he was done, he got back up and quickly returned to where the guards were. Taking a different approach, Silver decided to fight them head-on as sneaking up on them was not going to work.
Coming out in front of the guards, Silver prepared for their attack and as he predicted they came charging at him. Silver hit the bottom of his scythe on the ground, letting its shadow extend and drown the nearby area. This was inspired by Shaman''s sword domain move. Although it cost mana to do what Silver was doing, he still wanted to create a domain.
[Shadow domain]
However, the system recognised it as its own skill, releasing him from the burden of using a constant stream of mana.
The guards did not care for the shadow as it did not pose an immediate threat to them. Before they could reach him, Silver threw his scythe into the shadow as if it was consumed by the darkness. This only made Silver seem more vulnerable, making the elves get more cocky.
Silver smirked as he pointed up with his finger and his scythe came out of the shadows slicing right through one of the guards. This caused the other elves to halt their charge as they expected more toe out of the ground.
Silver, seeing they were now distracted, sprinted towards them, jumped up in the air and grabbed onto his scythe.
Coming back down, Silver''s trajectory brought him right on top of another guard. The guard saw the danger from above, but missed the one from below. Shadow spikes shot out from the domain, hitting his lower half and disrupting his movement. Being unable to move the elf watched Silver swing and decapitate him.
The other elves realised that there were no attacksing from the ground so their attention was back on Silver.
The 3 remaining elves all thrusted their spears at Silver, but he was able to easily dodge them by sinking part of his body into the shadows. While he was low he swung at the legs of one of the elves causing the elf to fall. Flippin his scythe upwards, he let the elf fall onto the de, getting skewered to death.
The other 2 elves redirected their efforts to ranged attacks, sending wind shes, but Silver disappeared before those reached him.
Shortly after his disappearance shadow spikes emerged, aiming for thest 2 elves'' feet, but they were able to barely dodge them. Coming out of the shadow once more, Silver was the one to charge at them.
The elves went to move back, but a shadow wall was suddenly erected behind them blocking them from moving away. However, the wall itself became yet another course of attack as spikes came out of it, piercing the shoulders of the 2 elves.
While the elves were screaming out in pain, Silver had free range to kill the elves, and so he swung horizontally killing the two elves in one swing.
Dispelling the domain, Silver managed to clear his area, although not without consequence.
"Hope mother doesn''t get angry." Silver knew he only needed a small heal, but knowing his mother, she would freak out and go on a rampage.
"Oh well I should quickly get to the centre and wait for the others." Silver didn''t want to waste time as the quicker he got to the centre, the quicker he could rest.
Chapter 186 Regroup
?Shaman, being the first to arrive at the centre, sat on the ground waiting for the others and the oing horde of elven guards.
''Wish we could rest a bit before taking on the next wave.'' Shaman put her hand on her stomach, which was stabbed in thest battle causing her quite a lot of pain. Although Shaman''s healing was able to make her condition much more bearable, it still hurt to move.
"Shaman~!" Elysia was quick to arrive. Spotting Shaman sitting on the floor, she ran up to her in an instant.
"Hey Eli." Shaman red at Elysia as she hadn''t forgotten about the explosion she caused.
"Haha, Yeah I had a great fight, how about you." Elysia awkwardlyughed while looking away as she knew exactly why Shaman was ring at her.
*Sigh* "It''s toote now, I''m not mad. Anyway, my fight went alright although I did get stabbed in the stomach, I should be fine." Shaman couldn''t stay annoyed as they had other pressing issuesing.
"Wait what?!" Elysia instantly became worried and kneeled next to Shaman to check on the injury.
"It''s fine, don''t worry, I already healed it as much as I can." Shaman regretted saying anything as she knew Elysia would panic over it when it was really fine.
"Stillllll, let me look, otherwise I won''t be calm." Elysia needed to see for herself if it was okay so that she can put her worries to rest.
"Fine." Shaman moved her arms from her stomach, revealing the scab that covered the wound and finally easing Elysia''s worries.
"Wait, let me try something." Elysia, wanting to rid herself of all her worries, clicked her fingers and a blood-red me appeared on the tip of her finger.
"Your fire is different?" Shaman instantly noticed the colour change and wondered if it evolved or was a new element.
"Yes, during the fight my fire changed to a blood fire and by burning living things I am able to store their vitality, sort of like a vampire does with blood." On her way, Elysia checked the description of her evolved me and found it to be a more destructive me that can heal when it burns living things. It also had a small storage capability, so she can have a heal on the go without having to burn any bodies.
"Oh wow." Shaman was rather impressed as this was a huge upgrade for Elysia who hadn''t had any way to heal herself. Although the condition was rather hard to achieve outside of a dungeon, it was nheless an upgrade.
"Hehe~." Elysia smiled, happy that she made some improvements despite probably being the strongest in the group. She then put her finger on Shaman''s wound and let the fire on her finger spread over it.
Shaman squinted expecting it to hurt, but it was a surprisinglyfortable feeling which she didn''t want to end. Soon the wound waspletely healed, leaving only some lingering pains, but they were negligible.
"Ooo that''s cool." ra suddenly appeared behind Elysia watching her fire work.
"Ahh!" Elysia screamed and jumped away, pulling Shaman with her thinking it was an enemy.
"Oops." ra chuckled, finding the reaction amusing and rather cute since it was rare to see Elysia scared. Shaman had seen ra before she spoke and gestured to stay quiet so she could scare Elysia.
"Grrrr, don''t sneak up on me like that! Otherwise I might kill you by ident." Elysia pouted. She had almost pulled out her spear before realising it was ra at thest moment.
"Yes, yes sorry." ra, who came out of her fight better off as her wounds slowly healed thanks to her demon side, was ready to keep going.
"Anyway, we are just missing Silver." Shaman looked off into the distance to where Silver was assigned, worried that something may have happened.
''Maybe I should go over.'' Shaman was going to quickly go check on Silver, but before she could move, a little head appeared out of a shadow.
"Silver!" Shaman, instantly knowing who it was, ran up to him and opened her arms up for a hug.
"Hello Mother." Silver came out of the shadow as Shaman approached and hugged her back.
"Hmm what''s wrong?" Shaman was instantly able to tell something was amiss and, when she wrapped her arms around Silver, she felt his clothes were torn.
"I''m just a bit hurt but that''s all." Silver squinted in pain as Shaman identally squeezed right where the cuts on his back were.
"I-I, it''s okay, ELI! Come heal Silver." Although he was ok, Shaman still panicked, struggling to find any words offort to say other than asking to get him healed. Hearing Silver needed to be healed Elysia panicked as well, so she quickly went up to Silver and looked for the injury.
Seeing the cuts on the back, she removed the bandages that he put on himself and let the fire do its work.
"Hopefully I have enough." Elysia was not sure how much stored vitality she had in her mes and hoped it was enough to heal Silver.
"Thank you Mama." Silver, feeling the warm me, felt himself snuggling into Shaman even more, almost falling asleep in thefy embrace.
After a minute of healing Silver''s wounds, Elysia''s me ran out which caused her to panic a little, but the cuts were now much more shallow, which allowed Shaman to use her heal.
"There! you are all healed up now." Shaman patted Silver''s head while using her other hand to heal the small cuts.
"I feel much better now." Silver no longer felt the pain in his back and was confident he would be able to fight properly again.
"Good thing we are all together now, but still, we will be dealing with over 30 of these guards." ra was rather shocked at how well the guards fought, posing quite a threat.
"We should be alright together, but yes, we need to be careful we don''t hit each other while fighting." Shaman foresaw the fight turning into a disaster, especially with Elysia''s explosive way of fighting.
"I can take on a group of them myself while you three take care of the rest." Elysia was aware that she would be able to heal herself during the battle. There was also in her hybrid fire fox form which is what made her stronger than anyone else in the group.
"How many?" Shaman didn''t want to leave Elysia on her own, but seeing as she came outpletely unscathed, knew it might be the only option.
"I can take on around 10 at once, but more will be pushing it." Elysia wanted to take on more, but not wanting to worry Shaman, gave a reserved amount.
"Okay! if you can, that will be great. Me, ra and Silver will take on the rest and try to stall while you kill yours." Shaman didn''t want to go on the offensive as it would be difficult to fight through such arge group of elf guards.
"There might be archers as well, seeing as they did attack Kiruya when she was clearing the dungeon''s first floor." Thinking about Kiruya''s attempt it went to show how much stronger she was as she was able to solo it without getting hit once.
"If I get the opportunity, I can fire an arrow over at the archers, or I can do it right now?" Elysia pulled out her bow as she didn''t mind sending a barrage of arrows at the castle.
"Wait no, we still don''t even know if guards areing because of the explosion, so until we hear anything don''t fire." Shaman didn''t want to attract attention, especially since they hadn''t seen any guardse toward them since the explosion.
"Fiiine." Elysia was a little disappointed, but she knew if they were really in the clear then she shouldn''t ruin the chance for a surprise attack.
"Speaking of which, I''m surprised they haven''te out." ra was getting rather suspicious asst time when Kiruya made a bunch of noise, guards came out.
"They might be nning something, we shouldn''t get toofortable. There are still things we don''t know about the dungeon so for all we know we might already be surrounded." Shaman knew they had a secret passageway into the castle, so there was nothing stopping them from also having passages into the town.
"I say we use the time we got and rest, but still, it is a bit eerie seeing no reaction from the castle." ra looked towards the castle, which was dead silent almost as if it was abandoned.
"Mhm, let''s try to rest." Shaman wasn''t going to say no as she preferred to have full mana before entering the next fight.
*
10 minutes went by and nothing urred, giving them enough time to be fully prepared for the next fight. Shaman and Elysia leaned on each other with Silver sitting in between Shaman''s legs. ra leaned up against a wall with her eyes shut, listening out for anything.
"FIRE!!!" Suddenly a shout came from inside the buildings and shortly after archers peeked over the many roofs of the nearby buildings.
"How did I not hear anything?" ra looked around shocked as she didn''t pick up any sound from the elves.
"Quick get in!" Shaman jumped up and opened a stardust portal to escape from the arrows.
The archers all directly fired on their location as they ran into the portal. Just as the arrows were about to reach Shaman, she entered the portal and closed it shut.
Chapter 187 Dark Elf Commander
?"That was too close, how did we not hear any of them?" Shaman fell on the floor upon entering as she ended up diving in trying to not get hit by the arrows.
"Wish I knew, but we need to get moving." Elysia was on her knees as she also jumped in and didn''t quitend properly.
"Ambush the ambush?" ra figured they could traverse to behind the elves while in Shaman''s stardust.
"Sounds good to me, I think the main elf that called the shots was this way." Shaman looked over to a church where the voice came from and assumed it was amander of some kind.
Getting up from the ground, they all ran to the church and, as they got close, Shaman made an ice staircase to the top of the church''s roof.
Opening up a portal, they all quickly jumped out and found themselves behind a line of archers. Without saying a word, Elysia saw the opportunity for battle and activated her hybrid fox form, dashing at the elves.
Grabbing one by the back of the head, she crushed his skull and set the body on fire. She then moved on to the other elves who did not have any short-range weapons and could only retaliate with their arrows, but Elysia was too close. Setting a few more on fire, the vitality in her fire was being refilled, allowing her to heal again.
ra also made a move and, taking advantage of her de whips range, swung them at a couple of elves wrapping the whips around their necks. Pulling the whips back, she decapitated them without issue and moved on to some other elven archers.
''Damn didn''t realise Elysia was able tobine her hybrid form with her fire.'' Shaman, seeing Elysia''s form for the first time, was rather amazed at how strong it was.
''I wonder If I could do something like that.'' Shaman liked the sound of having her own hybrid form, but she knew it had to do with Elysia''s bloodline, making it impossible for Shaman to get.
There was also the system, but she found it unlikely it would be possible.
[It is, but it will require a ritual and you already have the ingredients.] Rea spoke, finally having something she could answer.
''Oh Rea. Sorry, forgot about you.'' Shaman was a bit startled to hear Rea and it also reminded her of how shepletely forgot about Rea''s existence.
[Yeah I know, anyway the next skill select you get you can choose to take Elysia''s skill, just need to clear the first floor and you will get a reward.] Rea spoke, sounding rather depressed. Soon after a quest pop-up appeared which was something Shaman hadn''t seen in a while.
[Clear the first level of the dungeon.]
[Skill select x 4]
''Oh thank you, I''ll try to make sure to talk to you more.'' Shaman was getting distracted and could tell the elves now realised they were up on the roof.
[...] Rea stayed silent, not hopeful, but it did lighten her mood knowing that there might be a chance.
Shaman felt bad, but she needed to get to themanding elf before another barrage of arrows descended on them.
Sprinting off the roof, she noticed a dark elf in a rather grand armour which seemed more detailed as well as embroidered with a lot more gold.
"Let''s see how strong you are." Kotetsu in hand, Shaman started off imbuing it with her ice and uponnding she also activated her domain, giving her a much needed boost.
Silver had also joined Shaman and hid in her shadow just as she started sprinting. He also let out his own domain spread through the flowers providing a rather nice cover.
"Little intruders, you shall die here." The dark elf being a tier 6 leader had the ability to speak, unlike the intelligible groans of hate from the normal elves.
"Sorry, but I''m digging your grave, not mine." Shaman dashed forward towards themander elf while creating her ice stardust sword.
Themander pulled out a sword that waspletely ck and had dark purple energy around it, simr to Silver''s scythe.
''Do demons have something to do with the dungeons?'' Shaman was surprised to see another weapon like Silver''s and wondered if the reason for the dungeons to appear could have been because of the demons.
Shaman wanted to investigate more, but she didn''t have time to think as she was just about to reach the elf.
However, just before she reached themander, shadow spikes emerged from the ground trapping the elf. Shaman realised that Silver was nearby and so she took the advantage he just gave her.
"Weak." The elf muttered these words as Shaman went to decapitate him.
Suddenly the spikes were absorbed into the sword, which in one quick motion parried Shaman''s strike. Using his free hand he struck Shaman with his palm right in the stomach and sent her flying.
Silver got agitated by this and came out from underneath themander alongside a bunch of shadow scythes.
Themander used his sword again to absorb the shadows while also using wind to push himself away from Silver''s attack.
*cough* *cough* Shaman was coughing heavily as shended on the wall of the church, winded from the blow.
"This bastard." Shaman wiped away the blood that came out of her mouth and pulled herself out of the wall.
''I don''t know if I can beat him.'' Shaman did not like her odds as themander was greatly skilled and much faster than her.
''Could do with a special form like Elysia about now.'' Shaman tried thinking of a way to approach themander, but was toote as once he dodged Silver, he went directly for Shaman.
"Die!" Spinning in the air, themander used his wind to make himself faster, turning himself into a blur.
"Shit!" Shaman knew she couldn''t block it so she quickly opened a stardust portal under her feet and fell through.
Themander hit the church, shaking the entire building to its very foundations.
Shamaning out a bit further back, Shaman used what little stardust remained near themander to apply an illusion.
Themander noticed the stardust and tried to use his sword to suck it up, but it waspletely unaffected, putting him under the illusion.
Shaman tried making as many clones as she could withoutpletely draining her mana and sent them all towards themander. Hiding amongst them, she hoped that themander would choose to ignore her clones as her illusion actually did physical harm.
A burst of wind came out in front of themander, halting the movement of both the clones and Shaman. During that moment, themander vanished from the spot, followed by the sudden destruction of the unprepared clones. Trying to retaliate, Shaman created more just behind themander and switched ces with one.
shing down at him, she waited for thest possible moment to coat her sword with fire and, just as she hoped, themander tried using wind to stop her attack. The mes on the sword exploded and became more violent, creating a makeshift version of her mescion skill.
The back of themander''s armour was cut like butter as Shamannded a deep sh on his back.
"ARGGHH!" Screaming out in pain he turned around to strike at Shaman, but she quickly switched with a clone and went for another sh. This time themander did not make the same mistake of using his wind. However, since he was expecting it he was still able to pivot on his feet and parry Shaman.
This left themander open to the clones as they all went on the attack, no longer getting stopped by the wind which themander dispelled. Silver also jumped back into the fight and striked at his back, giving up on using his shadows as it waspletely useless against themander.
However, before the attack could reach him, dark purple energy began to surround themander. Shortly after he bent backwards and screamed into the air, causing the dark energy to spew out pushing everything back.
"No way, he has a transformation!" Shaman, using her rift, quickly moved away while also opening up a portal next to Silver to help him get away.
Shaman opened up a portal at the edge of her domain and Silver came out followed by Shaman shortly after.
"It''s like the skeleton knight." Silver remembered the knight having a sort of transformation and it seemed to have something to do with the weapon.
"Wouldn''t have expected that to be the case, but now we need to be extra careful." Shaman dispelled both her clones and the illusion as this fight was going to take much longer.
"It seems like ra and Elysia are about to finish up the archers and should be here soon." Silver looked around and noticed the fire trail Elysia left, which by now formed about half of a circle.
"We need to hold out until they get here as I don''t think we''ll be able to kill it like this with just us two." Shaman knew she could try using all her elements while enhancing herself, but she didn''t want to take the risk of going on the offensive.
"I agree." Silver was feeling anxious, his heart pounding as he could only hope they would be okay.
The elfmander stopped screaming, the dark purple energy nowpletely engulfing his body. mming his sword down on the ground the energy dispersed, revealing the new armour it obtained. Looking theplete opposite of what it was before, the silver changed to ck and the gold was now purple. There were also demonic traits on the armour, fake horns growing from the helmet and spikes from its shoulders.
"Haaaa~." Breathing out, themander locked eyes with Shaman, which reminded her of the trauma she had faced before. Trembling a little bit she shook her head, trying not to think about it as she was long over it.
"Prepare yourself Silver, if you want, hide in the shadows." Shaman preferred if he stayed out of the fight until the others returned as it would be much safer for him.
"But I want to help." Silver was seriously thinking about hiding, but he did not want to let his mother down.
"Please! if you can''t handle it, go straight in and don''te out until Elysia and ra arrive." Shaman didn''t want to force him away as she couldn''t shelter him, but she couldn''t leave him without a warning.
"Mhm." Silver nodded and gripped his scythe, building up the courage to face whatever being was in front of him.
"Get ready." Shaman saw the elf starting to make its move and began to prepare for whatever was toe.
Chapter 188 Eliminating The Archers
?After Elysia killed the initial contingent of archers on the roof, she jumped off the roof and dashed towards the next set of archers on the neighbouring building.
The group of at least 8 archers all aimed their bows at Elysia and reinforced their shots with wind. This made it impossible to dodge and so when they fired it was as if they were shooting bullets. Letting go of their strings, the arrows headed straight for Elysia.
To Elysia however it made no difference. She stared directly at the arrows that wereing at her without even trying to block or dodge. When in her hybrid fire-fox form, her beastly instincts took over, getting rid of most rational thinking.
The arrows lodged themselves into Elysia''s body, but they still missed any vital parts and shortly after they were turned to ash.
Once Elysia was close enough to the building, she pulled out her spear and mmed the handle on the ground, propelling herself up onto the roof. Landing at the far end of the roof, she faced the 8 elves that were preparing to fire again.
With the spear still in hand, she condensed her mes around it and threw it at one of the archers. Stabbing directly into his chest, fire bursted out from his body hitting a few of the elves next to him.
The burning of the bodies healed Elysia from the arrow wounds, bringing her back to being fully healthy.
Still having a few archers left, Elysia dashed towards them, however despite the chaos next to them they still kept theirposure and opened fire at her.
More arrows flew towards Elysia and this time she tried to dodge, taking into consideration that getting hit from so close would not just hurt her but also ruin her momentum. The arrows skimmed past her skin only to be devoured by the mes.
Pouncing at 2 of the archers, Elysia grabbed them by the face and dragged them along the roof while she ran to the remaining few elves. They went to fire again, but this time she used the bodies as shields causing the elves in her hands to die.
Throwing the bodies at the elves, she then created fire spears that replicated her normal spear and threw them as well. The fire spears flew through the air at great speed and, once they reached the elves, they pierced through them cleanly, leaving a smouldering hole in each of their bodies.
Finishing off the elves on the current building, she grabbed her spear and swapped it out for her bow. Wanting to be quick so she can return back to Shaman, she positioned herself so the elves on the roofs ahead were somewhat in a straight line.
Pulling back the sting, Elysia''s bow was engulfed in blood-red mes creating a much bigger-looking bow.
Stretching as far as she could, the fire arrow formed and mes violently shot out from the tip.
Sweat went down Elysia''s face as she was consuming quite a lot of mana. This made her even more thankful to her upgraded fire, for otherwise it would have cost even more. Condensing the mes to the point of the arrow she struggled to hold it any longer and was forced to let go of the string.
Upon being fired, the arrow exploded creating a beam of fire that headed straight for the archers along the roofs. The buildings were partly incinerated as the beam passed by, and just as Elysia hoped, she managed to kill a lot of the elves that took position on the different roofs.
"Shaman." Hoping it was enough, she quickly turned to go back to where Shaman was fighting. However, she suddenly stopped when she saw the same aura from the skeleton knight.
"N-no." Elysia panicked about Shaman''s trauma as she didn''t know if there were any lingering effects.
Rushing even faster she saw Shaman and Silver standing next to each other to her relief.
"Shaman, Silver!" Sliding on her feet, Elysia stopped herself right next to Shaman.
"Good timing, now we just need ra."
*
Simrly, to Elysia, ra went around to kill the elves on the other side as quickly as she could. Lightning crackled around her feet, enhancing her speed enough to get to the other roof before the elves could even fire.
Once she was on the roof, she shed with her de whips, killing some of the elves instantly. The rest, having had enough time to prepare their arrows, fired as quickly as they could.
Arrows flew towards ra, but her speed made it easy to dodge without getting hit. Retracting her whips to their sword form, she went up to the elves decapitating and stabbing them. Once the first roof was cleared, she used her lightning to quickly travel to the next set of elves.
''This is too slow.'' ra needed to hurry back as the elfmander is much stronger than the normal elves and she knew it wasn''t going to be an easy fight.
''Maybe I can create a sort of storm to do the killing for me.'' ra had an idea and although it would take a good chunk of mana, she had enough to spare.
Landing on top of another roof, she joined her swords together like she did back in Ebonscale. Lighting engulfed the whip des transforming them into a great sword made of lightning.
Raising it into the air, she focused her mana and the sky began going grey, indicating it was working.
Sweat ran down ra''s face and her hands shook from the amount of mana being used.
''Just a little more.'' Soon after booms of thunder were heard as purple lightning struck ra''s sword. The great sword glowed brightly as streaks of lightning came down, destroying the surroundings, even nearly hitting ra herself.
Putting the great sword to her side, she took a moment to breathe before she initiated the attack.
''I wanted a thunderstorm, but I can''t, so a massive lighting sh will have to do.'' ra intended to incur a storm, but as she was trying, she felt the drain on her was too great so she opted for something simpler.
Once she caught her breath, she sprinted along the roof while dragging the sword behind her. Once she had enough momentum, she did an overhead sh creating an arc out of lightning that was five times the size of her.
Once her sword hit the roof, the sh was sent forward across multiple roofs. Due to how vtile the lightning was, it destroyed many buildings just through the repeated strikes that came off the sh.
However, ra wasn''t safe from this as when her sword hit the roof it caused it to copse and she ended up falling through. The weight of her makeshift greatsword didn''t help, and she ended up falling through the second-floor,nding on a table on the first floor and breaking it in half.
"Damn! I knew I had a fat ass, but didn''t think it was that heavy." Cracking a joke at her expense, ra pulled herself up from the table.
"I doubt I killed them all, but at least now we can deal with themander without a rain of arrows." ra realised her strike wouldn''t have been enough to reach all of them, but it was enough that it wouldn''t affect their battle.
Stretching out her body and cracking a few joints, she quickly returned her whip des to normal and ran out of the building.
Upon exiting, she saw the destruction Elysia caused as the entire house line was set aze by her red mes. The scene was rather nice to look at as it wasn''t often to see blood-red mes and seeing it being used on arger scale was mesmerising.
Shaking her head, she quickly headed back for the church as she also noticed the familiar aura.
"No way." ra felt goosebumps cover her body as it was much stronger than thest one and it was terrifying to think there was something simr here.
''Good thing I finished quickly.'' Not slowing her pace, she arrived back in time to join the group who were all watching the dark elfmander transform.
"Good everyone is here." Shaman felt her heart be at ease as now everyone was here to fight themander.
"Wait, why does he have a demon sword?" ra saw the de in the elf''s hand and noticed it resembled one that she saw back when she was young.
"You know about it? It''s the same as Silver''s weapon but it was able to change form." Shaman was surprised to see ra recognise it as she didn''t with Silver''s scythe.
"That''s because I never got a look and I only remember the sword, so it didn''t click that it was the same weapon." ra had a flood of memories of the weapon on disy and when she looked at Silver''s scythe it did indeed represent the same weapon.
"Anyway that''s not important, we need to kill it." Shaman didn''t want to get distracted as the burst of aura was calming down, indicating the fight was about to begin.
"Haaaaa~." Breathing heavily the elf was covered in ck armour with purple ents while the sword in his hand was covered in a mist.
"Careful everyone." Shaman called out as everyone prepared themselves mentally for the battle toe.
Chapter 189 Demon Dark Elf
?The elfmander finished transforming and stared directly at the group, seemingly analysing them.
Shaman felt her hands shake as the images of the skeleton knight shed through her mind.
''I can''t let it happen again.'' Trying to use her fear to fuel her desire to protect, she felt herself calming down.
"Dieee." The elfmander began to walk toward the group while dragging the sword on the ground.
Shaman and the rest waited for the elf to make the first move as they were unsure what he was capable of.
"This seems a lot different thanst time, so please be careful." Shaman knew the theme of Ebonscale was puppets, so she thought it may be based on something else this time.
"Shaman is right, every demon weapon has a different effect, so once we figure it out, I will know its weakness." ra, possessing her own demon weapon, which had been masked to look like it was forged by Himeko, found out they had special effects through the system.
After ra finished her sentence, the slowly walking elf suddenly vanished from sight.
Shaman felt the chill of death behind her and, in a panic hastily turned around, blocking whatever wasing.
shing swords with the elfmander, she was sent flying back toward the church, crashing into the door. Shaman ended up crashing into the small stage and pedestal that was at the end, removing her from the fight for the moment.
Elysia was aggravated by this and immediately let out a burst of mes which violently thrashed around her as she rushed to attack the elfmander. Elysia went all out, aiming her spear directly at themander''s head while also sending fire replicas of her spear at his sides, restricting his escape paths.
ra and Silver were also on the move as the elf''s back was turned to them. Silver went to sh across his back while ra sent in a few lightning strikes.
In this short moment, the elfmander stabbed his sword into the ground and muttered a few words.
"Divine protection of the tree."
A burst of light came from the sword, and tree roots emerged from the ground blocking all iing attacks.
"Tch." Elysia didn''t give up, so she jumped into the air and switched to her bow, aiming for an opening in between the roots. Charging up a multi-explosive shot arrow, she quickly fired into the hole allowing the mes to engulf what was inside.
Switching back to her spear andnding back on the ground, toote did she notice the elf appearing behind her, leaving her no time to react.
However, before he couldy a finger on her, Shaman came out of the church sprinting at him while sending a barrage of ice spears. This forced him to stop the attack on Elysia and block the oing spears.
Elysia moved out of the way to not get hit by the spears and positioned herself next to ra.
Shaman coated Kotetsu in fire and went for her own attack on the elf. While she was charging, Silver managed to get his way into the elf''s shadow and stabbed at the elf''s back.
The elf blocked Shaman''s sword, but the mes on it did not stop and began to burn the elf''s armour. Silver was just about to hit the elf, but a purple fog suddenly grabbed his scythe, freezing it in ce.
His heart dropped for a moment as he was unable to move it at all, yet he was unwilling to let go of his scythe as it was the only weapon he had.
Elysia saw this and conjured up a fire arrow in her hand, throwing it at the fog that held Silver''s scythe. This caused the fog to dissipate, freeing Silver from its grasp and also confirming for Elysia that fire was still a major weakness, same as it was for the skeleton knight.
Shaman, on the other hand, was pushing more mana into her fire, trying to engulf the elf in mes. However, the elf pushed away Shaman and charged at her while coating his sword in the same fog.
Shaman went to parry the strike, in which she seeded, but the fog surrounding the sword wrapped around her arms until it reached her head.
[Blessing of the fox activated]
A system message opened, and the fog quickly dissipated, confusing the elf.
''Again with the mind control'' Shaman anticipated the elf to have some form of mind control and when she saw the fog go for her head realised what it was doing.
Taking advantage of the confused elfing to a halt, Shaman quickly activated [de of mescion] and shed horizontally. Cutting the elfmander in half, Shaman smiled, thinking the fight might be over, but still cautiously waiting for any more movement.
What Shaman hoped for did note to pass as the elf started to move again. The blood began to bubble where she made the cut, and suddenly tree roots came out of the wounds, reconnecting its body.
"Of course, it can regenerate." Shaman jumped back, returning to Elysia and ra''s side. Silver also poked his head out of the shadow, ready to listen to what Shaman had to say.
"So any idea on the weakness?" Shaman assumed fire was their best bet, but they had no way to counter the regeneration as it seemed endless
"Fire seems to be the most effective element, but I would say ice as well. If you can manage to freeze himpletely, it should prevent the elf from casting. I also should mention that if the sword were to be removed from his hand, it may allow us to kill him." ra tried to remember what variant of the demon sword the elf had, but because back then she only had a nce and was told very little about it. She was unable toe up with anything that may help them other than educated guesses.
"So if we can somehow get the sword away from him, then we will be able to kill himpletely." Elysia was itching to jump forward but wanted to wait for Shaman''s orders.
"Yes, we can assume as much, and as ironic as it sounds, he may have the divine demon sword. I know it sounds very contradictory, but it was one of the most unique weapons and can only be wielded with a neutral faith like the tree of life." ra thought back to one of the swords she knew the most about, since it interested her the most.
"Alright! Elysia, we will try to double team the elf. ra, I want you to try to find an opportunity to get rid of his sword and Silver, try to restrain him or throw in attacks whenever you can." Shaman dashed forward with Elysia close behind as the elf was just about to finish regenerating.
ra nodded and made her way to higher ground so she could get an overview of the battle. Silver went back into the shadows hoping he wouldn''t bepletely useless.
Shaman and Elysia ran side by side, both using their fire in hopes ofbining their attacks together. The elfmander stared at the two waiting for them to attack, which made Shaman a little nervous as until now he was the one going on the offensive.
nking from either side Shaman went to stab the elf in the ribs, only to be parried by the elf. Elysia sent a fire sh while also stabbing with a fire spear she created in her other hand.
The elf was able to move after the parry and stop the fire sh quickly, but Elysia''s secondary attack managed tond and burnt a chunk out of his body.
Unfortunately, Elysia''s attack was made null as it was instantly healed back by the same roots.
"Tsk." Elysia didn''t stop her pursuit, conjuring up more fire spears and sending them into the elf. Shaman following up once again activated [de of mescion] and shed into the elf. Being overwhelmed by the number of attacks, it tried to move out of the way, but no matter what movements he made, another spear would always be ready to cut off his retreat. Shaman''s attacks were also getting wider, covering more area and making them almost unavoidable.
Seeing his distress, ra came out and tried using her de whips to pull the sword out of his hand.
Unfortunately, this would be unsessful as his grip was just too strong. It almost seemed as if his sword was rooted to his hand.
Silver waited in the shadows for an opening while the elf continued losing more and more ground. In the end, the elf tried disengaging with a sudden jump away from the action. It would have worked too, if his own shadow didn''te to life to grab him by the legs.
The group hurried to release a barrage of attacks at the elf who lost his momentum and was crashing down towards the ground. First he was assaulted by Shaman and Elysia''s mes, which merged together creating a fire so hot it even managed to melt the elf''s armour. Then came the follow-up shadow and lightning attacks from Silver and ra which easily prated the now brittle armour.
Shaman and Elysia jumped back to let the elf''s body burn and also to observe what would happen next. Silver also returned to their side while ra stayed on the roof, expecting it not to be over.
Soon the mes dissipated and no elf was seen, causing everyone''s hope to rise.
"Did we do it?" Shaman wanted to rx, but there was no guarantee that they truly killed it.
Suddenly the ground began to shake, and everyone''s heart dropped as it seemed like the battle was far from over.
Chapter 190 Near Death
?The ground shook, and everyone quickly grouped back up, hoping it didn''t mean anything bad.
"I think we might need Kiruya." Shaman was getting less confident in being able to beat the dark elfmander, as this seemed something unnatural.
"And you would be correct, I haven''t seen anything like this, and from the looks of things, you had it up until now." Kiruya came floating from the sky and dropped next to the group.
"Were you in the sky the whole time?" ra was a bit amazed as they had been going at it for quite some time and as such the mana consumption should have been quite strenuous.
"Haha, yes and I have to say you were doing really well." Kiruya, being at a much higher tier, did not need to use much mana as she could use ambient mana to keep herself up in the air
"Anyway, enough about that, we have much bigger problems." Kiruya felt somethinging from the ground as she could sense the massive amount of mana moving below them.
"Alright, it should being any moment now. Shaman, I will take the lead, and I want everyone to do as I say." Kiruya took over the leadership role just to make sure she could keep them all safe.
Everyone nodded, having noints, as Kiruya was the strongest one out of all of them.
After a few more seconds, a bunch of tree roots shot out of the ground, creating arge wooden cocoon in front of them. It was about the height of a house with purple light seeped through its small gaps.
Shortly after, the cocoon shattered, revealing the dark elfmander, but this time he was much different. The elf had be a giant, its body turned into ck wood with bright purple streaks.
"Shaman! Elysia! I want you to focus on throwing fire attacks at the elf. Silver! ra! Try to restrain his legs or arms, and protect yourself if you are in danger." Kiruya jumped into the air after giving her orders.
Shaman and Elysia ran together while Silver took ra into his shadow so they could find a ce to get ready to restrain the elf.
"Eli, let''s try to create abined arrow attack." Shaman wanted tobine their mes again as it was somewhat effective.
Elysia and Shaman both halted their steps at a safe distance from the elf, who was about to wake up.
Elysia pulled out her bow and coated it in fire, making it look muchrger. She then conjured up a basic fire arrow so Shaman could funnel her own fire into it.
Shaman grabbed the arrow directly, which shocked Elysia for a moment as it should have burnt her, and yet it did no such thing.
Suddenly, the fire thrashed around simrly to the effects of Shaman''s de of mescion. Shaman had activated her skill on the arrow, amplifying its power many times over.
Elysia, seeing Shaman let go, knew it was her turn to fuel the arrow, and so she fuelled it with her red mes. The arrow went from orange to red in an instant and was now bing too hard to control, forcing Elysia to let go of the string.
The arrow sent Elysia sliding back due to the force, but she waspletely fine. However, Shaman was not faring as well, as she has used the skill so many times in a short amount of time and her mana was getting dangerously low.
The arrow flew through the air towards the elf, and yet just as it was about to reach the elf, thetter opened its glowing purple eyes. The demon sword it had before came out of his hand, much bigger to match its size. shing down directly onto the arrow, the elf was able to halt the arrow in its track.
While the arrow was being repelled, suddenly, a gust of wind pushed on the arrow, empowering its attack even further. Kiruya had sent her own wind strikes knowing she could make the mes much more violent.
The unexpected surge of power broke the elf''s guard, allowing the arrow to continue into its chest. Burning right through the elf''s body, the arrow set the ck wood aze, but it seemingly didn''t affect the elf at all.
Its entire body was now wood, making it much easier to regenerate. It had not realised, though, that Elysia''s mes took vitality, so when the elf went to regenerate the gaping hole in its chest, it was unable to.
Elysia noticed her mes were sessful in absorbing his vitality, making her realise something.
"Because it''s using its own tree of life, I can suck up its vitality through my mes!" A grin appeared on Elysia as she had be the very weakness of the elf, and all she needed to do was set it on fire.
Kiruya now had a change of ns as they had a sure fire way of fighting the elf.
"Silver! ra! Continue what you''re doing. Shaman, I want you to support Elysia while she prepares another attack, we need to hit it with her fire." Kiruya, instead of focusing on damage over time, wanted to see if they could end this sooner.
Shaman did not mind ying the support role as she needed to watch her mana and not identally pass out.
The mes on Elysia''s body flickered in excitement as it was permission to let loose and not hold back.
The elf that now had a huge gaping hole in its chest was now more reserved and careful. He made sure to have Kiruya, Shaman and Elysia in its sights at all times.
Elysia switched to her spear, covering everything in her me and sprinted toward the elf. Shaman followed but was further back to act as a sort of guardian.
Kiruya intended to enhance all of Elysia''s attacks to bring it on par with the elf''s strength.
However, before Elysia could reach the elf, he stabbed the sword into the ground, and roots instantly rose from the ground. One of these roots came out right next to Shaman and grabbed her.
Shaman tried using her mes, but they were too weak, further cementing that Elysia was the only one able to do damage.
"Dammit, let go of me!" Shaman tried using her rift, shadow skills and stardust, but nothing worked as it seemed like the elf was draining her mana.
Feeling a wave of pain go through her head, she realised that it was sucking all her mana and that she was close to running out.
Losing her strength to fight back, she dropped Kotetsu, causing Elysia to turn around to see what had happened. Kiruya was quick to act and tried using her wind alongside her des to cut the root but could not get deep enough.
"Shit!" Kiruya, at the moment, was about to pull out a crystal meant to call Freja for extreme emergencies, but before she did, she suddenly felt a surge of manae from someone else.
Although [lovers call] would have activated, because Shaman was so low on mana, it could not, and Elysia knew this.
Kiruya looked over to Elysia and saw she was transforming.
[Bloodline arts - full transformation]
[Warning!: You will not be able to control yourself, please use the skill with caution]
Elysia, who unlocked her bloodline arts when she awakened her family''s traits, had a few skills whiche at a cost. Although most of the skills had a lesser version that did not require a price, the original skills were only meant as ast resort.
Elysia, when she first saw those skills, refused to use them as it would be far too dangerous, but seeing Shaman in the state she was in, she no longer cared for the consequences.
Her body was changing, growing and bing more of a fox. Reaching the same size as an elephant, Elysia was now a full-fledged fox with six tails. The ends of her ck hairs were blood red, with each tail having a raging red me. Her eyes glowed red, and she stared directly at the root holding Shaman.
"What the hell?!" Kiruya didn''t know what to do as she recognised the form but wasn''t sure if Elysia was hostile.
''Should I call Freja?'' Kiruya clutched the crystal in her hand. If Elysia had control over the true fox form, then there would be no issue, but if not, she would have to call Freja.
''I need to make sure ra and Silver are safe, the best thing we can do is not get in the way.'' Kiruya was aware of the effects of Elysia''s skill due to being told about the old fox realm war by her family.
''Please be okay.''
Chapter 191 Demon Sword’s Real Power
?Elysia, now a giant fox, growled while staring at the root holding Shaman. Elysia vanished on the spot appearing next to the root in a blink of an eye. Swiping with her ws she instantly destroyed the root and the part that held Shaman was burnt away.
Although Elysia had lost most rational thinking, her goal to save Shaman was still present. So as Shaman fell to the ground Elysia quickly went underneath to catch her.
Catching Shaman on her back, she quickly dashed away and softly put the unconscious Shaman on the ground. The dark elf was aggravated and sent roots directly at Elysia in an attempt to pierce her.
However, this was futile as Elysia breathed out mes that instantly burnt up the roots that came at her.
While Elysia was dealing with the elf, Kiruya quickly found Silver and ra who were hidden far away from the fight. After they saw Elysia transform they quickly retreated and were now watching the fight.
Elysia, now ready to attack, smacked the ground with her paws. Fire arose around her creating a fox head out mes. Charging towards the elf at a great speed, the fox head descended upon the elf, who paled at the sight of the oing attack.
Raising his sword, he blocked Elysia''s teeth and erected wooden walls to stop the shooting fox heads. A few momentster, the walls began to crumble forcing the elf to jump back.
Elysia, now in a frenzy, continued charging at the elf not giving him any break, this time coating her mouth in mes.
The elf this time went to parry the attack, but Elysia''s strength now greatly outssed him, making it impossible topletely redirect her momentum. The elf''s right arm was bitten clean off and mes burnt his shoulder making it now impossible to regenerate.
Now the elf was getting desperate as Elysia had be its perfect counter, making it clear his death wasing. The fire fox heads were also closely approaching, giving him no avenue to run.
Not having much of a choice, the elf stabbed himself with the demon sword and a burst of purple fog pushed away all the mes. Elysia also jumped back as she sensed danger and wanted to observe before approaching.
"No!" ra stood up from where she was watching as this was something she read about and was even warned against by her parents.
"What''s wrong?" Kiruya felt goosebumps as if ra was reacting badly to what the elf was doing then it couldn''t be good.
"I-I don''t know if Elysia can fight what''s toe." ra felt cold sweat go down her face as what the elf did was taboo.
"ra, what is it!?" Kiruya needed to know as it may be reason enough to call Freja.
"I-It is turning itself into the embodiment of the sword. The first transformation I assume was the elf''s skill that was enhanced by the sword, but now it has offered its body. I don''t know which sword he has, but let''s say a demon is being born and not a good one at that." ra''s hand shook as she could feel the presence of the demon emerging from the elf.
"W-wait so thisrger form was the elf, and only now it''s using the sword?!" Kiruya assumed that the new body the elf gained was from the sword as she hadn''t seen it before, but it turns out it had nothing to do with the sword.
"I''m afraid so, but seeing how weak it is, I don''t think it will be a problem. B-but the presenceing from the sword is that of a very, very old demon." ra tried to calm down her breathing as she felt something in her head whispering to her.
"Damnit, I should call Freja." Kiruya held the crystal in her hand and felt like things were getting too desperate.
"No wait, it is still too early, plus this new form of Elysia seems to be much stronger." ra didn''t want to waste such a valuable item as Elysia may be able to deal with it.
"Are you sure?" Kiruya wanted 100% confidence as if they dyed the call too much Freja might not be able to save them.
"Y-yes, as I said it should be weak, plus I can say that it is one of the lesser swords since it doesn''t have the presence of the old great ones like back at home." ra realized that it was a much less powerful demon, but would still likely rival many great powers. However, due to entering a weak body, it would not be able to use its full power, especially since the host is so badly damaged.
"I will trust you on this, but as soon as I see Elysia in grave danger I am crushing the crystal." Kiruya wanted to believe ra as she was the most familiar when it came to demon-rted things.
"Yes please be rea- arghh damn it, get out of my head." ra stopped mid-sentence as the voice was getting louder.
''Kill.''
''Die, die, die.''
''Erase every kind.''
"ra!" Kiruya and Silver both jumped to her side, catching her before she fell.
"I''m fine, but that demon is trying to make me its minion. As long as Elysia is quick to kill it I should be okay. I can hold out for about an hour." Making a rough guess for how long she canst, she could only hope Elysia would finish quickly.
Sitting back down they watched as the elf''s limbs were reced by this purple metal and its body began to morph to resemble that of a demon.
Slumping over, the elf slowly rose while staring directly at Elysia who was keenly observing her prey.
"It''s been so long since I have had a body and it seems like I ended up in a fight." The elf looked around to get its bearings.
"Hmm, I sense another demon nearby with the blood of royalty, but it seems like I have to deal with this pest first." The elf felt ra''s presence but was not able to see her, however Elysia was a much bigger threat.
"From what I recall the Dahlia family was a weak little fox race. It seems like they have grown a bit." Another time, Elysia might have been curious about what the demon knew of her family, but thanks to her being in a rather irrational state, she did not care what the elf had to say.
Elysia didn''t want to stand still any longer, so she conjured up fire spears about the size of her and sent them flying straight at the elf.
"A feisty one at that." With one hand the elf deflected the fire spears without an issue.
"Gosh this body is so weak, I almost tore off the arm with just a swing." Needing to adjust to the body he was in, his awkward movements gave Elysia the perfect opportunity to pounce.
Going for another bite while also sending fire bites, she surrounded the elf in fire, once again trying to make it impossible for the elf to escape.
"Not bad, you have the mes of the vampires, too bad I won''t be getting hit." The elf spun on his feet shing in a circle and hitting all the mouths made out of the mes. Leaving a trail of purple fog, the mes were instantly dispelled leaving Elysia wide open.
Raising his sword the elf let Elysia get closer to make it easier for him to hit.
"Sorry little thing, but your time hase." Mumbled the demon while shing down straight for Elysia''s head.
As his sword was about to reach Elysia''s head, the elf''s attack was blocked causing the sound of metal to ring out across the dungeon.
"Oh? Another fox?" The elf was shocked to see his attack was stopped by Shaman who seemingly recovered from her mana deprivation. What had happened though was that Shaman used a mana potion Freja had given everyone.
"Stay away from Eli!" Shaman''s hair changed to blue as she put as much mana into her ice as she could and tried to encase the elf.
"Interesting." The elf jumped back avoiding the cier Shaman created right where he was standing.
Elysia, who was behind Shaman, did not attack her. Even though she was reduced to the primal state of a beast, she still knew Shaman was an alley.
"Thank you Eli for saving me." Shaman, now having a brief moment, went up to the massive fox and patted her head. A small purr came from her, but knowing the threat that was just behind the cier, they needed to concentrate.
"Do you mind if I ride you?" Shaman nned to use Elysia as a sort of mount and in response, she lowered her body to let Shaman on.
"I see, I can''t say I recognise your race." The elf floated in the air over the cier looking directly at Shaman.
"And who are you? Clearly not the elf from before" Shaman red back at the elf as she got on top of Elysia.
"You are correct, although my name cannot be pronounced by the human tongue, however I shall say it anyway." Taking a brief moment to pause before speaking, Shaman prepared her next attack.
"S???????????l????????????a???????????n??????????u??????????h?????????"
Chapter 192 Sealed Away
?Shaman shook her head hearing the sounds that came out of the elf''s mouth and had no idea what to make of it.
"Hmm as expected, no one bothers learning the ancient tongue anymore." The elf wasn''t surprised by Shaman''s weird reaction and found it amusing to watch.
"Tch, whatever, it isn''t like you will be alive much longer." Deciding to not care about the being possessing the elf, Shaman covered her sword in stardust.
"Elysia, Let''s go." Shaman pat Elysia, who growled and started to charge toward the elf.
"Useless." The elf shed his sword down, sending a purple light in the shape of an arc at Shaman and Elysia.
"Heh." Shaman smirked and, using the stardust on her sword, opened a portal that led behind the elf, sending ice spikes through it while also dodging the purple arc sent by the elf.
"What?" The elf did not expect the fox girl in front of him to have such magic and was unable to dodge the spikes.
Ice spikes pierced the elf''s body keeping him in ce and allowing Elysia to get an attack in. Biting the bottom half of the elf''s body, Elysia ripped it clean off, the mes coating her mouth preventing the elf from healing once more.
"Damn pests!" The elf gritted its teeth and cursed how weak his body was, as although it had high attack it was extremely weak to Elysia''s mes.
The elf now floated in the air with purple fog keeping it afloat, gritting his teeth as he was running out of options to fight against the two foxes.
"Looks like you are just talk." Shaman at first felt nervous facing what seemed to be a demon possessing a body, but after fighting it for a brief moment it seemed to be greatly weakened.
"If it wasn''t for this stupid body you would have been dead in a few breaths." The demon was getting aggravated, but it was unable to tap into the power of the sword as most of its energy went to keeping him alive.
"Such a shame. And here I thought you would be tougher. The elf before was much more of a threat." Shaman, feeling confident about defeating the elf, couldn''t help but throw some insults at it.
"You will pa-." The demon was about to throw another attack, but purple lightning struck him from behind and, shortly after, shes of wind took off his arms.
"Shaman! Get Elysia to attack!" ra hade flying in with Kiruya. Seeing how weak the demon is, they hoped they could seal it back into the sword.
"Elysia go!" Patting her once again, mes began to swirl in her mouth and with a roar she shot her blood-red mes at the elf. His body was engulfed in mes, leaving only a core that was made out of a sort of crystal.
"Kiruya, let me down." ra wanted to get to the core as the demon was still present in it and needed to be put back in the sword.
Kiruya nodded her head and let go of ra, letting her fall to the ground.
Rolling on the ground, ra picked up the core and as soon as she did felt the pain in her head amplify.
''Ah, so this is the little demon. Now let me take control for a moment.''
Having made physical contact allowed the demon to form a connection with ra, as her being a demon as well would allow him to fight much more efficiently.
''Like hell I would let you.'' Pushing through the pain she walked to the sword that was still in the grip of the detached arm.
''Don''t be stubborn and ept your calling!'' The demon tried to force his way into ra''s head, but struggled to make any progress as it felt like a barrier was stopping any further control.
Lifting the sword off the ground, ra pinned the core up against the hilt and infused her mana into the small sigil at the bottom.
ck tendrils came out of the sword grabbing on to the core that held the demon''s soul.
''You bit-.'' Before he could finish speaking, his soul was sucked back into the sword and the core it took control of turned into dust.
[Questplete]
Shaman got thepletion message and knew the battle with the elf was over. They had finally cleared the first floor.
ra fell to her knees, all tension draining out of her body as the pain she felt was suddenly alleviated.
"Phew, it''s over." Although she did not know for sure it would work, she knew there was a way to seal the soul back in the sword.
However, not everything was over as Elysia was still in her fox form and seeing ra, she almost attacked her.
"OI! Calm down." Shaman, being the only person Elysia would listen to, managed to soothe her urges, eventually allowing her to return back to normal. With all the threats gone, the skill automatically began to deactivate.
Shaman quickly jumped off and prepared to catch a knocked out Elysia as she couldn''t imagine she would be conscious after such a drastic transformation.
Silver and Kiruya also came down to the ground as finally the fight was over. Silver felt bad for not being able to help much, but in the end things turned out okay.
Elysia was close to being back to human size and the fur on her body was disappearing. Her clothes fortunately were taken off before she transformed by the system and as she got closer to her human form they were put back on.
"Thanks Rea." This time not forgetting her existence, Shaman thanked the system assistant as taking Elysia''s clothes on and off was her doing.
[Hmph, no worries] Cleary pouting, Rea was still happy to be acknowledged for once.
Elysia now was back to her human form and just like Shaman guessed she was passed out. Catching Elysia before she hit the ground, Shaman lifted her up in a princess carry.
"I''m sorry, I should have stepped in earlier." Kiruya had lowered her head as she felt like they would have been okay, but with the threat of a demon possessing the body, she felt like she should have put a stop to it.
"Don''t worry too much about it, we are all safe, nowe on let''s go." Shaman did not me Kiruya for anything and was more d everyone was okay.
"Is mother okay?" Silver quickly ran up to Shaman while staring at the passed out Elysia.
"Yes she is okay, now go help sister ra, she is a bit exhausted." Shaman was d to see Silver was okay, but she was more worried about ra who seemed to be affected by the demon.
"Mhm." Silver nodded his head and went to help ra get up on her feet so they could leave.
"Okay, we should head home, nor is waiting for us." Remembering the elf they helped, Shaman wanted to get back quickly as she didn''t want to leave her alone for too long.
"I agree." Kiruya wanted to goy down as she felt mentally exhausted from stressing over the safety of everyone.
"What should we do with the sword?" ra slowly walked over with Silver supporting her, holding it in her hand.
"Leave it in the inventory for now, but do not bring it out until we know what to do with it. Plus I think we should give it to Freja once we return." Shaman did not want to take it with them, but it was probably for the best to hold on to it for now, at least to keep it from causing anymore trouble.
ra did what Shaman said and they all began to make their way out of the dungeon after a long few hours of fighting.
***
''I hope they will be here soon.'' nor was pacing around Shaman''s room worried that something happened.
''They are strong, but still they are so young.'' nor being much older than the group couldn''t help thinking they would get too cocky or underestimate the dungeon.
''It''s fine, it has only been a couple hours, which means they are being careful! not that they are in danger.'' nor, trying to calm herself down, tried to think of it as a positive thing. Even though they had just met, they treated her with kindness which was something rare for her, so she couldn''t help worrying about them.
*Knock* *Knock*
''Oh it must be them!'' nor felt relieved as she assumed it was them at the door and quickly rushed to open it.
Opening up the door she was met with some strangers in hoodies who were definitely not Shaman.
"W-who are you?" nor''s heart skyrocketed as she wasn''t sure if it was another kidnapping attempt.
"Hello there miss, our master would like an audience with you." Being polite the elf bowed, hiding his face.
"I-I t-think you have the wrong person." nor stepped back and went to close the door, but was stopped by the elf.
"I don''t think so." Knowing they will have to get her by force, the 2 elves rushed into the room.
Chapter 193 Missing Elanor
?Walking out of the dungeon with all the dark elf cores and their lives, Shaman wanted nothing more than to lie down.
As she was carrying out Elysia, some of the elf guards came over to see if they needed help.
"Do you need to go to the medical ward?" Having been offered to be taken to a hospital, Shaman shook her head as nobody was injured to the point where they needed to go.
The guard nodded back and backed away to let them through as from just looking he could tell no one was seriously injured.
Walking out of the adventurers guild that housed the dungeons, they headed straight back to the inn.
"Do we want to sell the cores now?" ra however, just remembered they had cores to sell, so she offered to go back to quickly turn in their spoils.
"We will do that when wee back for the second run or whenever we need the money, so for now hold onto them." Shaman knew there was no rush and they would keep some anyway for their evolution.
"Speaking of which, how much did you guys level up?" Kiruya was aware of the levelling system and wondered how much they gained during the raid.
"Hmm here." Shaman opened a system menu of everyone''s information, knowing she was able to let other people see. Allowing Kiruya to see, Shaman put the system screen in front of her.
[Shaman Shiroi]
Level: 110 -> 124
[Elysia Dahlia]
Level: 106 -> 120
[Silver Shiroi]
Level: 103 -> 117
[ra ????]
Level: 108 -> 122
"That''s quite the boost, I believe it''s level 200 you''re trying to get?" Kiruya was rather impressed with how many levels they got.
"Yes, but I will have to say that the elfmander was probably the bulk of that exp alongside the demon. But since we didn''t kill the demon I don''t think we got any levels for it." Shaman hoped that by defeating the demon they would get some levels, but since it was sealed away it didn''t count as a kill.
"Nheless once we get to the second floor of the dungeon you should be able to easily get tier 7 in 2 runs." Kiruya was confident that if they didn''t encounter the same elfmander again they would be able to go into the next part which would give them the boost they need.
"I hope so too! Then we can take on the tier 8 dungeon." Shaman''s goal besides getting the mission done for Freja was to get to tier 8.
"We will have to see because I think Freja wants you to go to the demonnds." Kiruya would like to also attempt the dungeon as it would be something beneficial for her, but Freja had other nsing up.
"I guess she wants us to find Himeko as well as figure out what''s up with ra." Shaman looked back to ra who looked rather nervous hearing about going to the demonnds.
"That''s what I think as well." Kiruya was rather sceptical as Freja could have anything in store for them, but it was most likely the case.
"I just hope I don''t get recognised if we enter any of the towns." ra was worried about her identity as she had a high status but didn''t know the state of her family name.
"It should be fine, plus we are not going into the demon capital city as far as we know." Shaman understood her worries as she was the princess of the fox realm.
"Well Himeko should be in an isted ce from what Freja showed us so hopefully that''s all we have to do." Silver, remembering how Freja showed them the location of Himeko, didn''t think there was any need to worry.
"True, but let''s not worry about that, I want some sleep." Shaman felt a little overwhelmed with all the things that she would need to do and needed some time to rest.
"We all do." ra was particrly keen on going to bed and just thinking about it felt like she was falling asleep.
"Haha, we still have nor to deal with so hopefully it shouldn''t take too long." Shaman now was worrying about nor and her situation.
"Let''s hurry then." Kiruya figured the quicker the better just to put themselves at ease.
Picking up the pace, they all went into a light jog back to the inn, hoping nothing went wrong.
*
Going up to their door, Shaman knocked to see if nor was in their room.
''Hmm, she might be asleep.'' Thinking how exhaustion may have caught up to her, Shaman thought she might be asleep.
Opening up the door, she saw nobody inside, but it looked like someone had broken in.
"Oh no." Shaman felt shivers as there was no way of telling how long ago this was.
"ra! Kiruya! Silver!" Calling out their names, Shaman expressed her urgency as nor could be in grave danger.
Hearing their names, they all rushed to Shaman as it did not sound like good news at all.
''What happened!?" ra peered over Shaman''s shoulder and found out the answer herself. Kiruya did the same as well as Silver, all realising that nor had most likely been kidnapped.
"We need to go now!" Shaman did not want to waste any time, so she quickly put Elysia on the bed and intended to go out.
"Are you sure?" Kiruya knew they all came back from the dungeon so if they get into a fight it might be a bad idea.
"I drank one of Freya''s mana potions earlier so I''m all good. If you don''t want toe with then that''spletely fine." Shaman didn''t care who came, but knowing nor''s situation she did not want her to be left alone.
"I still have half my mana." ra didn''t know if she shoulde as she only had half of her mana and was physically exhausted.
"I didn''t end up using much so I cane." Silver, who did not do a lot of fighting, still had mana and was rested enough.
"I wille either way." Kiruya refused to let Shaman go alone as they could be facing someone who is much stronger.
"Alright, we already have some prime suspects. Silver, do you recall what the nobles looked like?" Shaman knew nor was being chased by nobles and thankfully Silver was there to encounter them.
"Well, there was a skinny one, a fat one and I cut off the arm of one. If I see their faces I will be able to recognise them." Silver gave a quick and simple description, which was enough for now since he wasing along and could just identify them.
"We will go towards the noble district and start looking for anyone that resembles that description." Shaman, having somewhat of a n, began to leave the inn.
"I''ll stay and look after Elysia, I don''t want to drag you down." ra decided at thest minute to stay as she could imagine Elysia freaking out if she was all alone.
"Take care." Silver waved and followed Shaman alongside Kiruya.
***
"Mmmm!" nor was being dragged by the hair into the back of a mansion with her head and mouth covered.
Going into a basement, the 2 men that had kidnapped nor threw her into a dungeon.
"Alright now be a good girl and wait until master shows up." The door now locked behind her, nor was trapped inside, stillpletely restrained and unable to see. Tears started to flow from underneath the blindfold as she thought things were finally getting better.
''My life just had to be snatched away.'' Seeing her life so close to getting better, only to lose it all almost broke her. It had been years since shest had a ray of hope, and for it to be taken away crushed her.
nor started to sob, hoping that there might be a small chance someone woulde help.
''It''s probably a noble house, they wouldn''t daree here.'' Thinking about the outsiders who helped her, she doubted they would interfere with the nobles as it would make an enemy of the entire elf race.
This thought alone caused nor to start bashing her head on the ground as the more she thought about it the more she fell to despair.
''Why couldn''t they just kill me.'' Thinking she should have just offered up her life as if she knew this would happen she would have rather just given up early.
However, during this strong emotional turmoil, nor''s hair began to turn green at the roots.
"Oh my look at how pitiful you are~." An elf with a newly reattached arm walked in and looked at nor through the door window.
Hearing his voice nor felt her heart sink and her mind descend even further as she instantly recognised who it was.
''No, no, no.'' nor knew what was toe and even though it was easier to let him have his way she''d rather die than let that happen.
"Good~ I can hear and see the fear in you." Unlocking the door the elf walked in, his footsteps echoing back from the walls.
nor, hearing them get closer, tried to move away, but the closer he got the more panicked she became.
The green in her hair was bing more prominent with every passing moment.
"Let''s see that face."
nor was now up against the wall and no longer able to get away.
The blindfold was suddenly removed, Letting nor see the elf''s face. That only fed her panic as she tried to scream.
"MMMMMM!" nor turned her head, wishing for him to just go away, when suddenly a gust of wind pushed him back.
Chapter 194 Elanor’s Awakening
?Shaman, Silver and Kiruya were rushing through the streets heading towards the noble district. Kiruya was giving directions as they ran and was even tempted to use her wind to speed themselves up.
"It should be the next left turn, then we will reach the noble strip." Kiruya spotted the elf mansions and although they had no idea which one it would be, it was a start.
Running onto the street, Shaman looked around, trying to decide how she would go about investigating the noble houses.
''Tsk I really didn''t think this through.'' Regretting not having any idea how to go about it, she decided it was best to go to each house and see if Silver recognised the noble.
However, before they could start, an explosion went off at one of the noble houses further down the road. Shortly after, a tornado formed and the silhouette of a person could be seen inside it.
"That might be her!" Shaman knew nor was royalty so it wasn''t outrageous that she had some magical abilities.
As they rushed to where the tornado was forming, many other elves hade to see what was going on alongside some guards.
"Everyone stand back!" Guards were rushing in while also trying to get the curious bunch of people away.
Shaman was at a loss on what to do as if they interfered they could get themselves into serious trouble.
"Kiruya, what do you think we should do?" Shaman figured Kiruya may have an idea or some way to let them get away with intereferring.
"If I''m honest I have no idea, we can use Silver''s shadow, but even then we will still be caught." Kiruya was at a bit of a loss herself as they could be risking their stay in the capital city.
"First let''s see if it''s nor, but from what I can see it looks like her." Shaman looked back at the figure in the tornado, which had a simr figure and hair as nor.
While they were talking, Silver looked at the entrance of the mansion as a noble came running outpletely distraught.
"Hang on." Looking closer Silver recognised him as the noble who''s arm he had chopped off.
"Silver?" Shaman turned to him as it seemed like he had noticed something.
"It''s nor, the noble ran out of the house and I recognised him." Silver''s answer was enough to make Shaman act, but there was now a new development with the tornado.
Since the noble had run out of the house nor had spotted him causing her to go into rage.
"AHHHHHH!" A deafening scream echoed out to the entire forest. The tornado then shrunk down, cing nor on the roof. There were now tornados swirling around nor''s arms as she walked to the edge of the building.
Looking over she saw the noble that had kidnapped her, so she raised her arms before mming them down. The violently swirling wind rushed towards the noble, but before it reached him guards with shields twice their size blocked the attack.
A magical barrier appeared on the shields as they were struck and the spell was quickly diminished.
"GET OUT OF MY WAY!" Getting aggravated by the actions of the guards, nor dashed off the roof directly into the shields.
However, before she reached the shields Shaman opened up a stardust portal, trapping nor inside her own dimension. This confused all the guards as they frantically looked around unable to see where she went.
The noble, who was terrified for his life, was on his knees thanking the guards for protecting him. Although, the guards ignored the noble since they were more concerned with the crazed elf.
While the noble was on his knees, his shadow suddenly began to move and he noticed this. Getting shbacks to the alleyway he quickly stood up and tried to get away, but it would be futile as a shadow scythe came flying out of his shadow.
The de entered his skull, killing him then quickly vanishing without a trace. The guards, hearing the noble making amotion, went to get him to stop moving, but found that he had already been murdered.
"Everyone! There seems to be either more than one assant, or the woman has stealth abilities!" Calling out a quick deduction, the guards disengaged the shield formation and waited to see if anything else would happen.
**
Shaman sessfully trapped nor into the little pocket dimension she had and opened another entrance for Kiruya to get inside.
"Silver! go kill the noble and then hide while me and Kiruya deal with nor." Shaman then jumped into a stardust portal alongside Kiruya.
Shutting the portal behind them, they were met with a raging nor trying to find a way out.
"LET ME OUUUUUT!!!!" Wind was going rampant, almost hitting Kiruya and Shaman, but they were able to put up an elemental shield to protect themselves.
"nor! Please! It''s me, Shaman!" Trying to call out to nor in hopes of hering back to her senses. Luckily it seemed to have woken her up a little.
"Shaman?" Looking over to where the voice came from, nor saw Shaman alongside Kiruya.
"I-is that really you?" However, because they were in Shaman''s stardust dimension it seemed as if she was dreaming.
"Yes, it really is me. We are in one of my skills so please calm down." Shaman tried her best to exin what was going on while slowly walking towards her.
"I-I.." nor started to cry as she thought she would never see Shaman again. She had already lost all hope after getting kidnapped.
"It''s okay now, we are here to save you and get you back to safety." Shaman was getting closer and could almost touch nor.
The wind that was swirling around finally came to a stop, allowing Kiruya to take down her windshield and Shaman to finally grab a hold of nor.
nor being pulled in for a hug, felt herself sobbing even more as the light she thought was gone hade back.
"T-t-thank you foring for me." nor rxed, enjoying the safety that came with the hug and refused to let go at any cost.
"No need to thank us, we came looking for you as soon as we got back." Shaman, while rubbing the back of nor''s head, hoped she had not created too much of a dependency.
''We are only meant to help her get back to the royal family so hopefully that goes down smoothly.'' Shaman didn''t intend to get close with nor, so it would be rather problematic if she came along permanently.
Kiruya had also walked up, gesturing to Shaman that they should get out of here.
"nor can you stand?" Shaman didn''t want to leave Silver out for too long and they needed to get nor to safety.
"Y-yes." nor tried to stand up, but now that her adrenaline calmed down, the shock of her mana awakening hit her, leaving her body too weak to stand.
Shaman caught nor and, knowing she wouldn''t be able to move, picked her up in a princess carry.
"Kiruya, we are going to move inns so please go ahead and let ra know." Shaman didn''t want to stay in the same spot knowing that there were people after nor.
Opening up a portal to a back alley, Kiruya got a headstart and rushed back to the inn.
"T-thank you again." Elnaor felt quite embarrassed being carried, especially by someone much younger.
"Again no need to thank me." Shaman chuckled and exited out of the same portal.
Luckily no one had gotten a proper look at nor''s face as the wind that was constantly swirling around made it hard to see.
Silver, still having the bond connection with Shaman, was able to find where she was and popped out of the shadow.
"The noble is dead, we are good to go." Silver came out with a smile, happy he was able to do something.
"See? the person you tried to kill is dead." Shaman hoped this would lighten nor''s mood, as the noble was the main reason for her kidnapping. Hopefully with this she could rest easy.
"I appreciate it Silver." Returning the smile to Silver, it was nice to hear that a noble she deeply hated was dead.
"We are returning to the inn. Hopefully Kiruya has a new ce in mind for us to stay in." Shaman informed Silver of their ns and they began to make their way back to the inn.
*
Quickly arriving back at the inn, Kiruya was out the front with ra holding Elysia on her back.
"Kiruya, did you check us out?" Shaman wanted to move as soon as possible and hoped there were noplications.
"Yes, ra also packed all your things so don''t bother going in. I have a ce in mind so follow me." Kiruya didn''t really want to use this next destination of hers, but it was for their own safety.
"Cool, let''s go."
Chapter 195 Kiruya’s Hideout
?Kiruya led the group to the edge of the city which was devoid of any elves. After looking around for a brief moment, Kiruya quickly went up to one of the trees. She put her hands on a certain spot and a magic circle appeared, unveiling a hatch of some kind.
"Alright everybody, this will be our new base." Kiruya opened the hatch, revealing the hollow insides of the tree which seemed to go quite deep.
"Are you sure we just drop down?" Shaman was a bit sceptical since she had nor in her hands.
"Oh don''t worry, one of Freja''s blood portals is there."
"If that''s the case, hold on tight." Shaman trusted Kiruya, but still wanted to be prepared for the worst.
"Mhm." nor gripped onto Shaman''s clothes a bit afraid where she was being taken.
Taking a small hop forward, Shaman dropped down into the hatch and just like Kiruya said, there was a blood portal waiting for her.
Going through the portal, Shaman and nor were transported to the middle of some room. Thending was rough and Shaman, not wanting to crush nor, used her own body to cushion the fall.
"Ow!" Afternding Shaman looked around and saw they were in some kind ofmon room.
"Are we underground?" nor looked up and saw some tree rootsing from the ceiling panels.
"Wait, we should mov-." Shaman realised that they would be in the way of the others, but had no time left to move as ra came through the portal.
"Ahhh!" ra screamed as she saw Shaman and nor had not moved and was about to crash into them.
*Bang*
Landing on top of them with Elysia still on her back, a pile of bodies was beginning to stack up. Shaman, being at the bottom of the stack, felt her soul leaving her body as the weight from everyone was crushing her.
"P-please get off." nor struggled to breathe and tried to push ra off, but the added weight from Elysia made it impossible. However nor remembered she had ess to her mana and so she started to conjure wind.
"I''m trying!" ra wasn''t able to push herself off without crushing Shaman even further or hurting Elysia.
That however, was no longer necessary as nor suddenly pushed them upwards with her wind, throwing Elysia and ra into the air. As they went up into the air nor quickly moved out of the way by rolling.
While ra was in the air Kiruya had alreadye through the portal, having no time to slow her fall before crashing into ra.
Falling back down onto Shaman, this was the final straw, knocking her unconscious.
"What the hell is going on?" Kiruya was confused about what the hell just happened as she tried to push herself off of the ''floor''.
"Ah~." A moan came from ra as Kiruya idently grabbed her chest. Kiruya freaked out, falling back and rolling on the floor.
"Damn it." Hitting her head up against the wall, Kiruya then got up from the ground and was finally able to see what happened.
Shaman, ra and Elysia were still stacked ontop of each other with nor lying on the floor close by.
''Maybe I should have waited a bit longer.'' Knowing it was her call when to jump down the hatch, she just now figured Shaman couldn''t move in time.
ra, now being able to touch the ground, managed to get out from under Elysia, freeing herself from the stack.
"Next time let''s not all jump in super quickly." ra didn''t want to go through that again as she was crushed and even vited in only a short amount of time.
Suddenly Silver who has yet toe through appeared, but anticipating such a mess he was able to quickly slide into the shadows.
"I knew it." Silver poked his head out of the shadows and saw the state of everyone.
"Yeah that''s my bad." Kiruya awkwardly chuckled as Silver looked at her with a rather judgemental look.
"I-is Shaman okay?" nor looked over and saw that Shaman was knocked out. Elysia who had been asleep the whole time did not wake up, not even showing the slightest of reactions at any point.
"Ghe let me check." ra crawled over and checked if she was still breathing.
"Yep she is fine." ra let out a sigh of relief as getting crushed to death isn''t the nicest way to die.
"Okay well I will just exin this ce then." Kiruya didn''t want to wait and she didn''t mind exining it againter.
"Yeah how the hell do you have a ce like this." ra looked around, spotting a kitchen, a sign by a door with a bath symbol and many other doors.
"This was built by Freja so she could teleport to each territory undetected, but they also act as a base." Kiruya walked up to one of the doors and pointed at one of the signs.
[Bedrooms]
"We will be staying here for a while seeing as it''s dangerous outside, especially for nor. Also just so you know we are really deep underground so don''t try digging unless you want the literal to crush you."
"I see, well we should probably get these two in their room." ra got up from the ground and picked up Elysia while Kiruya took Shaman.
After cing them in their room, Kiruya offered to take nor, but she still wanted to talk about what happened to her.
Sitting on the couch Kiruya began to exin what had happened to nor as she only remembered the events just before she awakened.
"Ohhhh so I almost went on a rampage, but Shaman pulled me out of it." Putting the pieces together the small nk in her memory was filled.
"I have to say it took you a while to awaken your mana, do you know why that is?" Kiruya knew that for royalty the use of mana can awaken very early.
"Hmm, well ever since I was born my grandpa always refused to teach me because of my hair." Ostracised by her family because she was born different, nor''s growth has been stunted.
"Tsk should have just killed him." Kiruya hated hearing how badly nor was treated, but it couldn''t be helped.
"Haha don''t worry, I know my brother Ren and father love me dearly. They were the only ones against it though."
"Wait, your mother agreed to it?" Kiruya picked up on how nor''s mother wasn''t mentioned and Kiruya was well aware she was still alive.
"Y-yeah about her, because my father married into the family he was more willing to change, but it seemed like my grandparents'' teachings stuck with my mother." nor teared up a little, having to recall the painful truth, as it was hard toe to terms with her own mother turning against her.
"Howe your father hasn''t done anything?" Silver couldn''t understand why the grandfather had so much power especially if nor''s father would be much stronger by this point.
"That''s because the grandfather is the reason why it''s impossible to attack the city." Kiruya, knowing why it was impossible, exined to Silver how it worked.
"How though?"
"He is essentially the battery for the barrier around the city. So until he runs out of mana, which is still a few years away, they can''t kill him. You might ask what will they do once he dies, but that''s when the world tree takes over. Still, it can onlyst so long before it too needs to recover. This is the true role of the royal family. Once they grow old they take over that task, letting the world tree rest so that the forest doesn''t fall apart." Kiruya tried to give a condensed exnation as there was more to how it worked, but it was not important to them at the moment.
"So one day nor would have to supply the tree with mana once she is old?" Silver started making sense of the situation, but still found it rather unfair.
"Yes, but because of her hair they consider her to be impure, hence why she was exiled." Kiruya clenched her fist just saying it, but that was the cruel reality.
ra hearing the situation became a bit frustrated as well, as it sounded outrageous that just because of nor''s hair she no longer was a part of the family.
"W-well it is true, our hair is the indicator of our mana so as soon as there was no sign of me going blonde I was deemed a failure." nor, remembering the words just before she was exiled, had no other choice but to believe this to be the case.
"How backwards are they?" ra, who was royalty herself, found it ridiculous as mana was something that is drawn upon from the outside, not something you''re born with.
"I know, but still no matter what I do I won''t ever be epted back."
"That isn''t true, you have awakened your mana and now you just have to prove to them you don''t need some hair colour." ra believed that if nor was able to show she could use mana it would allow her to return.
"I-."
"It''s worth a shot." Kiruya agreed with ra. Hopefully, showing them how wrong they were would allow nor to go back to her family.
"T-thank you." nor, once again allowing herself to feel hope in her heart, was ovee by emotion and started crying once more.
Chapter 196 Bloodline Arts Activation
?"Fuck! my whole body hurts." Shaman finally woke up after having been crushed and felt a wave of pain go through her body.
Looking around, she saw Elysia snuggled up next to her asleep. Out of habit, Shaman patted Elysia''s head, then continued to look around to figure out where she was.
''Oh that''s right, we went to Kiruya''s secret hideout.'' Remembering what happened before, the pieces were aligning, solving the riddle of where she was.
''I guess since Elysia is here everyone else is resting, although I don''t even know what the time is.'' Contemting whether she should get up or continue sleeping, Shaman kept looking at Elysia and then the door.
''Yeahhh we will sleep a bit longer.'' Laying back down, she gotfortable and hugged Elysia. However, just as she was fading back into sleep ra mmed the door open.
"Wake up youzy vixens!" ra, appearing with fresh bed hair, yelled them out of their stupor, her voice echoing out throughout the entire hideout.
Shaman shot up, followed by Elysia as well who thought she was in danger and leaped to grab her spear.
"ra! What''s with the sudden wake-up call? I was enjoying my snuggle time!" Elysia red at ra since she disturbed the peace and quiet they were having.
"You have been out for a whole day alright, we can''t stay cooped up here forever." Only after exining to her that she''d been out for a whole day did Elysia stop ring at ra.
"A whole day!?" Shaman was surprised she was out that long, but she then remembered they''d just raided the dungeon, so it wasn''t too far-fetched to think they were exhausted.
"Anyway, Kiruya wants to fill you in soe out soon." After ra delivered the message, she quickly turned and left.
*Sigh* "I guess we should get up." Shaman pulled herself out of bed, still reluctant to leave the warmth it provided.
"Hey Shaman." Elysia, who had woken for the first time since the dungeon, couldn''t quite remember what had happened.
"Eli?" Shaman looked back and saw the worried look on Elysia''s face.
"W-what happened during the dungeon?"
*
Shaman while getting changed exined to Elysia what happened to her and the fox form she gained. The mention of this form brought back memories of the moments just before she activated the skill.
"I see, good thing I didn''t hurt you. The description of the skill was rather worrying." Elysia initially hesitated to use the full form due to entering an irrational state.
"Heh, guess you can say your love truly prevailed." After speaking it out loud Shaman cringed at herself for saying it, but she saw Elysia blush.
"Y-yes indeed." Putting her hands to her chest, Elysia was happy that things turned out okay, not to mention that the situation was proof that her feelings were real.
"Ahem, anyway, we should get going, Kiruya is waiting for us." Shaman changed into her usual casual outfit and so did Elysia. Stepping out, they walked down a hallway before reaching the living room where Kiruya was sitting on the couch.
"About damn time." Kiruya had been sitting and waiting for the two for about 30 minutes and was about to get up.
"Sorryyy Elysia wanted to know what happen, so I exined it to her." Hearing why they took so long, Kiruya then let out a sigh as she couldn''t argue.
"Fair enough,e sit down. I need to tell you what I told the others." Kiruya gestured at them to sit on the couch. Once they all sat down, Kiruya began to recite what was said when they arrived and exined how the hideout functioned.
*
After about another 30 minutes of talking, Kiruya finished her small lecture and they could finally move on.
"Now that you know the exit is behind you through a portal, feel free toe in and out, but make sure no one is around."
"Mhm." Shaman nodded her head and was d it was finally over. Elysia however, went back to sleep while leaning on Shaman.
Kiruya gave a rather unimpressed look, but she couldn''t be bothered to deal with Elysia''s antics and left it up to Shaman to ry her the information.
"Now, do we want to head back to the dungeon today or do we want to take today off?" Kiruya let them do as they please as yesterday was a hectic day, so she didn''t mind if they didn''t do anything today.
"Hmm I think we will take the time to rest, plus I got something from my system and would like to use it." Shaman remembered the skill select and wanted to try to acquire the same skills as Elysia.
"Sounds good to me, I believe ra is taking a bath and Silver is still in bed. Since there is nothing else to do, I will go make a report back to Freja that everyone is okay." Kiruya stood up and headed towards her room.
Shaman waved at Kiruya and once she left the room shook Elysia lightly until she woke up.
"Huh?" Elysia leaned off Shaman and quickly got her bearings as she was still half asleep.
"Wake up, we have some things to do." Bonking Elysia on the head to wake her up, Elysia''s attention was now fully on Shaman.
"Tsk, let me sleep more."
"No, nowe with me." Shaman pulled Elysia up from the couch and dragged her to the open space that was in themon area.
"What are we doing?" Elysia had no clue what Shaman wanted to do and, still feeling sleepy, was a bit slow on the uptake.
"I want to use my skill select we got from the quest, and I intend to get the bloodline arts you have." Shaman exined her n to Elysia, making her eyes widen from shock since she didn''t think it was possible.
"Apparently I will need you for it, so here we are." Shaman opened up her system and saw in her inventory the skill selects.
"Oh yeah, don''t forget to use your points." Seeing a notification symbol on her profile icon, Shaman quickly spent her points.
[Attributes]
Unused: 500 -> 0
Vitality: 600 -> 700
Agility: 650 -> 750
Intelligence: 710 ->810
Strength: 750 -> 800
Dexterity: 710 -> 760
Defence: 600 -> 700
Feeling the usual tingles through her body, Shaman waited for it to be over before going back to her inventory. Elysia had also spent her points and her body shivered slightly from the feeling.
"Alright, now let''s see what we have to do." Shaman opened the skill select screen and knowing what she was looking for entered in the name. Showing the results for bloodline arts, there was also a variant of the skill.
[Bloodline arts]
[Bloodline arts C Original]
Shaman wondered what the difference was, thinking it could mean choosing between another family''s bloodline to creating her own. At this point, Rea stepped in to exin what it meant as well as using it as an excuse to talk again.
[As you just thought, the skill allows you to create your own bloodline skills. There was a reason why you needed Elysia as it will allow you ess to the same skills she had.]
"Ohh I see, but you made it sound like I had to do some ritual?" Shaman thought back to how Rea said there were ingredients necessary, but that she already had them.
[Yes, you need Elysia''s blood in order to do this and the system should be able to do the rest.]
"I see, well I guess I just click on it, and we begin?" Shaman didn''t see any point in waiting and so she clicked the skill.
[Mhm.]
"You okay with this Eli?" Shaman quickly asked just to make sure but assumed it would be okay.
"Yeah, I''m fine." Elysia was quite intrigued by this and wondered if she would be able to use the same skills as Shaman.
Getting Elysia''s confirmation, Shaman waited for the following prompt toe up, telling her what she needed to do.
[In order to activate your own bloodline arts please consume the blood of someone else]
A message came up and Shaman was a little thrown back by the wording as it asked to drink Elysia''s blood.
"What''s up?" Elysia became a little worried seeing Shaman''s expression, hoping it wasn''t bad.
"Oh it''s okay, just need to drink your blood apparently." Shaman exined and Elysia, hearing what needed to be done, bit her lip as it sounded nice to her.
"Oi don''t give me that look." Shaman saw the sensual look on Elysia''s face and knew where her head was.
"Oops, hehe~." Elysia giggled while exposing her shoulder to let Shaman get the blood.
*Sigh* "Whatever." Shaman, knowing Elysia would make it sexual, did not bother to try to stop her.
Walking up to Elysia, Shaman opened her mouth revealing the small fangs she had and bit down on Elysia''s shoulder.
"AH~!" Moaning as loud as she could to be extra annoying, Shaman still held on trying to y into Elysia''s n.
Blood came out from the bite marks and Shaman began to suck on the wound, drinking the blood.
*Ding*
The system went off and Shaman pulled away from Elysia while using a heal spell to heal the bite mark. However, Elysia immediately stopped Shaman from continuing her healing.
"Let the mark stay hehe~." Wanting to keep the mark since it was from Shaman, Elysia quickly got a cloth from her inventory and held it on the wound until it stopped bleeding.
"Fineee." Shaman wasn''t going to protest and didn''t mind as it was a rather nice feeling marking Elysia in such a way.
[Proceed to the next stage]
[Yes | No]
Seeing the prompt, Shaman clicked on yes and suddenly a light blue magic circle appeared beneath her feet.
Chapter 197 [Royal Bloodline Arts]
?Looking around her, Shaman was not sure if what was happening was a good thing. The light that came from the circle attracted the attention of Silver and ra.
Silver rushed out of his room to see what was happening and ra hade out of the bath still wet with a towel wrapped around her.
"What the hell is going on?!" ra called out, panicking about the suddenmotion.
"Don''t worry, everything is fine. I think." Shaman showed that she was okay for the time being and waited for what was going to happen next. Elysia looked in awe as the symbols on the magic circle looked familiar, but she wasn''t able to figure out why.
The magic circle then began to spin and rise from the ground. Shaman felt her body tingle as it passed through her, unsure what was happening to her body.
Another thing that urred when the circle passed through her body, was that fur started covering her body just like Elysia. Snow white fur with ck tips now covered her skin, and when the circle finally finished passing through the entirety of her body, she was in her own new hybrid fox form.
After the transformation wasplete, the ends of her hair suddenly turned into her stardust element, as if there were small gxies at the ends of her hair. By now everyone watching was utterly captivated.
"Oh wow, this feels amazing." Shaman looked at herself and did a small twirl trying to get a feel for the form.
[You have sessfully created your own bloodline]
[Royal bloodline arts unlocked]
[Anyone who''s part of your family will be able to acquire these skills, but they will take on a form relevant to their element]
[Due to consuming the blood of the Dahlia family you have inherited their skills and Since your bond with Elysia is that of a lover she will also gain the benefits of your bloodline]
Reading through the system messages, Shaman then looked up to Elysia who also received one.
"Well, I wasn''t expecting this." Elysia was surprised to see she now had new benefits and wondered if Silver got something simr.
ra saw that everything was fine, so she slowly backed away since she only had a towel covering her body and needed to get changed.
"Phew, it wasn''t anything bad."
Silver walked up to Shaman and confirmed he also got a system notification as he was her son.
"Mother, I also got the bloodline arts." Silver looked up to Shaman questioningly, looking for an answer as to what it meant for him.
"Haha great, let me go back to my human form before I look into the skill." Shaman wanted to test it out before their next visit to the dungeon, but preferred to test them first in her humanoid form.
Once back to normal, Shaman opened up her system to get a better look at the skill.
[Royal Bloodline arts]
Various skills will be unique only to you and your family members. Because of your royalty status, a variant was created and all derived skills have been enhanced to be purer.
[Hybrid transformation - Stardust]
Inherited from the Dahlia family, you will transform into a hybrid state with heightened physical strength that resembles more the fox side of your race. The element stardust is enhanced and mana consumption is reduced.
[Full transformation - Stardust Fox]
Inherited from the Dahlia family, you will be able to transform into a beast which further increases yourbat potential. However, This puts you in an irrational state and you will attack anything on sight.
Once you exit the form you will experience mana deficiency for at least 2 days.
[Unique skill - Elemental form]
Due to your ability to wield so many elements you have now been granted the ability to transform into any elemental fox. The colour of your hair will indicate which state you are in, but prolonged use will result in mana deficiency.
[Unique skill - Gxy field]
Once activated, switch your domain to that of a gxy that has the same properties as your stardust. This has high mana consumption so use it at your own risk.
[More skills will be unlocked and can be added if the user creates something unique. All skills can be used by other members but will be changed to fit the family members'' elements.]
"That was a lot." Shaman went over to the couch to sit down while showing the screen to Elysia and Silver to see. Elysia and Silver also made their way over reading as they sat down.
"I can see the changes it made to mine, so I can make a fire domain, but I didn''t get anything simr to your elemental form." Elysia spoke out about what she had gotten and was a little disappointed she only got the domain.
"Hmm, you only wield one element so maybe it''s time you get a new one and maybe it will activate? I know it said it can be added too." Shaman assumed it was theck of elements and she knew Elysia had been wanting to get a new one but didn''t know what.
"I''ll ask Kiruya to help me decide, seeing as there can be pretty unique elements." Elysia, seeing the rather odd elements that could be formed, wondered if it was possible to create one.
"Well, I will leave that to you. Silver, is it the same for you?" Shaman assumed Silver had a shadow variant of the skills.
"Mhm, I can also go into a hybrid Wolf form, but it''s greyed out because my body is not able to handle the current skill.
"Damn what a way to say wait until you are older." Shaman giggled a little bit but found it understandable as Silver was technically just a teenager.
[His looks and age corrte to his level, so maybe once he reaches tier 6 he will be able to look a bit older.] Rea jumped in as Silver''s existence is rather unique.
"Wait so once he is tier 10 he will be an old man?" Shaman froze for a moment as something felt incredible wrong with having Silver look older.
[No, no, he will still look young, but there will be elerated maturity so probably early twenties when he reaches tier 10.]
"Phew I still keep my innocent boy for a bit longer." Shaman let out a sigh of relief as well Elysia.
"Hehe, I can''t wait." Silver wanted to grow up and so knowing that it was linked to his level, he was even more determined to climb higher.
"Anyway with that sorted, looks like we have be a bit more connected. I wonder if ra can fall under this family association." Shaman wanted everyone to be able to get ess to the skills as it would be a big boost to their power.
"Hmm that will be a tricky one unless" Elysia once again thought about epting ra into their rtionship, but as it crossed her mind, her obsessive feelings welled up and the urge to kill came back.
''Looks like that one is still a work in progress.'' Elysia needed to have a chat with ra and try to tackle the feelings she had, but was afraid of hurting ra.
"Unless?" Shaman was curious about what Elysia was thinking about as for a moment she had the same look she got when thinking about murder.
"O-oh nothing, just trying to think, but I came up with nothing." Not wanting to reveal her thoughts as she assumed it would make Shaman angry, Elysia came up with an excuse.
"Hmm fine, but if youe up with something please tell me." Shaman instantly knew what Elysia was thinking as the look said everything, but Shaman did not want to invade her privacy.
"Mhm." Elysia nodded as the door that led to the bedrooms opened.
"What happened? I saw this blue light, but I-I was too scared toe out." nor hade out of her room still cautious.
"Oh don''t worry I just picked up a new skill and we were just going through them." Shaman exined what had happened and nor seemingly rxed.
"That''s a relief, well seeing as you have gotten a new skill, do you n on going to the dungeon now?" nor fidgeted a little nervous as thest time she was left alone, she was kidnapped.
"We will probably stay here for one more day and tomorrow we will continue our raids, so don''t worry we are not leaving you alone just yet." Shaman was able to tell nor''s anxiousness and, knowing Elysia was most likely still under the effects of mana deficiency, Shaman didn''t mind taking onest day off.
"I''m d." nor held her hand to her chest and sat down with everyone, happy that she won''t be alone.
ra had also finished her bath and came out in her casual clothes asking a simr question. Being told the same thing, ra was rather happy as it gave her more time to sleep. However, feeling a bit social sheid down on one of the couches to listen in on whatever they were talking about.
Chapter 198 Clara And Elysia’s Talk
?Night had arrived. Elysia was turning in bed, unable to sleep, her mind gued by worry over whether she should try to ept ra into their rtionship.
''Fuck it, I will just talk to her.'' Building up the courage to finally talk to ra, Elysia carefully got out of bed, trying not to wake Shaman up.
Entering the hallway, her nervousness began to build up and she started to second guess herself.
Now just outside of ra''s room, Elysia was contemting whether she should go through with this or not.
''I need to do this for both me and Shaman.'' Elysia held her hand to her chest finding the situation rather difficult.
Raising her hand up to the door, Elysia finally gave it a few knocks.
"Coming~." ra called out and quickly came to the door. Opening up, she was shocked to see Elysia and became rather defensive.
"It''s okay, I''m not here to assassinate you or anything. I-I just wanted to talk about our feelings." Elysia stumbled on her words slightly as the mere thought of ra having feelings for Shaman caused Elysia to be irritated.
"O-oh okay." ra eased up a little bit, but she did not let her guard down.
''Why does she want to talk about that? I know Elysia has been a bit more epting of me as ofte but didn''t think we would have this conversation so soon.'' ra noticed that Elysia had a better grip on her obsessiveness, seeming much more reasonable than her usual threatening self.
"Well,e in and take a seat." ra felt extremely nervous as she had not been prepared at all and the suddenness of the situation made it worse.
Walking into ra''s room, Elysia sat down on a chair while ra sat across from her on the bed.
"So what specifically did you want to talk about?" ra was still a little unsure what Elysia was after, but she could make a good guess what it was about.
"You probably guessed it, but it''s about our feelings for Shaman." Elysia fidgeted with her hands trying to make sure she didn''t explode.
"I see, I wasn''t expecting this to be so soon." ra looked down as she was a bit surprised that Elysia even knew that ra had an attachment to Shaman.
"Yeah well, Shaman has been pestering me to talk it out and get myself under control." Elysia scratched the back of her head as she recalled the many times Shaman nagged Elysia.
"Aha well what did you want to talk about first?" ra wanted to get straight to the point as she felt extremely nervous and wanted to get it over with.
"Hmm well, for starters I wanted to ask how you see Shaman?" Elysia wanted a direct answer. Although she guessed ra had some feelings, Elysia needed to hear it from her directly.
Hearing the question, ra couldn''t help but freeze for a moment, as depending on her answer she felt like she could get herself killed.
''I know I have some interest, but I told myself I would suppress it.'' ra had no idea what to do as she wanted to hold off on developing anything for Shaman because of Elysia.
''Do I be honest, or do I lie?'' ra contemted if it was a good idea to hide the truth, but at the same time, if she kept hiding it, her rtionship with Elysia would never improve.
''No, I can''t lie, especially not now.'' After mulling over it for a few more seconds ra decided to be upfront with how she felt. Taking a deep breath before answering, she steeled her resolve.
"I have some interest, but I have suppressed my feelings. Still, if she wasn''t with you, I see myself being with Shaman." ra readied herself for Elysia to attack, but surprisingly she did not move or show any signs of attacking.
"Hmm, I understand." Elysia took a deep breath and thought for a moment to formte a response.
''I was hoping it was a no, but it seems like that won''t be the case.'' Elysia''s best-case scenario was that ra had no interest in Shaman, but that was a false hope in and of itself.
''I don''t want to hate ra for having feelings, it''s totally normal, but at the same time I don''t want that to be a threat to our rtionship.'' Elysia knew it was stupid to think that ra would do anything to bring her harm, but due to Shaman being the only family she has left in the world, losing her would mean she lost everything.
''Maybe I should try what Shaman said and open my heart to ra. It might be better that way, as at least then I could stop viewing ra as an enemy.'' Elysia considered changing her view on ra. That way maybe they could work together to please Shaman rather than be at each other''s throats.
''I like the sound of that. If I end up with feelings for ra as well, maybe it won''t be so bad.'' Elysia''s mind began to imagine different scenarios and she couldn''t help blushing a little.
In a spur of excitement, Elysia quickly stood up from her chair.
"U-ummm, this might sound weird, but how about we both date Shaman at the same time?" Strangely enough, Elysia noticed that the side of her that would get agitated was not ring up. Surprised to find that ra has slowly warmed her way into her heart, Elysia realised she was no longer feeling threatened by ra.
Although it would take time for Elysia to adapt and for her to actually get emotionally attached, it was something to work towards. ra was a little stunned by the idea and even blushed. Giving it some thought, she concluded it was something she could live with.
"I-I, y-yeah sure, why not." ra felt like she couldn''t say no as there were no real negatives and it may even be something healthy for the both of them.
"Phew." Elysia let out a sigh of relief as she expected ra to be weirded out or look down on her.
"Wait, hang on, but what about you? Are you sure you are able to handle it?" ra was rather concerned for the long term as she could see Elysia eventually snapping.
"Hmm, I don''t know." Elysia had thought about it for a moment until her face suddenly went red.
"??" ra was curious as to what Elysia had just thought of, leading her imagination to wander in simr directions...
''Damnit why do I have these thoughts?'' Elysia had thought about the kind of things they would do together, but this was pushing it a little too far and she could feel herself wanting tosh out.
ra, who also went red, was still finding this all hard to believe and the spiral of her thoughts only made the conversation even more awkward.
''I mean that would fix the many issues between us, but that doesn''t solve the underlying problem. However, what if the problem doesn''t need to be fixed?'' ra thought that as long as they did not get any more group members there was no reason to fix the issueHell, perhaps they could even use it to their advantage.
Sitting there embarrassed by their thoughts, the two remained silent until ra finally spoke.
"W-well how about we focus on the small things and see where it goes from there, plus we need to talk to Shaman."
ra was fine with any oue, but if they wanted to move things forward, they''ll have to take it step by step.
"I-I think so too." Elysia felt a little mad at herself for having those thoughts about ra, but in the end, if Shaman was okay with it then Elysia will try her best to let ra in as well.
After fighting off the lewd thoughts they were having, they continued on to talk for a little longer.
"So what now?" ra had no idea what Elysia had in store and wanted to make sure they were on the same page.
"For now, I want us to work together so we can ept each other, but I will warn you now that if you go too fast I will most likely end upshing out." After their heart to heart talk, Elysia felt a lot morefortable with ra and was willing to tell her more.
"That''s easy enough, but you know, sometimes mistakes are unavoidable, especially considering Shaman can be a bit pushy and may force me into a risky position." ra was sweating after Elysia''s threat as she saw many times how Shaman didn''t think much of the consequences of her teasing.
"Haha, those times don''t bother me. You see, as long as Shaman allows it I don''t seem to be affected by it as much, so in a sense you are safe as long as Shaman is okay with it." Elysia felt rather proud of herself for getting better at understanding herself as well as finding ways to abuse it.
"Ohhh I see, that helps relieve a lot of my stress. Sometimes I felt like you would just pounce at me at a moment''s notice." ra also admitted that she had been feeling rather stressed when around Shaman due to Elysia.
"Oh I''m sorry about that, but I''m d we were able to clear this up and I hope you can feel morefortable around me." Elysia was already enjoying ra''spany and was d she was able to talk to someone else normally for once.
''Tsk, why was I so afraid? I really need to stop this horrible attitude towards everyone.'' Elysia was seeing why it was such a huge problem but nheless was happy with the progress she had made.
"Aha, Likewise, I was feeling a bit isted from the group, so I''m d we can talk like this." ra felt a huge weight was taken off her shoulders and now she could truly feel a part of the group.
Chapter 199 Shaman’s Take
?After Elysia and ra finished their talk, they now needed to talk to Shaman.
"Do we wake her up?" ra followed Elysia to her room, but now that they''ve reached their destination she was having second thoughts.
"I''d rather not wait, otherwise I feel like I would have lost this opportunity." Elysia felt that if she waited to have the talk with Shaman then her other side would ruin this chance.
"F-fair enough." ra nodded her head. She too felt that the longer they waited the more agonising it would get.
Walking inside Shaman and Elysia''s room, Elysia touched the crystal on the wall to turn on the light. When they turned on the light, they were surprised to see Shaman already sitting in a chair waiting for them.
"I see, having a secret affair during the night now are we?" Shaman smirked as she eavesdropped on their conversation and knew exactly what they wereing for.
"N-NO!" Elysia instantly rejected it, but after thinking about it some more, she realised Shaman wasn''t far off, especially since the topic was about dating. ra hearing Shaman could only blush and look away as she had no good retorts.
"Haha~ I am only joking, nowe take a seat." Shaman didn''t want to drag the joke on as she feared Elysia might get a bit angry.
"Hmph!" Elysia pouted and sat down on the bed followed by ra, who held her head low, still hiding her face.
"No need to worry too much ra, if anything I''m super happy that Elysia was able to finally open up." Shaman knew ra must be feeling rather uneasy, especially with how vtile Elysia can be.
"Y-yes." Raising her head she took a deep breath, waiting for what Shaman had to say.
"So, what were you doing, Elysia?" Although Shaman already knew, she wanted to hear it from Elysia''s mouth.
"W-we have decided after talking about it, that I''m willing to ept ra into our rtionship." Elysia felt herself shiver saying it aloud and thoughts began to fill her head about killing ra.
"Hmm, that''s fine." Shaman felt a bit of relief hearing Elysia say it and smiled, knowing ra seemed to have an interest for a while now but never approached.
The feelings inside Elysia suddenly washed away, confirming that as long as Shaman was okay with it, then there would be no issue. ra''s face lit up as she felt the developing feelings she had been oppressinge back out.
"Phew, looks like I can handle it." Taking a few deep breaths Elysia felt extremely proud of herself for being able to do it.
"Fufu~ good job Eli, I knew you could do it." Shaman leaned forward and patted Elysia''s head as a small reward.
"Now before we get too ahead of ourselves. ra, are you ready to enter such a rtionship or do you still need more time." Shaman was still feeling a bit nervous about a three way rtionship as this would be a first for her as well. ra wasn''t sure what to answer so she took a moment to think about it more seriously.
''I don''t even think I''m ready.'' The realisation was kicking in for Shaman, but she tried to think of the positives of the situation.
''Well, as long as everyone is happy and I give them both an equal amount of attention, then there shouldn''t be an issue. Also,municating will be important, so I need to make sure there is no jealousy or fighting.'' While waiting for ra to respond, Shaman thought it over carefully, contemting whether she was okay with it and how to go about it.
''Wait, is it normal to have multiple partners in this world? I assumed it was like mine where it wasn''t really epted.'' Shaman all of a sudden realised that it may be normal for such a thing to happen and that may be why ra was so epting of it.
[You will be correct, it ismon for people to date multiple people, but usually, the partners aren''t romantically involved with each other, so your situation is a little unique. But do not worry, even if you inherit the fox realm it will not be seen as taboo or weird.] Rea interjected, helping Shaman confirm her decision.
''I see, well that makes things a bit easier.'' Shaman was convincing herself more and more with each passing thought.
''Alright, this should work out. It will be difficult, especially with Elysia, but as long as we keepmunicating our feelings in an open and healthy manner we should be fine.'' Dering her resolve in her mind, she was ready for whatever answer ra was going to give.
ra, who was still deep in thought, finally seemed ready to give an answer.
"Yes?" Shaman prompted ra toe forward with her answer.
"Y-yes I am willing to enter this r-rtionship." ra stuttered as it was a big decision for her, especially since it was actually forbidden for demons to enter a rtionship with other races.
''I hope when I head to the demonnds I don''t get exiled for this.'' Knowing she was potentially the missing heir to the demonnds, the fact that this rtionship may prevent her from ever going back to her homnd was a big deal.
"Well, wee aboard, I am not really sure what else to say. Well ain''t this awkward?" Shaman felt like there should have been more build-up, like a sudden kiss at the climax, but it was a lot more civilised.
"Haha I have no clue either, but all I can say is that I feel extremely happy." ra started to cry as she felt a wave of emotions fill her heart. It was finally sinking in that things were really happening.
Without thinking Shaman quickly got up and hugged ra while patting her head. Elysia was hesitant at first, but she also joined in on the hug, deciding it is something she has to get used to.
"T-thank you so much." ra hugged both Shaman and Elysia back, grateful for both of them.
''This isn''t so bad.'' Although Elysia thought it would be an impossible task, she found herself hating it less and less. Being able to be there for both of them was a nice feeling for Elysia and she started to question why she was so obsessive.
*
After ra cried for about 10 minutes she had finally fallen asleep and now the question was, does she join them in the bed?
"You okay with it?" Shaman wasn''t sure if Elysia was fully epting of it, so it was better to ask before the hideout went up in mes.
"Yes it''s fine, as long as I know you are okay with it, I don''t get agitated like I usually would." Elysia exined how her emotions seemed to work, which was really good and useful news for Shaman.
"Oh good, well then ra can sleep with us tonight. Although the bed is a little small now I''m sure you don''t mind cuddling up?" Shaman was now beginning to see a problem and that would be sleeping space.
"Haha of course! as long as you are in the middle." Elysia had no issues with it, but she still would like to be close to Shaman.
"Cool." Shaman nodded her head while lifting ra up, Shaman then ced her on one side of the bed.
Elysia and Shaman also climbed into bed and gotfortable, however they did not realise how little room they had.
"Okay maybe we ask Kiruya for a bigger bed, but who knows, ra might want to sleep in her own room for the time being." Elysia snuggled as close as she could while making her suggestion.
"We will see." As Shaman got closer to Elysia, ratched onto Shaman in her sleep, hugging her arm. Shaman quickly looked over to see if ra had woken up, but seeing that wasn''t the case, all she could do was smile.
"Goodnight~." Shaman quickly gave one kiss to Elysia and one to ra on the forehead. This also served as a final test test as to how Elysia would react. As Shaman had hoped, Elysia was not affected at all and it was beginning to seem like her temper waspletely gone.
''No don''t get too ahead of yourself, I''m sure we will encounter some problems.'' Shaman did not want to believe everything was fine and expected at some point Elysia to crack.
Shutting her eyes finally, Shaman went to sleep with Elysia and ra in her arms.
[ra ??? has been added to the list of lovers, she will now be able to use lovers call and ess the shared inventory.]
[Due to ra''s origins, the potential to gain demonic traits is now possible. Only avable during evolution, please consult system assistant for more information.]
[New title unlocked: Partner of the Demon Queen]
[User receives a certain amount of control over lower ranking demons, which bes stronger as the rtionship bond gets stronger.]
Shaman had not seen the system notifications yet, but by entering a rtionship with ra she had unlocked benefits due to ra''s demonic heritage.
Chapter 200 How Did This Happen?
?Morning came and ra slowly opened her eyes only to be met with Shaman''s sleeping face.
''H-huh what happened?'' Panicking for a moment she tried to move, only to realise that not only were her hands stuck underneath Shaman, but she was also being hugged by her in return.
''How did this even happen?'' ra felt her head spinning as the situation seemed too surreal while the happenings of the night before felt like a fading dream.
''Wait! Last night, That was real? Oh god, what have I gotten myself into?'' Recalling what happened before she fell asleep,bined with the situation she was in finally convinced her that everything was real.
"ra?" Shaman woke up from ra''s squirming and wondered what was wrong.
"O-oh I''m fine, just trying to process what the hell happened and figure out if this is real." Hearing ra''s exnation of the chaotic state her mind was in, Shaman could understand why ra felt this way.
"Well, would this help make it feel more real?" Shaman, still tired since she just woke up, didn''t think about her actions.
"Hu-." ra was going to ask what Shaman meant, but before she could speak, Shaman leaned in and kissed ra.
Holding it for 30 seconds, Shaman finally pulled away, leaving ra speechless as her mind descended even further into chaos.
"I-I"
"It''s okay, rest a bit longer and let it sink in." Shaman patted ra on the head. ra''s mind gave up on catching up to her situation as she closed her eyes and fell back to sleep. Shaman smiled and leaned back into the pillow, closing her eyes as well while slowly patting ra.
**
"OI! It''s time to wake up!" Kiruya mmed open the door to Shaman''s bedroom as they were meant to be heading to the dungeon today.
"Gehhh, do we have to get up?" Shaman sat up while escaping the arms of Elysia and ra.
"Wait, hold on, am I seeing things?" Kiruya wasn''t sure if what she was seeing was true so she slowly closed the door. Shaman tilted her head wondering what the hell she was doing.
Kiruya then opened the door again and, seeing ra in the bed still, mmed the door shut and opened it again.
"That''s ra right?" Rubbing her eyes, it was starting to dawn on Kiruya that her task of solving Elysia''s problem may have just taken care of itself.
"Yes?" Shaman didn''t know why Kiruya was acting in such a way, but once she thought about it, it did seem a bit odd for ra to suddenly be sleeping with them.
"What''s all that noise?" ra sat up from the bed, rubbing her eyes and wondering what was all the racket about. She also leaned into Shaman to keep herself from falling back into the bed.
Kiruya blinked in surprise as now she was forced to believe it was true.
"Shamannnnnne back!" Elysia also woke up and tried to drag her back into bed, but then she saw Kiruya at the door.
"Oh hey there Kiruya." Sitting up, Elysia awkwardly chuckled as her morning attitude was embarrassing.
"Hello Elysia, anyway I think I see what''s going on now, Shaman you have some exining to do. In the meantime, get ready to head over to the dungeon while I go inform Freya." Kiruya needed time to think as it was quite the bomb to find out things changed overnight without her even doing anything.
Shutting the door to the bedroom, Kiruya quickly went back to her room to contact Freya about the news.
"I think she is more shocked than ra was when I came to talk to her." Elysia looked over to ra, finding Kiruya''s reaction amusing.
"Haha well in her position she probably thought it was an impossible task, so I don''t me her." ra knew she would have acted rather shocked if she suddenly witnessed this kind of situation as well, even if it didn''t involve her, so she understood Kiruya''s behaviour.
"Enough chatting, we really need to start picking up speed and try to get to tier 6." Shaman didn''t want to linger for too long as she could imagine Kiruya getting angry if they weren''t ready before she came back.
"Alright~."
"Oh yes you''re right, I''ll head back to my room since that''s where my clothes are." ra quickly left Shaman''s room, rushing back to hers to get changed.
"Hmm? But doesn''t she store everything in her inventory?" Elysia realised that most of their stuff was already packed in their inventory and she simply assumed ra did the same.
"Maybe she is too used to living without it, but oh well she can do whatever she wants." Shaman paid no attention to it as there was no reason to.
"Hehe~ well you like watching me change anyway, don''t you? There is a reason why I don''t use the quick-equip, so I''m surprised you didn''t get her to stay." Elysia had a grin as she always noticed Shaman''s gaze when changing.
"Shut up!" Shaman blushed and turned her head as she was unable to deny this.
"Heh~."
*
"Freya you won''t believe this!" Kiruya had frantically pulled out the stone she was given to contact Freya.
"Hai, hai, what is it, you''re lucky I give your reports a priority as you caught me busy attending to the girls." Freya sounded like she just woke up. A momentter another woman''s voice suddenly came from the stone.
"Is that kiruya? Oh my, it''s been so long, pleasee back soon sweetie without you our sessions just aren''t the same~." Marsha the half cat spoke through the stone, but as her voice got closer there was a sudden noise as if someone got thrown across the room.
"MeOWWW!!!" A sharp meow came from the stone but came out muffled, likelying from further away.
"Ahem, what did you want to say Kiruya?" Freya tried to brush it off as if nothing happened and continued on with the conversation,
"U-umm well it seems things have taken an unexpected turn and ra is a part of the rtionship now." Kiruya wasn''t going to question what happened to Marsha, so she instantly spoke about the reason why she had called.
"You''re joking right?" Freya couldn''t believe her ears as she indeed thought it would be a long process.
"What would you say if I im to have seen all three of them in bed together?" Kiruya saying it out loud found it hard to believe her own words, but it was the truth.
"HAHAHAHAHA, NO WAY!!!" Freya burst outughing as she wasn''t expecting this oue and thought she would have to step in.
"You know what, I aming over. You are in the hideout I made, correct?" Freya needed to see the situation for herself and was already getting ready to teleport over.
"Y-yes, but are you sure?!?! Wouldn''t that cause a stir?" Kiruya frantically left her room while carrying the stone as she had to prepare for Freya''s arrival.
"Don''t worry, I will onlye to the hideout and then head straight back." Freya then suddenly cut the line and left Kiruya hanging.
"Ahhhh! I got to get ready!" Kiruya ran out to the living room, but as soon as she opened the door, A blonde she-wolf came walking through a blood portal in rather casual clothes. Her grey and green piercing gaze washed over Kiruya, sending small shivers down her spine.
"Hey there darling~, hope I am not interrupting anything." Freya hade to the hideout to see for herself what was going on.
"I-I. Hello, Mistress." Kiruya was not mentally prepared at all, but all she could do was ept things as they were.
"Now let me see if this is true." Freya walked past Kiruya to the bedrooms. Being able to `sense Shaman''s mana, she knew exactly which room she was in.
The noticeable detail was that there were indeed 3 people in Shaman''s bedroom and Freya began to get excited at that thought.
Opening the door, she was greeted by Shaman, Elysia and ra hugging each other.
"FREYA!!" Shaman shot up in shock as it was thest person she expected to see at the moment.
"Ara~ So it is true you have all hooked up, I must say I am very proud of you Shaman~." Freya, being always involved in multiple rtionships herself, felt rather proud of Shaman as she knew better than most it was not easy to build such a bond.
"I should have stayed in my room." ra was extremely embarrassed. She could have just dressed in her own room, but instead rushed back to Shaman''s hoping to sneak in some snuggling.
*Sigh* "I appreciate your words BUT DID YOU HAVE TO BARGE IN HERE!" Shaman stood up and jumped at Freya in hopes of getting her to leave.
"Now that isn''t how you treat your second mother." In one swift motion, Freya spun around with Shaman''s momentum and restrained her.''
"Damnit." Shaman knew she couldn''t win, but hoped Freya would go along with it, yet she only ended up getting restrained instead.
"Fufu~ Now you have to tell me how did this all happen?" Freya wanted to know all the details as it intrigued her how things happened so quickly.
"Fine, but I am not the one you should be asking. The ones that did all the work are those two." Shaman, who realistically did nothing, wasn''t able to give the details as Elysia managed to do it by herself.
"Ohoo? Interesting." Freya let go of Shaman and took a seat in the desk chair, facing Elysia.
Elysia was feeling a bit awkward, but she sat on the side of the bed next to ra.
"Well I guess I will start"
Chapter 201 Freja’s Advice
?*p, p, p* Freja pped her hands after hearing Elysia''s side of the story, impressed that she was willing to take a step forward where only few would be willing.
"This is one major step forward for you, but are you sure you are ready for such a thing? If you jump into things too fast, it could very well end up ruining your friendship" Freja dropped herid-back attitude, emphasizing that this was no joking matter.
"Y-yes, The only reason I was able to do this in the first ce was that Shaman allowed it." Elysia saw no reason to hide from Freja her new insights as to how her emotions worked.
"Oh?" Freja knew there was a new development regarding Elysia''s emotions, but hadn''t gotten any of the details yet.
"As long as Shaman is the one doing it, or is at least okay with it, then I don''t feel any rage or intent to kill bubble up in me."
"Hmm, I see, well that solves the problem of you pouncing on ra. However,munication is important even more than ever, especially for you Shaman. One misunderstanding can cause an apocalypse." Freja looked over to Shaman who was sitting by the door with Kiruya who joined in while Elysia was giving her exnation.
Shaman nodded her head. She was still worried it would be too hard and eventually the rtionship would fall apart.
"I know what you are thinking. What if I fail? Can I really do it? How long will itst? These are all valid concerns, but remember Shaman, getting there takes time and there will be hups along the way. If things do go wrong you need to stay calm and talk about it like adults. Don''t go into a fit of rage destroying everything." Freja quickly nced at Elysia after herstment as it wouldn''t be a surprise if she did just that.
Elysia lowered her head since she had no good retort as what Freja said was true.
"I understand." Shaman felt better about the situation, but still had some lingering fears.
"My advice applies to you as well, Elysia and ra. If you ever feel ufortable or do not like something, speak immediately. The worst thing you could do is wait until one of you cracks just because you didn''t say anything." Freja being through this before knew exactly what it was like, so she hoped they took her advice to heart.
Elysia and ra nodded, trying to engrave Freja''s message in their minds as they could tell she was extremely serious about the matter.
"There is also one thing I want you to do. Since this is going to be a rather unique rtionship, you need to get used to each other." Freja smirked as what she had nned would most likely cause a bit of amotion.
The girls, seeing the smirk, felt a little afraid of what Freja could possibly be nning.
"I want you, Elysia to Kiss ra." Freja paused for suspense and, once she revealed what her ns were, everyone froze.
Elysia shook a little as she knew this was inevitable, but it had to be done. She tried looking over to Shaman, but before she could, a blood w grabbed her face.
"No looking at Shaman, I want you to be able to do it without needing her confirmation." Freja wanted to test out Elysia''s emotional state, seeing if her anger woulde out.
"Fine." Elysia took a deep breath, telling herself how everything is okay, and Shaman is fine with it.
''Shaman isn''t yelling or disagreeing so it''s fine, it is something she wants.'' Convincing herself, she looked directly at ra in the eyes, readying herself. ra swallowed her saliva. She was well aware that although they had agreed to enter a rtionship, feelings hadn''t quite formed yet for Elysia.
"I''m waiting~." Freja put on the pressure, trying to push the limits of Elysia as much as she could.
Elysia hesitated for a moment, but not wanting to linger on her feelings, she pulled ra in.
Kissing ra, Elysia kept it going for some time, even getting a bit more intense the longer they held it. This sparked something in both of them and no longer was there an air of awkwardness between them.
Freja raised an eyebrow as she did not expect Elysia to pull it off, so it came as a pleasant surprise that she did it.
Shaman, seeing the scene, squirmed a little. It was not out of jealousy, but because it was rather hot to watch.
Freja saw Shaman squirm a little which was perfect material for Freja to tease her.
Finally pulling away from each other, they looked deeply into each other''s eyes for a moment.
"Well done~, How did it feel?" Freja pped again, happy with the results as the look in their eyes said it all.
"I-it was a lot better than I thought. Honestly, I think I can truly ept ra now." Elysia expressed how she felt about the situation and ra couldn''t be happier hearing those words.
"Mhm, I feel a lot morefortable after this." ra smiled, no longer feeling like an outsider or an exception, but more like a part of the group.
"Good, with everything all sorted, I should head back home and let you continue your mission." Freja had no reason to stay anymore, so she got up and went to leave.
"Oh okay, bye then?" Elysia felt it was a bit sudden for her to leave, but she couldn''tin, especially with how much help Freja gave.
"Thank you Freja." Shaman did a small bow as Freja walked past and in return got headpats.
"I leave it up to you now, just know you can ask for advice whenever you need it." Freja smiled and opened the bedroom''s door. However, with the door open, she now noticed Silver and nor eavesdropping on the other side.
"Silver has a girlfriend?" Freja was surprised to see someone else in the hideout and seeing her with Silver made Freja jump to conclusions.
"Huh?" nor looked up in shock, as it was apletely wrong judgment. Not to mention that with their age gap, it would feel extremely gross.
*Sigh* "That''s nor, we helped her deal with some shitty nobles and are currently trying to get her back to her family." Shaman quickly exined, trying to ignore what Freja said, not ready at all to discuss Silver having a rtionship.
''My innocent boy.'' Crying internally, she hoped her exnation was enough to change the subject.
"nor? The thrown-away princess?" Freja knew who the ck haired elf was, but needed to make sure she wasn''t seeing things.
"Geh." nor did not like hearing her new moniker, but it was indeed her.
"You know her?" Shaman was surprised to hear Freya knew her but realized that Kiruya also knew of nor, so it was not far-fetched that Freya was aware of her.
"Oh my, you have grown so much since thest time I have seen you." Freja grabbed nor by the face and examined her entire body.
"U-umm." nor didn''t know what to do as she didn''t recognize the blonde she-wolf in front of her.
"Sorry, didn''t mean to get up in your face." Freja quickly stepped back as it was rather rude of her to grab nor''s face.
"T-that''s fine, but you know me?" nor didn''t remember much of when she was younger since it was buried with many other horrible memories.
"Yes, since I worked with your father before. I wish I could have helped you when you got kicked out, but the damn old bastard banned me from visiting." Freja gritted her teeth as it waspletely unjust, but it was only a matter of time before she coulde back.
"It''s okay. I have managed to survive on my own and, thanks to everyone here, I will finally be able to see father again." nor looked gratefully at Shaman and everyone else, as without them, she probably would have been turned into a ve or killed.
"I see, it was good to see you again and I hope your situation gets better. You should be allowed back soon, so even if this doesn''t work out, just wait for a bit longer." Freja also patted nor on the head before finally walking out of the room. Kiruya followed Freja out of the room as she wanted to personally say goodbye before she went back.
"So umm, how are things?" Silver wanted to know what was happening since Freja''s sudden appearance was a surprise.
"Silver, you have a third mother now, to put it simply." Shaman didn''t want to beat around the bush as it would be impossible to hide in the first ce.
"Ehhhh!!!!" Silver felt like he just got smacked in the face as it was something he did not expect to hear. Even nor was shocked, struggling to make sense of it all, as having 3 mothers did not sound right.
"Hey~." ra waved at Silver feeling a little indifferent about Silver being her son now.
"Are you sure it''s okay?" ra whispered in Elysia''s ear, wondering if it was even okay to be considered a mother now.
"I don''t see why not, plus I think it would make him happy since he has grown a little bit of an attachment to you." Elysia threw discretion out the window, speaking her mind loud and clear.
"ra? Mother ra?" Silver was still processing the information, but once it clicked, he ran up and jumped into ra''s arms.
"Hehehe~." Silver wasn''t going toin and, in fact, was super happy since he really liked ra.
"Oh haha~." ra wasn''t sure what to do, but she hugged Silver while patting his head.
Shaman and Elysia smiled, d it turned out really well with no issues at all.
Chapter 202 Next Level Of The Dungeon
?After Freja left and Shaman exined the situation to nor, they got ready to head to the dungeon.
Standing in front of the dungeon doors, Shaman felt a little bit of fear that the same dark elf would be there once again.
"Ready everyone?" Kiruya did onest round of checks to make sure everyone was okay before they entered. Everyone nodded their heads knowing what to expect this time.
"Hopefully we can get tier 6 with this run." Elysia was itching to go wild and destroy the entire ce this time.
"Haha not quite, we also need some kills." Shaman poked Elysia in the side as they still need about 60 levels each, which would not be possible with the number of dark elves in the dungeon.
"Grrr." Either way, Elysia still wanted to let loose and fulfil destructive urges.
"No."
"Ow!"
Shaman flicked Elysia in the head, instantly diffusing her urges for destruction.
"pfft, enough you too." ra shook her head while chuckling.
"You finished?" Kiruya was about to exin something, but they kept getting distracted which made her irritable.
"Yes." Shaman saw the look and tone, so she did not try to talk back or continue teasing Elysia.
"Okay, I was about to say that if you want, you can enter the lower part of the dungeon. However, I don''t rmend this yet since it is tier 7 territory." Kiruya believed they could probably do it, so she wanted to give them the opportunity.
"Oh?" This caught the attention of everyone as they didn''t expect Kiruya to let them go so soon.
"Are you sure? Because I can already see Eli sprinting straight for it." Shaman spotted the excitement in Elysia''s eyes when hearing the news.
*Sigh* "You guys are abnormal for tier 5, so I believe with the skills you have you could do it. But still, there will be a difficulty spike, do not underestimate the power difference of an entire tier." Kiruya wanted them to challenge themselves, but did not want them to die in the process, hence why she rmended they don''t.
"I understand, I say it''s worth a shot seeing what it is like, but if it''s too dangerous we will get out immediately." Shaman didn''t want to make Kiruya worried or risk anyone''s lives, so she preferred to first test whether they were 100% ready to take on that part of the dungeon.
"Good, and as always I will be in the shadows, ready to help if you need me."
With the exnation finished, they made their way inside the dungeon for round 2.
***
[Shaman Shiroi]
Level: 124 -> 132
[Elysia Dahlia]
Level: 120 -> 131
[Silver Shiroi]
Level: 117 -> 128
[ra ???]
Level: 122 -> 131
Shaman, Elysia, ra and Silver were in the middle of the dark elf town with many dead bodies littered all over the ce. Unlikest time, themander did not pose much of a threat at all since its weakness was fire which was easy pickings for Elysia.
"Well, that was easy." Shaman was rather disappointed since she hadn''t gotten the chance to use the new bloodline arts she got.
"I think we should try the tier 7 floor." Elysia was eager to keep going as they all had plenty of mana left and still had many hours left to spare.
"I agree." ra felt the same and was starting to understand how Elysia felt when it came to fighting.
"Are you sure?" Silver, however, felt uneasy and wasn''t confident in his chances at handling tier 7 opponents.
"Mmmm." Shaman, hearing Silver''s concern, felt conflicted on whether they should call it off for now.
''Silver is the weakest out of us all, but he can stay with Kiruya if it is an issue.'' Shaman didn''t want to hold the whole team back, so leaving Silver with Kiruya was the best option.
''Ahh, that means he will get left behind in levels.'' Another dilemma came up, raising a strong argument to not continue the dungeon.
"It should be fine, we can protect you Silver if you are not confident in facing them." ra trusted Kiruya''s words that they could do it, so protecting Silver shouldn''t be too much of a hassle.
"Kiruya! Can you keep Silver with you or be his guardian?" Elysia knew it would be difficult to keep track of Silver while fighting, so she figured why not use the person who is looking over them to focus on Silver.
"I can do that, but Instead I will help Silver." Kiruya didn''t mind intervening, especially since it was Silver.
"Alright with that settled let''s go." Elysia pped her hands together and looked over to the castle remembering the secret entrance.
Shaman was left speechless as all her effort toe up with a solution was for naught.
''Maybe I overthink things too much.''
*
Arriving at the secret entrance Shaman and Elysia found, they burnt the wooden roots covering the entrance. Entering the long tunnel only lit by the few torches on the wall, they hastily made it to the other end.
Greeted with the world tree of the dungeon and a pool that came directly from it, they were finally on to the next level. In front of them, many elves were busy bathing in the pool. They were gearless and distracted, making it the perfect opportunity for a surprise attack.
"Wait! Before we move forward, would we be able to take something from this tree?" Shaman assumed the world tree here must have some kind of power they could hopefully make their own.
"Uhh What if I tell you that it''s just arge tree and the religion here is all fake." Kiruya thought it would be funny to let them find out on their own, but she didn''t want to waste their time.
"Huh?" This confused Shaman as therge tree truly did seem mystical in nature.
"Yep you heard correctly, this tree is just a. tree." Kiruya saying it out loud found it hard to notugh.
"I-I see." Shaman felt incredibly disappointed and wondered if the tree outside of the dungeon was real.
"Anyway, since we have the advantage, try to take them out in one blow." Seeing the disappointed look, Kiruya decided to quickly move on as they didn''t have much time before the guards came.
Shaman snapped out of it, and everyone prepared themselves. Each picked a target that was in the pool while they waited for Kiruya''s signal.
"Go."
As they sprinted toward the pool, the dark elves finally noticed their presence, but since they were unprepared, the dark elves could not retaliate.
Shaman cleanly cut off the head of one of the elves and their body slumped into the pool, turning it red as blood spewed from their neck.
Elysia, going for a more savage approach, grabbed the elf by the neck. mes burst out of her hand engulfing the elf''s head, giving them a very painful death.
ra, just like Shaman, was a bit cleaner and used her whip des to kill the elf. Wrapping them around the neck of the elf, she strangled them while slowly slitting their throat open.
Silver was nervous when approaching the elf as he knew that they were at a much higher level. However, knowing that Kiruya was behind him provided him the confidence to push through. Running up to the elf Silver spun on his feet while swinging his scythe. The elf was cut cleanly in half, infecting the pool with its blood as well.
Everyone finished up with their targets, but now the remaining elves in the pool were ready to fight. Many managed to grab themselves a weapon as some of them were guards to begin with. Their eyes glowed red as they focused on the group of people that ambushed them.
"Alright everyone, stay focused, they can all use magic." Kiruya yelled out a warning before they began the fight in earnest just so there were no surprises.
Everyone nodded their heads in acknowledgement as the information was super important.
The elves were first to make a move and charged at the group with some starting off on casting their magic. The regr elves used the wood element to create their own weapons while the guards used both wood and wind to enhance their spears.
The group readied themselves activating their own elements while waiting for the elves to get closer.
***
"Your highness, the noble failed to kill nor." A hooded elf was kneeling before a rather old-looking elf lying in bed.
"What?!" *Cough* *Cough* The old elf shot up from his bed, only to be racked with coughs, having exerted his extremely weak body.
"There seemed to be some outsiders who interfered." Exining the situation did not help with the old man''s confusion.
"Who?"
"We are not sure, the only suspects we have are 2 half-foxes, a half-cheetah, a demon and a half-wolf." The hooded elf knew their identities as it was the same elf sent to watch over them. However, he did not like the person in front of him and followed the current king''s advice to withhold as much information as he could.
"Tsk, kill them as well." The old elf leaned back into bed, not wanting to bother with this subject any longer.
"Well, sir the other nobles have pulled out of the deal so I''m af-." Before he could finish his sentence, he was cut off.
"I. Said. Kill them! I don''t care how you do it, just do it!" The old elf released a bit of pressure forcing the hooded elf to be pushed to the ground.
"Yes." Not daring to question his orders again, he quickly left the room.
''Tch that old king should just die already.'' The hooded elf shook his head as the old man''s request was unreasonable. There was simply no way that he alone could fight them.
''I need to report this back to the king.'' Intending to inform what the old king''s intentions were, he quickly made his way to the throne room.
Chapter 203 Not Ready?
?The small group of at least 20 elves rushed at the girls, splitting into groups of 5 with at least 1 guard in each.
Shaman and the others spread out to give themselves some space so they don''t identally hit each other.
In the first group of elves the guard was the first to attack, thrusting at a great speed toward Shaman. Intending to dodge the spear, she was about to sidestep when suddenly a wooden wall arose from the ground to block her path.
Behind the guard, one of the regr elves had their hands on the ground, clearly responsible for the sudden wall trap.
''Shit!'' Being forced to block the spear, Shaman held Kotetsu in front of her bracing for the strike. The Spear hit Kotetsu,unching Shaman back where another wooden wall rose to meet her. Going right through it, Shaman continued to fly through the air until she hit the concrete wall.
"AH!" *Cough* *Cough* Getting stuck deep in the wall, Shaman was surprised at the difference in enemy strength.
"We are definitely retreating after this." Shaman knew this would be way too difficult and couldn''t imagine how much stronger the boss would be.
The elves once again charged at Shaman intending to finish the job. Meanwhile, the spear in the guard''s hand had be much bigger. Encasing the spear in wood and conjuring a swirling ball of wind at its blunt end, the elf was preparing for a throw while the other elves rushed to restrain Shaman.
For Shaman however, this was the perfect opportunity to test her [Bloodline arts], which would be a much-needed power boost.
Activating the skill, Shaman''s body quickly transformed into her hybrid-fox form. The tips of Shaman''s hair were attuned to her stardust, making them shine like the stars.
The elves paid no attention to the sudden change and attempted to trap Shaman by binding her with tree roots to the wall. The guard, being impatient, threw the spear before Shaman was fully restrained. The ball of windgging behind the spear burst to propel the spear to much higher speeds.
"Heh." Shaman hoped this would happen as she opened a rift in front of her. The spear entered the [Spatial rift] which confused the guard as it vanished from thin air. What he did not expect was for a portal to suddenly open up behind him with the spear sting out of it.
Not having any time to react, the spear pierced through the guard''s chest armour. A clean hole opened in the elf guard''s chest, killing him instantly.
Shaman, while redirecting the spear, escaped into her stardust dimension, avoiding all the wooden restraints.
Appearing behind one of the elves, Shaman grabbed the elf by the back of the neck, crushing it. After the elf went limp, Shaman came back to her senses, now realising she was in some sort of beastly trance.
''Hmm, so the side effects of using this form seem to make me more savage and brutal.'' Shaman looked over at another elf and the urge to brutally murder it filled her, confirming there was some sort of new bestial instincts within her.
The elf closest to Shaman began running at her, however just then the spear from the guard came flying, hitting the elf in the head.
"Heh." Shaman still didn''t mean to time it, but it was quite the amusing scene to watch the elf''s head vanish.
Looking over to the guard to confirm it was dead, Shaman was happy her n worked out.
''Now for thest two.'' Having 2 more elves to deal with she dashed in their direction while they tried to put up walls to protect themselves. This was pointless as Shaman simply opened up a portal on her side of the wall and easily came out the other.
Completely bypassing the wooden wall, the elves were shocked and were unable to react.
Shaman swung Kotetsu at their heads sending a fire sh. In onest desperate attempt, they tried to dodge it, but Shaman was too close and the fire shes easily hit them, setting them aze. Creating a chain reaction, the conjured wood shortly caught on fire as well.
Quickly exiting the area so as to not get trapped in her own mes, Shaman looked over at how the others were doing.
Having activated her [Bloodline arts] right off the bat, Elysia did not have the initial struggle like Shaman. Elysia targeted the normal elves first as she did not want to have any nuisances during her fight with the guard.
Using her bow, Elysia aimed up into the sky and activated [Arrow storm]. The elves covered themselves in wood to stop the arrows, but the fire was easily able to burn them. To make things worse, Elysia''s mes now sucked the vitality out of things so the wood quickly became withered and weak.
2 of the normal elves were killed this way, being unable to avoid the arrows. The guard was able to maneuver itself much better so dodging the rain of arrows was not a problem for it.
Still focusing on the normal elves, Elysia didn''t want to waste too much energy so she prepared a strong explosive arrow. Activating [multi-shot] Elysia let go of the arrow that split it into two, each aimed at one of the normal elves. She also activated [power shot] which increased the speed of the arrow, making it unavoidable.
Small explosions went off killing the elves, leaving only her and the guard.
Smiling at the guard, Elysia swapped out the bow for her spear and spun it around before sticking it into the ground. Blood red mes swirled around as she activated a new bloodline skill she got.
[Blood me field]
A wave of fire spread over the ground, creating a small 20-metre radius fiery zone around her. The guard prepared to jump away, expecting the mes to do damage but once they reached him he found them to be harmless.Unfortunately for him, this was not really the case, as suddenly the guard''s legs began to wither as if he was aging faster.
Quickly creating a wooden tower from below him, the elf got himself out of the red mes, his legs slowlying back to life as blood circted in them once more. The tower would notst long though as the wood was slowly withering and breaking apart.
''This skill seems way too strong.'' Elysia was surprised at how effective it was and thought it was too powerful. She pondered if there may be a drawback, but even if there was, she has yet to find it.
The elven guard, not having a choice as his tform was slowly being destroyed, tried to jump off it and get out of the domain.
Elysia took this opportunity to attack the elf while he was in the air. Pulling the spear out of the ground, she dashed forwards, quickly appearing below the elf before hended. Elysia then shed upwards, trying to slice him in half, yet the elf managed to block the spear.
This surprised Elysia as she didn''t expect the elf to still have so much strength.
The elf used Elysia as a way to push himself further away and secure hisnding outside of the domain.
"Tsk, get back here." Elysia wasn''t happy that she was used as a bounce pad, so this time she threw her spear. As she was throwing it, Elysia created an explosion of fire at the t end of the spear, vastly increasing the power of the throw.
Sailing through the air, the elf moved to block it again, but due to the extra strength from the explosion, he was not able to stop the spear.
Getting pushed through the air while his own spear cracked, he crashed into the tree which was thest push to break his weapon. Elysia''s spear on the other hand kept its momentum, piercing deep into the heart of the elf and lodging itself in the tree behind him.
The elf''s body hung from the tree as its blood dripped into the pool below, further tainting it red.
"Phew that wasn''t too bad, but I have to say I can''t imagine fighting more than one at once." Elysia didn''t struggle too much, but it felt like a boss in and of itself, as she had to use quite a lot of mana to power her spells enough to do damage.
"Kiruya wasn''t lying, it is quite the jump, we definitely need to get to tier 6 before we start clearing this fully." Elysia still thought that if they all worked together it would be okay, but felt she would be morefortable to first raise their strength so that any one of them could clear it up to at least the final boss of the dungeon.
''I should make sure ra and Silver are okay since they are not as well versed.'' Elysia knew Shaman would be okay since she had a wide range of skills. The same could not be said for ra and Silver so their fights would likely take longer.
Just to make sure, Elysia quickly nced over to Shaman''s area and saw that she was about to finish up.
"Perfect." Not having to worry, she quickly made her way over to Silver and ra.
Chapter 204 Duo
?
ra and Silver, knowing they were on the lower end of the group''s power, decided to team up.
"Silver, I want you to go around taking out the regr elves while I distract the 2 guards." ra exined her n, yet Silver was a bit sceptical whether she could handle it.
"Are you sure you can handle two of them Mother?" Silver felt a bit awkward calling ra mother, but he knew it would only be a matter of time before he got used to it.
"O-oh y-yes I should be fine." Getting stunned by being called mother, it actually gave her quite the motivation boost to do her best.
"Okay, I will trust you." Silver gripped his scythe, trusting things would be okay by the time he was done.
"Alright, let''s go." ra dashed forward into the group of elves with her whip des dragging behind her flickering with lightning. Silver descended into the shadows and made his way to the rear end of the elves.
ra halted her steps just before the guards and observed that there was a noticeable difference between them. Instead of the usual spear, one had a great sword and the other had dual des. Their weapons were covered in wood with swirling balls of wind at the bottom of the handle just like the spears users had.
ra felt her heart waver for a moment as it seemed like they may be stronger than the normal guards.
''Let''s hope it''s just a difference in weapon.'' ra hoped that despite the different weapons, theirbat power would equal that of the spear users from before. The armour they wore also reinforced this point as they did not look like amander or some kind of officer.
The elves that were trying to surround ra were slowly being picked off, which gave her some confidence as Silver should be back to help soon.
''Just have to hold them off for at least 5 minutes.'' Giving herself an estimate, she then cracked her whips and engulfed them in lightning. She also imbued lightning into her body which made her movements faster.
The first elf to attack was the one with the dual des, dashing forward at a speed greater than the elves from before.
ra didn''t anticipate the speed and so when she blocked the attack, her form was thrown off. The elf''s des were encased in swirling wind, creating a chainsaw effect as the des shed at ra''s sides.
Retracting her whips to their sword form, she covered both her sides barely stopping the des. Still, ra''s grip was wavering as the chainsaw-like winds crashed against her whip des.
While ra was struggling, the other elf made his move and appeared behind ra about to swing down with his greatsword.
"Shit!" ra was trapped as both her front and back were covered by the elves. She couldn''t move to the sides because of the des and was essentially locked in ce.
''I need to move before he swings.'' ra gritted her teeth in pain as it was getting unbearable to hold her des.
Lightning flicked from her feet and shortly after a sh went off, blinding the two elves. ra stored the whip des in her inventory and in that brief moment where she could move dodged the wooden chainsaw des.
Now directly in front of the dual-ded elf, ra covered her hand in lightning and aimed for the neck, hoping to paralyse the elf. However, just before her hand made contact, she was kicked away, sending her directly into the elf with the great sword.
Still in position for a big swing, the elf saw ra was back in range and so he swung down with his greatsword.
Pulling out her whip des from her inventory, ra managed to redirect the strike, but she felt her arms crack.
"Arghh!" Backing away from the elves, ra stored her des and held her arms to her chest, trying to recover them through her regeneration. Quickly ncing around, the number of regr elves was only down to two.
''Just a bit more.'' ra didn''t want to resort to using her demon form as it would consume too much energy and it felt like it would be cheating.
The elves grumbled in disappointment as ra was still standing having survived their attacks.
Feeling well enough to move her arms, ra grabbed her whip des once again and waited for them to make their move.
Being more prepared this time for the elf''s speed, ra carefully ced a few lightning traps around her. She did this by concentrating on a string of lightning that came out from her feet and cing condensed spots around her that would erupt on touch.
The elves did not notice this and so they went for a simr approach to theirst attack with the dual-ded elf dashing in first to get close to ra. However, this time when he arrived in front of ra, a lightning bolt struck where he stood, paralysing him.
The elf with the great sword user did not sit still. Knowing his fellow elf was in danger, he threw his great sword at ra. Easily dodging the de, ramented losing her chance at going for a killing blow on the stunned elf. However, one thing the elvespletely forgot about was Silver who just finished cleaning up.
Appearing behind the paralysed elf, he wrapped his scythe around the elf''s neck and cleanly cut the head off.
The greatsword elf turned around in shock while throwing a punch by instinct, but instead of hitting silver, he ruptured the chest of its deadpanion.
This only infuriated the elf, the muscles on his body suddenly growing in size. ra had gone on the offensive and shed at the elf with her whip des, but they were no longer effective. As if his skin turned to metal, physical attacks achieved nothing and even the lightning on her de wasn''t good enough.
Silver tried using his shadows to try to cut into the elf''s skin, but it was also ineffective. Though Silver did notice something peculiar, as when his shadow scythe got close to the elf, its mana became hazy.
Quickly appearing next to ra, he reported his findings as it may be just a mana negating barrier.
"When my attack reached his body, it was as if it became a haze, essentially dulling my de." Having a brief moment to regroup and talk, ra took a moment to think about what Silver said.
"I think it''s his wind, not a barrier, so what I think is happening there is a constant swirling of wind around him, but only a very thinyer of it. It takes an immense amount of concentration and I normally wouldn''t think these elves have that capacity, unless..." ra turned her head to the pool and, just as she suspected, there was a different elf covered in robes.
"Silver, I think we found our culprit." Gesturing to where she was looking, Silver nced over.
"Want me to go?" Silver knew he would have the easiest time getting over, but before a decision was reached some more people arrived at the scene.
"Silver! ra!" Shaman, carrying Elysia in her arms, came to help as it seemed like things gotplicated.
"You see the thing is" ra gave a brief rundown of what was happening, but it would be cut short by the greatsword elf.
The Elf smashed the ground causing a crack between the group, forcing them to back away from each other. Now that the elf has grown double in size, the thin wind barrier was much more notable as leaves and dust were being picked up, creating a small tornado.
"So that priest elf is why this guy is beefed up like crazy!" Shaman summarised the important details and ra nodded her head.
"Got it, I will go deal with the priest with Silver." Shaman put down Elysia while ncing at Silver to get his confirmation.
"Eli, your priority is to protect ra while I go deal with the priest okay?" Shaman wanted to confirm with Elysia that she knew what to do before going.
"Yes I know, don''t worry." Elysia understood the worry Shaman had, but she had no animosity towards ra anymore and it was quite to the contrary even. In fact, after they were forced to kiss by Freja, she felt willing to ept ra as a potential partner.
That being the case, She now felt that the other side of her that would usually get aggravated has begun to change to include ra. This became apparent just a moment ago when Shaman and Elysia were making their way over. When she saw ra in a bit of trouble, the same rage red up just as it would for Shaman.
"Good, Silver let''s go." Shaman entered [Shadow walk] and so did Silver. Making their way towards the priest that was half submerged in the water seemingly praying.
"Alright ra, we just need to hold out until they finish." Elysia quickly ran over to ra while pulling out her spear.
"Got it." ra felt much safer with Elysia by her side, especially when dealing with a monster.
*ROARRRR*
Chapter 205 Elf Priest
?Shaman and Silver were fast approaching the priest that was submerged in the pool.
''Why the hell is he in there?'' Shaman was rather perplexed by why the elf would choose such a location and could only think that it had something to do with the tree.
''There must be something magical about the tree and if not, then the water.'' Despite Kiruya saying the big tree was just a normal tree, Shaman started to suspect it wasn''t the case.
''I can figure that out after we kill the priest.'' Shaman was now in position behind the priest waiting for Silver to be ready.
[Ready]
Getting a message from Rea that Silver was in position, they could now begin their attack.
Shaman came out of the shadow and propelled herself straight towards the priest using her wind.
Silver managed to get up on the tree and was falling from above with a massive shadow scythe too big for him to carry.
Still in her hybrid fox-hybrid form, Shaman made it to the priest in a matter of seconds and shed down with Kotetsu. Coating it in fire, she was about to reach the priest''s head when a transparent barrier blocked her.
For a moment nothing happened, but eventually, a force equal to that of Shaman''s attack was reflected back sending her flying.
"Shit it''s a reflection barrier. Silver let go of your scythe!" Shaman, figuring out what it was, knew that Silver''s attack would have quite the impact, so she yelled for him to let go.
Hearing his mother''s orders, Silver did as he was told and let the scythe fall onto the priest on its own. A massive ssh of water erupted, and yet the scythe that Silver dropped was sent flying back up, dissipated into nothingness.
Silvernded in the water close by the priest and upon emerging heard that it was chanting something.
"T??????r???????e????????e????? ??????o????f?????? ???t???h?????e?????? ?????g?????o???????d??????? ????????p?????l?????e?????a????s????????e?????? ??????p????????r????o???????t???e????c??????t?????? ???????u??????s??????."
Hearing somethingpletely iprehensible, Silver thought it must be the incantation to the barrier and whatever is buffing the greatsword elf.
While Silver was lost in thought, Shaman was sliding on the water leaving a thinyer of ice under her feet wherever she went. Sliding past Silver, Shaman picked him up and got away from the priest as she was concerned for Silver''s safety.
"I don''t think magic will work, so try to use normal attacks to see if it will get past the barrier." Shaman knew there had to be a weakness and so she figured using an attack with no magic at all might work.
Silver nodded his head. Once they got to the edge of the pool, Shaman dropped him off and continued her way back towards the priest.
Now having an idea of what to do, Shaman approached the priest again, only this time she did not coat her sword in any element.
shing down once again, this time there was no deflection and a crack in the barrier was made. This grabbed the attention of the priest that has been ignoring them the entire time, making the barrier flicker.
Silver saw how Shaman was skating and, wanting to do something simr, managed to do it with his shadows. Instead of sliding silver was hovering over the water and glided across it.
Using his shadow as a springboard, Silver jumped up into the air while pulling out his scythe.
Seeing that Shaman''s attack was effective, Silver did not hold back and swung as hard as he could.
The scythe lodged itself in the barrier, almost reaching the head of the priest. The elf looked up in shock and fell over into the water beneath.
Due to his concentration being broken, the barrier shattered, allowing Shaman to deliver the final blow.
Quickly putting her hand to the water, she froze it over so the elf could not move. The priest''s head stuck out of the ice, wiggling to get his body out while also casting some fire spells.
Shaman slid along the ice winding up Kotetsu to go for the elf''s neck. The ice surrounding the priest did begin to melt, but before he could make the gap big enough for him to move, Shaman swung at his neck.
In a desperate attempt, the elf tried to put up another barrier, but this time for physical attacks. However, Shaman coated her sword in wind, replicating the chainsaw effect the dual-wielding elf used.
The barrier broke in an instant and the elf''s head was cut cleanly off, coating the surrounding ice red.
"Quickly back to ra and Elysia." Shaman knew the greatsword elf would be much harder to deal with and the fact no explosions were going off during their fight, she started to be worried.
***
The greatsword elf stood in front of the two girls with a glowing aura, its transformation finally done.
The greatsword it used now looked like a normal sword in its hands, which was terrifying, as the power of its swings will likely be much greater.
"Whatever you do, do not try to block it." Elysia already saw them getting crushed easily, so their best option was to deflect or avoid it altogether.
"Do you want to go long range while I try to keep its attention?" ra could keep a safe distance with her whips, so her n was to whittle down the elf till it died.
"If you are confident that you can, that''s fine. I will fire whenever it seems like it is getting too much." Elysia agreed and took a step back to prepare a few arrows.
The elf was seemingly done with its transformation as now it was preparing to attack. The greatsword rested on his shoulder and the ground under its feet caved in.
Dashing forward the elf shed down intending to cut ra in half. However, using her lightning-enhanced speed, she dodged out to the side. The greatsword crashed into the ground sending dirt everywhere and showing off how impactful the hits were.
''Made the right call to not block.'' ra felt her arms tingle as she could imagine her bones shattering from taking such an impact.
ra, now standing to the side of the elf, aimed for the ribs with her whips. As they were about to connect, the elf grabbed them with his other hand. Blood seeped through its fingers, but he still yanked on them, pulling ra close.
However, Elysia fired a few fire arrows that hit both the hand holding ra''s whips as well as the elf''s face. Stunning the elf for a brief moment, ra was able to roll away and get back on her feet while retracting her whips.
Getting back to a safe distance, ra concluded that going for any attack without distracting it first is going to be futile.
The elf extinguished the mes on its body and shifted its attention to Elysia. Seeing the elf rushing towards her, Elysia freaked out for a moment as she didn''t expect to get the attention of the elf.
ra saw the opportunity to attack and tried to keep up with the elf. Just before the elf could reach Elysia, ra swung her whips aiming for its feet, intending to trip him.
Sessfully wrapping the ankle of the elf with her whip she managed to make him lose his bnce and fall forward. This allowed Elysia to move away in time while also firing a few arrows at the elf to see if she could kill it.
Unfortunately, Elysia''s fire arrows were not enough and only left slight burn marks despite the fire still going strong.
Getting up from the ground, it seemed like the elf was even bigger and angrier. Smashing its foot into the ground, he propelled himself up in the air.Seeing the gigantic elf hurtling towards her, ra''s first thoughts were of how devastating the strike would be.
As ra jumped away with all her strength, the elf hit the ground with his sword, causing an explosion of shattered stones. Onerge chunk of stone hurtled towards ra and hit her on the back, trapping her on the ground.
ra got to work on pushing off the rock, but the elf already made his way over and was about to swing down.
"ra!" Elysia screamed out as she fired explosive arrows, but they did nothing, cementing her fears.
Kiruya was about to jump in and stop the attack from happening, but suddenly a drastic change urred in the elf. his enhanced body had returned back to normal and the swing it was throwing lost most of its strength.
The strike hit the rock, only cracking it due to the elf''s weakened state and actually helped ra to get out from under it.
Escaping the grip of the rock, ra took a moment to breathe as she felt like she just had a heart attack.
Shortly afterwards, Shaman and Silver came running to ra''s side, confirming the demise of the priest.
"How are things?" Shaman noticed the rather disheveled look of ra and gathered that she had it rough.
"Well since you killed that priest the elf is now a lot weaker, just need to finish the job." ra pointed at the elf, but as she did arge ball of fire engulfed the elf.
"Well, looks like Elysia has got that covered." Shaman chuckled, surprised a little that Elysia didn''t start with this move to begin with.
Chapter 206 Rinse And Repeat
?Elysia, seeing the weakened state of the elf and ensuring ra was far enough away, decided to use a fully-powered arrow.
Pulling the arrow back all the way until her hands were shaking, she let go of the string and sent the arrow surging through the air. Making contact with the back of the greatsword elf, the arrow exploded, engulfing his entire body and turning him to ash shortly after.
A few sounds rang in Elysia''s ears, telling her that she levelled up from the kill. Feeling great about getting the final blow, she flicked her hair.
[Great work Elysia, Everyone else is waiting for you.]
''Rea?'' Elysia was shocked to hear Rea suddenly in her head as it had been a while.
[Oh sorry, just wanted to say something since it has gotten pretty lonely.]
''Ehh? You know you can always chip in when you want, no need to hide.'' Elysia felt bad as it seemed like Rea felt excluded. Although it was partly her own fault as well as the others'' for not talking to her, it couldn''t be helped as they can''t see her. They have also been using the system less as they do not require to bring up any menus as it can all be done mentally.
[Really? It just seemed like I wasn''t needed anymore.]
''Come on, don''t be so afraid.'' Elysia hoped her encouragement helped Rea since at least to Elysia she was a part of their group.
[Okay.] It was clear Rea was nervous as her voice was shaky, but she stillplied.
Elysia made her way over to everyone else who were seemingly waiting for her.
"Were you daydreaming?" Shaman found Elysia''s behaviour a little odd as she stood still for a couple of minutes not doing anything.
"Oh don''t worry, I was just helping a shy little system." Elysia smiled, giving Rea the queue to talk.
[H-hey.]
"Ohhh Rea, sorry I haven''t been keeping up with you like I promised, things have just been so hectictely." Shaman realising she forgot the small promise she made the other day to Rea and couldn''t help but apologise.
[N-no it''s fine, I could see you were busy, it''s my fault for not speaking up.] Rea didn''t want Shaman to me herself as it was reasonable for her to forget.
"Very hard when we can''t see you, but please talk more, your input is well appreciated." Shaman felt relieved that Rea was okay and it even seemed like she was trying to be more assertive.
"Rea?" Kiruya was very confused as she couldn''t hear the person they were talking to.
"Oh, you don''t have a system assistant?" ra thought Kiruya would have one as well as it was clear she had her own system thanks to Freja.
"No? Freja said she had a voice in her head, but I didn''t know it was linked to the system." This was news to Kiruya. Although she had her own version of the system, she never encountered an assistant.
"Rea, can you connect to Kiruya?" Shaman figured it wouldn''t hurt to allow Kiruya to hear Rea.
[Well umm there is a problem. Since Kiruya is under Freja''s system I can''t extend my voice to her since it would cause conflict with some other people.] Rea clearly hid some key details, but Shaman wasn''t going to fight it as thest time Rea slipped up she was muted for a few days.
"Hmm I see, looks like she won''t be able to talk to you." Shaman was a bit disappointed, but they can work around it.
"That''s fine, it isn''t a problem." Kiruya wasn''t going to be a part of the group for long so it didn''t matter if she couldn''t hear Rea.
"Shouldn''t we get out of here?" Silver was looking around, worried that more elves woulde.
"Oh true, we should leave before we continue talking." Shaman understood Silver''s worries and agreed that it is rather stupid of them to be dawdling around.
Everyone nodded and headed to the exit of the dungeon.
**
"Hmm, we still have a lot of time. Do you guys want to keep repeating and grinding some levels? I am confident you can go in alone as long as you don''t go into the deeper section and I can go back to check on nor." Kiruya didn''t feel the need to watch over them anymore and, knowing nor was a concern, she didn''t mind heading back to protect her just in case.
"We tried conserving our mana this time, so we should be able to do a few more runs." Elysia was consciously trying to save her mana hence why she did not go all out on the greatsword elf.
"I like the sound of it, we will go back in while Kiruya heads back to nor. Rea, are you able to send a message to nor?" Shaman wanted to ensure that if a timees that they really need help, they could send a message to nor to inform Kiruya.
[Yep!] Happy that she was being called upon for a change, she was now in a very good mood.
"Alright let''s head back in." ra didn''t have any issues and was happy to farm some levels as the feeling of powering up was satisfying.
Silver nodded his head, finally free from worries as he began to work out the kind of fighting style he should focus on.
"Take care." Kiruya waved as she watched the group make their way back inside, hoping it was the right decision to let them go alone.
***
"Hmm?" nor sat alone on the couch, finding herself rather worried. So, in an attempt to distract herself she tried to fall asleep. However, before she could let her sleepiness take over, she heard some noise, a sign that someone wasing in.
Peeking over the couch, she waited for whoever wasing in.
Shortly afterwards Kiruya came. nor expected the others to follow, but was left disappointed.
"Kiruya? Where are the others?" nor felt a wave of stress as something bad could have happened prompting Kiruya''s return.
"Oh don''t worry, they are re-doing the dungeon and should be back in a few hours." Kiruya saw the panic on nor''s face which was understandable.
"Oh I see, thank god." nor trusted Kiruya''s word and let relief wash over her.
"Just wait patiently for their return and know that you will get a message if they need help." Kiruya wasn''t sure if she should tell nor about the system, but since Freja had a standing order to keep her silence, she decided to avoid it.
"Message?" nor thought it would be by talisman or some other means, but usually, those items are hard toe to buy unless you know someone that can make them.
"You will know." Kiruya hoped nor wouldn''t question further as exining it is ratherplicated.
"Oh okay." nor assumed it was somemunication device and since she saw them as sort of heroes it did not surprise her.
***
"Ren, the guests will be arriving in the next few days, I hope you are ready." The current elf king was in his office looking through some papers while his son Ren sat in a chair.
"I know, but are you sure I should go with them? I mean, it''s basically a full girl group." Ren was not excited for their arrival even though his father tried painting it as an exciting chance to gain experience.
"It was at the request of Freja and you know I can''t go against her right now, plus you need to be more social." Still not even looking up at Ren, he sifted through a stack of papers until he found something and presented it to Ren.
"Hmm?" Looking over, Ren read the piece of paper that seemed to be a letter directed to the king.
Dear Rein,
I have sent over a few of mine, who are currently on an adventure to get stronger and I have given them a letter to hand you with very, very important information. So in return for this, I would love it if you got your son to join them. I know how long he has been locked up there and I think it would be great to send him off. This is also redeeming that favour you owe me so it isn''t like you have a choice. Oh, and if that old bastard stops you tell him I wille personally.
Your ever so dear Freja~
"I-I see." Ren was a bit shocked, but it seemed like whoever this person was, they could even take down his father.
"Good, because I don''t have a choice." He looks around for a brief moment.
"I also want you to get out so we are not under your grandfather''s control." Looking around once more he let out a sigh of relief.
"Huh?" Ren was extremely confused as he thought his grandfather was no longer in the picture.
"The walls have ears! Just know that until he is gone I can''t properly treat you like a son." Rein''s face turned dark as he despised being chained down, but luckily soon they will be free.
Chapter 207 Close To The Next Tier
?
*Heavy breathing* "Please tell me we are finished." ra was on her hands and knees, out of breath as this was their 10th time running the dungeon.
"Don''t worry we are done." Shaman was lying on the ground covered in blood and dirt in a simr state to ra. Elysia found herself on top of Shaman almost falling asleep from exhaustion.
Silver was leaning on his scythe to keep his bnce while looking over everyone.
"Does anybody know any healing spells?" Shaman wondered if anyone else could use one as she did not feel like moving at all.
"Nope, I believe you are the only one with a healing spell." ra had her demonic regeneration, but nothing that could heal anyone else.
"Oh wait, Elysia, wake your ass up!" Shaman recalled the life-stealing me which should be able to help with their fatigue, so she pped Elysia''s ass to wake her up.
"Ah~!" Shooting up awake with a moan, she looked around wondering what the hell happened.
"Can you use your me to help with this fatigue?" Shaman got straight to the point, leaving Elysia a little disappointed as she expected a surprise when she woke up.
"Finnnee~, but you are carrying me back." Elysia pouted and proposed her deal, but before Shaman could agree or decline, Elysia had already used her me.
"I-I... Damnit." Shaman wanted to decline, but Elysia was too quick, letting her mes engulf everyone. Although it looked like it should have hurt, the mes were warm and had a nice satisfying feeling.
"That feels nice." ra and Silver were basking in the warmth and felt the pain in their muscles diminish, allowing them to move properly.
Getting up from the ground, Shaman carried Elysia in a princess carry, thetter having a cheeky smile on her face.
*Sigh* "Anyway, how much progress did we make?" Shaman opened up a system menu showing everyone''s levels.
[Shaman Shiroi]
Wind - Tier 4 -> 5
Fire - Tier 4 -> 5
Water - tier 4 -> 5
Ice - tier 4 -> 5
Level 132 -> 170
[Elysia Dahlia]
Level 131 -> 169
[Silver Shiroi]
Level 128 -> 166
[ra ???]
Level 131 -> 169
Satisfied with the results, it would only require a day or two of grinding to reach tier 6 and they will finally befortable moving to the next floor.
"I''m sure nor and Kiruya are worried, we have been in here for how long now?" Shaman didn''t keep track of the time and assumed they would simply grind until they reached the brink of exhaustion.
"I think we have been here for 5 hours." Silver kept better track of the time, but he wasn''t sure and so only gave an estimation.
[6 hours.] Rea''s voice echoed in everyone''s head, making theme to a halt as they realised they had stayed for an extra 2 hours.
"Okay, we realllllly need to go." ra could foresee the earful they will get from Kiruya and can already imagine her standing outside the dungeon waiting.
With that said they all rushed out to the entrance, hoping Kiruya isn''t going to be mad at them.
*
Making it back into the adventurers guild, Shaman looked around for Kiruya and luckily she was nowhere to be found.
"Phew, let''s head back to the hideout." Knowing the lecture is yet toe, they were relieved to at least have some time to prepare before they returned.
Approaching the exit, still cautious of a potential lurking Kiruya, the group felt safer the closer they got to the exit.
"Ummm, Shaman." Elysia looked worryingly at Shaman trying to tell her something.
"Hmm?" Wondering what could be wrong, she looked at Elysia and saw her point. Turning around to see what it was, she was met with an annoyed-looking Kiruya.
"Oh fuck!" Getting jump-scared by the sudden appearance of Kiruya, Shaman tried to run away. However, her tail was grabbed by Kiruya and ra was grabbed by the horn. Silver didn''t dare move as he didn''t want to be the only one to escape.
"Kyaa~!" Both Shaman and ra screamed out from their most sensitive body parts being grabbed.
"Silver run while you can!" Shaman yelled to get Silver to run, but Kiruya red at him, threatening him not to move.
"I Ummm." Silver was frozen in ce, conflicted about what he should do and wondering about the consequences of running away.
"You areing with me, you made nor worried sick." Kiruya wasn''t too angry, but they made nor extremely worried, so Kiruya took this opportunity to teach them to be more aware of the people around them.
"Y-yes." Shamanplied, giving up any thought of fighting back or running away. Silver in the end did not dare to leave and obediently stayed listening to Kiruya.
Elysia, who was not restrained, contemted escaping and taking Silver with her, but she didn''t want to leave Shaman and ra. Plus there would be consequences if she did run away since it would only be a matter of time until she faced Kiruya.
Kiruya saw that they all nodded and dragged them back to the hideout.
*
Everyone was on their knees in front of Kiruya, looking like they were about to be lectured.
Kiruya let out a sigh as she felt bad since they realistically didn''t do anything wrong, but it was still irresponsible to not let her know if they were okay.
"I don''t want to yell at you all, but please let me know you are okay. You have people outside the dungeon awaiting your return." Kiruya saw the relief on their faces, which made her happy, but she still hoped her message got across.
"Sorry, we lost track of time and only realised after we were on the ground exhausted." Shaman exined what had happened and all Kiruya could do was shake her head.
"It''s okay, but be more aware of your surroundings next time." Kiruya made her way over to the bedrooms as nor was still waiting in her room.
"nor! They are back." Calling out her name, shuffling sounds came from one of the rooms and nor stumbled out.
"Shaman! ra!" nor rushed towards them, giving ra and Shaman a hug which incited a reaction from Elysia.
"Grrrr!" Growling at nor, she realised what she was doing and quickly backed off.
"Oop sorry, didn''t mean anything by it haha~." Awkwardlyughing, nor realised she let her emotions get the better of her. Shaman on the other hand gave Elysia a brief re of reproach.
"It''s okay nor, Elysia is just a bit. Possessive." Shaman didn''t want to make it sound bad as it has gotten a lot better recently, especially with epting ra into the rtionship.
"O-oh I see." nor could see it and was a bit terrified of Elysia, now seeing that she can get very hostile.
"Elysia, nor is allowed to hug us okay, if you''re that envious, just join in." Shaman didn''t want to deny nor some affection as she hardly has any friends let alone a family.
"Hmph, fine." Pouting and turning her head away, Elysia didn''t want to watch the hug.
Shaman opened up her arms and offered nor a hug, but she looked over to Elysia hesitant if she should.
"Don''t worry about her, I will put her on a leash if I have to." Shaman saw Elysia''s ears perk up for a moment, but she still refused to look.
"O-okay." epting the hug, it felt awkward, but it was veryforting and reminded her of the times she was hugged as a kid. This almost made her start crying, but she held on as she didn''t want to be seen crying, plus it would be a hit to her pride after staying strong for so long.
nor backed away satisfied and Kiruya smiled, d that everyone was now okay.
"Alright if you''re all good, I am heading to bed, just grab whatever you want to eat and I will see you all tomorrow." Kiruya was tired and she still needed to report to Freja today.
"Goodnight." The girls waved at Kiruya and said their goodnights as she left the living room.
"I guess I should start cooking." Elysia got over her emotions and made her way to the kitchen.
"Do you want a hand with cooking?" Shaman never thought to ask, but she wondered if Elysia wanted some help.
"NO! I mean... It''s okay, I can do it myself." Elysia was afraid that Shaman would set fire to the kitchen as her cooking abilities only went as far as 2-minute noodles.
"Oh okay." Shaman didn''t dare retort back as she knew how passionate Elysia was about her cooking and didn''t want to intrude on that.
"Instead I will take Silver, I want to teach him some things." Elysia if anything wanted to teach her son how to cook just in case and figured it would be some good bonding time.
"Me?" Silver was confused and didn''t expect to be invited to cook, but he wasn''t going to say no.
''Let''s hope he hasn''t inherited Shaman''sck of cooking skills.'' Knowing Silver had some of Shaman''s genes, she hoped he did not take after Shaman''szy side when it came to cooking.
"Yes, nowe, mother will show you some tricks." Elysia smiled while gesturing at Silver toe over.
Shaman was jealous but she knew Elysia would shut her down if she said anything.
"It''s okay Shaman, we have some skills to assign anyway." ra tried tofort Shaman as they still had things to do.
Chapter 208 Tier 6
?A few more days had gone by and it was time for everyone to evolve to the next tier. Shaman also assigned all of her stat points just before evolving.
[Attributes]
Unused: 2100 -> 0
Vitality: 700 -> 1050
Agility: 750 -> 1100
Intelligence: 810 -> 1160
Strength: 800 -> 1150
Dexterity: 760 -> 1110
Defence: 700 -> 1050
As they all sat in the living room Shaman looked over everyone''s stats and was happy they reached level 200.
As usual, the next tier upgrade required tier 6 leader cores, which they had plenty of.
"Alright everyone, grab 2 cores and we can begin entering the next tier." Nothing was stopping them from evolving and Shaman wanted to start on the next dungeon floor quickly.
"Enjoy this while itsts, this is one of the final tiers where you can easily evolve. It is especially hard when trying to get to tier 8 and up." Kiruya, who was stuck at tier 8, struggled to find tier 9 monsters to kill which stunted her growth. This was also in part because of her work with Freja which didn''t leave her much time to find the right creatures to kill.
"There aren''t any tier 9 or 10 dungeons?" Shaman was rather curious as she assumed there would be a dungeon for every tier.
"Nope! tier 8 is the highest a dungeon can go, well at least from what has been discovered." Kiruya assumed there were higher-tier dungeons, but they had yet to be found.
"Oh, they might be deep underground or something." ra figured they would be in some sort of extreme terrain that even high-tier people would find hard to traverse.
"Wait, how did Freja reach tier 10?" Elysia realised that people still managed to reach such a monstrous tier so there had to be some way.
"Oh, she killed a creature years ago which was a threat to the entire continent." Kiruya was surprised they hadn''t been told the story, but it happened quite a while ago before the current pope came into power which fractured a lot of the friendly rtionships.
"Eh? Is it like some massive squid creature that was going to destroy everything?" Silver''s imagination went a bit crazy as he remembered some of the horror stories Shaman recalled from her old world.
"Haha no, it wasn''t that big, probably about the size of a few houses." Kiruya didn''t know too much about what it looked like as she wasn''t around at the time and therefore found it hard to describe.
"So it was an extremely strong monster and Freja was able to kill it?" ra figured it was as simple as that.
"As far as I know, yes, it was a fire type monster and that is actually how she obtained her hell special me element." Kiruya panicked for a moment after speaking as she wasn''t sure if she was allowed to discuss this subject.
"Oh that''s cool, but there is one thing that doesn''t seem to add up. Why does nobody talk about it? I haven''t seen any information rting to this event." Shaman thought it would be a much more known event, especially since it involved saving the continent from destruction.
"I-I can''t answer that." Kiruya knew why, but she was worried that if she told the girls and silver the full truth behind the event, they would end up disliking Freja.
"Hmm, I see." Shaman became suspicious, entertaining the thought that maybe Freja summoned the creature in the first ce, but that sounded way too insane.
"We should probably get this evolution over with." Elysia was losing interest in the topic and wanted to get to tier 6 already.
"Yes, you''re right, we can talk after. Kiruya, make sure to look over us!" Shaman knew they were safe in the hideout, but getting Kiruya''s confirmation made it reassuring.
"Don''t worry, I will keep the ce safe." Kiruya nodded her head and stood back to watch them begin the process.
"Everyone ready?" Shaman looked around and saw that the group were nodding their heads.
"Alright go!" Shaman gave the signal and they all pressed yes in their system menu. Shortly after, they each got engulfed in an egg.
Kiruya was a bit confused as the way she evolved was a lot different than how they did.
''Maybe it''s a system thing.'' Remembering that she was under some different type of system, Kiruya suspected it may have affected how she evolves.
''Doesn''t matter now, I just need to wait for them to wake up. Hopefully, they don''t take too long.'' Kiruya hoped to be entering the Elf pce soon as Freja was urging them to finish.
***
Kiruya found herself asleep on one of the wooden chairs while looking over the eggs in the living room. Even though she could have gone to bed, she wanted to make sure she was close by just in case.
At one point, nor hade out and was shocked to see all the eggsying around. Her first thought when seeing them was that they were food the group found while hunting. However, before she could touch the eggs Kiruya stopped her, freaking out that she might take them to the kitchen.
It was around the afternoon when the eggs finally started to crack, waking Kiruya up.
"It''s time." Getting up still in a daze, Kiruya quickly tidied herself up and went to go get nor.
As Kiruya walked back out with nor, the group was already out of their eggs, but there was a ring difference in their demeanour. Each and every one of them looked older and even Silver looked more mature now, seemingly in histe teens.
Surprisingly, Shaman had the most development with her now looking as if she was in her early 20s. Her body gained a lot more curves, bing almost unrecognisable if it wasn''t for her familiar face and unique hair.
Elysia also followed this same path, but she did not look too different from how she usually is.
The one with the least changes was ra as she was already quite older than the others, so she already had a developed body. With the evolution though, she gained a more refined look which she couldn''tin about.
"Woah." nor was stunned by this as it felt like she suddenly time travelled to the future.
*Yawn* "Damn, I hate how it always makes me hungry." Shaman felt her stomach rumble and just like the previous times ate her eggshell. Elysia, ra and Silver also did the same thing, enjoying the surprisingly sweet taste.
Kiruya was concerned seeing this as she would have thought the eggshell would just cut their mouth.
"Ohhh Shaaamaann, you look so much more. Sexier." Elysia looked over to Shaman after finishing the eggshell and was pleasantly surprised by the new looks.
"Oh wow, you''re not wrong Elysia." ra looked over from behind Elysia and couldn''t help but nod in agreement.
"Hehe~ finally." Shaman felt extremely happy. Although she hadn''t yet looked in the mirror, hearing ra and Elysia''s reactions made Shaman confident.
"Wait, are we ignoring the fact you just ate an eggshell?!" nor did not want to let this point fly by as it was extremely weird.
"Hmm? Did you want to try them? They are sweet." Shaman still had some pieces left she was about to finish, but she didn''t mind sharing them with nor.
"I d-don''t know if that''s safe." nor was sceptical, but it was a tempting offer as the expressions everyone made while eating said otherwise.
"Here,e try." Shaman lifted up a piece towards nor while gesturing for her toe over.
"F-fine." Walking up to Shaman, nor took the piece from her and took a small bite.
Expecting it to be fragile, nor found the shell surprisingly gummy and a sweet taste invaded her mouth. However, she suddenly felt mana flow through her and got a sense of newfound strength.
"What?" nor was still trying to understand this new feeling when suddenly a little bit of wind swirled around her body, shocking everyone.
"I knew the eggshell gave a little boost, but I didn''t expect them to have such an effect on other people." What Shaman didn''t realise was that the eggshell was infused with tier 6 mana, so for someone like nor who is at tier 3 it will have a major effect.
"Still though, this is great." Elysia gathered up the small pieces she had left and passed them to Shaman.
"The eggs you guys were in are imbued with mana?" Kiruya rubbed her head trying to make sense of the situation as it seemed way too ridiculous.
"This is a first for me, but I don''t feel much from eating it. It just tastes nice." ra having this be her first evolution found it odd nor was having such a response.
[Well it''s because she is much weaker, so she got a power boost from absorbing some of your mana which was infused with the cores.] Rea came in with an exnation that answered all of Shaman''s questions.
"Ohhh that makes sense." Shaman, now understanding what happened, recited what Rea said which put nor at ease as she was panicking about what was going on.
"If that''s the case should you give her more?" Kiruya wrapped her head around what was going on and, seeing how it had such a positive effect, figured they should give her the rest.
"That''s the n." Shaman gathered the remaining pieces from Silver and ra. cing them on the table, she turned to nor who''s swirling winds finally calmed down.
"Alright nor, I want you to slowly eat these." Shaman had an idea and hoped that what they had remaining was enough to give a significant boost to nor''s power.
Chapter 209 Power Boost
?nor finished the remaining eggshell pieces, and Shaman quickly opened up nor''s status.
[nor]
[Mid Tier 4]
Due to nor not having a system she isn''t assigned a level but an estimation is made.
"Oh my, you have gone up an entire tier." Shaman was more than impressed with the results and couldn''t imagine how much stronger nor could have gotten by eating all four eggs.
"Wait really?" nor was shocked as she thought it was impossible for her to progress her tier, especially since she had been told her hair was what prevented it.
"Seems like it pushed you past your limit." ra looked over to see nor''s stats as well.
"Could we give her a system?" Elysia whispered into Shaman''s ear, wondering if it was a good idea.
"Hmm I''m thinking the same thing, but I''m not sure if we should take her with us. At least not yet." Shaman wasn''t sure if it would be a good idea to bring nor along since she is weaker and it will be quite some time before they can get her more eggshells.
"Let''s wait until after we finish her request." ra knew nor wanted to return to the elf pce so it was best to see what will happen after that to decide.
"Mhm." Shaman agreed as she didn''t want to put nor through any more trouble.
"What''s wrong?" nor finished cleaning up after the small meal and saw them all whispering.
"It''s fine, just gauging how strong you are now." Shaman didn''t want to mention nor joining to avoid distracting her from her current goal.
"Oh okay, is there anything else?" nor was full of energy and felt like doing something so she hoped she coulde along.
"Do you think we should try the next floor, Kiruya?" Elysia quickly interjected knowing that if they were, nor would most likelye along as the entrance to the pce was in the dungeon.
"Yes, but we can do that tomorrow. I want to make some preparations before entering the pce in case we make it to the boss." Kiruya didn''t doubt they would make it to the boss so she wanted to make sure they were ready to enter.
"Wait, tomorrow?" nor, realising what Elysia was implying, was shocked to hear they could be heading to the pce tomorrow.
"Seems like it." Shaman didn''t mind waiting, plus she still felt lethargic after evolving so resting was ideal.
"Ahhh I''m not ready at all." nor started to freak out as she didn''t expect it to happen so soon.
"You will be fine, don''t worry about it." Silver walked up to nor and gave her light pats which were surprisingly soothing.
nor looked up and took a moment to process Silver''s new looks as he was a lot more mature now. This made her blush, but she quickly shook her head as he was still way too young even if he may look 18 now.
"Damn, our son is smooth." ra couldn''t help butment on this as nor''s small moment of blushing didn''t go unnoticed.
"Grrrr, she better not develop anything, he is still too young." Shaman would refuse any women that tried to approach him, especially considering Silver''s mental age.
"Well, if we take nor along then maybe it won''t be so bad." Elysia, being more open minded, figured taking nor along would help Shaman be at ease.
"Even then that would be too much." Shaman now had the opposite problem as although it sounded appealing, she didn''t want to see or hear the kinds of things they would do.
*Sigh* "I guess we just have to wait and see. After all, you can''t be looming over his shoulder all the time." ra knew Silver hadn''t even been around for a year, so for him to grow up so fast would definitely be an odd feeling.
"Hmph." Shaman didn''t want to think about it so she tried ignoring her team member''s troublesome opinions.
"If you need me I''ll be in my room." Kiruya, knowing the n, decided to leave them to do whatever they wanted.
***
"Is she still alive?" In a vast open throne room, a woman with a pair of red horns was speaking with a butler. The demoness wore a ck and gold cape covering most of her body, yet it showed no effort to hide her well endowed chest or her spiked teeth. Where the cape opened up to reveal her hands, the edges of old scars peeked from under her sleeves.
"From the reports of our scouts, ra has resurfaced." The butler bowed as he gave his report.
"Tch." The demoness clicked her tongue and stood up from her throne.
"Do you wish for her to be dealt with?"
"Where is she right now?" Interested in the butler''s offer, she looked down at him awaiting his response.
"She wasst seen heading to Elfheim." This instantly made the demoness lose interest as attacking such a ce from so far would cost too many resources.
"There is no point unless she is in the human''s domain. We shall simply wait for her toe here. I''m sure it''s bound to happen if she knows who she is." Disappointed, the demoness sat back down. Knowing ra was out there was enough news for the time being.
"As you wish, Demon Lord." The butler did another bow and turned to leave the room.
As soon as he exited the throne room the Demon lord vanished as well, appearing in a room that had a portrait of a family.
"After running away and abandoning the people, finally we will have your daughter pay the price of your shame." Putting her hand on the drawing and over the young ra''s face, she burnt the painting.
"Maybe I should hunt her." Considering going outside the demonnds herself, she quickly dismissed the idea.
"Need to keep it discreet like we have been for years, me going out will cause too muchmotion." While the reputation of the demonnds was that of an inactive country, the truth was quite to the contrary. This all stemmed from the diplomatic silence andck of any real external conflicts, following which the Demon lord ordered they shut down the borders.
"Maybe we should finally reveal ourselves. That Pope is too dangerous and may start getting greedy fornd. Arghhh, I don''t want to ruin this 200-year-long n, we are so close."
***
"Have we found Himeko?" The Pope in his usualpletely white outfit of hoodie and jeans sat in a chair looking at a piece of paper.
"No my Lord, we have not found an exact location, but it seems she may be in the demonnds. We do not know exactly why or where, but the mana trail left after she used her skill led us in that direction." A short old man wearing a coat was trembling as he spoke, hoping his report would satisfy the Pope.
"Dammit, how does that bitch even have a spot in the demonnds, the ce is bloody dead." Even though he liked that there was news, the fact that it was in the demonnds made him angry.
"Well Lord, we can try to take over the ce seeing how inactive it''s been." Even though the old man suggested the most logical answer, the Pope still looked at him weirdly.
"What do you mean inactive?"
"As you said the ce is dead, wouldn''t that suggest no one is there anymore?" Confused as to why the Pope was questioning him, the old man took a step back.
"Oh no, there are people, there is still a ruler present, but they have stayed closed off for as long as I can remember. However, I doubt any of them are strong, seeing as there has been no movementsing from their territory." The more he thought about invading, the more appealing it seemed, especially since it would double the size of hisnd.
''Then Himeko won''t be able to run.''
"My Lord, sorry to interrupt, but what about the iing attack from the Fox Realm?" One of his personal guards brought up a great point as it wasmon knowledge that a war may break out soon.
"Oh don''t worry about that, I will gather themanders and we will enter the demon''snds ourselves and set up a teleportationwork." A grin appeared on the Pope''s face as he expected to destroy whatever is left there.
"Get in contact with themanders, we will aim to leave in a few weeks time." Having given his orders, a few of the knights left the room tomunicate the message to the other citymanders.
''Let''s see if they can withstand an attack from the strongest race on the.''
***
"So ummm, Shaman and Elysia! While we have some time, is i-it alright if we have a s-session." ra fidgeted while sitting across from Shaman and Elysia in their room.
"Oh? Didn''t expect this." Elysia was shocked as they are not exactly alone in the hideout.
"Haha well ever since I have been epted and I had that kiss with Elysia I found myself unable to think of anything else." ra, having suppressed her urges up to now, couldn''t hold it anymore.
"Hmm, we can, but we will be heard." Shaman didn''t mind, but she was worried about Silver and nor.
"It is still daytime so if they don''t want to hear it, they can go outside." Elysia saw no issues as it was as simple as leaving if they couldn''t handle it.
"That''s fine." ra blushed a bit as being heard was extremely embarrassing, but it didn''t matter to her anymore. All she wanted was to be with Shaman and Elysia.
"Alright then,e here ra~"
Chapter 210 In The Meantime (R-18)
?While important decisions were being made and forces were starting to move, Shaman, Elysia and ra decided to have a little fun.
Shaman Pulled ra in for a kiss and moved to the middle of the bed. Elysia undressed herself leaving only her stockings on. She also started to undress ra while thetter was kissing Shaman.
ra was now only in her purple underwear which looked expensive. Now only Shaman was left to undress, but because she was under ra, she couldn''t quite get her clothes off. As such, Elysia stole the kiss to let Shaman undress.
With all of them now half naked, Shaman broke up the kiss between ra and Elysia. Sitting up at the bed''s headboard, She gestured for both of them toe over while unclipping her white bra.
Elysia and ra went to either side and started sucking on Shaman''s breasts.
"Ahh~!" Moaning softly, Shaman enjoyed the new sensation which she could now experience thanks to having an extra person.
Elysia and ra leaned in closer and started to caress Shaman''s thigh, causing her to shiver a little.
However, Shaman was able to reach around and sneak her hand underneath their underwear. As she slowly inserted her fingers into their pussies, Elysia and ra moaned, making them stop for a moment.
Continuing to suck on Shaman''s nipples while she fingered them, they all kept going for a minute.
Shaman was panting, the desire in her eyes telling Elysia and ra it was time to move on to something else.
Shaman saw them get off her and decided to pull out the strap-on that Freja gave her when they were at the mansion. ra was a bit stunned to see Shaman pull one out of her inventory as she didn''t think Shaman would have one.
"So who is first~?" Shamanid t, offering for one of them to get on first. Elysia was the first to pounce and sat on top of Shaman with the dildo just in front of her pussy.
"Come sit on my face ra." Shaman gestured for ra toe over, so she quickly took off her panties and did just as Shaman said. Her pussy was directly in line with her mouth and suddenly felt a tongue enter it.
"Ahhh~!" Moaning from the sudden shock of pleasure, She held on to Elysia to support herself.
Elysia had unclipped her bra and undid ra''s as well while she was leaning over. Elysia then lifted herself up and slowly went to put the dildo inside her pussy, but as she did, Shaman decided to thrust.
"Anghh~!" Elysia felt a wave of pain but did notin as it was shortly reced with pleasure.
Elysia, also needing support, grabbed onto ra''s hand and intertwined their fingers together. They then both moved their hips at the same pace and moaned in unison.
After a minute, they started increasing their pace as they felt close toing.
Elysia let go of ra''s hands and instead used Shaman''s stomach to support herself. As Shaman thrusted harder into Elysia, her legs began to shake and cramp the closer she got to cumming.
ra on the other hand was pushing harder into Shaman wanting her tongue to go even deeper.
"An~!" ra came, squirting directly into Shaman''s mouth and filling it up. Shaman lifted ra up to get air while also swallowing the juices in her mouth.
"AHHH~!" Elysia mmed down her hips for onest thrust and moaned loudly, her moans echoing throughout the room. She leaned forward into ra, letting the dildo slip out of her pussy and allowing her juices to flow out now that they were no longer trapped in there.
Elysia needed a small breather so sheid down next to Shaman.
"Your turn~." Shaman took this opportunity to push ra forward, forcing her to go on all fours.
Shaman kneeled behind ra and rubbed the tip of the dildo on ra''s pussy. This was ra''s first time and she wasn''t sure if she would be able to handle it. However, she wouldn''t have any time to voice her concerns as Shaman started prating.
"Anghhh~." Gritting her teeth from the rush of pain, a bit of blood leaked out from her pussy. Shaman was aware it was ra''s first time so she went slow, making sure she was okay.
"Ready?" Shaman was about to start moving and wanted to make sure ra was ready.
"Keep going~." ra didn''t want to stop as she had already gotten this far and a bit of pain wasn''t going to stop her.
Shaman, getting ra''s confirmation, started to move her hips.
Every part of ra''s body felt tingly, a sensation she wanted to never stop. Shaman picked up the pace as time went on. ra''s moans got progressively louder the more she lost herself in the pleasure.
Also, due to this being ra''s first time, she already came, but Shaman didn''t stop as she wanted to give ra more of an experience.
"Ahh~ fuck~!" ra''s hips also started moving on their own as she wanted it to go deeper. Shaman took this chance to grab ra by the horns, which were super sensitive. This made her feel like she wasn''t in her body anymore, leaving Shaman with full control of her body.
Shaman knew ra was about to cum so she did onest thrust while pulling on ra''s horns forcing her to sit up. Letting out an extremely loud moan, ra''s body shook as she found her consciousness slipping.
Slowly pulling out the strap-on, Shaman let go of ra''s horns, letting her fall back on the bed.
Beingpletely exhausted, ra knew she was done so she dragged herself to the edge of the bed to let Shaman and Elysia continue.
Shaman, now wanting her own turn, passed over the strap-on to Elysia who was fully recovered.
"ra~ey on top of Shaman~." Elysia had an idea and wasn''t going to let ra off so easily.
"What?" ra was dazed and a bit confused about what Elysia wanted.
"If your eyes are still open you can keep going~." Elysia licked her lips and gestured for ra toe over.
Reluctantly crawling over, she got on top of Shaman wondering What Elysia was going to do.
"Come here~." Shaman grabbed ra by the face and pulled her in for a kiss to distract her from Elysia.
Elysia knew ra was a bit too exhausted so she started to prate Shaman first. Moaning into ra''s mouth, Shaman held the kiss without breaking it.
Elysia went hard and fast knowing Shaman could take it and her continued moans were proof of that.
ra jumped for a moment as her breasts started getting fondled by Shaman while they kissed. Elysia also started to finger ra and the overwhelming amount of pleasure was getting to her head.
"I don''t know if I can keep going." ra broke the kiss as her head was spinning, and so she fell on top of Shaman.
Elysia quickly pulled out of Shaman and switched to ra, this instantly woke her up and sent her back up on her hands. Already close to climaxing, Elysia went faster and after a minute ra came. This time she passed out and was truly finished with the session.
"Good girl~." Shaman patted ra on the head and carefully moved her to the side, leaving only Shaman and Elysia.
Staring at each other in the eyes they both smiled, letting each other know they are ready to continue.
Shaman sat up and got on Elysia''sp while inserting the dildo. This allowed Shaman to wrap herself around Elysia and lock them in ce.
Leaning in for a kiss, Shaman began to move up and down as fast as she could, intending to finish quickly. Elysia tried to get back a bit of control and tried to push Shaman down, but before Elysia made her move Shaman grabbed her tail. This froze Elysia in ce. She struggled a bit, but any movement she tried to make would cause Shaman to pull.
"Grr-." Elysia tried to growl but was stopped by Shaman''s tongue entering her mouth.
"Be a good fox and don''t move~." Shaman kept pounding on the dildo for a couple of minutes and was close to climaxing.
"AHHH~!" Moaning loudly, Shaman pulled on Elysia''s tail tightly causing her to moan as well.
Breathing heavily Shaman got off Elysia, letting her free of her entrapment.
"Heh~." Elysia wanted to get revenge so she turned Shaman on her back and grabbed her tail.
This made Shaman perk up and surprisingly turned her on even more, to the point she started wagging her ass. Shaman seemingly switched from her dominant side and was nowpletely submissive.
Elysia then prated Shaman and they continued their fun, switching ces until they both could no longer move.
*
<20 minutester>
Shaman and Elysiaid on top of each other taking deep breaths and on the verge of passing out. Their muscle spasms were the only things keeping them awake as they had constant pain in their thighs.
"Hopefully we can walk tomorrow." Shaman thought about how tomorrow morning will feel and wasn''t sure if they would be able to walk.
"Oh well, an extra day won''t hurt." Elysia didn''t care and if she could, would do what they just did every day.
"Ha, we do have priorities. Also need to get ra''s stamina up, she is missing out on a lot." Shaman looked over to the sleeping ra, surprised she didn''t wake up from all the noise they were making.
"I mean I can train her up in my spare time~." Elysia froze after speaking as it was something she never thought she would ever say.
"Damn never thought that woulde out of your mouth." Shaman also realised what Elysia said and couldn''t help butment about it.
"Well I didn''t either, after finding a way around my negative emotions I feel a lot calmer now." Having more time to think about her rtionship towards ra, Elysia was able to put into words what it was like.
"Haha well you can just do as you want, it won''t bother me. Just don''t forget to invite me sometime~." Shaman gave a kiss to Elysia as a sign that it was okay for her and ra to do things themselves.
"Thankyou~, we should sleep, the pain is finally dying down." Elysia felt the pain in her legs dying down and was starting to fall asleep.
"Agreed." Shaman felt the same and was unable to stop herself from passing out.
Chapter 211 Elanor Joins The Party
?
ra was the first to wake up and when she did, her face was smothered into Shaman''s chest. Trying to move away, ra found herself stuck as Elysia hugged her from behind.
ra had been sandwiched while asleep and didn''t know what to do.
''I don''t want to wake them up.'' Internally sobbing, sheid there until suddenly Shaman pulled ra closer.
''Oh no my horns!'' Realising the kind of position she was in, her horns were going to stab Shaman right in the face. Although they were not sharp like a de, the tip of the horn was quite pointy.
ra''s horns stabbed right into Shaman''s chin and caused her to instantly wake up while grabbing her chin.
"Ow fuck!" Tossing and turning around in the bed, it took her a moment to settle down before looking around to see what happened. Seeing ra awake and a guilty look on her face, Shaman pieced together that she was stabbed by her horns.
"Sorry, it just sort of happened and I couldn''t really react in time to stop it." ra spoke quietly and quickly, unsure if she was going to get punished.
"Haha, no need to be sorry, I can see you didn''t intend for it and if anything it''s my fault for wanting to sandwich you with Elysia as a surprise for when you woke up." After Shaman and Elysia finishedst night, they decided it would be a good idea to squish ra, hoping she would freak out.
*Yawn* "What''s going on?" Elysia pushed herself up in a half-dazed state and leaned on one arm.
"Ah-." ra went to face Elysia, but her chest was right at ra''s head level and got smothered by them, cutting off her surprised yell.
"Oh? Whoops, sorry, ra." Elysia heard the small cut-off yell as she felt something hit her chest.
"I''m going to have a chest overload at this rate." ra sat up straightpletely red, getting almost overwhelmed by all these idents.
"Fufu~ you just have to get used to it, plus with Elysia around, it''s hard for things to not be let''s say horny, wait no that sounds bad, especially with your horns, how about sexual." Shaman tried not to be too blunt, but the casual term she used in her original world didn''t quite fit.
"I can''t help it, I me Shaman for all the fun we had when we first got together hehe~." Elysia shifted the me as in reality it was Shaman''s fault for introducing such activities into Elysia''s life.
"Oi! We only did it like twice back then, not my fault you became some nympho always at your knees begging we keep going." Shaman refused to take the me as she never thought it would turn out like this.
"Pffhaha, I guess we will see if I turn into one and if I do I me you Sha~." ra knew this would be a great excuse for more action as well as a chance to join forces with Elysia to tease Shaman.
"Tsssk fine." Shaman epted, not realising what will be in store for her in the future.
"Mothers!!! Kiruya wants to see you."
''It sounded weird to say mothers.'' Silver yelled out from behind the door, but found that it did not really roll off the tongue.
"Coming!" Elysia responded, hoping Silver wouldn''t enter as the bedroom was aplete mess with clothes everywhere and stained sheets.
"Good thing magic exists." Shaman had the same thought and got to cleaning right away.
Conveniently, the room had a magic circle in the corner and underneath the bed for cleaning. These magic circles reced washing machines and were 10x faster, especially since they could also dry clothes.
After cleaning up and putting on their clothes, they made their way to the lounge. Kiruya, Silver and nor were at the table eating, waiting for them toe out.
"Finally, eat up and it will be time to take on the 2nd floor and enter the elf pce." Kiruya spoke quickly and seemed like she was in a hurry, which didn''t go unnoticed.
"What''s the hurry, something happened?" Shaman sat down while asking, wanting to know if they should try and hurry.
"Himeko could be in danger, the pope is making a move towards the demonnds." Kiruya received a report in the morning from Freya, informing her what was going on.
"Wait what?" ra was the first to react as although her rtionship with Himeko was rocky, she still hoped to meet her and find out why Himeko sealed her memories.
"One of our informants that follows the human generals told us they were summoned by the pope to form an elite party to raid the demonnds." Kiruya kept the exnation brief and finished her food.
hearing the news, the others quickly started on their food as it was urgent they get what they had to do here done.
*
Everyone finished up and followed Kiruya towards the dungeon including nor who was still confused, not really knowing the full story.
"Once we are at the pce we will see the king right away! nor, if you can''t sort out things with your family, you will have to make a choice." Kiruya needed nor to make a decision as they cannot dy their trip any further.
"What are my choices?" It was a rather grim realisation as she really wanted to be back with her family, but there was also a part of her wanting to leave.
"You can either continue your life here or you cane stay in the Freya forest and serve Freja, the ruler."
"Any other option?" nor was still looking for an out, as serving someone else didn''t suit her taste.
"You can join our group and adventure with us, but I must warn you that it won''t be easy and you could very well die the next day." Shaman answered, turning back to exin as she knew what Kiruya would say.
''I didn''t want to take nor in since she is weak, but it seems like I won''t have a choice.'' Shaman didn''t want to take nor on such a dangerous journey since was not used to these types of hardships. Shaman also only considered taking nor if they could boost her power simr to what happened with the eggshells.
This came as a shock to nor as she had very littlebat experience and felt like she would be a burden. However, this was the kind of offer she wanted, something that would let her be free and not worry about who she is.
''If they are willing to take me then I should take the opportunity.'' Knowing this will be her only shot at getting strong, nor decided what she was going to do.
"Shaman, if you are willing to take me with you then please, I want to get stronger. I don''t care about my family and if they are no longer willing to take me, then my new family is here with you all." nor gave her answer and everyone was impressed with her response.
"Make sure you train her well." Kiruya smiled and let Shaman take over the conversation while she led them to the dungeon.
"With an answer like that, I can''t really decline If I''m honest I was going to reject you joining since it would be too dangerous, but I''m sure we can work around that." Shaman figured giving nor a system would be able to boost her.
[nor is now suitable to receive a system]
Getting the notification confirmed Shaman''s thoughts and wondered if Rea could do anything about getting nor''s level up.
"I-I understand, I half expected to be rejected, but I will work hard to catch up." nor felt relieved that she was epted, knowing there was a real chance of her not joining at all.
"We will get you a weapon and once we are in the dungeon I have something to give you, so before we get there, try to think of a weapon you want to use." Shaman would deal with the system once they are in the dungeon as they wouldn''t have any eyes on them.
"Mhm." nor nodded her head and the excitement was kicking in.
"Elysia, ra and Silver, you have no issues with this? I should have asked before." Shaman turned to the others who had kept silent, letting Shaman take lead.
"I have no issues." ra didn''t see a problem with nor joining but was actually more worried about Elysia.
"No issues Mum!" Silver smiled, happy that nor was joining as he enjoyed her presence.
"Mmm fine." Elysia pouted, as it was another woman in the group, but thanks to ra, Elysia was a lot more open to nor joining.
"Thank you." nor was nervous while hearing their responses, but the positive response she got fueled her excitement.
"Good, we are almost there so try to make a decision on your weapon of choice." Shaman, getting their approval, then made sure nor focused back on thinking about a weapon as they can''t spend a lot of time ying around.
Chapter 212 [Halloween] - Haunted House
?[A/N: Happy Halloween everyone, hope you have enjoyed your day. I''m here to present you with a fun chapter in which the events of these are half cannon, don''t know what that means, but take it as you will. Happy reading and I hope you got a goodugh. (Also do note I did not edit this chapter so sorry for any mistakes.)]
Chilling inside one of the rest spaces, Shaman, ra, Elysia, Silver and nor were taking a moment to rx before Freja sent them on another mission.
"Now that I think about it, do you guys have a thing called Halloween?" Shaman guessed it would be around that time, but wasn''t sure if this world had such a holiday.
"Hall-o-ween?" Elysia tried pronouncing the word since it was somethingpletely foreign to her. Everyone else tried as well since this was the first time hearing such a word.
''I forget that no one other than me and Freja is aware of the world wee from.'' Shaman got a small p of reality that pretty much everyone she knew was unique to this world.
"It''s when everything is spooky and you make faces on pumpkins. You even go knock on people''s houses to ask for candy which is what the kids do." Shaman gave a bit more detail and it clicked to the others what she was talking about.
"Ohhh you mean the day of the Hollow." Elysia saying the equivalent of Halloween, Shaman wondered where the origin of the name came from.
"Oh that, I haven''t celebrated that for years." nor didn''t really have a chance to celebrate it when she was a teenager, but she did have some memories of when she was a child.
"It was never a thing in the demonnds or something I did with Himeko, but I did see it happen." ra watched from afar when it came to these events as Himeko didn''t want her outside.
"Haha yeah I was homeless for a long time so I couldn''t really participate." Elysia was just like ra, watching from afar, but instead of a tower, it was on the street.
"When is it?" Silver was really intrigued by this idea and wondered if they were going to do something about it.
"It''s actually tomorrow." Elysia opened up the system which gave the time and date.
[11:30, 30/10/xxxx]
"Really!" Silver''s eyes lit up and everyone knew what the next question was going to be.
"If we are not getting dragged around by Freja then yes we can go out tomorrow night." Shaman answered before he could ask.
"Yesssss." Silver raised his arms up in the air and cheered happily since they were going to do something fun for once.
"Can''t say no with that kind of reaction." ra dying of cuteness couldn''t see herself refusing Silver.
"Mhm." Elysia nodded in agreement as she could spend all day looking over Silver and never get bored.
"Well, what should we do then? Does the forest even set up events?" nor wasn''t ustomed to the fox realm so she wasn''t sure if this sort of thing was celebrated.
"I think so, I mean Freja is aware of Halloween so I would be surprised if they didn''t." Shaman figured Freja would impose this sort of culture in the Freya forest.
"I mean don''t you find it odd she has let us off work around this time? Usually, we are always out on a job." ra pointed out a very key detail which lined up well with the fact it''s the day of the hallow tomorrow.
"Maybe she is setting up for the event and now that I think about it. When I walked to the front I was stopped by a maid." nor was going to head out for a walk but was turned around by a maid as there was "work" being done.
"I think Freja has something nned." Shaman put the dots together that something fishy was going on.
"Ooo I wonder what she is doing." Silver was even more excited as there may be something waiting for them in the morning.
"I guess we just have to wait." Elysia knew there was no point in trying to poke around the mansion as Freja would most likely stop them.
"It iste so we can sleep it off." Shaman saw the time and there was no point in staying up any longer.
"Hold it right there, it''s just about midnight and I need some guinea pigs." Freja kicked open the door to the room announcing what she needed.
"Ahh! What the hell!" nor screamed as the door was behind her and the loud bang spooked her.
"Fufu~ not sorry. Anyway, I need you toe with me." Freja didn''t let any of them talk back as she already turned around and opened up a portal.
"Fre- dammit!" Shaman tried to call out, but Freja vanished before she could even say her name.
*Sigh* "Let''s just follow her." Elysia saw no point in sitting around and it most likely had something to do with tomorrow.
Being annoyed at the sudden entrance, they all still got up and went through the portal that reced the door.
Appearing out in the garden of the mansion, a massive house was present in the middle of it. Looking abandoned, Shaman instantly knew what it was and what Freja wanted them to do. The house itself waspletely rundown and there was this aura screaming at them not to enter. It was clear it was infested with insects and possibly ghosts as movement could briefly be seen in the windows.
"It''s a haunted house isn''t it." Shaman wasn''t one to be scared often, but that''s because she hides it.
"And you would be correct, I want you all to go through it before I open it for everyone on hollow day." Freja smirked as Shaman and her group were the first to try her original haunted house.
"U-Ummm are you sure?" Elysia tried to not act scared, but her stuttering voice and trembling hands suggested otherwise. nor was much the same as she didn''t handle scary things well.
Silver and ra werepletely unaffected by it and even looked more excited than scared. Shaman tried not to be scared to keep her image as the leader of her group, but her hands were shaking slightly.
"Of course, don''t worry you won''t have to fight and even if you tried, I put mana inhibitors all around the ce." Freja knew that it may be their reflex to use magic, so she made it impossible to do so.
"Come on guys, let''s just do it, I''m sure it won''t be that bad." Shaman, building up the courage, walked forward hoping her nerves would go away.
"I-I don''t think we should Shaman." Elysia quicklytched on to Shaman causing her to jolt as she was on edge.
"It''s fine,e on let''s go." Shaman patted Elysia on the head trying to calm her down.
"Come nor, it will be fun." Silver saw nor try to sneak away, but was dragged by Silver by the arm.
"Nooooo! Pleaseee." nor didn''t want to go in, but she couldn''t fight back despite him being much younger, he was much stronger than nor which was an amusing scene.
"Have fun~ can''t wait to hear your screams." Freja clicked her fingers and disappeared on the spot leaving them all alone. She also put up solid blood walls leading to the entrance, making the only exit through the haunted house.
"Looks like we don''t have a choice." ra walked right up to the entrance without an ounce of fear. Shaman followed behind ra while Elysia was attached to Shaman''s arm like glue refusing to let go. Silver, excited for what was toe, held nor''s hand and followed behind Shaman.
Going through the entrance, it waspletely dark, but there were 5 candles already lit up on top of a drawer.
Grabbing 1 each they were able to see some of their surroundings and noticed a light in the distance. Walking towards the light, they realised they were in a hallway now.
*Creaaakk*
"AHH!" Elysia and nor screamed, hearing the creak of the floorboards and holding onto the closest person even tighter.
"I-it''s just the floorboards, don''t worry." Shaman was also spooked but kept her cool still keeping the fearless image she had.
*Sigh* "Please nothing scary has ev-." As ra spoke suddenly a door between them slowly opened. Shaman, Elysia and nor all held their breath waiting for something to happen, but nothing came.
"Just a door." Shaman, relieved nothing happened, tried to make everyone continue forward.
However, just as nor passed the door, she felt a breath down her neck.
"AHH! WHAT THE FUCK!" Jumping forward she pushed Silver over causing the both of them to fall over.
"Ow!" Silver hit the ground and tried to get up, but when he lifted his head felt something soft.
''Is that nor''s chest?'' Having his thoughts instantly go to the most likely spot, he quickly lowered his head embarrassed, but nor wasn''t paying any attention and smothered Silver despite his attempt in trying to avoid touching.
Everyone else turned around to see what happened and saw Silver getting crushed by nor.
"You okay?" ra quickly ran over and helped nor off Silver who was more or less enjoying it, but it was something he wouldn''t admit it.
"I''m fine." Silver was d that it was dark as his face waspletely red. He then quickly got up from the ground while dusting off his clothes.
"Y-yes, but I felt something breathe down my neck." Exining what happened, everyone froze for a moment and looked back at the door that was open. A hand then reached and smacked the floor as if it was crawling.
"Oh, Shit!" This got a reaction from everyone and they all began to run. nor and Silver dropped their candle, now relying on the light in front of them.
However, the light in front of them turned off leaving them inplete darkness making the candles the only source of light. But Since their backs covered the light Silver and nor lost their sense of direction and got themselves in a different part of the house.
Elysia, ra and Shaman still having their lights made it to the end of the hallway making it to the kitchen. Looking back they saw no one was following and shut the door, but then noticed they were missing two people.
"Shit! Silver! nor!" Shaman yelled out their names, but ra quickly covered her mouth.
"Shhh! We don''t know if we will be chased down." Knowing there were "Monsters" in the building, they now had to be quiet in order to not get caught.
"Grr, o-only if I could use my fire." Elysia, still trembling while holding onto Shaman tried to use her mes, but Freja didn''t lie about mana not being able to be used.
"It will be fine, we just need to get through the house." Shaman hit her legs as they were shaking and the added stress of Silver being alone didn''t help with the nerves.
"Once we get out, I''m sure we can help." ra ended up taking the lead of the group and started to investigate the room they were in.
Opening up the fridge, fake guts and body parts fell out causing ra to almost vomit.
"Oh god, that is just disgusting." Instantly shutting the fridge and stepping away from the gross mess she identally bumped into a wall.
"AHH-!" The wall then spun taking ra away from Shaman and Elysia.
"ra?!" Shaman called out her name, but no response came suggesting she was taken away.
"A-are we alone?" Elysia hoped the answer was no, but the fact that ra vanished meant it was just the two of them.
"I-I think so." Shaman was feeling uneasy and was hating the situation more and more.
*Knock* *Knock*
"Ah! Who is it!?" Shaman raised her light to the door where the knocking came from and waited for a response.
*Bang*
However, the door was suddenly kicked in when a man that was 2 metres tall with a chainsaw came in.
"RUNN!" Shaman instinctively ran away while screaming and found a door that led out of the dark kitchen. Elysia held on tightly refusing to let go, but then she felt her leg get grabbed from below.
"AHHH!! THEY ARE IN THE FLOOR!!" Seeing the holes that perfectly fit a hand, Elysia tried to shake off the hand while kicking it with the other. The man with a now revved-up chainsaw chased the girls and almost caught up to them.
Elysia got free and continued to run down the hall while trying to avoid the hands that were emerging from the ground.
Seeing a door with light seeping underneath, they dropped their candles and ran at full speed to make it to the door.
Both bashing through it, they made it outside but fell to the ground with Elysia stacking on top of Shaman.
"AHAHAHAH!!! What a beautiful show!" Freja was on the other side looking down on them.
*
"Shit we don''t have any lights." Silver held on to nor''s hand as they slowly walked through the dark room. From what Silver gathered, they were in some kind of bedroom but he wasn''t sure.
"A-are you sure we will be okay?" nor was shaking as not being able to see made her extremely paranoid and the only thing keeping her sane was Silver''s hand.
"Hehe~ don''t worry we will be fine." Silver was confident that he could get out and found the whole thing thrilling.
*Bang*
The sound of chopping wood echoed out in the room which sounded like it wasing from the door.
"We need to hide." Silver gathered someone was breaking into the room, so he went along the wall until he felt something that resembled a closet. Opening it and pulling nor inside, they were squished up together while the person broke into the room.
With onest bang, the door was broken and the sound of boots echoed out in the room. Walking around and searching the ce the sound of ragged breaths got closer to the closet.
"Where are youuu~ my prey~"
"Come out to y-ay-ay." Chanting a few words the person got closer and closer. nor hugged Silver tightly, smothering himpletely in her chest leaving no room to breathe.
"Are you in here~!" Yelling just outside the closet, nor pushed up against the back as hard as she could and suddenly the wall flipped as the person opened the closet.
"AHHH!!!" Sliding down a chute, nor and Silver wereunched out of some vent to the outsidending next to Shaman and Elysia.
nor was still hugging Silver who was on the verge of ascending as he hadn''t experienced such a sensation before.
"Oop more victims arrive~." Freja weed the 2 who were still processing what the hell was going on.
*
"Ow! Why the hell was there a wall that could be spun." ra got up from the ground as she was just shot out of a chute to some underground.
"Am I in some basement?" ra tried to make sense of where she was, but her candle was out making it harder to see.
''What am I even standing on, it feels mushy. No, don''t tell me.'' ra walked off the tform she was on, but it felt like she was walking in some thick liquid. However, when she reached down with her hand she realised what it was.
"EWWWWWW!!!!!!" Realising she was in a pool of fake guts and blood ra screamed. Feeling absolutely disgusted she tried to get out, but each movement only made ra want to puke.
After a few more steps ra could no longer take it and started vomiting.
*Cough* *Cough* "I wish I could kill Freja right now!" ra hated this and only wanted to get out, but an even worse fear just became a reality.
Something slithered across her feet making ra jump up and scream again.
"NOPE, NOPE, NOPE, I AM NOT DEALING WITH THIS ANYMORE!!!" ra rushed to find an exit and luckily there seemed to be a hatch in the ceiling that leaked some light. Finding thedder she climbed out and crawled out onto the grass.
She then rolled over and saw that everyone was also on the ground.
"Oh my, you found the worst route to get out the Kitchen meat dumpster fufu~." Freja struggled to keep herughter as ra found the most disgusting exit of them all.
"I HATE YOU!!" ra yelled out, but she had no energy to get up and try to fight Freja.
"Seems like this was a sess, I hope you all enjoyed your time~. Now I must leave and get this moved into the town square, bye bye~." Disappearing before the group couldin about the haunted house, they allid there in shock.
"I don''t know if I want to do this again next year." Elysia didn''t realise how scary it would be and preferred it if it didn''t happen again.
"You can say that again." Shaman was all for it and hoped Freja didn''t have something even worse nned for next year.
"Hehe~, ahem that was great, I would do it again." Silver managed to not ascend and got out of the hug from nor. Still a little intoxicated by the sensation he almost let slip how much he enjoyed the haunted house, but for different reasons.
"Never again." nor shook her head as it was way too much for her to handle.
"Tch, never ever doing this again, now I''m all filthy." ra looked down at herself which was covered in chunky bits of meat.
"Happy Halloween I guess." Even though it was a terrifying and disgusting experience, it still was an experience that they would never usually have. So Shaman still wanted to treasure it as she got to learn a lot about her party members.
Chapter 213 Gearing Elanor Up
?Arriving at the adventurers guild, the group made a detour to the auction house section to pick out a weapon for nor. They also sold the remaining elf cores they had which gave them plenty of money to get a high-ss item.
[551 gold coins]
"Have a look through this tablet and if anything catches your eye let us know." Shaman passed over the stone tablet that was showing a detailed list of weapons.
"Geh, there are so many." nor saw the vast list and wondered how the hell she was going to choose.
"There is a small image of the weapon so just use that to see if it interests you." Elysia pointed to the small image of a sword and clicked it, erging the image.
"Guess I''ll start looking." nor knew everyone was in a hurry so she was going to buy the first thing she liked,
<5 minutes>
Scrolling through the different weapons and looking at the images, nor finally found something that stuck out to her.
[Foldable fan des]
"Ohh this looks good." nor clicked on the category and was met with a list of fans of varying grades.
"What did you find?" Shaman looked over nor''s shoulder and was surprised to see the kind of weapon she chose.
"I like these fans, they are discreet but also deadly." nor imagined herself using them and was getting impressed by herself.
"Ah I''m not sure if that''s a good idea, the fans are extremely hard to use." Kiruya, hearing the weapon nor chose, was sceptical as the fans were a very rare weapon to see.
"No, it''s fine Kiruya." Shaman knew the system would be able to solve any issues that may ur and if her assumption was right, nor might have a blessing of a god rted to fans.
"If you say so." Kiruya, being aware of the system, figured it had something to with it and the fans may not be as hard of a weapon as she thought.
"Alright, now let''s choose a good one for a tier 7 dungeon, so at least you can defend yourself. Even if you are tier 4. Hell, having a strong weapon could even allow you to do some damage." Shaman nned to see how nor would fare against the basic mobs of the dungeon.
nor nodded her head and let Shaman scroll through the list of fan des.
''Damn this is going to take all the gold we got from those elves.'' Shaman knew it was going to be expensive, but it still didn''t mean she was happy shelling out at least 400 gold for a suitable weapon.
Luckily though, the system allowed her to inspect the weapons from the images directly, providing the actual statistics of each weapon. Amon thing she noticed about the higher-priced weapons is that they werebelled at the wrong rarity. Even if it said rare or epic, they were usually one rank below what they actually were.
However, next to the rarity enclosed in brackets was the weapon''s potential, or at least that''s what the action house imed.
''Hmm, it seems like weapons can also evolve. These are from the dungeon so they must have some special properties Wait, didn''t we get a demon sword from the dungeon.'' Shaman recalled the demon sword they got from the elf dungeon which was simr to Silvers.
''If my guess is right, it should shift to the desired weapon of the user and link itself with him. Silver did have the system though, so it''s probably best I give nor the system before handing her the weapon. Don''t want the demon that''s inside taking over her mind.'' Learning from ra the potential origins of the demonic weapons, it was rather risky to hand the sword to nor.
''For now, I will buy this one that should be good enough for the dungeon and once we are inside we''ll have her try the demon sword.'' Shaman clicked on a rare fan de that had the potential to be stronger and selected ''purchase''. It came to about 350 gold which was more affordable than the 400 to 500 price tag she saw on a lot of them.
nor was smiling seeing Shaman had picked out a weapon for her and couldn''t wait to see it.
A female elf came walking out in a suit while holding the box that contained the fans. Shaman walked over, paid the gold needed and took the box.
Reaching out for the box, nor wanted to check out her new weapons immediately, but was quickly stopped by Shaman.
"You''re not allowed to pull out weapons, so be a little more patient." Shaman didn''t want to get kicked out if nor identally hit anyone, so it was better to wait until they were in the dungeon.
"Shaman! I got some clothes." Elysia, who vanished somewhere while they were looking for a weapon, came running back with clothes in her hands.
"What?" Shaman was confused at why Elysia went out to get some when they had plenty in their inventory.
"Well nor can''t be fighting in that expensive dress, so I went ahead and got something more manoeuvrable." Elysia thought ahead and, having simr proportions to nor, did not struggle to get the right size.
"Good thinking Elysia, go get changed nor and then we can head inside." Kiruya didn''t like the number of dys, but as long as they cleared the dungeon today she wouldn''t mind as much.
nor took the clothes and left for the changing rooms at the back of the auction house.
*
Walking out of the changing rooms, nor saw everyone standing around waiting for her.
nor wore a white shirt that was tucked into her ck pants and a corset that went around her stomach. The corset was made out of leather and was held together by some strings at the front. She also wore a small ck cape which was lined with green.
"Oh wow, your fashion sense never fails Eli."
"Hehe~ thanks Shaman."
"Ooo you look great big sis nor."
"I expected something worse since it was Elysia, but it actually suits her well."
"Oi, what''s that supposed to mean?" Elysia squinted at ra for her off-handment, but it was also apliment so she wasn''t really annoyed.
"T-thank you." nor blushed, having never worn something like this before, and was happy it was received so positively.
"You look like a real adventurer now, speaking of which we need to get you registered and then we can enter." Kiruya wanted to get a move on, so with only one task left she tried to hurry everyone.
"Let''s go." Shaman nodded and they made their way to the reception desk to get her registered. However, while the elf at the desk was checking the information he raised an eyebrow.
"What''s the forgotten daughter of Aulfiem doing here registering?" Recognising thest name of nor, she froze in ce hearing it.
"None of your business." Shaman spoke up while ring at the man as there was no rule stating royalty can''t sign up.
Grumbling, he finished the registration process, still giving nor a sour look.
"You can get out now." As the receptionist unceremoniously dismissed them Silver looked like he was on the verge of pouncing, but Elysia grabbed him by the hand as there was no point in bothering with him.
Moving on, they all walked towards the dungeon entrance and got in line to enter. Since they were entering at peak time, it took a while for the guards to check every person waiting to enter.
"Seems like the discrimination runs through the people as well." ra thought it would have just been nor''s family, but it seems that anyone who learns her identity shows quite a bit of disgust.
"It''s only the older ones that hate me, the younger generation treats me nicely." nor, being used to such treatment knew how it was, but it still hurt every time it happened.
"Don''t stress, you won''t have to worry about that when we leave this ce." Shaman ced her hand on nor''s shoulder to reassure her that things will be different from now on.
"Sheesh, you''re going to make me cry." nor felt herself getting emotional again, but she knew that it wasn''t the time for it.
"Oop sorry." Shaman didn''t mean to get nor all emotional and instantly stopped as she didn''t want to make a scene.
Moving forward in the line, it was finally their turn to get checked. Inspecting the party''s adventurer records, the guards were concerned about nor going in as she was tier 4.
"Are you sure?" The guards knew the other girls were strong, but bringing in someone that weak would be a burden. There was also the fact she was royalty, but the guards didn''t care as like nor said, the younger ones were not discriminatory.
"We will be fine, Kiruya here watches over us and will protect her if things go wrong." Shaman exined to the guards the situation and they nodded their heads while letting them through.
"Stay safe then." Confident that nor would not recklessly die due to the power gap, they were fine letting her in.
Walking inside, they made it to the usual dirt path that led to the small town of elves.
"Now that we are here, I have a gift for you nor." Shaman opened up her system menu and verified that the notification that nor was eligible for a system was still there.
Chapter 214 God Of Fans Lin
?nor looked at Shaman wondering what it could be, but when Shaman got closer, nor started to get nervous.
"Don''t worry, It won''t hurt." Shaman saw the look of worry and tried to reassure nor, but it seemingly made her even more worried and confused.
Shaman knew saying anything more would just confuse nor, so Shaman just went ahead and raised her hand. Opening up the system, the prompt to give nor the system came up and Shaman pressed yes.
nor closed her eyes waiting for whatever was going to happen, but nothing came.
"Huh?" Opening her eyes, she looked around to see if anything changed, but everything was still the same.
"Pfftt." Shaman wanted to exin, but watching nor''s reaction was too adorable and funny, she left her confused a little bit longer.
"What did you do!?" nor pouted and red at Shaman as she felt like she was getting tricked.
"Okay, Okay, first things first, say status." Shaman felt bad, so she dropped the silent treatment and got nor to open the system.
"....Status." nor red at Shaman, still sceptical, but said it anyway.
[nor Aulfiem]
[Race: Elf]
[Level: 90]
[Tier: 4]
[Elements]
Wind: Tier 4
Holy Nature: Tier 4
nor looked in shock at the holographic screen as it disyed all of her information and things she didn''t even know.
"W-what is this?" Feeling like her brain was going to explode, she desperately needed an exnation of what was going on.
"Alright so" Shaman then proceeded to exin the system to nor and all the risks thate with it. The main one being if nor ever betrays the group she will lose all the power she has obtained.
"I-I think I understand." nor got the general idea of it, but it sounded surreal and felt like she was granted cheat codes for life.
"Good, now we will let you take on the weakest mob here and see how you fare. Also, don''t worry too much about the danger as we will be right next to you." Shaman hoped nor would not be frozen in fear as the elves were rather weak despite being tier 7.
"Mhm." nor felt anxious hearing she was going to fight, but she needed to take a step forward and prove to herself that this is the right path for her.
"Now before we start, I want to try something, I want you to hold this." Shaman pulled out the demon sword while covering her hand in ice, as she didn''t want to take ownership of it.
"Wait, are you serious? That''s crazy!" ra freaked out as the sword would take control over nor.
"Yes I am, if Silver was able to do it, I believe nor can too." Shaman was confident the system would be able to handle it thus allowing nor to obtain a strong weapon.
"Hmmm fine." ra wanted to trust Shaman as it was true Silver was in possession of a demon weapon, and if it worked once it could work again.
[And you would be correct, if nor grabbed the sword before she had the system, she would have died.] Rea chimed in to confirm Shaman''s thoughts and affirm her confidence in the system. ra, also hearing what Rea said, now had zero doubts about the process''s safety.
"Then did we just waste 350 gold." Elysia, more concerned about the money they just lost on buying fans, hoped Shaman had a n.
"We can just sell it back, plus who knows if it will transform into fans." Shaman wasn''t sure what form the weapon would take, but it would give her an indicator of what god she is blessed by.
"So it''s okay to touch?" nor looked at the sword, curious why ra freaked out about it.
"Yep, it''s all yours." Shaman held out the sword to nor and she reached out to grab it.
As soon as her hand gripped the handle dark energy spewed out of the de. nor fell to her knees while still holding the sword tightly. Everyone freaked out as this was very different from Silver''s experience.
However, their worries would be for nothing as the energy suddenly turned white, soon shifting to bright green. The energy then suddenly pulled itself back into the de engulfing it in a green light.
Its form shifting and changing, a few seconds passed when the light finally peeled away to reveal nor''s new weapon.
Just as Shaman suspected, a pair of ck and green fans appeared, embroidered with a painting of a mystical, supporting Shaman''s assumption that nor most likely has an innate skill for fans.
"I really hope we can refund those extra fans." Elysia cried internally as the money they spent was pointless.
"Sheesh, it will be fine." Shaman waved it off, confident there was a refund policy.
"Anyway, how do you feel, nor?" Shaman saw that nor was holding her head and hoped everything was okay.
"Y-yeah, just a really bad headache, heard someone talk in my head, but it suddenly vanished." When she grabbed the sword, nor felt the demon within try to take control over her.
"The system must have stopped it then." d there were no side effects, Shaman then wondered what happened if someone without a system picked it up.
''Would they get taken over like that elfmander or would something more dangerous appear.'' Recalling the words of what seemed to be the demon god, the dungeons seemingly acted like a seal for them, so if one were to get out then it would cause havoc.
"I''m surprised the system can suppress the demons, if we can get the rest of the weapons, we could create something incredibly dangerous." ra couldn''t imagine the destruction they could cause if they let all the weapons go rampant.
"Just be d it does, but right now we need to get nor fighting some elves." Shaman would love to think more about it, but they shouldn''t be wasting too much time.
Shaman then helped get nor up on her feet, now that her headache was almost gone.
"Thanks."
"Before we begin, try out the fans and get a feel for them." Shaman had no idea how they would work and bet on the fact that nor has the talent.
"So just anywhere?" nor held the 2 fans in her hand and opened them which revealed the thin des at their ends.
"Mhm." Shaman nodded and stood back where the others were.
Taking a deep breath, nor gripped her foldable de fans and tried to imagine how to use them. Suddenly information flowed into her head as her body started moving on its own as if there was someone else controlling her.
shing upwards with the fans, a gust of wind followed making her cape il in the air as well as lifting ra''s dress and Elysia''s skirt.
"OI!" Both ra and Elysia yelled out as it felt like it was on purpose.
"Oops~." nor turned around, seeing Elysia and ra pushing down on their clothes while Shaman was sneaking a look. Having no reason toin about the situation, Shaman gave nor a thumbs up.
Concentrating back on practising, nor swung down causing the wind to crash into the ground. jumping forward, nor spun in the air, fans fully open, and once shended let out a wind sh from the des.
Shifting her focus to her elements more, she swung one fan across, sending out a gust of wind. Following up with her other fan she swung upwards, but this time a tree root came out of the ground in the form of a spike. The tree root had white veins and one could only guess that was because the nature element she had was holy.
Everyone was pleasantly surprised as nor showed a range of capabilities, not only at long range but for shorter ranges as well.
However, nor did not stop and swung both her fans at the same time. One produced a wind sh while the other shot a wooden spike. Realising that each fan controls a different element, nor wondered what else she could do.
Swiping up again with her nature fan, vine roots emerged from the ground to try to grab something, but there was nothing to grab.
"So depending on what I want, I can use different nts." nor, figuring out what her fighting style would be like, continued to practise moving around and using the tree roots as dummies.
Without even realising it, nor had partly mastered the fans and would now be able to actually use them inbat.
*Ding*
A system notification went off scaring nor, which made her jump back in fright before realising what it was.
[Call of Lin]
"Call of Lin?" nor wasn''t sure what it was, but Shaman hearing it knew it was simr to Elysia''s [Call of Artemis].
''No idea what god this is from, but I''m d for its help nheless.'' Shaman tried to think of any god from her world, but couldn''t think of one and could onlye up with a video game character with a simr weapon.
"Great Job nor, you ready to go kill something?" Shaman shook her head as they needed to move on.
"Mhm!" nor closed the system window not worrying about what the call was and nodded her head furiously in excitement.
Chapter 215 First Kill
?Approaching the farnds of the elves, Shaman spotted a few young dark elves towing thend. nor and Shaman both went up to the cobblestone fence that surrounded the farm, using it as cover to hide from the unsuspecting elves.
"Alright, they will be your target, there is no reason to hold back so go as strong as you want." Shaman didn''t expect nor to be able to fight for long as the mana required to kill a basic tier 6 was a lot.
"Got it." nor trembled a little as although they were just basic mobs, she knew they were tier 6, which was 2 tiers higher than her. She also felt a little ufortable as they reminded her of her own race, but then she imagined the faces of the nobles who harassed her, turning that uneasiness into anger.
"We will be right here, so if you think your life is in danger, scream out and we wille." Reassuring nor that she won''t be in danger, Shaman hoped nor wouldn''t hesitate in the midst of battle.
"Alright, I will yell out if need be, but I think I should be fine." Confident in her power, nor looked ahead, determined to beat the elves.
"Good luck, you can go whenever you are ready." Shaman saw the confidence and didn''t want to get in nor''s way anymore, so Shaman took a step back to let nor free-rain.
Taking a deep breath, nor looked at her fan des, going over in her head about how she would go about it.
Plucking up the courage, nor stepped up and rushed towards the elves who were yet to see her. Jumping over the fence while opening up her fans, the wind began to swirl around nor which alerted the elves.
However, before they could turn and run to get reinforcements, nor swung up with her left fan raising a wooden wall. Dying the elves from retreating allowed her to get close enough to use her fans. One of the elves turned around to try to slow down nor while the others tried to get away.
Spinning on her feet she shed across the neck of the elf and made a deep cut, but it didn''t kill the elf nor stop him from retaliating. Lunging forward with the pitchfork in his hand, he aimed for nor''s head.
Leaning back, nor barely dodged the pitchfork. She continued with the momentum and did a backflip while kicking the elf in the chin.This worsened the cut, erging it further and dropping the elf to his knees as he bled out.
The other 2 elves seeing their friend being murdered became enraged! Instead of alerting the other elves, they went on the attack.
nor panicked for a moment as she didn''t expect both of them to charge at her. Quickly slicing up with her right fan, she sent out a wind sh while also swinging down with her left fan causing vines to emerge from the ground.
Restraining one of the elves with the vines while the other one attempted to block the wind sh, nor used this time to move back and prepare her next attack.
The elf managed to block the wind sh with their pitchfork, which surprisingly was the equivalent of a basic tier 6 sword. However, the other elf struggled to get out of the vines as his skin would burn merely from touching them.
nor, only having to deal with one elf for the time being, dashed forward. The Elf stood still with the pitchfork in front of him waiting for her to get closer. Once she was a couple of metres away, the elf stabbed forward aiming for her stomach.
Using the ends of her fans she was able to deflect the elf''s attack, but not without consequence. She felt her arms almost break from the short sh as despite the elf being weak for its tier, the difference in base power was still significant. Gritting her teeth through the pain, she swung up with her left fan creating a wooden spike underneath the elf.
Piercing the elf, the wooden spike emerged from its mouth killing him instantly. Meanwhile, the insides of the elf were being purged with fire, making nor realise something.
''Is it because it''s holy nature?'' Knowing her element had a holy effect, she deduced that since the dark elves were of a corrupted origin, she was in a sense purifying them.
The other elf was still stuck in the vines and some of his body parts were close to melting through. It was a rather gruesome scene, but it confirmed that the nature element she produces is for the dark elves harmful to the touch.
[Level up!]
[Tier up!]
Notifications popped up in front of nor and she was confused about what was happening. Shaman, seeing that the fight was over, came out from behind the fence.
"Great job nor! Despite the power difference, you made short work of them. It seems like your nature element is their weakness." Shaman came to the same conclusion about why the elves'' skin was burning and was pleasantly surprised that it had such an effect.
"Hehe, thank you." nor hearing the praise did a small jump in excitement.
ra, Elysia and Silver all came out as well, proud of her achievement in killing a tier 6.
"So, what level are you now?" Silver was curious if she was already ready to evolve as killing something 2 tiers above must have given a lot of experience.
"Hmm, it says I am level 127. It also said I went up a tier, but I''m not too sure what that means." nor opened up her system menu and read out the notifications which caught everyone''s attention.
"Wait, wait, it said you tiered up?" Shaman was confused as nor should have been stuck at level 100 and should not have broken through until she evolved.
"Yes, it says I''m tier 5 now." nor didn''t know why everyone was looking at her with shocked looks, but suddenly a voice echoed out in everyone''s head.
[That''s because nor is naturally a tier 7 elf, so she doesn''t need to go through the process of evolution like you all.] Rea had a cheeky tone as if she was holding in augh while she exined.
"Ehhh?! This is so unfair, why am I not a naturally higher tier? I am royalty after all" Shaman felt cheated as she just realised that both her and nor are nobles, but Shaman wasn''t naturally a higher tier.
[That''s because you are a "different" person so you had to start from the beginning.] Because Shaman was from a different world with no magical power, it corrted over to her new body making her go through the process from scratch.
"Hmph, it isn''t like it''s linked to the soul right?" Shaman refused to ept the exnation. She already had a cheating system so why couldn''t she cheat levels?
[Sorry, can''t help you, now byeee~, also hi nor I''m Rea the system assistant. We can talkter but I need to put in some earplugs before Shaman starts screaming at me.]
"O-oh hey." nor was confused as to why she could hear a voice in her head, but it seemed like everyone else could hear her as well.
"Oi! Don''t run!" Shaman squinted while looking up into the sky, hoping her stare could be seen.
"Pfft, calm down Shaman, we also have to go through it so at least you are not alone." Elysia hugged Shaman from behind hoping it would calm her down.
*Sigh* "I guess I am overreacting for no reason." Shaman figured she should be happy instead of annoyed as now they can easily get nor to the right level before they get to the tier 7 floor.
"Anyway, shouldn''t we get nor to continue killing the elves? The closer she gets to tier 6 the easier it will be." ra getting everyone back on track wanted to continue nor''s level grind.
"Yes, sorry for acting like that, nor." Shaman felt bad since nor had no control over it and there was no reason to act like that.
"It''s okay, I don''t really understand what''s going on so it went over my head." nor tilted her head while smiling as she was struggling toprehend what the hell Rea talked about. It was certainly news to her that she was apparently somehow stronger.
"Okay good, now spend your attribute points which are on the status page and then we will continue killing some more elves." Shaman directed nor to her attributes and she began to put her points in.
After nor spent her points the group moved on to the next set of elves, but this time they assisted in killing them to speed up the process. Still, they would leave the smaller elves to nor so she could practise some of herbos.
Making quick work of the town, they were about to kill thest elf which was a child.
"He is kind of cute." nor kneeled down looking at the child dark elf that held a stick in his hands.
"It''s a bit morbid but as you saw, they are not really children, so don''t feel bad." ra, who struggled to kill the younger elves, thought it must be a little difficult for nor since they are of a simr race.
"I know, but it still hurts a little to see." nor did feel her heart hurt, but she knew there was no point in feeling sympathy.
While ra and nor were talking, the child took the opportunity to run up to nor and hit her head with the stick.
"Ow!" Jumping back, nor held her head as it was a rather hard hit. However, the child didn''t give up and continued to chase her.
"Wait no." nor wasn''t ready and so she ran away from the child while she fumbled to get her fans out.
Everyone else looked in amusement and found the situation hrious, so they let the chase continue.
"Guysss help me pleaseee." nor struggled to use the inventory where she stored her weapons while running around the town, struggling to escape from the child.
Chapter 216 Tier 7 Floor
?"Ow, my bloody head hurts! How can a child even bonk that hard!?" nor, managing to pull out her fan des, finished off the child that had hit her with a stick. The group had watched on in amusement seeing a small child chase an adult elf in circles. Now nor was sitting on the edge of the fountain getting a small heal from Shaman
"Never underestimate a child, they may look weak, but they are still tier 6 monsters." With a smug grin, Elysia poked nor on the side of the head. nor pouted while ring at Elysia knowing full well she was being teased.
"Don''t bully sister nor!" Silver, who felt bad the most, tried to protect nor and pulled Elysia back by the waist. nor was happy to see Silvere to her rescue and found him very adorable.
"Oho? Someone''s a little protective." Elysia, now turning the teasing on him, saw him instantly turn red.
"I-it isn''t like that." Silver tried to deny it, but Elysia just gave him a look of confusion.
"Isn''t like what? I never said anything." Elysia acted like she didn''t know, but her grin said everything.
"Okay Eli, you can stop the teasing, it''s time to head to the next floor." Shaman, who just finished using [heal], did not like the direction of the conversation and decided to stop Elysia before there were any misunderstandings.
"We should really get a healer, that way we can be a bit more aggressive and not rely so much on dodging." ra thought about their group''sposition and realised they did not have a tank or a healer.
"I have thought about that, I was hoping to pick up more healing skills, but it feels like a waste." Shaman wanted to be a jack of all trades, but she realised that it would be impossible.
"I do rmend getting a dedicated healer, but sadly we don''t have anyone in the Freya forest who can join you right now. Still, you should definitely try to get your hands on one. Usually, they are of the priest ss, so maybe heading to the fox realm chapels when you get the chance is a good idea." Kiruya, who had been rtively quiet the whole time, spoke up to give a suggestion.
"After heading to the demonnds and getting Himeko out we will see." Shaman agreed, but their mission took priority for the time being.
"Let''s get going, we have spent too much time talking." ra sat up and dusted herself off.
"Hopefully we can speed through the enemies, but if any end up like the greatsword and dual-de elves we will have some trouble." Elysia remembered the gruelling fight against them, so if they had to fight a group, it could spell trouble.
"Just have to wait and see." Shaman didn''t worry too much about it and walked towards the same secret entrance asst time.
*
Clearing their way up to the pool chamber, this time the elves with the greatsword and dual swords did note out. This was a major concern as they could be a part of arger group that had more variants of elves.
"Before we enter deeper, Kiruya can you watch over nor while we clear the next room? We will try to capture some so nor can get the final blow and get some free experience." Shaman wanted to see if they could boost nor even more and maybe even get her to tier 6 which would let her fully catch up.
"Sure thing." Kiruya didn''t mind as long as they kept moving closer to the boss.
With Kiruya''s confirmation, Shaman then walked up to a stone tablet that was by a wall that had an unknownnguage on it. Pushing on it and hoping for the best, suddenly the stone wall began to open, creating a mini earthquake.
On the other side of the wall was a long hallway where tree roots covered the walls with all kinds of vegetation filling in the gaps. At the end of the hall, an elf priest was seen kneeling while maintaining a green barrier. There was also the greatsword and dual des elves standing guard, however this time they were apanied by a bow user.
"This must have been where they werest time, but they ended uping out before we arrived." ra noticed how the roots led to the tree and guessed there was some pathway that led into the pool.
"The hallway is rather narrow but it''s still better than luring them to an open space where they could go after nor, so let''s try to fight them head-on." Shaman, much more confident in her group taking on the elves, believed they could take them all at once.
"I don''t think the priest will move, he will be busy with that barrier." Silver squinted his eyes looking at the priest and saw magic circles very slowly being formed.
"Let''s not waste any more time, I think they areing." Elysia pulled out her bow, intending to take the ranged roll for this fight, especially since the elves had their own archer.
"Silver, you stay in the shadows and attack whenever you can. ra, you will be with me attacking, so listen out for calls or otherwise use your better judgement." Shaman exined their formation, organising their attack n.
Shaman then dashed towards the elves alongside ra while Silver merged into the shadows. Elysia stayed back taking aim directly at the elf with the bow as herpetitive spirit was ring up.
***
"Are all the admirals here yet?" The Pope was sitting on his throne asking for a report from the guard in front of him.
"W-we are yet to see Jane and of course Himeko." As he mentioned the name of one of the admirals, there was a clear look of disdain.
"Tch, she was friends with that bitch Himeko, so no wonder she might not want toe." Knowing the motive for herte arrival, The pope contemted if he should go out and kill her or drag her to the mission.
"Nevermind sir! Jane just arrived and is with the others, apparently she had some city issues she had to deal with beforeing." The guard receiving a message through a talisman ryed it to the pope.
"Tch, she lives this time, guess it''s time for me to exin the n." Getting up from his seat he clicked his fingers, disappearing from the spot. Reappearing at the same oval table where they had a meeting not too long ago, everyone went silent as soon as the Pope appeared.
Scanning each of the admirals, it was clear they all didn''t want to be there since it was taking time away from their duties.
"Good, now you are probably all wondering why I have brought you here. Unfortunately, I will be taking more of your time as I have a group mission for us." The Pope took his seat at the end of the table while putting his hands together and smiling as he waited for their reactions.
With the mention of more of their time being taken, a few groans and grumbles echoed out, but it was still too early to be annoyed.
"My n is to attack the demonnds." Cutting right to the chase, everyone was left speechless as it was very unexpected.
"Why?" Many of the admirals were still sceptical of the Pope''s ns and didn''t want to jump to conclusions yet.
"I''m on a hunt and I want to take it over, so all of us will be going over to raid the ce." borating further, Jane flinched a little at the mention of a hunt, as she assumed it was Himeko he was after.
"Are you stupid? That will break the 400-year-long treaty with the demonnds!" A very muscr man in a yellow uniform stood up, outraged they were doing something so absurd.
"Calm down and let me finish." The Pope red at the man that stood up and a wave of fear washed over him, forcing him to sit down.
"Now, I know we have the treaty, but I say who gives a damn, they haven''t done anything for thest 400 years. I want war! So we''ll poke our heads in, and if it turns out no one is there, we will take over it." An evil glint appeared in the pope''s eyes. Finally realising how serious he is about the n, everyone else choked on their breath.
"I-I know you want morend, but are you sure we can''t go about it peacefully?" A woman inpletely white clothes spoke up, but at the mention of peace, it seemingly hit the Pope the wrong way. However, he stopped the aura he was leaking out and looked at the woman who spoke.
"Just look at this small expedition as a crusade against the demons." The Pope smiled joyfully like a harmless child, yet to everyone else it was the look of someone insane.
"Now, I assume there are no objections?" Everyone looked down, not daring to object as their life was at stake if they ever spoke against him.
Chapter 217 Behind The Seal
?Shaman and ra were the first to attack, targeting the greatsword elf. Shaman covered Kotetsu in ice and activated her sword domain, buffing herself. ra charged her whips with lightning, also receiving the benefits of Shaman''s domain.
The greatsword elf held out his weapon preparing to block both attacks simultaneously.
ra swung her whips first, wrapping them around the elf''s greatsword. Letting her whips overcharge, they released a powerful burst of lightning, striking the greatsword elf and paralysing him in ce. Shaman leapt forward shing Kotetsu at the elf''s neck, however before her de reached its neck a knife deflected her de.
The knife was thrown by the dual-de elf as he charged at Shaman to save the greatsword elf. However, Elysia intercepted him with her arrow, forcing the dual-de elf to block with one of his knives and pushing him all the way back to the wall. Her attack deflected, Shaman jumped back before the greatsword elf regained control.
ra retracted her whips and charged them once again, waiting for the right opportunity to strike. Meanwhile, the greatsword elf was able to move again and focused its attention on Shaman who was the closest. Taking one step forward, the elf mmed his sword into the ground causing chucks of stone to fly out.
One of these fragments went straight for Shaman and she sliced it right through the middle. However, as the rock split apart, the greatsword elf was right in front of her striking down.
ra swung to the side of the elf only to be blocked by the dual-de elf.
Shaman raised her sword in an attempt to stop the blow from the greatsword elf, but she did not like her chances. Just before their swords collided, Silver appeared from the ground and stabbed into the chest of the elf, piercing its heart.
The greatsword elf''s movementspletely halted and his body fell limp on top of Shaman.
"Uh oh." Shaman wasn''t quite ready for the dead body to fall on her and so she fell to the ground with the elf on top of her.
While Shaman was getting free from the body, ra was keeping the dual-de elf at bay. Elysia was also continuing to fire arrows over the top of the group trying to hit the archer elf that was by the priest.
"This. Damn. Archer. Doesn''t. Want. To. Get. HIT!" With each word, Elysia fired an arrow that would either be dodged or countered with the archer''s own arrow. Elysia got irritated by the second and was channelling more mana into her shots. This made them faster and stronger to the point that the hallway shook from the impact each arrow made.
Eventually, Elysia fired an arrowrge enough that the elf couldn''t dodge it in time. In ast ditch attempt, the elf fired his own wooden arrow towards the blood-red me arrow. Before the wooden arrow even got close, it turned to ashes leaving no protection for the elf whatsoever.
With no time left to dodge, the archer took the full force of the arrow. In the end, the elf was hit square in his centre of mass and his body wasunched back until it hit the wall next to the priest.
mes burst out engulfing the elf, making quick work of the body while absorbing its vitality.
Back to ra, who was holding off the dual-de elf. She was still keeping him a safe distance away using her whips. Whenever the elf got close she would strike the ground, hitting it with the force of a lightning strike.
The elf was clearly getting agitated as it was unable to get close. Even if it threw knives at her, they would just be deflected easily. ra wanted to stall as she saw Shaman was about to get out from under the body. As such, ra intended to try to trap the elf and let Shaman get the final blow.
Stuck in a stalemate the elf stabbed its des into the ground out of frustration. ra took this opportunity to dash forward, trying to trap or even kill the elf.
ra''s whips were about to wrap themselves around the elf, when suddenly tree roots emerged from the ground and raced towards her.
"Shit!" Cursed ra while sliding to a stop so as to not get impaled by the tree roots. With only a metre left she wasn''t confident she would stop in time, but on the bright side, at least the roots were covered in ice now, stopping them from getting any closer. ra finally came to a halt and was only a couple of centimetres away from the tree roots.
Shaman had freed herself from under the greatsword elf and froze the ground around her to stop the attack on ra. The dual-de elf averted its attention to Shaman and dashed forward. Shamam raised an ice wall in front of her, but before the elf could even reach it a fire arrow hit directly in its temple.
The elf''s head waspletely incinerated, finishing off thest of the 3 veteran elves. The only one left was the priest who had yet to move and waspletely focused on keeping the seal up.
After killing the greatsword elf, Silver approached the priest, dropping down from the ceiling. Spinning with his scythe, he decapitated the priest with ease and suddenly the wall in front of which he was standing glowed green.
Everyone watched, wondering what it would uncover as the green light slowly faded from top to bottom. What was revealed was a massive open room that resembled the architecture of a cathedral. Green light emanated from an unknown source, but it was focused on one point. In the middle of the room was a sword that was covered in roots.
Everyone''s first thought was of a final boss room which would likely be linked to the sword. Kiruya hadn''te out either so they wondered if she stayed back knowing it was potentially the boss''s room.
"Before we enter, let''s make sure we rest up. Don''t want to go in with partially empty mana stores." Shaman called for a regroup and a quick break before going further as this waspletely different from the rest of the dungeon.
"Sounds good to me, I don''t like the eerie feeling I get from that room." Elysia wasn''t going toin as the only bit of light in the room came from the hallway and the green spotlight on the sword which gave an ominous feeling.
"Rea, am I able to get any information on that sword?" Shaman hoped she could get details from Rea as she couldn''t use inspect from that far.
[Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm... Nope.] Giving Shaman a few moments of silence for some suspense, she was eventually met with rejection.
"Grrrr where did the shy Rea go!?" Shaman didn''t like the suspense and could tell by the tone that Rea was back to her teasing self.
[She is right here, no idea what you mean.]
"Pfft, looks like we have to go in blind." ra chuckled watching Shaman yell at the air as out of context she would seem pretty crazy.
"Well if KIRUYA would like toe out and tell us, it would be much appreciated." Elysia looked down the hallway and saw a pair of ears vanish, which showed that Kiruya was still around but was purposely not helping them.
"Well, it would be too easy if she just told us the answer." Silver liked the challenge as that was what he found the most enjoyable.
"True and if it was something she wasn''t aware of then she would have most likelye forward to help." Shaman, remembering how Kiruya helped when they encountered the variantmander elf exined why she isn''ting out now.
"That makes sense, but I will say those elves were a lot easier thanst time." ra found it amazing how upgrading by one tier makes the battles that much easier.
"Well our attacks scale with our level, so it is expected the fights will be more evenly matched, since we are now closer to the elves'' level." Shaman gave an exnation she wasn''t 100% sure about, but it urred to her that if it''s like a video game then their strength should passively increase as they level.
"I wonder though, shouldn''t it still be really hard since they are a whole tier higher?" Elysia didn''t think too much about it, but it urred to her that they always fight enemies of a higher tier rather than monsters at their own levels.
"Probably because it''s just faster to level, no point in limiting ourselves if we can kill a tier 7. However, I am worried we might not be able to do that for much longer since the monsters will be getting way stronger at the higher tiers." Shaman thought of the future battles and couldn''t imagine taking on a big group of tier 9 monsters. This thought also made here to realise that the monsters in those tiers should be considerably less in numbers, but much stronger individually.
"Hope we don''t have too much trouble when we get to the higher tiers, the main issue I see is getting a tier 10 core." Elysia wanting to get stronger as soon as possible hoped the opportunity would arise where they needed to kill a tier 10 monster.
"I hope so too, but we should get moving if we ever want to get to that point." Shaman looked at everyone''s stats and saw they were all full, so it was time to move. Nodding their heads, they all did a few stretches and stood just outside the next room.
"Stick together until we figure out what this room is." Giving instructions, Shaman took the first step as the roots on the sword began to move.
Chapter 218 Excalibur?
?As Shaman took a step inside the room, the vines came off the sword taking on a new form just behind it. Having no noteworthy features, the figure simply looked like a normal-sized male adult. And yet, that was still worrying enough for the group who were not expecting a being toe out of a sword.
"I need to get closer, so everyone, we will stick to the same formation asst time and slowly move forward." Shaman wanted to use inspect, but she wasn''t quite in range.
Elysia walked off to the side with her bow in hand while preparing a thin yet condensed arrow, focusing on precision rather than massive explosions.
ra walked right behind Shaman, waiting for her to find out more information about the sword in front of them.
''Inspect! inspect! inspect!''
[Out of range]
[Out of range]
[Out of range]
Shaman kept using her skill until she was finally in range and an information sheet came up telling her what it is.
[Elfcalibur]
[A sentient sword that wields itself and is the protector of the Elfheim royal pce.]
"Excalibur? Wait no it''s slightly different." Shaman assumed it was the legendary sword since the name closely resembled that of Excalibur, but this time it''s elf themed.
''Rea is this a real thing or do you have nothing better to name this enemy?'' Finding it hard to believe that this was a real thing, Shaman thought this was something that Rea put together at thest minute and is the real reason why she couldn''t use inspect.
[...]
Seeing a bunch of dots appear in front of her face, Shaman didn''t know if she should be mad or amused.
''Okay, whatever.'' In the end, Shaman didn''t care. She has already found several parallels to her old world and at this point it no longer surprised her.
The wooden being formed a hand and grabbed the hilt of the sword that was stuck in the ground. It gave one big pull, yet the sword barely even budged, remaining deeply nted in the concrete floor. The being tilted its head confused why the sword didn''te out, but it tugged one more time and this time it worked.
This got a chuckle out of everyone as they let down their guard, no longer seeing the being as intimidating asbefore. This, however, was their first mistake as the being immediately appeared in front of Shaman.
No one even saw the being move from its spot, as if its movements hadn''t even registered in their heads.
The being shed down with its sword and forced [Lover''s call] to activate. Shaman vanished on the spot and teleported right next to Elysia.
Shaman blinked for a moment, noticing she was much further away now from the room''s centre, and took a moment to piece together what had just happened. A wave of fear ran through her body as the realisation hit her that she would be dead if it wasn''t for her free getaway.
ra, who was still by the wooden being jumped back to put some distance between them. She also spotted Shaman off to the side which calmed her down. After all, a moment ago she thought Shaman had just evaporated.
Elysia felt her mental state shake as sadness and anger invaded her mind when she saw the sword sh down. And yet once Shaman appeared next to her, relief washed over Elysia.
Her heart still beat like crazy, but she narrowly avoided losing her mind from the thought of losing Shaman.
Shaman simply shook her head, snapping out of her daze.
Seeing ra alone with the strange being, Shaman rushed forward knowing there was no chance ra could fight it head-on. Meanwhile, Elysia prepared to fire her arrow, waiting for a good opportunity to hit the being.
The being stood up straight wondering what happened with the fox girl that disappeared and pondering whether she died. However, the demon girl took the chance to attack, aiming for their head.
ra swung with full force expecting to hit something, but nothing caught onto her whips. She saw them go right through the being''s head, but it was as if there was nothing there. Continuing the momentum of her whips, she spun around and striked once more, only this time she paid more attention to her opponent''s movement.
Just before her whips made contact, the wood that made the head detached, leaving enough of a gap for her whips to pass through. ra was able to react in time and discharged her whips, releasing a lightning strike inside the being''s head.
After the brief sh, ra saw the result of her attack. However, to her surprise, nothing actually happened. The only thing that changed was the wood releasing some smoke, but that was it.
ra stared in shock and confusion as she didn''t think her attack would do this little damage.
"ra!" Shaman came rushing in, calling her name as the being was going for an attack and ra has yet to move.
ra tried to step back, but she stumbled a little, just barely avoiding the de that suddenly appeared next to her.
''What the hell is going on, I''ve never been this distracted.'' ra felt odd, as if her mind was always foggy whenever she looked at the being. This slowed her decision-making and at times even prevented her from seeing what was happening.
Shaman activated her sword domain and coated her sword in mes while swinging Kotestu at the being. Simr to ra, Shaman''s mind got distracted as soon as she saw the sword and her strikepletely missed the being.
Shaman instantly picked up on this and tried to use her fox blessing, but nothing came of it.
''What the hell?'' Shaman was confused as she thought it was some mind magic, but if her blessing wasn''t working then it was something different entirely.
The being took a few steps back and stood there as if it was observing ra and Shaman. Although it was hostile, it also seemed like it was treating the group like test subjects, trying to see how they would react to certain things.
While the being stared at ra and Shaman, Elysia lined up her shot and fired her arrow. The arrow went as fast as a bullet and was about to hit the being, but suddenly the arrow stopped in mid-air.
The being had grabbed Elysia''s arrow bringing it to aplete halt. This shocked her as it was one of her more powerful arrows. If she herself tried doing that, her arm would bepletely gone.
However, the properties of Elysia''s fire started doing damage to the being. The wooden hand that held the arrow started to wither away as the me worked its way up. Without hesitating it chopped its own arm off to stop the fire from spreading to its body.
It then tried to regrow its arm, but the roots that wereing out of its shoulder couldn''t form anything. This made it focus its attention on Elysia, who was across the room preparing another arrow.
Shaman and ra took this opportunity to figure out what was causing them to be so absent-minded when they went to attack. Their first clue was the fact that when they looked at the being within a certain range, their heads would feel foggy, making them unable to make decisions quickly.
Shaman closed her eyes and, to her surprise, it worked! The effects immediately disappeared and she could think straight again. Opening them back up, the fogginess returned, its effects quite noticeably.
"ra, something on that thing is causing this effect when we look at it." Shaman exined her findings and this gave ra an idea as to what could be the reason.
"It''s the sword!" Caught up in the fight, they have almost forgotten that the being only exists thanks to the sword in the first ce. It must mean that the sword has some sort of passive effect causing all the brain fog.
Shaman nodded and now knew what to aim for, but the only issue remaining was that the sword was fused with the being''s hand. So without being able to concentrate, getting rid of the sword is going to be an impossible task.
There is also the factor that the being came from the sword itself, which implied that it has infinite regeneration as long as the sword remained unbroken. However, Elysia''s fire might be able to counter this ability as it prevented recovery of any form.
The being had finished its observation and vanished on the spot. In a simr fashion to how it started the fight, it appeared in front of Elysia, but this time it didn''t immediately strike.
Elysia took a preemptive measure and covered herself in her fire as she realised her mes were its weakness.
The nk face of the being just stared at Elysia. Even though it had no eyes, Elysia still felt like being stared down by a predator.
For a moment she thought she was going to die, but suddenly a massive door began to open at the other end of the room. A small figure that seemed to belong to a male elf stood there holding a sword.
"Seems like the guests have arrived and haven''t died to our security measures yet, how impressive."
Chapter 219 Elanor’s Brother
?Everyone stopped to look at the person that arrived through the opening wondering who it could be. Surprisingly, nor, who had been kept hidden by Kiruya, came out running towards them.
"Brother!?" nor was sure it was her brother Ren as she recognised the voice.
"Wait nor!" Shaman saw her running straight towards her brother,pletely ignoring the wooden elf. Grabbing nor''s arm, Shaman pulled her back right as the wooden elf attacked.
"Brother?" The young man at the opening looked confused, having just finished swinging down with his sword.
"Ren! It''s me, nor!" Tears began to form in her eyes as nor struggled to get out of Shaman''s hold.
"nor he clearly doesn''t recognise you." Shaman refused to let go and pulled her further away while the wooden elf seemed stuck in ce.
"nor? Where have I heard that before? Oh, that''s right, it''s the bastard sister that was abandoned." Ren''s eyes glowed green and the wooden elf moved again, mimicking Ren''s actions.
"No Not you too." nor could no longer hold back tears as she came to the realisation that her brother also had the same ideals as her mother and grandfather.
"Not my fault this is what grandfather wants." A glimpse of sorrow appeared on Ren''s face which was not missed by nor, giving her a glimmer of hope that maybe this isn''t what he truly believes.
"Sorry." Ren, controlling the wooden elf, made it swing down its sword directly at nor, ignoring everyone else. Shutting her eyes she braced for impact, expecting to get hit as she knew Shaman, who was still holding her, would not be able to move her in time.
However, the de never came. When she finally opened her eyes she was greeted with a short silver-haired boy.
Silver had blocked the attack. In fact, as soon as nor entered the room, he was already following her to make sure she was safe. So when the wooden elf attacked, he was the only one close enough to block its assault.
Shaman moved to block as well, but the wooden elf''s speed was even faster than before. Her heart almost dropped seeing she would be unable to make it, but as soon as she saw Silver take the hit, she changed her intentions to attacking the wooden elf.
ra and Elysia were of the same mind and all attacked at once. Ever since Ren took control, he tunnel-visioned on taking out nor, so much so that he didn''t realise the others were about to attack.
Shaman raised ice spikes from the ground and aimed for the wooden elf''s chest. ra aimed for its back and swung both her whips, lodging them into the wood. Elysia aimed for the head, using a simr arrow to the one she shot before.
Each of their attacks went off simultaneously and the body of the wooden elf was destroyed. Shaman''s ice kept it in ce, ra''s whips prevented it from moving and Elysia''s arrow did the finishing blow.
The fire consumed its body, leaving only the sword which fell to the ground. Ren, who didn''t even bother to fight back, fell to his knees.
"Finally." His attitude hadpletely shifted as soon as the wooden elf was gone, which got everyone curious about what the hell was happening. The group figured it was safe, so they approached Ren slowly, keeping a safe distance just in case, still sceptical whether Ren is friend or foe.
"I''m so sorry about that, but that fake elf you were fighting was actually grandpa, but since you defeated him, he can no longer see us." Ren exined what they were up against, which exined why he pretended to be so hostile to nor when she appeared.
"S-so you are back brother?" nor didn''t know how to feel about it all. Was her brother sincere or was it just another trap to catch her guard down.
"Yes, Father told me the entire truth of what had happened. I understand if you don''t trust me so I won''te any closer." Ren Saw the distrust on nor''s face and how everyone was on guard.
"I can assume these are your friends ?" Ren looked at each of the group members, easily able to tell they were stronger than him.
"Yes, they helped me get here as I want to see my father onest time." nor exined why she came along in the first ce since now that she was going to travel with the group this would be herst chance to see him.
"Onest time?" Ren was confused as he thought his sister would be anxious to join back into the family, but it seemed like she had different intentions.
"I will be staying with my friends, I no longer need to stay here." nor got very passionate in how she spoke since now she had people that cared for her and felt closer than even her own family.
"Oh I see, makes sense." Ren didn''t know how to feel about his sister going away, but then he remembered he was meant to leave the city with a group of adventurers.
''Hang on.'' Looking over the group again, he recalled the descriptions of the people he was meant to travel with. However, before he could even open his mouth again, a green light emitted from the ground.
? Everyone tensed up ready to fight again, but then they saw Ren''s body started turning translucent.
"Grandpa no!" Ren knew exactly what was happening and tried getting out, but there was a barrier blocking his way.
"Ren!" nor pushed past everyone and went up to the barrier, hurrying to reach him before he disappeared. As she put her hand up against the barrier, Ren did the same thing and aligned his with nor''s hand.
"Don''t worry about me, go see father while you can." With his final message, Ren was teleported away from the group to nor''s grandfather.
nor fell forward and was now on her hands and knees, her tears falling onto the concrete. Her fingers bit into the concrete, drawing blood because of the rough ground. She then clenched her fist and mmed it into the ground cracking it. She could no longer hold back her fury as once again something important was taken by her grandfather.
Silver squatted down next to nor to help her up as they needed to get moving soon. The danger may be gone now, but they still did not feelpletely safe
"It''s okay nor, we might be able to get him back." Silver wasn''t sure if they would have the chance, but seeing as they were getting close to the pce, it was too early to lose hope.
nor, hearing Silver''s words, took a deep breath and tried to calm herself as he was right. She couldn''t lose herself to anger right now. There was still some travelling to do before they reached the pce and there will be plenty of time to let looseter.
"We should keep moving before the sword reactivates." Kiruya came out from the shadows and pointed at the sword which was slowly inching its way back to the middle of the room. This confirmed their feelings of unease and so they moved into the next room which looked like a forest.
Finding an open space to rest, they all sat down in a circle to process everything they have seen and learnt.
"Jeez Kiruya, you could have helped us a little." Shaman needed to know why Kiruya was rather absent as Shaman felt like Kiruya should have stepped in.
"I knew you would be fine. By looking into the wooden elf''s eyes you could tell if it was really trying to kill you." Kiruya, having gone through the dungeon before, knew the gimmick of the fight and could tell from the start they were okay.
"Huh?" In unison, Elysia, ra, Shaman and Silver looked at Kiruya tilting their heads as the wooden elf nearly killed Shaman, forcing her to use her free escape.
"Yep, its eyes were green so it wasn''t going to kill you, only when it targeted nor did the eyes go red and I was about to step in, but you beat me to it." Kiruya had a grin as seeing the reactions from the group was rather entertaining.
"Damn, that would have been nice to know." Elysia now felt like that was a waste of time and preferred to not go through such a rollercoaster again.
"Hang on, then why was it mimicking Ren''s moves?" ra noticed when they were fighting, Ren seemingly took control of the wooden elf.
"That''s because of his sword, it is linked to the elf''s sword and clearly connected to nor''s grandpa as well, hence why he had to put up an act until the wooden elf was gone." Kiruya borated further on what happened and everyone nodded, understanding the situation a bit more.
"Okay, so now we have got a general idea of what happened. What about you nor, are you okay?" After going through the previous happenings, they moved on to nor who still seemed pretty shaken up by losing Ren right after being reunited.
"Y-yeah I''m fine, still trying to keep calm, but it''s hard after finally seeing my brother for the first time in years." nor''s mind was in shambles. It was filled to the brim with conflicting emotions and she didn''t know what to do about it.
"We are on pce grounds now so, let''s make this trip quick." Kiruya knew the rest of the way and with a lot of the fighting over she knew they would make it without any troubles. That is of course assuming none of the elven armieses hunting in search of nor.
Chapter 220 The Elven Palace
?The group made their way through the forest emerging on the other side. Everyone stared in awe as the pce loomed in front of them. It was bigger than anything they''d seen before and rivalled the size of the entire capital city of Elfhiem.
"Oh wow, can I assume the tree roots around the pce belong to the world tree?" Shaman saw how the pce was overgrown with nts and tree roots, but assumed this was the result of the world tree the elves protected.
"You would be correct, currently the tree itself is hidden, but its roots still reach the pce. They are well-kept and match wonderfully with the white walls, but I can''t imagine the amount of work needed since, well, they can''t stop the tree from growing." Kiruya confirmed what Shaman said and borated further on why the pce looked so overgrown.
"So this extravagant pce lets the tree grow into it?" Elysia hated the looks and couldn''t imagine the mess it would create.
"Well unless you are an elf, I don''t think living out alongside nature is something you would wanna do. It''s the faith which most elves follow which lets them look past the mess and perhaps even embrace the tree. Anyway, the point is, they love it." nor being an elf herself understood the feeling. However, as ofte her faith has been wavering, especially after receiving the system.
"Isn''t it just a tree? I know it supplies magical power, but has it done anything other than that?" Silver didn''t see the point of the tree and why it became such a religious symbol. To him, the tree was just something that can most likely be easily exined if anyone bothered to investigate a little inside it.
"If anyone else heard that you would be put to the stake and burnt alive, but now that you mention it, I guess the tree really isn''t anything special. Though the only people that can actually get near enough to confirm it are my father and grandfather." nor was quite shocked to hear Silver''s view, but it also made here to realise how stupid it sounds to outsiders.
"Hmm there definitely is something more to it than just being a magical tree, but that isn''t our priority, we need to get inside before we are found." Kiruya didn''t mind the talk about the world tree, but if nor''s grandfather is on the hunt, they need to get moving before any soldiers capture them.
"Indeed, I''d rather notmit war crimes against the elves. Even if we only harm them in self defence they can still definitely prosecute us." ra knew that they could face punishment if they hurt the soldiers and nothing they say will do any good. In the end, to themon people they would just be terrorists.
"Are there any entrances other than the front gate nor?" Shaman didn''t want to just barge in. As long as they sneak in straight towards nor''s father, they could hopefully finish the mission without any fighting.
"If the ce hasn''t changed there should be a few passageways that lead inside, but it has been years since I''ve left." nor relied on her memory from when she was a child, but it should be enough unless they blocked off the passages.
"Let''s try it." Having no other choice they rolled with it, so Shaman gestured for nor to take the lead.
However, nor didn''t get what Shaman was suggesting and just awkwardly stood there for a moment. ra, who was behind nor, face palmed. Deciding not to make it any more awkward, she gave nor a light push.
Stumbling forward it all clicked in her head and she quickly corrected herself.
"Ahem yes, this way." nor''s face turned red from embarrassment after missing the cue, but she tried to salvage as best she could.
Everyone else got a small chuckle out of it, but they did not judge her too harshly since nor has 0 social experience.
*
Crossing the small patch of meadows in between the pce and forest, they reached the pce wall. The group debated about using magic, but that would be a dead giveaway to their location.
"Now we have to follow the wall and we shoulde across a brick we can push in. I will know when we get there, so just keep an eye out while I look for it." nor tried recalling any specifdmarks that would tell her where the passage was, but could not yet find a single one.
While nor examined the wall moving along it slowly, the group kept an eye out for any patrols.
"Wait, if this ce is securely separated from the outside, why would there be soldiers patrolling?" Elysia found it odd that there would be soldiers around the pce since supposedly the location was unreachable to outsiders as the only way in was either through the dungeon or a teleporter.
"They do all their training here as well, so you could say it''s part of their practice schedule. Plus you never know if the monsters from the dungeon might make their way in here so they always have troops here just in case of emergencies." Kiruya knew some of the inner workings of the pce and gave a reasonable exnation to the group.
However, just as she finished exining, the clinking of metal filled their ears. Shaman and Silver instantly activated [Shadow cloak] while grabbing the others. Silver grabbed nor by the waist and Kiruya by her hand. Shaman pulled ra and Elysia close while going up against the wall.
Soldiers then came running by the wall, constantly looking around for any clues.
"Keep moving, the intruders could be anywhere in the nearby forest or open field." The leading soldier reminded his men what they were looking for.
"Yes sir!" The soldiers responded as they followed, but one elf in the back stopped to look at the wall. Something did not look right to him, as if something was distorting the space. He stopped in his tracks and walked closer to the wall, but before he took another step the leading soldier yelled again.
"ARGUL! Keep moving otherwise you are on shit duty!" The warning from the leader was enough for Argul to ignore whatever he saw and keep running.
The sound of their armour slowly grew distant and once it went silent they released [shadow cloak].
As the group stepped out of the shadows Silver fell to the ground. Kiruya was able to get out of the way, but nor, she wasn''t able to move with Silver''s arm around her. Shaman, Elysia and ra were all fine, but when they looked over to Silver, they saw a rather peculiar scene.
Landing on his back, Silver opened his eyes, yet all he could see was darkness as something soft pressed against him. Raising his hand to push off whatevernded on him, he heard a moan right in his ears.
"Ah!~" nor, whonded on top of Silver, shot up from the ground only to fall on her back. Both Silver and nor''s faces werepletely red. As they tried getting up, their eyes met down the middle. Quickly looking away from each other, they avoided all eye contact and pretended nothing ever happened.
"Shh!" Kiruya tried to keep a straight face but wasn''t able to hold back a slight smile.
Elysia and ra struggled to keep theirughter in, but Shaman was ring at nor. The very idea of her innocent Silver no longer being so innocent didn''t sit right with her.
Elysia, seeing that reaction, quickly grabbed a hold of Shaman before she charged at nor and ruined this moment since Elysia supported Silver growing up.
"Calm down Shaman, he may have only been living for a year, but he is both physically and mentally a teenager now, so sadly we may have to let go of our innocent little boy soon." Elysia knew the system was involved in Silver''s physical growth, but now it was evident that mentally he was also growing.
"The worst thing you can do is treat him like a child and deny his growth. Just like you did with me, ept and help him change for the better." Elysia, using herself as an example, hit Shaman in the right spot calming her down.
"F-fine, but after this I need to talk to Silver." Shaman couldn''t fight Elysia on this subject as Shaman knew on the inside that Elysia was right, but just didn''t want to admit it.
"That''s okay." Elysia was d that Shaman listened since it was a major concern that she would identally stunt Silver''s growth.
"Ahem! Anyway, let''s keep going! And next time, be better prepared to hide." Said ra, steering their mission back on course. Silver and nor stood up and dusted themselves off. Clearly still embarrassed, they kept their distance and continued to avoid eye contact with each other.
''These girls I swear.'' Kiruya shook her head, finding it ridiculous how calm and easygoing the group is despite the situation they are in.
''Gonna miss this when we return back to the Freya forest, but maybe Freja can let me join them after she has finished with the barrier.'' Kiruya knew her time with the group wasing to an end soon, but hoped maybeter in the future she could tag along again.
Chapter 221 [Christmas] - Snowy Adventure
?It was the evening with the sun barely peeking over the horizon, providing just enough light to see. Snow had fallen from the sky covering everything in a thick white coat, making it somewhat troublesome to travel.
However, this wasn''t a problem for the group as Elysia effortlessly melted the snow with her mes. Traversing through the snow, the group were exploring the fox realm since Freja tipped Shaman and Elysia off to a nice ce to go during the winter.
Everyone was covered head to toe in winter gear, but due to the fox realm having some of the harshest winters it still felt like it wasn''t enough.
Currently the group was walking through a bamboo forest at the bottom of a mountain, slowly getting closer to the base.
"So do we actually have a ce in mind?" ra did not know where they were going as well as nor and Silver.
"What she said, you dragged us out into the cold and haven''t said anything." Silver pouted wishing he had his thick fur coat when he was a wolf.
"Hey, you have at least an arm warmer with you." ra turned around ring at Silver who had an Elf attached to his arm. nor avoided all eye contact pretending she wasn''t even there and ignoring what everyone was saying.
"It''s not like I had a choice." Silver blushed as ever since they went outside, nortched herself onto Silver for warmth.
"Hmmmmmmmmmmmm." Shaman was constantly eyeing off nor, not approving of her actions, but Elysia kept Shaman at bay by pulling her along.
"Ahem, we will be there soon I hope." Elysia answered ra''s question the best she could since she didn''t even know how close they were.
*Sigh* "I guess we will see soon." ra epted their fate and only hoped it would be worth the trip out in the snow.
*
Continuing through the bamboo that grew thicker the deeper they went, the group finally made it to a clearing.
"I think we are here." Elysia spotted an entry to a cave that Freja described to her.
"A cave?" ra found it ridiculous that where they were heading was a cave and didn''t make much sense.
"Where we have to go is through this cave apparently." Shaman gave some details about the location, but it didn''t subside the immense amount of curiosity ra had.
"Hope this is worth it, if not I''m going straight back." nor was wanting to go back more and more since she hated the cold.
"I''m hoping as well, thest thing I want is to get there and it turns out to be just one massive joke." Silver became more sceptical as time went on and slowly was agreeing more with nor in turning back.
"I''m sure it will be fineeee." Shaman believed this would be okay since when she spoke to Freja it was in a tone she only uses when she is serious.
"Urggg let''s just go in, it will be warmer in there at least." ra overtook Elysia as the snow was less dense making it much easier to walk in.
"Oi don''t go too far." Elysia chased after ra alongside the others who didn''t want to be left behind.
*
The cave wall was lined with blue glow bugs which lit up the cave perfectly well. It was a rather beautiful scene and without taking a closer look, it made it seem like a wall of light bulbs.
"Damn I wouldn''t think something like this is just in a random cave." ra took a moment to admire the scene while the others caught.
"You''re not wrong, but hey at least it gives me hope that what Freja said is true." Shaman became less worried that this trip was for nothing since they were already seeing a wonderful scene.
"This isn''t the final destination so it makes me think about what will be at the other end of this cave." Elysia was itching to find out what was through the cave and kind of wanted to hurry.
"Still haven''t told us what she said." nor had finally let go of Silver as the cave was out of the cold breeze which made it unbearable cold for her.
"If I''m honest she didn''t tell us much, the only thing she said was to go to this cave and have a nice date." Shaman finally revealed what Freja said which wasn''t surprising for anyone.
"Ah I see why, it kind of ruins the suspense." ra felt her curiosity fall t as she would have thought Freja enticed Shaman and ra with something, but in reality, there was nothing.
"Still though, it has been promising so let''s not get too down. It is Christmas after all." Shaman thought this would happen and didn''t want to say anything, but she felt bad keeping it a secret from everyone.
[Shaman, they don''t have Christmas here.] Rea echoed in Shaman''s mind letting her know that this holiday didn''t exist.
"Ch-Ch-rist-mas?" Elysia turned her head confused as the word sounded like it came from a differentnguage.
"Oh right, well we have a day in my old world where you exchange gifts and meet up with family. Basically a holiday at the end of the year to celebrate." Shaman gave a quick exnation, but it didn''t seem to do much.
"Is it like the day of the tree? I know we elves do something different but it''s to celebrate the world tree." nor realised what Shaman described sounded like a elven tradition, but it was something celebrated in the middle of the year.
"Maybe? I don''t know too much about the traditions of this world so I hoped things would be simr." Shaman had no idea but assumed it was since her Christmas did originate from religion.
"Hmm, probably not the best people to ask since we have been ostracised from society, especially Elysia and nor." ra had no idea what the holiday could be since she only knew of the demonnd''s traditions which didn''t fit any of what Shaman said.
"Oh well, we can make it our thing. I will ask Freja if she made it a proper holiday, but I feel that would be too much of a task." Shaman was a bit sad that it may no longer be a thing but had some hope since Freja also came from her old world.
"For now let''s keep going, I still don''t see an end in sight." Silver ended up ahead of everyone and couldn''t see the end of the cave meaning they still had a lot more walking to do.
*
Light from the outside leaked into the cave, indicating they made it. This was the final reveal and once they were through they will finally see what Freja wanted them to see.
All of them walked out together and were met with quite a unique scene that Shaman didn''t think was possible.
As their eyes adjusted to the light, they stood over a massive cherry blossom forest that was enclosed at the bottom of a volcano, but something was odd. They were blooming and the petals on the trees were of a blue colour.
This confused Shaman and didn''t quite sit well in her head, but it was also another reminder that she is in a different world.
''I really shouldn''t be surprised.'' Shaman knew she shouldn''t be caught off guard since she has been in this new world for so long, but she couldn''t help but get confused at times.
"Wow, it''s so beautiful." Elysia and the group were amazed by the scene as paired with the snow, the bright blue petals almost looked magical.
"I see why Freja didn''t say much." nor couldn''t believe such a ce existed, let alone that it waspletely untouched.
"Let''s get closer." Silver wanted to get close and see the trees up close, but as he took a step out of the cave, he slipped. In a desperate attempt, he grabbed the closest person to him which was nor.
Dragging her down with him, they rolled down the side of the mountainside which was covered in snow.
Shaman, Elysia and ra quickly jumped down and slid on the snow. At first, they almost tumbled and joined Silver, but once they gained their bnce it allowed them to catch up.
"Hang in there." Shaman was able to use her ice to create a tform under her which made her faster. Going to the side of Silver and nor, Shaman opened up a rift portal right in front of them. She then opened one in the sky and created an ice slide so she could make a smoothnding.
Silver and nor went through the portal andnded on the slide together.
Reaching close to the bottom, Shaman tried to tten out the slide and created a bowl at the bottom. Although Shaman intended so it would let them slowly slow down, they instead took off into the sky.
"AHHH!" nor screamed as they wereunched into the air and came crashing down towards the snow.
Elysia and ra wanted to help, but they didn''t have the skills that would help and if anything would make it worse.
Shaman wanted to do another ice slide, but then realised they were too close to the trees and not wanting to ruin them hoped the snow was deep enough.
Crashnding into the snow, Silver and nor vanished showing that it was deep enough. Once theynded, Shaman, ra and Elysia rushed over to help them out.
Pulling nor out of the snow, they saw Silver who had been crushed by her with eyes resembling spirals andpletely out of it.
*Sigh* "And Elysia you say it''s a good thing nor is clingy to him." Shaman squinted her eyes at Elysia who had kept Shaman at bay the entire trip.
"It''s kind of cute you ask me." Elysia winked and poked her tongue out thinking that this wasn''t a bad thing at all.
"Geh." Shaman rolled her eyes and went ahead pulling Silver out of the snow.
After a few minutes, nor and Silver got out of their daze and realised what happened.
"We''re alive?" nor freaked out and touched her body all wondering if she turned into a ghost.
"My head hurts." Silver grabbed his head and tried to get his bearings.
"Phew, looks like they are fine." Shaman casted her [heal] on the 2, making the headache they felt go away.
"It was rather amusing, but my question is Silver, why didn''t you use your shadows to brace the fall?" ra brought up a great point and figured he would be able to react in time.
"U-ummm well, when you are spinning and getting smothered, it''s hard to think in the moment." Silver blushed, feeling a bit embarrassed that he wasn''t able to save himself.
"Pffhaha, don''t worry too much about it, if anything it was a quick way to get down." Elysia made light of the situation which helped with Silver''s embarrassment.
"Well now that we are here, let''s find a spot to rx." nor didn''t want to hold up their trip anymore, so she got herself up and helped Silver up.
Suddenly Shaman''s hair floated slightly and her eyes glowed blue as she red at nor helping Silver up. However, nor waspletely oblivious and before she turned around, Elysia jabbed Shaman in the ribs to get her to stop.
"Ahem, let''s continue." Elysia then dragged Shaman by the cor and led the group into the forest of blue sakura trees.
While walking through they enjoyed the atmosphere and surprisingly it was rather warm. They deduced that since this ce was in a volcano-like mountain, there was something underneath them producing this warm feeling.
When they reached the middle, there was a clearing that was void of snow and was instead of grass littered with blue petals.
All of them took a seat on the grass while Elysia set up the portable kitchen she carried in her personal inventory.
"What did you do for this Christmas event?" ra was intrigued by what Shaman mentioned before and wanted to know more about it.
"Hmm it wasn''t too special, but usually we would have lunch like what we are doing now and have a great time. We would say merry Christmas and enjoy our meal, but the main event was the present. However, this was mainly for the kids and a good time for them to get something they want." Shaman borated more and ra found it sounded like a great event. She even thought if Silver was younger, he would love this kind of event.
"Damn, wished we had something like that, but I guess like you said we can have it as a small tradition between us." ra thought back to when she was a child and winter were some of the most boring times for her.
"We can and I know a great gift for you and Elysia." Shaman put her hand under ra''s chin teasing a kiss.
"Sheesh, not here while nor and Silver are here." ra blushed and averted her gaze while also secretly hoping Shaman would continue.
nor and Silver both looked away trying not to intrude but found it hard not to keep peeking.
"Of course, it will have to wait untilter, but at least you have something to look forward to." Shaman winked and pulled away her hand. ra pouted, but she tried to not make it known what she really wanted.
"Lunch is ready!" Elysia shoved a hot pot between ra and Shaman, breaking up the tension.
"Food!" Silver''s eyes widened at the appearance of food and instantly held out his bowl.
"Alright, one at a time." Elysia ced the pot on a stand and began to pour what looked like curry. Shaman raised an eyebrow as her head was in a Christmas theme and didn''t think this meal was Christmas-themed.
Regardless she still took a serving, not thinking too much about it since realistically they can do what they want.
"Before we start eating, did we all want to say merry Christmas as a little homage to my old world?" Shaman figured they may as well celebrate it since it will also be a reminder of her old world.
Silver, who almost took a bite, slowly lowered his spoon and nodded. Everyone else nodded and waited for Shaman''s signal to go.
"On go 3.. 2.. 1.. go"
"Merry Christmas!"
Chapter 222 Teleportation Trap
?nor continued examining the wall and finally found the secret entrance to the pce. The brick wall vanished like an illusion, revealing a tunnel illuminated by green mes.
"This is it. I don''t know if it is safe, but I do know it goes directly to a courtyard inside the pce grounds." nor took a step back to let the others go first since she didn''t know if it was safe anymore.
"Anything we should be aware of?" Shaman didn''t mind nor stepping back, but she knew more about the pce than anybody else.
"Nope, just walk through and we should arrive in a garden." nor did not recall there being traps or dangers of any kind, yet she wasn''t entirely sure if the traps were merely deactivated whenst passed through.
"Alright, let''s go then." Shaman entered the tunnel followed by the others. So far there was nothing suspicious or wrong, but this only made it more eerie for Shaman since it felt too easy.
''Why would they just leave this entrance here, there must be some traps.'' Shaman constantly focused on her senses to search for anything out of ce, but she sensed nothing.
"You alright Shaman?" Elysia saw how restless Shaman was which made her own anxiety spike.
"I''m fine, I just don''t trust that this tunnel is safe." Shaman didn''t want anyone else to worry, but she saw the look on Elysia''s face and didn''t want to hide it from her.
"It''s to be expected, I know I would have set traps in ces like these." ra understood how Shaman felt and was also trying to sense if anything was wrong.
"We just need to keep going forward and hope for the best at this point." Silver was getting second-hand stress as he believed that there was nothing there. After all, if it was trapped, why hasn''t something happened yet?
"True." Shaman felt more at ease after hearing Silver and kept going forward, keeping a few steps ahead of the rest just in case there was a trap.
*
Things started looking hopeful as they saw light at the end of the tunnel and assumed it was the courtyard nor mentioned.
However, just then a white magic circle appeared under Shaman''s feet. She tried to jump back, but a barrier was ced behind her.
"Shaman!" Elysia tried to grab Shamana and pull her back, but the same barrier was in the way.
"El-." Before Shaman could speak, she vanished on the spot and the barrier disappeared.
Elysia and ra both rushed forward, feeling the floor and wall to find out what had happened.
"SHAMAN!" Elysia started to freak out and tears welled up blurring her vision. ra was a lot calmer, but seeing Shaman disappear like that made her heart race.
Silver also joined in the search, but there was no trace of Shaman at all as if she genuinely disappeared.
"It was a teleportation spell, we need to hurry and find where she is." While the group was looking for signs of Shaman, Kiruya was trying to figure out what kind of magic circle that was.
"nor!?" Elysia turned to nor with a murderous glint since technically she was the one that led them to this tunnel.
"I-I really don''t know." nor was just as shocked as everyone else and didn''t think such a spell was in the tunnel.
"Mom! Don''t me her, she didn''t know! If she really had done that on purpose, the system contract would have been broken." Silver spread out his arms and stood in between them.
"Grrr." Elysia couldn''t be angry at nor as what Silver said was 100% true.
"Thank you Silver." For a moment there nor felt her life was in danger, so she was grateful for Silver jumping to her aid.
''Shaman wasn''t wrong when she said Elysia can be quite vtile.'' nor was terrified of Elysia and couldn''t believe how emotionally unstable she was.
"Elysia, let''s go, no point in trying to find someone to me." ra grabbed Elyia''s shoulder and tugged on it to get her moving.
"Fine, but I''m burning this ce down." Elysia put on a calm face, but on the inside, her anger was still burning brightly. She was determined to turn the ce to ash to find Shaman.
"How about we don''t do that." Kiruya knew it would be the worst approach and would slow them down immensely.
"Tch." Elysia clicked her tongue knowing she couldn''t go against Kiruya''s word since thetter was stronger.
"I-I will lead us to where she could be." nor had an idea where Shaman could be and, although her memory was foggy, it was still better than nothing.
"Lead the way." ra trusted nor, especially after Silver brought up the system contract which gave her a lot of credibility.
*
"Ah fuck, what was that." Shaman got up from the ground trying to get her bearings and quickly lit a small fire on her fingertips.
However, when she clicked her fingers no me came out and she couldn''t feel any magical current in her body.
''What the fuck?'' It was a weird sensation to not feel mana flow through. It made her feel normal.
[Mana suppressed, please locate the suppression device]
A system message appeared in front of her which gave her an important context clue on where she could be.
''Shit I''m trapped.'' Shaman''s mind raced as she tried to think of a way out. Sadly, her lover''s call was on cooldown, but she didn''t even know if that would work with the mana suppression to begin with.
She walked forward to see if she was in a dungeon of some sort but instead walked into a wall. Trying again, she felt nothing but walls around her with no light source at all.
''There seems to be something above me though.'' Shaman felt a slight drafte from above her and figured that''s where the venttion was.
Luckily, even without Shaman''s magic, her stats remained unchanged. Shaman jumped up towards the ceiling, just barely making contact with the cobblestone roof.
Her hope reignited, Shaman kept jumping as she searched the ceiling until finally making contact with a metal grate.
Jumping up once more, she grabbed a hold of the grate. However the grate could not support her weight, so once her momentum ended both Fox and her new metalworks tumbled down to the floor.
Landing on her back, Shaman''s mood soured. Without the grate as a hand-hold her climbing options were cut short. Depending on how deeply the vent was cut into the ceiling she might not be able to reach its ledge.
''Please let me reach.'' Getting back up she jumped up again and brushed her hand against the sides of the vent.
"Damn it!" Shaman felt no ledge to grab, but since the wall was made of cobblestone, she thought there might be enough rock to grab onto.
"Don''t bother, there is no way for you to get out." An old raspy voice echoed out in Shaman''s cell, scaring her almost to death.
"Who?! Where?!" Even though Shaman''s eyes had already adjusted enough to see theyout of the room, her frantic search did not reveal any silhouettes.
"Tch, stupid fox." The old man hit the ground with a cane, the resulting sound reverberating throughout the dungeon.
"AHHH!" Shaman covered her ears as the sound it made was extremely high-pitched.
"Now listen here, you bring my granddaughter back to my pce and think you can get away with it?! Surely she has told you she isn''t allowed back here. I made it very clear that if I ever see her again, I would kill her!" The old man was getting more agitated with every word he spoke.
"Shut up! What do you even know of your daughter? She worked hard making a living all on her own and even worked up the courage to fight alongside us. Just because she diverges from your "Purebred" ideals doesn''t mean she should be exiled." Shaman realised who she was talking to and was bing infuriated.
"You know nothing about her and your naivety led you here, which will be your final resting ce."
"Ha, the audacity to think you know anything. Have you ever spoken a word to her?" Shaman couldn''t believe what she was hearing. Having a son herself, she understood to some degree a parent would feel he knows what''s best for his child. She wanted to mould Silver into her own mind''s image of him, but that just wasn''t possible. The more time went on, it became apparent he was bing his own unique person.
"I don''t need to, she couldn''t produce results, so I tossed her."
"Oh fuck you!" Shaman knew it was far from the truth. nor was far more talented than what the old coot knows, having her own unique element. Hearing his words just made Shaman want to smash something. Acting out of pure spite, she ended up activating [Royal bloodline arts].
Since the skill did not need mana to activate she started to transform into her hybrid fox form.
"What? How?" nor''s grandpa was confused as he sealed Shaman in an anti-mana barrier.
"I''m sick of your shit!" Shaman''s fur started to gain the stardust effect, the element no longer restricted by the barrier. She now had full ess to her mana but still couldn''t use any of her elements other than stardust.
"What is this element?" The old man was confused, as it seemed like the barrier could not stop the stardust element at all.
Chapter 223 Ineffective Seal
?The seal that prevented Shaman from using her mana prevented the ambient mana from entering the room, making it impossible to create water, fire, air and earth. However, due to her stardust being a unique type of mana, it did not require the base 4 elements to be formed.
This allowed the use of her royal bloodline arts, which werepletely unrestricted since the space attuned ambient mana was not limited within the seal.
nor''s grandpa, who wore grey robes, stood above the vent and came to this realisation after taking a closer look at Shaman and the properties of her unique element.
''How troublesome.'' It threw a spanner in his ns as he didn''t have the energy to waste on fighting.
"Do what you want with my granddaughter, now get out of here." Seeing the situation going downhill, he turned to leave when suddenly a rift in space opened behind him.
"You''re not getting away!" Shaman appeared from the rift with Kotetsu in hand covered in stardust. She was slightly blinded by the lights in the hallway, but it didn''t matter to her as her only aim was to sow some chaos.
shing down, she missed the old man by a fair margin, but when her sword hit the ground it exploded in a burst of stardust. The entire hallway was covered in Shaman''s stardust, giving her a strategic advantage. On top of that, now that she was out of the seal she should finally be able to use all of her elements.
Next, Shaman surrounded herself with ice spikes and shot them into the stardust. The old man saw them enter the walls, but nothing came of it, so he tried to use this opportunity to get away.
Taking a step back and hitting his cane on the ground, roots tried to break out of the floor but were stopped by the stardust. Suddenly, a barrage of ice spikes came from all around him, blocking his escape path and pushing him back towards Shaman.
Shaman lifted her sword from the ground and charged into the old man, sandwiching him between 2 lethal attacks. Her sword released its own barrage of ice spikes while Shaman took a stab at piercing the old man''s heart.
"Argghh!" The sword sessfully went through his chest while the ice spikes stabbed into every part of his body except the head. Blood poured out of his mouth, his wounds so severe that Shaman doubted he could survive.
Bloodnded on Shaman''s face, but she noticed something wasn''t right with the blood. It was the same blue colour as the dark elves she fought in the dungeon.
"You''re-!?" She saw the smile on the old man''s face, who no longer seemed to be in pain. A wave of purple spread through his skin and his eyes glowed slightly red.
As the ice covering his body started melting, Shaman tried to pull away but the elf had already grabbed her sword in his powerful grip.
"Should have stayed in your cell vixen!" The dark elf gripped even harder and the sound of metal snapping echoed in the hallway. Shaman then took a few steps back as it felt like the elf let go of her sword.
Looking at her sword, she was speechless to see that almost the entire de had been snapped off.
[Kotetsu (Broken)]
"Look at you, a broken sword and you''re already in disarray. This isn''t who I saw in the dungeon." The dark elf had finished transforming and the old wrinkled look of a tired grandpa vanished. He now had a great physique and grew a pair of horns like an oni.
The grey robes that he loosely wore fell and revealed a leg that resembled a goat.
Shaman''s mind spiralled trying to think what her next move should be, but to her, there seemed to be no way out.
[Axel the Satyr]
[Tier 7 leader]
[It is a highly intelligent monster that is able to mimic the appearances of those he has killed. Specialises in ck me magic and has incredible speed due to its goat legs.]
Reading the description in front of her, she found somefort in knowing it was just a tier 7 leader, but the fact it snapped her sword like a stick terrified her.
"Fox got your tongue? Here let me help." Axel suddenly disappeared, even faster than the wooden elf she fought not too long ago. He then appeared behind Shaman and kicked her back, sending her flying down the hallway.
"AHH!" Crashing into the wall that was made out of pure stone, she broke through to the other side and was embraced by the cool air of the outdoors. Having been shot out of the second floor, Shaman fell unconscious from the impact and was heading straight for the grassy ground below.
However, just before reaching the ground, she woke up and desperately tried to use her wind to brace the fall.
Managing to lighten the fall slightly, she still hit the ground hard and bounced across the ground until she rolled to a stop. All of her clothes were covered in dirt. Even worse, when she tried to move she felt bones poking her insides.
She tried using heal, but the damage was just too much. Her healing wouldn''t suffice for a full recovery, but just enough for her to get up.
''Shit.'' Shaman grabbed her broken Kotetsu and wobbled on her feet when she got up. Putting her sword in her inventory, she nced up at the pce where she caught Axel standing over the edge of the hole she fell from.
"This mustn''t be separate from the dungeon and instead the pce itself is the dungeon." Everything fell into ce as seeing the grandpa be a tier 7 leader confirmed that he was the boss of this dungeon and that the pce is actually the final zone.
"Correct! Thanks to elves living for so long, I was able to y family." Axel spoke into Shaman''s ear making her swing around with an arm that she quickly covered in ice.
Axel caught Shaman''s ice arm and lifted her up, which was extremely painful as it felt like her arm was being ripped off.
"Ah yes the pleasure of pain, now don''t be so jumpy and listen." Throwing her to the ground he took a few steps back and let Shaman stand up.
"Bastard." Even as she was Getting more furious about being toyed with, Shaman controlled herself from attacking since she had no choice but to listen.
"You go back to your love triangle and take that bastard child nor with you and I will let you live, but I need to get that demon sword you stole." Axelid out conditions for Shaman which was surprising, but she couldn''t help feeling there was something more to it.
"What guarantees that you won''t just kill me as soon as you get that sword back." She couldn''t trust a demon even though she was dating one, it just didn''t sit right with her.
"Pffhaha! I can kill you and your friends right now, so don''t test me." After hisugh, his aura changed, engulfing Shaman in a feeling of death.
"E-even if I epted, I would need to get back to them first. Are you even going to let me?" Shaman saw herself as a hostage at this point and doubted Axel would let her just run back alone.
"Oh don''t worry they will be here soon." Axel smiled as he looked up into the sky sensing something wasing his way.
***
"Lovers call won''t work!" Elysia was constantly trying to activate the skill, but only a system message popped up.
[Cannot reach lover, please try againter.]
ra also tried as ever since she got together with Shaman and Elysia, she got ess to the skill.
"We are almost there." nor was leading them through the pce hallways which were surprisingly quiet. There were a few maids around, who were all very surprised to see nor. Yet luckily not a single one tried to alert the guards even though they clearly recognized her.
nor wanted to stop and say hi as they were the same maids from when she was younger, but they needed to hurry.
"Are you sure we shouldn''t have split up?" Silver figured they could cover more ground as there were no serious dangers.
"It''s better if we stick with nor, especially if we bump into her father. He might mistake us as intruders or even be under nor''s grandpa''s influence." Kiruya didn''t want anyone to get separated as Shaman disappearing was already stressful enough.
"If my guess is right, Shaman is in the dungeon and was put in an anti-mana seal." nor knew roughly how their dungeon worked as her dad exined what would happen to bad guys, using it to quell any worries she had as a kid.
"What kind of seal?" Kiruya picked up on this detail as there were varying degrees of seals.
" I don-."
"IT WORKED!" Elysia suddenly got the notification that lovers call worked and began to disappear on the spot. ra also quickly activated it and joined Elysia to go help Shaman.
"I hope they are okay." nor felt it was very sudden, but was happy to know it worked as it told them Shaman was 100% alive.
"Great, let''s be quick and try to find your brother then." Kiruya wanted to join them, but there was no way to tell where they vanished to.
"Mhm, I think it''s better we find my dad first though, he will be able to find Ren quicker than I can navigate this ce as if I''m honest. I''m kind of lost."
Chapter 224 Synergy
Axel looked up in the sky feeling 2 presences appearing out of thin air and was confused as to whom it could be.
Suddenly Elysia and ra appeared in the sky just above Shaman. Spotting that she was heavily injured and without a weapon, Elysia already felt her blood boil. ra on the other hand was calmer, but she still shared the same feeling of anger with Elysia.
Both spotted the satyr standing across from them and instantly knew they were responsible. Axel smiled in response and beckoned for them to fight him.
Elysia and ra looked back at each other nodding,municating without even speaking. Both of themnded on the ground next to Shaman, but they were focused on killing the Satyr that injured her, so they sprinted at Axel.
"Wai-." Shaman didn''t want them to attack, but they were already sprinting before she could conjure up words.
Elysia pulled out her spear while going into her hybrid form to increase her speed. ra also partially did her demon transformation just enough that she won''t be exhausted in the first 30 seconds.
"Interesting." Axel stood there observing the 2 girls as they approached.
Elysia was a few metres away and so she stabbed her spear into the ground, performing a vault kick into Axel. Taking a side step he easily dodged Elysia, but while he was moving rashed with one of her whips, wrapping it around Elysia''s immobile spear.
She sprinted past Axel while attaching her whips together, forming one extended whip. She then threw the handle at Elysia, who caught the whip and pulled on it catching Axel, but it was all futile as he vanished on the spot. Appearing behind ra, he tried to grab her neck, but she was able to swing around with a sword made from lighting.
Axel stepped back slightly, barely dodging the lightning sword while also getting a few burn marks from the flickering lightning.
ra jumped back next to her whips and picked them back up while keeping an eye on Axel. Elysia also grabbed her spear out of the ground and stood next to ra. But Axel didn''t allow them to breathe and charged at them with his fist covered in ck mes.
Elysia took a step forward and deflected Axel''s fire fist with her fire-coated spear. When his attack touched her spear Elysia noticed that it absorbed some of the mes.
Even though Axel''s fist was deflected his control over his body was extreme, which allowed him topletely shift his body and continue to attack. Axel renewed his assault sending out constant punches and forcing Elysia to go on the defence.
She was barely able to block the attacks, but she didn''t need to wait long as ra jumped over her while shing down with her whips.
Axel crossed his arms to block the whips, but they ended up wrapping around his arms which was exactly ra''s intention. ra thennded back on the ground while tugging on her whips to pull him in closer to Elysia who was going to strike him right in the stomach.
However, Axel allowed himself to get pulled and used the momentum to kick Elysia in the jaw, sending her flying back into ra.
Both of them slid on the ground until they hit the pce wall, crashing into it and causing some of the cobblestone bricks to crack.
Elysia felt her head ache from the kick and nearly passed out just trying to get back up, just barely holding on to her consciousness. ra took the brunt of the force when hitting the wall, her back hurting so much she worried it may be broken.
It took her a second to stand up, but even once back on her feet she knew it would take one more attack to end up with an actual broken spine.
"Round 2?" Axel slowly walked up, hoping they would keep going since he started enjoying the fight even more.
"Shut up!" ra didn''t want to hear it, so she ran up while spinning her whips on either side of her, charging them with lighting. She then swung them at Axel in awkward directions to make it hard to dodge.
Axel smirked and dodged the whips, bending his body in a way so physics-defying that ra didn''t think possible. ra didn''t stop trying to catch him mid-dodge, but no matter what she did Axel found a way.
Elysia during this had switched to her bow and begun to fire arrows, timing them with ra''s strikes, but even then none hit their mark.
*Yawn* "Still can''t hit me." Axel had enough dodging so he moved closer to ra in a sh. Throwing a punch as soon as he appeared, hended a hit right in ra''s stomach, sending her back to Elysia.
Elysia managed to catch ra, but she ended up sliding on her feet and hit the pce wall, albeit thankfully not nearly as hard as before.
ra coughed up blood, her back only escaping dire consequence thanks to Elysia.
"He is strong, if I didn''t push myself to the limit I would have been dead." ra felt goosebumps as the severity of the situation sunk in. Her opponent was so fast she had to rely purely on instinct, not to mention that without her regeneration she would have probably been dead by now.
"I have a dumb idea, but I doubt we will be killing it." Elysia wasn''t confident in beating Axel as she had the same feeling when she fought the variant troll boss in Cholden.
"Let''s just try it and see if we can run away." ra didn''t care what kind of n it was, because at this point as long as they could get out with Shaman, then she considered that a win.
"Sling me with your whips." Hearing Elysia''s idea, ra looked at her in confusion and shock, finding itpletely insane.
"Enough chatter." While the girls were talking Axel took the time to do a few stretches before his next attack. After cracking his neck, he jumped into the sky and let out a pair of bat wings from his back.
He then suddenly changed direction, aiming straight for the girls while also creating tridents made out of ck mes.
Without having a chance to argue why Elysia''s idea was stupid, they both dodged to the side into a rift portal that appeared out of nowhere. All of a sudden they were in the sky well above Axel in the perfect position to execute Elysia''s n.
"Shaman?" ra didn''t expect her to participate or have the energy to even use her mana.
"Mhm, now let''s go." Elysia actually used Rea to tell Shaman to use her rifts.
ra shook her head finding the situation inconceivable, but they were already in the air.
While the girls were getting reacquainted with gravity, Axel crashed into the ground in an explosion of ck mes that ravaged the environment.
He looked around for the girls, but all he saw was a heavily breathing Shaman, her hands extended outwards. He knew she did something and decided to switch targets knowing she was the reason for the other 2 being here.
However, he suddenly felt an immense amount of mana forming above him forcing him to look up.
ra spun like a top in the air with her whips fully extended and tied at their end was a ball of blood-red mes. Elysia threw all caution to the wind, allowing the mes to go wild as they naturally formed into a crimson sphere.
ra could no longer spin any faster, so she retracted her whips which sent Elysia plummeting into the ground. Once ra''s whips were fully retracted, Shaman opened up another rift, teleporting ra next to her.
Elysia''s speed was faster than Axel''s own dive leaving him with no room to dodge and forcing him to block.
He created a wall of ck mes that was as thick as the pce walls.
Elysia then hit the ck med wall forcing a contest of fire. Hellfire ravaged the grassy field, easily surpassing the destruction of the previous attack.
Axel struggled to keep up the wall as he felt his mana getting sucked away and didn''t know what was causing it.
Elysia on the other hand was only getting stronger, her mes consuming Axel''s fire with unnatural thirst. The unique properties of the ck mes are based on corrupted souls which count as a form of vitality, allowing Elysia to absorb it.
"DIE YOU PIECE OF SHIT DEMON!" Elysia felt herself breaking through the wall and with onest push of her newly obtained mana, it finally broke. The fire wall dispersed allowing Elysia to have a clean shot with her spear into Axel''s chest.
Hit in the chest and crushed into the ground, Axel was then sted with the full strength of Elysia''s mes. The force of the attack made the ground cave in creating an explosion of dirt and dust obstructing everyone''s view.
As the dust settled it revealed that Elysia had not pierced Axel at all, only leaving a small mark on his chest. They stood still for a moment, but then it dawned on Elysia that her attack did nothing. The feeling of fear and despair filled her heart.
"Pathetic, you had me worried for a moment there." Axel smiled while looking at the spear that wasn''t even able to leave a cut.
Elysia tried to pull away, but her spear was grabbed before she could move. Not wanting to risk her life, she was about to let go of her spear. However just then roots erupted from the ground and restrained Axel.
Chapter 225 Holy Nature
"AHHHHH!" Axel screamed in pain as his skin was burnt by the roots. The putrid smell of burned flesh spread in the air as thick smoke seeped through the entangling roots. Taking advantage of the distraction Elysia managed to free her spear, then jumped back next to ra.
From the top of the pce, a group of 4 people were floating on a wind tform.
nor, Silver, Kiruya and nor''s father were joining the battle and nor seemingly made the first move.
Shaman needed only one look at the roots to notice their holy nature, telling her exactly who conjured them.
''Makes sense the holy element would be effective Maybe that''s why she was exiled.'' It was only a theory, but seeing as their entire family everything they knew about her grandfather was a lie, it wasn''t out of the realm of possibility.
"Shaman! ra! Elysia" nor screamed out from the tform grabbing the attention of everyone. Landing next to Shaman, Kiruya instantly pulled out a potion and gave it to Shaman to heal her wounds.
"So this is the person who has been masquerading as my grandfather." nor''s father looked furious as he couldn''t believe it at first, but seeing it with his own eyes, it was undeniable.
"Raiu, do you think you can take care of it?" Kiruya saw the satyr and knew it was too much for the girls to handle. Even though he was a tier 7 leader, he had been living for well over a hundred years, honing his skills to greater heights.
"I can, but nor My daughter, I want you to use your roots whenever you can as it seems to be its weakness." Raiu noticed the damage it was doing and there was no denying she would be helpful in the fight.
"Mhm." nor nodded. She tried to keep a straight face, but her tears betrayed her happiness. Only aftering this far did she finally realise how much she missed her father. However, she stood strong as she no longer felt like the useless girl she once was.
"Bastards!" After getting over the initial shock from the pain, Axel proceeded to destroy the roots with his ck mes. Veins popped out of his skin and his eyes werepletely bloodshot. He looked back at nor with rage as he knew who was in possession of such roots.
"YOU!! This is why I exiled you! My only weakness and danger to my life! If only that stupid vixen listened and left taking you with her!" Axel was furious and blurted out the reason for her exile which caused Raiu to get even angrier.
"You made me abandon my daughter for your benefit, you piece of shit demon! Now you will taste the power of the elf king!" Raiu wasn''t going to allow Axel to speak like he was still in control anymore. It was high time to get revenge for all the torment he must''ve caused for nor.
Reaching into his dimensional storage, Raiu pulled out a green de with a golden hilt that had many engravings on it. Each engraving represented something, but only elves could read it as the old dialect was notmonly known.
However, Shaman was able to read it just fine as if it was being tranted in front of her eyes.
"Wrath Power Love Loyalty." Shaman had no idea what it meant in the grand scheme of things, but she was able to get a direct trantion that closely resembled the engraving.
[Oops, forgot to remove that from the trantor.] Rea spoke up, revealing why she was able to understand the engravings. When she initially got transported the system adjusted everything in Shaman''s vision to English, but in reality, it was apletely foreignnguage.
In real time Shaman saw the engravings go back to their original form and she could no longer read them.
''Damnit! that''s such a nice thing to have, why did you take it away?'' Shaman could see the benefit of being able to understand ancient texts, so knowing now that the system had the capability, she definitely wanted to keep it.
[Ahem sorry, but you need to unlock it before I give you ess and no it''s not a skill.] Rea answered her question, but before Shaman could probe anymore the fight had begun.
Raiu slid his hand across his sword, lighting up the runes and illuminating the sword in a light green glow. Axel on the other hand created ck me tridents again in his hands, pouring as much mana as he could into them. Once the mes could hardly be contained, he took a step forward, yet before his foot touched the ground he suddenly vanished.
Doing another sh step he appeared behind nor while swinging his tridents, but before they got close Raiu blocked the blow. He was just as fast if not quicker than Axel and managed to protect nor.
nor was unable to process what just happened, but she still used her holy nature and shot roots from the ground into Axel''s stomach.
He tried to move away by pushing with his wings, but as soon as they extended out they were shredded by a wind barrier. Raiu made use of the brief deadlock to put up a barrier that was slowly shrinking making it impossible to move.
This allowed nor''s roots to pierce his stomach, immobilising him as the searing pain came back. Axel tried to use his tail to cut the roots, but ra came to help and wrapped her whip des around its tail.
She then pulled on her whips, spinning the des like a chainsaw and slicing the tail cleanly off. Axel screamed once again in pain, his superior toughness failing him once again.
nor''s nature was able topletely ignore Axel''s base defence and disable his control over his demon blood which he could harden to mitigate attacks.
The ck med tridents vanished from his hands which gave Raiu the opportunity to deal the finished blow. Raising his sword high he swung down cutting Axel in half in one swift motion. He even got all of Axel''s hearts that were spread throughout his body by sending out small wind shes as the de sliced through his body.
Each of the girls got a notification saying the dungeon wasplete and received their exp reward. Sadly they did not get much since Raiu and nor did most of the work in terms of damage. However, it wasn''t all bad as nor saw she could already hit tier 6.
[Dungeonplete]
Rewards for killing dungeon boss:
nor 60% contribution: Skill select x 4, Skill level-up x4, level 127 -> 200
ra 20%: Skill level up x2, level 200 -> 208
Elysia 15%: Skill level up x1, level 200 -> 206
Shaman and Silver < 5%: Level 200 ->203
Seeing the reward they got, Shaman and Silver were both shattered to see they got nothing, but it made sense since they hardly fought the boss. Elysia and ra on the other hand high fived each other since they actually got something despite doing close to nothing in terms of damaging the boss.
"Should have fired an arrow at the end there." Elysia knew ra got the extra 5% because she stopped the tail, but Elysia didn''t have a good angle and didn''t want to ruin the trap they had Axel in because of her greed.
"Oh well, maybe next time we won''t be faced with an overleveled tier 7 leader that is beyond our skill level." Although ra was happy with the rewards, she didn''t feel satisfied with the fight and the fact it ended so quickly just because they had the right element didn''t sit well with her.
"You have a point, it is disappointing, but at this point, it wasn''t even about the dungeon." Elysia saw the dungeon reward as a bonus since well the boss they were dealing with controlled the entirety of Elfhiem.
"True, but enough about that let''s head over to Shaman." ra saw Kiruya use the health potion so ra knew Shaman waspletely fine, but still wanted to be near just in case. Elysia nodded, so they walked over and sat by Shaman while Raiu dealt with the body.
"Is everyone okay?" Raiu finished up destroying the body making sure there was no chance of Axeling back.
"Everyone seems fine." nor looked around and saw that Shaman was recovering while the others sat down to rest next to her.
"Good job Raiu and thanks for your help." Kiruya walked up to Raiu leaving Shaman as the girls took over watching her condition.
"No worries, if you hadn''te I wouldn''t have realised there was a seal around my room preventing me from getting any information, let alone hearing themotion." Raiu scratched his head as he should have known something was off, but with him always being surrounded by magic it was hard to tell if a seal was confining him.
"Thank your daughter for bringing us to you, surprisingly she remembers the ce quite well." After Elysia and ra left to help Shaman, they changed their objective to finding Raiu.
"Well, I''m just d I get to see her again." He wrapped his arm around nor''s shoulder and pulled her into his side.
"O-oi!" nor pouted as she felt like she was being treated like a child, but at the same time didn''t mind.
"Now how have you been nor? I wished I could have stopped the exile and helped you on the outside, so I wouldn''t me you if you hate me." Raiu let go of nor and faced her trying to be as sincere as possible.
"I-I umm, I don''t hate you I knew you cared." nor felt a wave of emotions and tried to hold in the tears.
"Thank goodness." Raiu pulled nor in for a hug, d that despite being fooled for many years nor still didn''t hate him.
However, nor couldn''t hold it any longer and began to cry her heart out while hugging her dad as tight as possible.
"I-I''ve *hic* missed you *hic* so much dad."
Chapter 226 Cleaning Up
After the battle with the Saytr, there was a massive clean-up that needed to be done. Raiu naturally took up the role of his grandpa and now had full control of Elfheim. Many of the pce guards seemed to be under some form of influence since as soon as Axel died many passed out.
Many were confused, but it helped cover up the incident, leaving the only people who fought Axel in the know of what truly happened. Repairs were quickly done thanks to the use of magic and soon things were back to normal. Ren was freed from one of the cells where Axel trapped him and could only grumble about missing all the action.
While things were being organised, nor finally had some time to catch up with her brother and father. It also gave them time to talk about the future as with Raiu now king, his next in line must be decided.
nor was now a fugitive in the public eye, making it impossible for her to take any noble role as they couldn''t disclose that a satyr was in control of the kingdom. This left Ren needing to stay behind to be the heir and abandoning his ns to adventure with the group.
Ren didn''t mind staying since the group seemed like a woman''s only club with which he wasn''tfortable in the first ce. Although he did feel a slight bit of regret since it sounded like a dream traveling with his own little harem, it only took one look from Elysia and ra to tell him all he needed to know about his chances.
This settled the problem allowing nor to do as she pleased, but it did leave her conflicted. She had just reconnected with her family, but was already nning to leave with Shaman and the group.
"As much as I would love for you to stay, nor, I want you to follow your heart. What is your heart telling you to do? No matter what you choose, you will always have a family here waiting for you." Raiu sat nor down in one of the many living rooms to discuss her future since she had a choice to make. Thest thing he wanted was to confine nor, especially if she wants to pursue the path of adventurer.
"..." nor bit her lip, debating in her head what she should do as this was no easy choice. Even though she dered that no matter what she would join Shaman''s group, having things resolved changed the situation drastically.
''Shaman Elysia ra Silver.'' Each of them shed in nor''s mind as all the memories they made in a short time together yed. This almost brought her to tears as they were the friends and even family she always wanted. They gave her the opportunity to grow into who she is now and get back with her family.
"I-I think I will continue to travel with them They gave me so much to live for and I need to repay them. Of course, I will stille back when I can to visit, but I want to continue living my life free." Raiu fought to hide his pain as nor made her final decision, but it still made him happy to see her treasuring her new friends.
Besides, Seeing his daughter grow and be someone strong just like he was during his youth made him d she chose this route.
"I understand. I will be waiting for your return along with your brother Make me proud, nor my daughter." Raiu reached out and patted nor''s head, proud of her resolve to continue on the path of her choice.
"Thanks Dad." nor felt at ease hearing her father be so understanding of her choice.
"Now go find your friends. I''m sure they are eagerly waiting to hear what you said." Raiu saw Silver leaning up against a wall at the entrance waiting for nor. Plus there were things he needed to do that he couldn''t dy.
"Mhm!" nor stood up and gave her father a hug before running over to Silver.
Seeing nor''s genuine smile, Raiu felt a weighting off his heart. Just before nor left she made eye contact with Raiu and waved while giving onest bright smile.
Raiu waved back, feeling his heartstrings take a direct hit, almost bringing a tear to his eye.
"I should get to work." Raiu wanted to have a moment to himself to think but work was calling him, so he got up and vanished on the spot.
**
Silver brought nor to Shaman''s room where they were staying while waiting for Kiruya. They had finally finished their mission of clearing the dungeon and so Kiruya decided to deliver the letter to Raiu for them.
Shaman, Elysia and ra were sitting on the bed together deliberating on what they should use their skill upgrades on, but it led to quite a heavy debate.
"We should save them! What if when we reach max level we find a way to break the limit?" ra was in the camp of saving them and seeing if they could use them to go past the max level.
"That''s stupid, why would such a thing exist? Why make a max level if it can be broken?!?" Elysia thought of it a bit more logically and didn''t see a reason why the system would implement such a mechanic. It also didn''t help that Rea wouldn''t give them an answer leaving them to argue.
Sparks were flying off as they stared at each other intensely while Shaman sat in the middle unsure if she should say something.
However, when they realised nor entered the room the intense atmospherepletely vanished. ra and Elysia both sat back smiling like nothing ever happened.
"Hey nor, how are you?" Elysia spoke in a cheery tone, hiding her still burning temper.
"H-hey, I''m fine, but are you two okay?" nor felt like she was intruding and shouldn''t be there.
"Oh not at all, just a little squabble." ra yed it off trying to downy the situation.
"Why don''t you just fuck it out." Silver walked to the couch while chewing on some raw meat.
? "What?" Shaman, Elysia and ra spoke in unison trying to process what Silver just said. Thispletely killed any tension between Elysia and ra as now there were more important matters at hand.
"Well mothers you all seem pent up so why don''t you go do some special exercise, I can hang out with nor so don''t need to worry about me." Silver turned his head, trying to avoid eye contact at all costs.
"..." The three of them all looked at each other and then at Silver since something sounded suspicious.
"Why are you bringing up nor? I know you are more than capable of looking after yourself." Shaman was the most skeptical of them all as it didn''t sound right that Silver wanted to specifically spend time with nor.
"Did something happen between you two~?" ra thought they may have had a moment and some developments were being made.
"Oh my~ Silver trying to make some moves." Elysia saw it on Silver''s face that he was embarrassed and had a n in mind.
"E-eh what?!" nor who was just a bystander was confused, unsure what they were insinuating.
"It''s not like that!" Silver pouted as he didn''t want to admit it, but ever since he became tier 6, he''s be more mature. Now new and unfamiliar feelings were welling up inside him.
*Sigh* "Enough, you two can argue about your skillster. As for you Silver, we don''t have time to be going out on dates, we are leaving as soon as Kiruya is back. More importantly, how did things go with your father nor?" Shaman was finally conceding, deciding not to be as nosey when it came to Silver. However, she remembered that nor needed to make a decision on whether she will stay with her family or with them.
ra and Elysia were both surprised that Shaman didn''t press further about Silver, but it was good news that Shaman wasn''t being overprotective. Silver also expected a small lecture, but instead, Shaman changed the subject.
"O-oh, well I decided that I will continue to travel with you guys." nor stated her decision and everyone smiled. They were happy to hear that she wanted to continue with them, but they still had some doubts.
"Are you sure? You did just finally bridge the gap with your family." Elysia, having lost her family, knew how important they were. So, if nor leaves now, she may grow to regret it.
"I believe I will be fine, I''ve chosen you guys as my second family and want to continue my journey with you all." nor second-guessed herself for a second, but she swatted those thoughts away standing firm in her decision.
"As long as you believe it''s the right choice we won''t stop you." ra respected nor''s choice since the path she will now walk is much more dangerous, but she didn''t waver.
"Wee aboard again nor." Shaman was happy to hear nor wanted to stay and was touched that she considered them a second family.
Chapter 227 Returning To The Freya Forest
A few hours went by and Kiruya finally returned to pick the group up.
"That took way too long." Kiruya looked exhausted which was odd since all she needed to do was deliver a letter.
"Didn''t you just have to drop off a letter?" Silver brought up this point confused as to why something like this would take so long.
"Well, let''s just say when you start talking to nor''s father, it just never ends." Kiruya had spent thest few hours talking about the contents of the letter and the situation with the demonnds.
"Ah, I see." Silver did notice that Raiu was rather entric, especially in his looks, so it wasn''t a surprise he was quite the talker.
"Anyway, we need to move, Freja is expecting us soon." Kiruya didn''t want to waste any more time and it was starting to gette.
Everyone nodded their head and got up from where they were sitting. They had been ready for a while now and were wondering if they would just stay the night.
"Have you finished your business here, nor?" Kiruya wasn''t sure if she was staying with the group or not.
"Yes I have, although I would like to see my father and brother one more time, if we don''t have time that''s fine." nor had said everything she wanted, but it still would be nice to have a final goodbye before leaving for who knows how long. However, just then the door behind Kiruya mmed open, revealing Raiu with Ren following behind him shaking his head.
"nor! I''vee to send you off!" After he heard Kiruya was going to leave, he realised that nor would also be going. So he grabbed Ren and dragged him to see nor for onest good-bye.
"Oh no." Kiruya felt like they would be here for another hour, so she quickly opened up the portable portal that Freja made. She then grabbed the girls and pushed them inside the portal to get out of the situation quickly.
"Oh Dad and Lil Bro! We are in a hurry, but I''m d I get to see you." nor couldn''t stop Kiruya so she quickly said her goodbyes.
"Take care sweetie! I will always be here to wee you back. Don''t forget to contact me through themunication stone every now and again!" Knowing nor needed to go, Raiu wished her the best and hoped to see her stronger the next time they met.
"Next time we meet sister I want a duel, so make sure youe back alive and well!" Ren was shyer and wished he could spend more time with nor, but it was her choice to keep travelling.
"Don''t worry I will keep in touch Dad and Lil Bro I can''t wait to kick your ass hehe~." nor waved as she entered the portal, happy that she got to see them before she left.
The portal vanished a moment after they all entered, marking the start of nor''s journey outside of Elfheim.
"Do you think Big sis will be okay?" Ren was rather worried since she never got any training, yet all of a sudden she is now a tier 6 journeying into an unknown world. Although the same could be said for Ren when it came to experience, he had still received training all his life.
"I don''t know what her friends did, but she is a very capable fighter now. What we need to do is simply believe in her." Raiu didn''t think too much of it and was just happy nor was able to get strong on her own.
"Alright." Ren hoped his father was right and that nor would indeed be safe.
***
A portal opened in the middle and through it came the group. Unfortunately, there was a small fold in the rug and Shaman, who came out first, ended up tripping. This had a chain effect causing everyone to topple on top of each other.
Elysia and randed on top of Shaman smothering her. Silver and nor tripped over the trio and crashnded together with Silvernding on nor. Luckily, Silver''snding was... cushioned. Kiruya was quick to react and used her wind to catch herself, avoiding the pileup all-together.
"Pfft." Freja who was sitting in her chair chuckled seeing the human dominos fall to the ground.
"Damn it Freja!" Shaman instantly assumed Freja was responsible for their mishap as herughter echoed out.
"Don''t me me, me the rug." Freja shrugged as she genuinely didn''t do anything.
*Sigh* Shaman didn''t bother to argue as it will only end up worse for her.
All of them got off each other, but something caught Freja''s eye and she couldn''t help butment.
"Did Silver get himself an Elf girlfriend while on mission?" Freja was well aware that it was nor, the exiled daughter, but Freja couldn''t pass up the opportunity to tease.
"E-eh? N-no it isn''t like that." Silver''s face instantly turned red while Shaman shot daggers from her eyes. nor didn''t say a word and fidgeted while looking away to hide her red face.
"No? Perhaps she is joining Shaman''s little harem?" Switching the question, she was now met with res from Elysia and ra. However, at the mention of the harem nor''s face became neutral with a bit of disgust. She wasn''t against a harem, but it is something she doesn''t see herself being a part of.
"Heh." Freja caught the change in expression giving her all the information she needed for more teasingter on.
"Oi! Nothing is happening with nor, plus we have more pressing matters don''t we?" Shaman saw the troubleing from a mile away. If anyone could make something happen it was Freja.
"Oh that''s right, I''ll have my funter. Moving onto business, I need you girls and boy to head into the demonnds to get Himeko. The humans are making a move and I believe they are after an artifact." Over thest few days Freja was trying her best to figure out why the sudden movement and then it all clicked.
"Wait, the demons have an artifact?" This was the first time ra heard of it and she knew what was in the treasury since she liked investigating all the different kinds of treasures in there.
"I''m not surprised you don''t know, only the king or queen know where it is, but they do indeed hold the artifact of lust. Wish I had gotten it myself, but the demons have had it from before I even came to this world." Freja remembered that the pope took the artifact of control which was bad news.
"I-I don''t know if that would be a good thing if you had it, but if the pope is aiming for it then that really is concerning." Shaman didn''t want to think about the kind of things Freja would do, but it wouldn''t be as bad as the pope having it.
"But wait, isn''t he tier 10? You are making it sound like we should fight him?" Elysia didn''t like the sound of it as they were still tier 6.
"Oh no I don''t want you to fight him, they are currently making their way slowly to the demonnds to avoid attention. What I want you to do is abuse ra''s status to beat him to it." A smirk appeared on Freja''s face as she nned for them to steal it before the pope does.
"What?" Shaman felt like she didn''t hear Freja correctly as it sounded like suicide.
"You heard me, you will go to the demonnds to pick up Himeko as well as steal the demonnd''s hidden artifact of lust." Freja enjoyed the looks of disbelief she was getting. Even nor who had the least amount of context could understand that it was a crazy request.
"Do not worry though, if you are unable to, please contact me right away. The only reason I''m sending you is that I don''t want the demonnds to set me as their target. As quiet as they have been, the current queen is someone of unknown strength and I believe only ra has any chance of actually talking to her without the rest of you being killed right away." Freja borated on the n a bit more and it began to make sense.
"I see, well what about Himeko? Do we just rescue her or send her back here?" Shaman knew that saving Himeko alone will be a big task especially since the rtionship between her and ra are not the best.
"That is for you to decide but I feel like she will y a useful role in your group." Freja didn''t care since she ounted for Himeko sticking with them for the mission. Either way, her choice wouldn''t change the nature of their task.
"Alright, when do you want us to leave?" Shaman was fine with the mission. Looking back at the group, she saw there were no objections to be had.
"You will leave tomorrow and I will give you the emergency crystals needed if things go wrong. I will also give you all some new clothes to fit in." Freja would have sent them right away, but she still had things to prepare, plus they did just return from clearing a dungeon.
"You can take your usual rooms. nor, a maid wille to see you shortly and take some measurements." Freja clicked her fingers and disappeared from her throne. This gave the group some free time, but the only thing on their minds was getting a nice bath and then some sleep.
Chapter 228 Luna
"Urgh, why does the queen need us?" A 154cm cat girl sporting blue hair with a red highlight as well as 2 protruding red horns slumped over a table with a drink in her hand.
"It''s on her orders, you don''t want to end up like your parents Luna." A man who wore a suit and was of a simr race spoke up while drying dishes.
"Tch, I know old man." At the mention of her parents she became a bit agitated, but what he said was true.
"Then stop procrastinating and get going." The half-cat demon took Luna''s drink and began to clean it.
"Fineee." Standing up from her chair Luna headed towards the door, unting her blue dress. It was an impressive piece, outlined with gold andyered with scales. On its sides were slits for easier movement and in the back was a hole for her tail, hidden by the ps of the dress.
"Good luck and make sure you stay away from the frontline, especially if there''s any battle going on." The old man gave his regards while she walked out of the room.
"Don''t worry, I''ll be fine." Luna walked out of the room which led directly outside. After walking a little further away from the building she came to a stop and focused on the pendant around her neck. As she did, the gem in its center began to glow. It was a deep blue precious stone engraved with mysterious runes.
Water then emerged around her feet and lifted her into the sky. Once she reached a certain height, she converged the whirling water into a stable tform hovering in the air. Only then did she let herself sit down. This entire procedure was done so quickly she made it look easy, but the truth of it was this was a very costly skill to use.
"To the demon queen''s castle." Luna then picked up speed and flew over the buildings towards a castle that was just barely visible in the distance.
*
The terrain was rather barren and consistently painted in shades of red which made the ce unappealing. However, it was perfect for the demons since they preferred to be left alone, so having the worstnd gave them the quiet they wanted.
This did note without its risk as the ce was filled with high-tier creatures which were the cause of many towns being destroyed. With time though, the ce became safer as magical defensive mechanisms got better. Generally speaking, unless you are outside of a town you are safe.
The Demon Lands were always in a state of darkness as the skies were filled with ash from various volcanoes. There was of course still sunlight, but with every day being cloudy it made for a rather grim atmosphere. Nheless, this was Luna''s home for most of her life to the point she even became a demon due to living there for so long.
Originally she was just a half-cat born in the Elfhiem, but at a young age she was sent away to friends in the demonnds due to her parents being hunted.
Over time she was exposed to the demonic essence and ended up growing horns making her a citizen. It wasn''t known exactly why, but demons were not born with horns. Only being raised among other demons from a young age would guarantee one''s horns would grow.
Not many people ever questioned it in the first ce, so the only thing that was known is that demons had a special kind of essence that was like mana but infects the body. However, once they grew older the mana in their body became a protective shield that repulsed the essence. As such, even if an adult without horns lives closely with a demon, he would never grow his horns.
This was the case with Luna as ever since she was a child she lived among demons and eventually grew horns. A side effect of this was also her hair gaining red highlights as well.
"I wonder what could be going on." While travelling over the barrennd Luna pondered her mission. It was not yet beast season where towns would be attacked by an onught of beasts, so why was a high tier healer such as her suddenly called?
''It must be something bigger, I am the only healer they call for big missions after all.'' Although Luna was taken care of by friends of her family, it didn''t stop her from bing an adventurer. She had an aptitude for water and took an interest in healing magic.
She tried using holy magic, but because she became part demon the holy magic almost killed her. As such, she opted for something of her own creation. It was one of a kind, but thanks to her understanding of the body, she was able to create her own healing magic with water.
''Hope they don''t try to shoot me down likest time.'' Luna was fast approaching the castle. Although she shouldn''t be flying so close to its walls, she was toozy to go through the front gate. Luckily this time no one shot at her, albeit the hoarse shouts from the guards made clear their displeasure.
"USE THE DOOR LUNA!" Hearing their yells Luna chose to ignore them and flew into an open window that led into the throne room.
It seemed the window was open just for Luna since as soon as she entered a bunch of small flying demons hurried to close it behind her.
"You never learn do you?" A woman sat on the throne with an imposing presence staring at Luna as she descended.
"Heyyy !" Luna however, was not afraid at all despite the immense pressure.
"ina!" The demon queen tightened her grip causing her armrest to crack.
"Yeah, yeah so what did you need?" Luna jumped off her water tform and did a small bow to show some respect.
*Sigh* "It''s the humans, they are making a move into our territory. To be more specific it''s the pope and the admirals." ina exined the situation and Luna''s eyes widened in shock. As far as she could remember, this was the first time another territory cared to even bother with the demonnds.
"I won''t be sending you to fight, but I need you to stay here just in case." ina wanted to keep the best healer she knew close by in case an emergency arises.
"I understand." Luna knew this was important as it was the first time something like this happened so they needed to be ready, especially if the pope is personally involved.
"I will have one of the maids set you up in a room, so in the meantime get yourself settled in, and don''t worry your friend Isaac will being soon." pping her hands a few maids appeared behind some pirs and gave a polite bow.
"Alright ." Luna waved and winked while she exited the hall with the maids. ina gritted her teeth since she hated the nickname, but there wasn''t anything she could do.
***
Behind a gate engraved with the symbol of the phoenixy a small cave, inside of which a small bird was sitting on top of arge pedestal. Finally awakening from its long slumber, the bird rustled its feathers and then shifted back to her human form. This woman was of course Himeko, who after hibernating due to her reincarnate skill has finally gained some of her power back.
Rising from the ground, she waspletely nude, but luckily she prepared the cave ahead of time to also serve a base.
? "I feel awful." Himeko rose from the pedestal, holding her head as she barely remembered what had happened. However, everything slowly came back to her as she made her way over to a door in the side of the cave.
shes of the treatment she received from the pope filled her mind causing her to fall to her knees. Seeing herself being reduced to such a low refuelled her anger as mes sparked off her back.
"That piece of shit!" Himeko wanted to get revenge right away, but her power was reduced to that of tier 8 and it would take a while before she returned to her peak.
Opening up the door to a hallway, to the side was a set of clothes and further down an open space. Grabbing the clothes she got changed on the spot, getting into a pair of pants and a white t-shirt.
Walking down the hallway into the open space, it was revealed to be a bedroom with a kitchen on the other side. It was designed just for her to stay while her power recovers and, although a boring way to live, it was better than venturing outside and risk getting found by the pope.
"Hope the girls are fine, they were in the dungeon when Ebonscale was attacked... ra, you probably remember everything by now." Thinking back she remembered the artifact was stolen which meant the sealed memories of ra should have resurfaced.
"I hope she doesn''t hate me, that seal formed on its damn own because of how emotionally distraught she was." Himeko knew the truth of the situation and it wasn''t her intention to hide anything. However, since the seal formed, Himeko rolled with it expecting it to never break, but in the end, it backfired.
"Oh well, she is in good hands now. Also Freja should being to see me soon." Himeko remembered she gave Freja a crystal that would tell her when Himeko entered the cave. So if everything worked she hoped to see someonee knocking at her gate.
"First I need to clean, I have no idea when I will get visitors." Himeko looked around the ce and found it to be covered in cobwebs.
Chapter 229 Change Of Outfits
While preparations were happening in the demonnds, Shaman and her group were in the lounge getting ready to leave. Freja was sitting down in the lounge with new sets of clothes, but this time there was something special about them.
"These clothes are not your normal attire. Part of the reason why I wanted you to get stronger was so you could handle beast material. I am giving you tier-9 quality clothes all from beasts that suit you. As for nor, she may have only joined recently, but fortunately for her I only needed to make a trip to my vault." Frejaid out on a table in front of her boxes, all colour coded to match each of the members.
"Now some of your outfits do show some skin, but rest assured these clothes will act a little different from your usual wear. Now go get changed and you will soon see what I mean. It will be easier to understand once you experience it first-hand." Once Freja was done with her exnation each of the members grabbed a box and headed back to their rooms to change.
*
The first toe out of their room was ra as she had something very simple. Matching the cultural theme of Ebonscale, ra was given a qipao and thigh-high socks. The qipao was edged with gold with rose patterns scattered on its sides, spread in shades of dark gold and bright purple. At the top of the slit in the qipao, a golden rose and purple gem were attached making her feel like she was royalty. However, it was quite short, only going halfway down her thighs and she felt like every movement would sh someone.
? "This is too damn embarrassing." ra was visibly red as this was something she would rather wear for Shaman and Elysia instead of for battle.
"Ah, it looks good on you fufu~." Finally done waiting Freja was pleasantly surprised by ra''s outfit.
"I demand a redesign! I don''t want to be giving people a view as I fight." ra was constantly pulling down on the qipao and started to think this was some ploy for Freja to make them cosy.
"Fine, I won''t tease you too much. Try channeling some mana into your clothes." Freja would love to tease ra, but it was one of her own rules to never pry on other people''s partners without a good reason Usually.
ra did exactly as she said and suddenly she felt mana wrap around her legs.
"Woah." ra lifted one of the sides and noticed that something was forcible creating a shadow preventing anyone from seeing underneath.
"See! I already thought of everything. With a little bit of mana that you only need to expend once the dress will conceal you. The special thing about these outfits is that they change to fit you perfectly and, with a bit of tinkering, I managed a way to conceal exposed parts from prying eyes." Freja felt proud as there was nothing worse than people trying to take a look, so knowing that there is no way for anyone to see made the outfit less embarrassing.
"Damn I''m impressed, now I''m actually liking this outfit." Despite ra being a demon, she grew up in Chinese culture so she had a sense of familiarity with the outfit. It did bring back memories of living with Himeko, but they weren''t all bad. It reminded her of the local festivals where she wore something simr.
"I''m d you like it since it is made out of dragon skin." Freja was d she hit the mark with the outfit since it wasn''t cheap to make.
"Dragon skin!?" ra found it insane since dragons alone are disaster-level creatures.
"Yep it was a juvenile one so it wasn''t quite a tier 10. Sadly it didn''t have as much skin, but if I let it get any stronger then I wouldn''t be able to reap the materials." Freja borated on how she acquired the materials which seemed like a highly dangerous endeavor, but it was Freja so the more dangerous creature was her.
"But why couldn''t we wear it until we were tier 6?" ra remembered What Freja said earlier and was curious about this fact.
"I''ll tell you when everyone is out. Speaking of which it looks like nor finished changing." Freja didn''t want to repeat herself so she decided to wait until everyone was out.
nor came out of her room and surprisingly her outfit didn''t change too much. She wore ck pants and a leather corset over a shirt. The t-shirt had an opening on her chest that showed some cleavage which clearly made nor a little shy as she walked out. On her wrists were short sleeves that were adorned with frills, matching the sleeves of the t-shirt.
Everything was also edged with a bit of gold giving this nobility feeling which nor quite liked.
"Damn you look good in that ra." nor felt like she was scammed since ra was given such a fancy dress where she got more of a re-colour and exposed chest.
"You look great too, I''m sure a certain someone will definitely enjoy seeing you." ra appreciated thepliment as it gave her a confidence boost in such a tight and short dress.
"O-oh really? Alright." nor in the end couldn''tin as she liked the style and preferred not to wear dresses or fancy clothes.
"Herees more." Freja heard Silver''s door opening and made sure to announce it.
Walking out, Silver wore a ck skin-tight long-sleeved top as well as pants. He also had a hooded shoulder cape that also came with a mask. It was clear Freja tried to go for an assassin look which she was sessful in doing. Like everyone else so far the edges of his clothes were golden and if it wasn''t for his cute face he would fit the description of a shady dealer.
"I don''t know if Silver is looking more cute or badass." ra loved the design and it really signified his role as someone who moves in the shadows. nor also loved the design and found him adorable, but overall the outfit definitely made him look cooler.
Silver scratched his head while blushing and looked away since he wasn''t too confident in his looks.
"Herees the final pair."
Shaman and Elysia having a bit moreplicated clothes came outst. Shaman wore a dress that was half kimono and a skirt, a golden ribbon wrapped around her waist concealing the connection. Part of the kimono that covered her chest was white while her sleeves and back were ck.
The outfit perfectly captured the original Shaman''s origins as the fox realm had taken to Japanese culture. Elysia on the other hand received something that came from the victorian era, but to give it the fox realm touch it ended up as a lolita dress.
Elysia looked like she had 2 skirts with one slightly longer red skirt under the ck one. She was given a corset that was edged with gold and tied up with golden strings. Elysia was also wearing a long sleeve button-up shirt that barely held her chest and a red bow tie at the cor. Her stockings were also still there and had not changed much other than them being made of a much higher quality material.
The outfit gave Elysia a rebel princess vibe which represented the weird situation with Elysia''s family and how they oppose Shaman''s family.
"Wow, you both look gorgeous." ra found herself fangirling a little over their outfits as they looked perfect to her.
"Makes me want to try on a dress." nor loved the look which made her curious how a dress like Elysia''s or Shaman''s would look on her.
Silver was stun locked and didn''t know what to say as all of his mum''s looked amazing.
"Looks like all the princesses are here. Wait a minute, technically you are all princesses except Silver." Freja just came upon a realisation that everyone in this group was some form of royalty. Although Elysia came from a fallen family technically she could receive a princess status if her family rose to power.
"Now that I think about it, ra is the lost princess of the demonnds, nor the exiled princess of Elfhiem and then Elysia the fallen princess of the fox realm." Shaman hadn''t really thought about it, but with Freja pointing it out, it seemed that every person she picked up had some form of connection to nobility. Even Silver had royal status since he had her blood in him making him a future prince or king.
"Damn Shaman, I thought my girls were of impressive origin but if you keep this up, you will end with a harem full of royalty." Freja pped her hands, impressed with these series of coincidences and was tempted to give Shaman a nickname.
"Oi who said I would be having more, it was scary enough getting Elysia and ra to like each other." Shaman didn''t like the assumption that she was trying to go for a harem. All she ever did was let things take their natural course.
"Your loss, but I guess we should move on and show how these new clothes work." Not wanting to waste any more time, Freja stood up from the couch ready to show them the full capabilities of their new monster-made clothes.
Chapter 230 Fashion > Practicality
Freja led the group to the indoor arena and got Shaman to stand in the middle.
"Alright, to show you what your clothes actually do, I am going to hit you. Don''t worry I won''t kill you, but brace yourself for impact." Freja formed a fist while smiling at Shaman.
"A-are you sure?" Shaman was not confident that she would be fine and wanted to run, but that would be pointless, especially against Freja.
"Don''t worry these are not tier 9 clothes for nothing." Freja then punched Shaman in the stomach without any warning. She wasunched across the arena, but to her surprise, she didn''t feel any pain and didn''t even lose her bnce.
"What the hell." Shaman slid on her feet to a stop, then grabbed her stomach wondering what happened.
"Now as you just saw, I punched Shaman with probably a quarter of my strength so the equivalent to a tier 8. These clothes you are wearing also act as armour, but do be careful since they are not invincible." Freja lifted her finger up and suddenly Shaman was picked up by strings of hardened blood. She was then carried right next to Freja who seemed to prepare for another attack.
This time it was much weaker, but it hurt more than the first punch.
*Cough* *Cough* Shaman gasped for air, not expecting that her newyer of protection would suddenly vanish.
"What is protecting you is an invisible mana barrier, but if it sustains too much damage then you are no longer protected. Of course, you can channel your own mana into it, but it will cost way too much and it''s better to let it regenerate with ambient mana." Freja then flipped up Shaman''s skirt slightly.
Elysia and ra were about to charge at Freja, but they quickly saw that she was showing something on Shaman''s skirt rather than shing them. Silver and nor looked away waiting for the predictable sh, but to their surprise nothing happened. Turning back they saw that Freja only folded the edge of the skirt, only revealing a bit of the rune-work hidden behind the hems.
Shaman freaked out and tried to pull down her skirt, but Freja stopped her by restraining Shaman''s wrist with blood shackles.
"Pffhaha, d to see you didn''t go into a blind rage. Anyway, as you can see these runes work a little differently from magic circles. Unlike magic which requires the user both to cast and activate, runes act ording to their own set conditions and work differently depending on the kind of material they are inscribed on." While Freja gave her exnation, the runes on the rim of Shaman''s skirt lit up indicating they activated. Freja also ced Shaman down as she was done being the guinea pig of the demonstration.
"So for Shaman, her clothes are made out of an ice fox skin which will enhance her ice thanks to the runes. I couldn''t find any space creatures since well, can''t really go to space so your stardust will not get a buff." Freja chose animals with synergistic elements for each member as the effect they provide is too good to ignore.
"Elysia you were given a Pheonix, ra a lightning dragon, Silver a dark wolf and nor your animal was a sky snake." Freja disclosed what each of their clothes was made out of causing them to inspect their clothes. They noticed the runes littered on the insides thanks to the light glow they produced.
"Howe we couldn''t get these before?" Shaman had this question ever since she found out these were tier 9 apparel and wanted to know since Freja suggested it had to do with their tier being too low.
"Well, that''s due to the property of the material and skins. If some regr person decided to wear them, they would be sapped of all their mana and die out. As for why it''s ok for you to use now, that''s because when one ranks up their mana channels go through a strengthening process which improves their resistance to outside interference." It sounded rather scary since it felt like this could be a tool for murder, but the requirement to make it was tier 9 monsters which don''te by too easily.
"So then howe you got tier 9, not 10?" Elysia felt like Freja was going the extra mile so why did she stop at a measly tier 9?
"There is another reason and that''s because at tier 10 clothes made from these beasts take form from within your soul. They are not tailored as I have done with your current clothes, so it''s always better to wait until you reach that level as this will be your... let''s call it ultimate form." Freja didn''t have a name for it, but aside from tier 10 being almost impossible to get, it just wasn''t worth having at a lower tier since it will be downgraded in quality.
"Do you have one?" ra was rather curious since Freja herself was tier 10 so surely she had her own set of clothes.
"Of course I do." Freja pped her hands twice and ck mes covered her body. Changing from her ck shirt and jeans, her casual presence suddenly became authoritative.
As the mes slowly faded from her body, they revealed an imposing imperial uniform in ck and gold. Atop it, a red cape with white fur adorned her neck and ck gloves covered her hands. The whole outfit screamed ''empress'' and the group finally understood why people were so afraid of her.
"Now this will be something you have to earn in the future when you be tier 10, but this outfit is the personification of my soul. When the timees, remember - you only have one shot to get it right." Freja knew the kind of presence she carried when wearing her uniform so she quickly changed back to her casual clothes.
Suddenly it felt like they could breathe again making them realise they were holding their breath. Everyone was impressed and now had something to look forward to once they reached the top.
"Are there any more questions about your clothes?" Freja finished her demonstration, so she figured it was better if they asked about any concerns they may have rather than her having to exin everything in detail.
"What happens if our clothes get damaged? Will we need to go out and kill tier 9 monsters?" nor was worried she would ruin her new clothes since they seemed too precious.
"Ah don''t worry! The clothes have a repair rune, so as long as there is a piece of it left, injecting your mana will regenerate it. However, it takes a lot of mana so do this after clearing the dungeon or once you have a break. Annnnd yes Elysia that means you don''t need to carry around a bunch of spare stockings fufu~." Freja instantly knew what Elysia was thinking since it was written all over her face that her head was in the gutter.
"O-oh ahem yes thank you." Elysia blushed since now everyone knew what her intentions were.
"Anyway, what do the runes actually do for our elements?" Shaman created little ice spikes in her hands, but she didn''t feel any change.
"The runes will reduce the amount of mana needed since the materiales from an elemental beast meaning there is more ambient mana of your respective element. However, there are other effects that you will have to find out for yourself since they are unique for each set of clothes, so it''s up to you to find out what they are." This was the secret to the outfits and is why they are so rare and expensive. Each outfit had a different set of powers which even Freja didn''t know, but even if she did it was better for them to find out themselves.
"I see." Shaman was dying to know more as even inspecting her clothes did not show any results, setting her curiosity on fire.
"If there are no more questions, then I believe it''s time for you guys to head out to the demonnds." Freja saw that no one was waiting to speak, so she decided to get a move on. Everyone nodded in agreement. Although they would have liked to stick around a bit more, there was no time to go on a holiday.
"Meet me in the throne room, you have 30 minutes max." Freja needed to prepare the teleportation spell since she will be directly teleporting them near Himeko. Freja vanished on the spot, giving the group some time to see if they could figure out their clothes'' special ability.
However, despite using their elements and trying some skills, they had no luck in activating anything. They did however notice the reduced mana cost which was a nice upgrade making long fights not so worrisome.
"So Shaman and ra, want to go back to our room real quick~?" Elysia decided to embrace the fact that they didn''t need to worry about clothes ripping and figured she might as well ask to have a quick session.
"Someone is eager." ra didn''t mind so it was ultimately Shaman''s decision whether to push their luck.
"Haha, I would say yes, but with Freja waiting for us I''d rather not risk it, sorry darlings." Shaman hearing the offer fidgeted, but knowing the importance of their mission she couldn''t bring herself to mess around. She didn''t want to risk beingte as they get really into their sessions and usually end up passed out.
"Hmm fair enough." Elysia pouted, but she understood the situation.
"Phew." nor and Silver both were relieved since they didn''t want the responsibility of walking in and getting them to hurry up.
"We are running out of time anyway and I don''t think the 15 minutes we have left would be enough for all of us." There was also a time limit since they spent the first half experimenting.
"True, so let''s get going." ra figured they should just head over to the throne room and wait.
"Alright, let''s go." Not having much else to do, everyone left the arena and made their way to the throne room.
Chapter 231 Broken Kotetsu?
Entering the throne room, they saw Freja drawing a circle out of blood which was rather unsettling.
"Didn''t know we were performing a ritual to teleport." Shaman felt like she was in some old movie making sacrifices for a satanic ritual.
"Hai, so can you please stand in the middle." Freja rolled with it and gestured at Shaman to walk up.
"Oi! I''m not a sacrificialmb." Shaman hid behind Elysia and ra, hoping they would protect her.
"Oh well, looks like no sacrifice today." Freja continued filling in the circle while looking disappointed.
"Phew." Shaman came out from behind Elysia and ra who weren''t too impressed they were being used as shields.
"What? Just wanted to be protected." Shaman shrunk under Elysia and ra''s re, getting distinct vibes that they were contemting throwing her in.
"Should we toss her?" Elysia proposed and ra nodded liking the idea. Approaching Shaman, they tried to grab either side of her, but then she pulled out Kotetsu.
"Stand back or you get stabby stab." Shaman wasn''t intending to actually stab anyone, but it was a good way to keep them back. However, Kotetsu wasn''t so sharp anymore and at least half of it was missing.
Everyone except Freja looked shocked as the sword Shaman has been using for months appeared broken beyond repair.
"Shit." Shamanpletely forgot that Kotetsu was broken by the satyr. It caused her to freak out since she had an attachment to the sword. Although she could fight without Kotetsu, the drain on her mana from only using elements didn''t sound appealing.
"Have you tried putting your mana through it? You do know that your sword is one of admiral Jane''s creations, right? She and Himeko are close friends after all." Freja didn''t understand why they were freaking out about Kotetsu since it was quite the special sword.
"Wait what." This was news to Shaman since the description of Kotetsu Rea gave her sounded like it came from a different world.
"Oh? Then how did you get it? I thought Himeko gave it to you as a gift since she is friends with Jane, but from the looks of it you didn''t obtain it from her." Freja was intrigued about how Shaman came across the sword since there was no way she stole from Jane.
"The system gave it to me." Shaman then came to the conclusion that Rea straight up stole the sword.
"Wow, your system is brave, but seeing as Jane hadn''t gone on a rampage then maybe it''s a failed product." Freja expected more of an uproar if one of Jane''s legendary swords were stolen, but it was possible that it was a forgotten sword.
[Haha let me exin, it''s a sword that was forged by Jane, but she discarded it since she thought it failed to obtain any worthwhile properties, so I figured I would just... borrow it.] Rea gave up the truth of the matter since she didn''t want to be used of stealing considering it was getting thrown out anyway. Shaman ryed what Rea said and Freja nodded her head.
"I see, well I can tell you she definitely made it as it has her signature on the bottom of the de. There are also runes under the wrapping so just focus your mana on those runes and it should mend it back to normal." Freja was quite surprised that Jane would have thrown this out since the de alone would still sell for a fortune.
Shaman did exactly what Freja said and the handle began to glow again. Simr to when she first got it, the de reshaped itself and the hidden tattoo on the back of her hand also changed.
Instead of the original dim ck-and-white sword, Kotetsu now had a glowing white edge with a ck spine. It kept the curvature of a Katana, but now the de itself also curved, its width changing like a wave and extended even past the guard.
At the base of the de was also the gem which would change depending on the element used. The handle did not see much change, but the pommel now resembled a fox''s tail.
On the spine, the colours red, purple, green and blue were infused with the original ck giving it an oily look. It was clear the colours were representative of each group member which was a touch Shaman liked.
Even nor''s colour was there which was a surprise since she only joined the group a few days ago.
A system message then popped up giving her an updated description of Kotetsu.
[Kotetsu]
[Rarity: legendary]
[Currentpatibility: 90% (Subject to change)]
[Due to user Shaman being a lower tier, the sword''s power is reduced to tier 6]
Skills:
Elemental discharge
Element shift
Elemental sh
-Locked-
Special:
Terrain change [Requires use of domain skill]
-Locked-
All of a sudden skills and a special she had never seen before appeared. There was also thepatibility which had gone up a lot since thest time.
"Looks like someone has been wasting their sword''s potential for quite a while." Freja was d it worked out. This being a throw-away weapon she wasn''t sure if there would be an auto-repair rune.
"I''m surprised too, to think all I had to do was put mana in the handle." Shaman felt a little dumb since she only focused mana into the crystal avoiding the runes this entire time.
While talking sheid out the sword in her hands so everyone can get a look at the sword and appreciate its beauty.
"Well, with that sorted, the portal is just about done, so you''ll get to use your freshly reforged sword soon enough. Just keep in mind that with the new de structure its bncing may throw you off." Freja was sending them into the mountains so it was a great opportunity to go fight beasts and try the sword out.
"Alright, I should be fine." Shaman stepped back and swung it around a few times getting a feel for it. The slightly extended parts that went past the guard still felt a little awkward, but it didn''t get in the way.
"Sweet, now get ready." Freja pped her hands together and then mmed them onto the ground causing the circle to light up. Suddenly, a portal emerged from the ground, wasting no time before sucking the group in.
"Have fun~ and don''t get hurt from the fall." Freja seemingly added a little extra to the spell causing a suction effect.
"AHH!!!" Shaman, Elsyia and ra collectively screamed as they weren''t able to get a grip on anything. Even if they did manage Freja would stop them anyways, forcing them through the portal. Silver tried to hold onto a pedestal that was unaffected, but a bit of blood slithered onto its surface and made Silver lose his grip.
He then flew into nor who was holding onto the red carpet while screaming. Silver didn''t really know what was going on so he grabbed the first thing he could and ended up wrapping his arms around nor''s waist.
The weight was too much for her, so she ended up letting go, throwing them both into the portal.
"Don''t forget this!" Freja pulled out a tube of some sort and threw it into the portal as well. It was the mission details that she almost forgot to give them as it would exin where Himeko was. It also gave instructions on how to make it into the capital city since they don''t let other races in so easily.
The portal shut and all the blood that made up the satanic circle vanished.
A portal appeared on the roof of a cave and out that portal came the group. Shaman, Elysia and randed together and the tube Freja threwnded in Shaman''sp.
Silver and nor came through with SIlver taking the brunt of the fall and cushioning nor''snding.
"Damn it, when will we ever go through a portal where we don''t fall." Shaman started to notice a trend with Freja''s portals where they always ended up high above ground. She didn''t know if there was a reason for this, but at this point it felt like it was on purpose.
"At least we seem to be here, but I can''t see at all. Elysia, can you create some fire?" ra was used to it at this point and doubted they ever will get a normal portal.
Elysia got up from the ground and because she waszy entered her hybrid form. With the addition of her clothes, it now took barely any mana to hold the form and she could basically forever stay a hybrid unless she used her skills.
Her body became a human torch and lit up the cave for them. It revealed holds for torches so Elysia pointed her fingers and fired tiny fire arrows to light the torches around them. This provided better light as well as marking a path for them.
Everyone got up from the ground and examined the now eerily lit cave.
"While it''s quiet I should open up whatever Freja gave to us." Shaman opened up the tube and pulled out a piece of paper with details. There were also a few other things in it, but Shaman was more interested in learning the mission details first.
Chapter 232 Mission Details And The Harsh Environment
[Operation retrieve Himeko]
Alright girls and wolf boy, I should have transported you to the deep end of a cave that is close to where Himeko is located. Once you make it out of the cave, you will be met with the hellishndscape of the demonnds, but don''t worry the beasts are just experience-bags so make sure to kill them.
Now once you are out, you will follow the rough path through a weathered valley. If there is no path just stick to the right and follow the side of the mountain. You will reach this valley between the mountains and that will lead you to Ado''s door.
You will find a medallion in the tube which is the key to unlock the door. You will know when you see it, it''s a massive gate with a hole in the middle for the key. Now make sure your presence is known and shout my name since she may have suffered some memory loss.
After that is done, you can ask her to tag along or not, but once that is all sorted you will head towards the capital.
Buuut wait until after you get Himeko to read any further, so now move your asses.
From your dear Freja
Shaman read out loud the first part of the mission details and packed it back in the tube once she was done. She then threw it in her inventory for safekeeping since losing it would ruin the whole mission.
"This feels very unofficial, but it is Freja." Shaman felt like things should have been more proper than just a personalised letter.
"Let''s get this over with." ra had been silent about the fact they will be meeting Himeko, but deep down she wasn''t looking forward to it. She had somewhat made peace with it, but she was far from forgiving Himeko for sealing her memories. If anything she would rather not go at all, but seeing as Himeko is the only one with answers she couldn''t let go of this chance.
They were also in her homnd, so she may be able to find some more information from the current queen. However, there was no guarantee that the queen would be cooperative.
"Wait, who is this person?" nor had no idea who they were going to meet and would have liked to get some context.
"Oh right, nor has no clue." Elysia felt bad since everyone knew what was going on except nor so it must have been very confusing.
The group then exined the situation to nor and told her about their time in Ebonscale.
*
"So are we sure that Himeko purposefully sealed your memories? It sounded like she didn''t have much control over it." nor with her outsider''s point of view came to the conclusion that Himeko didn''t try to seal ra''s past. Especially with Shaman and Elysia''s ounts, it was more likely the artifact was passively suppressing all negative thoughts and memories regarding its owner.
"Even then, the fact she never tried to undo the seal hurt more than the fact they were sealed. I can forgive it being idental, but I still feel betrayed." ra understood the possibility of it not being intentional which was part of the reason why she was okay with seeing her again. But the real issue was why didn''t Himeko do anything about it and that''s what made ra resent Himeko so much.
"I guess that''s fair, but isn''t it a bit petty? She looked after you for quite a while. Without knowing what your parents said back then, I feel like you are refusing to face the reality of the situation. You will be losing your second mother who only wanted the best for you. Although I can''t say much about mine, I know my dad tried his best and I bet Himeko did as well." nor knew how much family meant, especially after just having reconnected with them. Himeko was basically a second mother to ra, so nor didn''t want her to lose what''s left of her family.
"..." What nor said stumped ra as she made a really good point. At any rate, Himeko is still the same person who looked after her all these years, so why is she being so wishy-washy about it now?
"I think you hit it spot on nor." Silver whispered in her ear as for the first time ra seemed to listen. Shaman and Elysia tried getting ra to understand, but never really got through to her.
"Well with that said, let''s go face Himeko, I''m sure she is waiting for someone toe." Shaman had enough of the subject and, seeing ra stumped, figured she just needed time to think.
Elysia took the lead since she was the human torch and they made their way to the exit. ra stayed in the back behind everyone since she wanted some time for herself. With all the changes in her life, especially since joining Shaman and Elysia, she had enough distractions to avoid this subject. However, now when she thought about the situation from nor''s point of view, it really did seem like Himeko didn''t mean any harm.
''Ah whatever, I''ll have to see what Himeko has to say.'' At this point, ra needed to hear what Himeko will say before she makes a decision. She already nned to let Himeko talk, but now ra was ready to actually listen.
*
Reaching the exit to the cave, they were met with apletely dryndscape. Most things were dead, but there were some trees with red leaves present at the foot of the mountain.
"We are in the dry season so expect things to look boring." While they were walking along the mountain side ra recognised the season the demonnds were in.
"How do the seasons even work here?" Elysia was rather curious as from what she heard the sun never broke through the ash clouds which so far stood true.
"They are quicker than your normal seasons and onlyst 2 months. We go through Bloom, Dead, Dry and Ash and they go in a cycle. Bloom is when the trees grow back, Dead is just another way of saying summer, but 10 times worse, Dry is like fall and that''s where we are at, thenes Ash which is when the clouds get so thick we are in pure darkness for 2 months. The borders don''t suffer as much, but when you live more towards the center, you get the worst of every season." ra exined how the demonnds work which sounded like a whole different.
"I''m guessing we are here at a good time?" Shaman hoped that dry was an ideal season since Dead and Ash didn''t sound too appealing.
"Yes, it is probably the best since Bloom is when the beasts emerge out of their nests. However, we will be entering ash soon, but it isn''t as bad as you probably think."
"So other than the ce being dried up is there anything we should be aware of?" nor felt like there were more than just dead trees all over the ce.
"Well the monsters that didn''t hide during the Dead season should have turned into skeleton monsters by now, but they are not hard to kill since the core that keeps them alive is easy to hit. Since we are in an uninhabited zone we will probably see a few wandering around." ra wasn''t worried at all as the skeletons were the weakest of beings in the demonnds.
"That''s reassuring." Shaman remembered that Freja wanted them to be tier 7 beforeing here, so she wondered if it was even safe.
As they made their way around the cliffside, suddenly the ground began to tremble. At first they thought it was an earthquake, but then rocks shot out from the cliff below them.
What emerged was a gigantic skeletal serpent thatunched itself out of the cliff wall and charged down the slope. As soon as its full body came into full view everyone saw the glowing red core which they assumed was its weak spot.
Elysia took the initiative, taking out her bow while running towards the cliff''s edge. Aiming down the cliff she saw the snake burrowing back into the ground so she fired at the spot it was entering trying to hit the core as it rushed towards the hole.
However, her fire arrow wasn''t able to pierce the bone and so the mes brushed past the snake without even leaving a mark.
"Damn it, I should also mention the bones are tough so you need to hit in between them. But more importantly, run!" ra didn''t expect them to run into a skeleton beast so soon but seeing as they got the attention of one and Elysia missed her shot. They needed to move before the serpent burrowed back up destroying their path.
The group ran along the mountainside while the sound of the serpent burrowing was slowly getting louder. Eventually, it made its move and jumped out from the ground going for Silver who was in the back. However before the serpent could eat him, he disappeared into the shadows leaving the serpent to crash into the ground.
Because it was expecting to eat something, it was not ready to borrow, ending up scraping its head along the ground.
nor mmed one of the fans down on the ground, calling grey tree roots to rise and restrain the serpent. Although they looked dead to the untrained eye, nor''s element could only interact with living nts, meaning that this was simply how the roots normally looked.
ra then wrapped her whips around the part of the snake''s body that was exposed and pulled on it to reveal the core that prior to this was still under the ground.
The serpent tried to wriggle out of it, but Shaman jumped into the air andnded on the serpent''s back while stabbing in between the bones right into the core.
The core shattered and the bone serpent''s body went limp signifying it was dead.
"Alright, that wasn''t too bad." Shaman didn''t find the fight all too taxing and with such a predictable target it made killing easy. Everyone felt the same way, but the size of the bone beast was quite abnormal.
With their first beast defeated, they continued walking towards where Himeko was hiding, hoping to run into more.
Chapter 233 Ado Cave
The group came across a few more bone beasts, but they were smaller than the serpent they fought and a lot easier to kill. They managed to get a few levels which allowed Silver, Shaman and nor to catch up with ra who was at the highest level.
[Shaman and Silver level 203 -> 207]
[nor 200 -> 206]
[Elysia 206 -> 208]
Shaman also spent her points since she wanted to start focusing on a single stat.
[You do know you can take back stat points right?] Rea realised that Shaman hadn''t adjusted any of her points and wondered if she was even aware of that option.
''Wait I can do that?'' Shaman was shocked to hear this since she figured it was permanent. However, this was the system, so really anything could be possible.
[Don''t you see the minus sign?] Rea was perplexed as to how Shaman didn''t notice.
''That isn''t an aesthetic thing? Shaman looked at the small dash which just looked like it was there to make it look nice.
[Oh. Okay yeah probably should have said something.] Rea noticed that it really wasn''t that obvious since it didn''t look like a button.
*Sigh* ''This is why I prefer more practical designs Whoever made this menu focused way too much on aesthetics'' Shaman wanted to yell at whoever made the UI for the system.
With this newfound realisation, she got back to re-arranging her attributes while they walked. Rea also informed everyone else since it seemed like no-one else knew of it.
[Attributes]
Unused: 210 -> 0
- Vitality: 1050 -> 900 +
- Agility: 1100 -> 1310 +
- Intelligence: 1160 +
- Strength: 1150 -> 1350 +
- Dexterity: 1110 -> 1260 +
- Defence: 1050 -> 850 +
"Wait, Shaman you didn''t know you could move your points around?" After getting the message from Rea, Elysia chuckled to herself since she thought it was pretty obvious.
"N-no? It just looked like it was a part of the menu." Shaman tried to y it off and hoped Elysia wouldn''t tease her. That however was not to be, as when Elysia heard Shaman''s response, a smirk appeared on her face.
"Didn''t the plus sign on the other side of the attributes make you think that there should also be a way to remove them?"
"Shouldn''t the minus be next to it though?" Shaman understood that, but she would think the minus would be next to it, not on the other side of the word.
[Okay that''s the system designer''s fault, I can''t tell you why they did that, but they thought it looked cool.] Rea agreed with what Shaman said since it did look good, but it failed to get the message across.
"Still though you never thought to try?" Elysia cursed Rea since she shot down any attempt at teasing Shaman.
"Hmph." Shaman pouted not wanting to fall into any word traps set by Elysia since the system already took the me.
"Enough, we should be almost there now." ra saw something that looked like a big gate in the distance and assumed it was Himeko''s cave.
Having their attention drawn in front of them, they saw the gate that ra was talking about. A gold insignia was visible, but a little too far to make out. Still, the rough shape was enough to suggest it was Himeko''s insignia.
It was also apparent that there were no skeleton beasts around which seemed odd, raising the question whether there was something in ce preventing them from getting close.
The group walked a bit closer when suddenly Shaman, Elysia and Silver felt their hairs stand up. Due to them being half animals, they were able to sense the sudden danger.
nor and ra wondered what the hell happened as they saw them freeze on the spot.
"Okay, I see why we haven''t seen any beast in a while." Shaman got a sense of looming dooming from the gate. If she didn''t know Himeko was there, Shaman would have already begun running. Silver and Elysia nodded vigorously as they felt that exact same thing.
"Seems like there must be a magic circle at y here. Come on you three, it will be fine." ra waspletely unaffected by whatever they felt and surprisingly nor was as well.
ra grabbed Shamana and Elysia by the hand, dragging them down the path. They gave some resistance since their body told them not to go any further, but they didn''t really put their heart into it. Meanwhile nor did the same but with Silver.
Surprisingly it was rather effective at alleviating their worries and made the overwhelming feeling of death bearable.
Elysia and Shaman hugged ra''s arm after realising it subdued their troubled feelings. Silver tried not to hug nor''s arm out of respect, but his body moved on its own.
"Hehe~." Finding it adorable, nor giggled and patted his head, unable to hold back.
Silver blushed, but it was super effective and a great distraction.
*
Finally, they made it to the gate and the ominous feeling subsided. Shaman, Elysia and Silver fell to their knees as it felt like they hadn''t been breathing for thest 15 minutes of walking.
"Good thing it doesn''t affect demons or elves." ra assumed that since this was in the Demon Lands, Himeko didn''t want any curious demon identally finding this ce due to the pressure it exerted. There was also the fact that half-animals are not meant to be here in the first ce.
"How the hell is Freja able to walk through this? I know she is tier-10 but at this point, it feels like a cheat being that powerful." Shaman ended upying down on the ground as sheined that such an awful thing exists. Undoubtedly it was a great way to keep you safe from beasts and demons, but it sucked for them.
"Hopefully this should be the only time wee here." nor figured they wouldn''t have toe here often since Himeko wouldn''t be reincarnating every third month.
"True unless she has a death wish." This was the only saving grace for everyone asing here once was already one time too much. Unless Himeko had a death wish this would be their only visit.
"Alright, let''s go say hello." Shaman got up from the ground and helped Elysia up. The day was close to ending, so they needed to get some shelter before the night.
"Will you be okay ra?" nor felt bad for putting ra on the spot earlier, so she hoped ra would be okay.
"Yeah, I''ve had time to think so I''ll be okay." ra appreciated the sentiment, but she was ready to have this talk with Himeko. Elysia smiled, d that ra took her advice to heart.
Seeing that everyone was ready, Shaman walked up to the gate. Just like she did back in Ebonscale, she put her hand up against the phoenix insignia. Once Shaman covered her hand in fire, the gate''s crystals lit up and its gears began to move.
The gate slowly moved to the sides opening up to reveal a cave opening. Light filled the room and in the middle was a couch. On that couch was a woman enjoying a cup of wine seemingly waiting for them.
***
us was napping as they travelled to the border by beasts but was woken once they got close to enemy territory. All the other admirals followed him on their own beasts. Few were happy to havee here and some were even tempted to run away.
However, they knew if they tried the Pope would hunt them down and even their cities would not be safe from his wrath.
*Yawn* "Finally." Seeing the dark clouds close by, the border of the demonnds was clear to the eye, so as soon as they entered it would mean war.
Already by the border were soldiers of the Demon Lands and they were ready with their weapons. The soldiers at the border were actually prisoners and were used as bait for information. As soon as they saw the small entourageing towards them, they pulled out a clear gem and smashed it. This alerted the higher-ups of the Pope''s arrival and put into motion a n.
"Tsk, how annoying." us hoped to have the element of surprise, but it seemed that the queen found out he wasing.
Clicking his fingers, light arrows appeared above his head and shot at the speed of light towards the prisoner soldiers. They instantly died, but they hadpleted their job so it didn''t matter.
"Looks like the war has begun, let''s hope the queen ys nice and gives me what I want." us smiled since he knew the prideful queen would rather die than give anything up, so he anticipated some fun.
*Sigh* ''Do we really have to do this.'' Jane, the woman that was friends with Himeko, didn''t like where this was going. She was aware that Himeko has a base here, so she could only hope that Himeko herself isn''t here.
"I know it sucks Jane, but orders are orders." A rather old-looking dude wearing a ck uniform tried tofort Jane.
"Yeah I know Bartholt, I''m just worried that some of us will die for no reason. I mean what stops the Pope from going alone? He is perfectly capable of handling it." Jane would rather be elsewhere and work on her own projects than invade a territory.
"I''m afraid we may be bait, but let''s try our best to survive." Bartholt epted the reality that they are just pawns to the Pope, so the only thing they could do was survive.
"I guess so." Jane wasn''t looking forward to it, but all she could do is watch for now.
Chapter 234 Himeko’s Return!
"Oh my if it isn''t the 2 little cute foxes that I looked after, you even brought some new friends." Himekoid on the couch swirling her wine ss back and forth. She only wore a tank top and pants, an attire so casual it stood in stark contrast to her usual self.
Shaman, Elysia and Silver were all excited to see Himeko again as they forgot what it felt like to be near Himeko. At first, they weren''t sure how much of their feelings towards her came from the artifact, but it turns out their affection was genuine.
ra had stayed hidden behind nor as actually seeing Himeko made ra extremely nervous. HImeko saw the 2 purple horns poke out from behind nor and recognised that it was ra. However, Himeko did not point it out since she knew the kind of damage she may have caused and wanted to give ra the space to make the first move.
"Hey, Himeko!." Shaman ran up with Elysia and Silver, giving Himeko a hug since they couldn''t help themselves.
"Oh don''t jump on me like that, you may break my poor back." The three all backed off since it seemed like they were actually breaking her back. Himeko was relieved to see that the 2 girls were d to see her as she was worried that they might hate her now
"And who is this little wolf boy. Wait a minute, is that you wolfy?!" Himeko wasn''t sure who the boy was, but the simr hair colour and eyes helped her make the connection.
"Mhm, it''s Silver now." Silver felt a little nostalgic hearing his old name and was d that Himeko managed to recognise him.
"We travelled to the Freya forest after what happened and Freja was able to give him a human form." Shaman exined what happened and Himeko nodded her head drawing a timeline in her mind.
"It''s great to know you finally grew up to be more like your mother here." Himeko sat and patted Silver, scruffing up his hair.
"Also good to see you, Elysia, from how it looks like you seem to have calmed down?" Himeko wasn''t sure if that was the right word, but from just looking at Elysia it was obvious she was a lot more rxed.
"Haha yeah, I''m not so quick to snap anymore, plus there is someone else now, but they are a little shy." Elysia thought back to how she was and found it crazy how she would snap at the smallest things.
"I can see that, I would love to know where you picked up this beautiful elf?" Himeko misinterpreted what Elysia said and thought she was referring to nor.
"Me? O-oh umm I''m nor and no I''m not a part of Shaman''s harem." nor realised the misunderstanding and tried to clear it up. Shaman felt like she was shot in the back by an arrow as it wasn''t her intention at all to create one, but it was indeed easier just to call it one.
"Ohhh my bad. Wait, if I didn''t hear wrong, your name is nor? Like the princess of Efhiem nor or just the same name?" Himeko didn''t quite believe it, but Elnaor looked suspiciously like the child she saw when visiting Elfhiem.
"Yeah, that''s me, sort of decided the princess thing wasn''t for me and anyways I was already exiled because of an imposter grandfather, but that''s a long story." nor had no recollection of Himeko, but it seemed like they met before.
"Oh wow Shaman, you really did aim high with this one." Himeko was impressed, but hearing the circumstances that nor briefly gave it sounded like a mess.
"Yeaaaah when we were sent to Elfhiem by Freja we sort of picked nor up along the way and, in the end, she decided to stay with us." Shaman didn''t want to spoil too much since they would most likely stay the night here.
"You''ll need to tell me moreter, but right now I believe there is someone hiding who wants to talk." It couldn''t be avoided anymore so Himeko tried to push for ra toe out. Everyone else took a step back looking at ra who was still using nor as a shield.
*Sigh* ra being put in the spotlight decided toe out of hiding finally.
"Hey." Avoiding eye contact with Himeko, ra kept her distance, still feeling indifferent about talking.
"Is it alright if you all wait inside over there?" Himeko pointed to a door that led to the small living space. Everyone nodded and they made their way inside, giving ra and Himeko some time alone.
Once the door shut, it was silent for a few seconds until Himeko finally spoke.
"First off let me apologise, I won''t try to excuse what I did and if you hate me for it that''s fine. I''m just happy to see that you are alive and well, not to mention you have even gotten stronger." Himeko wasn''t sure if it was the right approach, but seeing ra alive was all she needed to know.
"Well, I want to know the truth about everything. What did my parents say and why did you never prevent the seal." ra wanted to ask a few questions before she came to a conclusion.
"Alright, I''ll tell you everything. You might want to take a seat." Himeko was prepared to tell everything and expected ra to ask.
Himeko then drew a magic circle with her finger and suddenly a chair appeared in front of her. A bang was heard within the house followed by someone yelling ''ow!''.
"Sorry!" Himeko had teleported one of the chairs from inside and it just so happens that one of the girls was sitting in it.
ra couldn''t help but chuckle a little as she sat down in the chair.
"Anyway, I''ll begin with your parents and it is up to you if you trust me." Himeko wanted to be as genuine as possible, but it was really up to ra if she believed what was said.
[ra you can ask to do a truth contract.] Rea knew how important this was and so thought it would be reassuring if ra had a way to verify the truth of it all.
''Wait how do I do that?'' ra was very intrigued by the idea which would definitely give her some peace of mind.
? [Just ask Himeko to do a truth contract and I will do the rest.] The contract itself was actually a skill, but Rea was going to use it for them which she hoped wouldn''t get her in trouble.
"Before we start, are you willing to make a... truth contract?" ra wasn''t sure if it would work, but when she spoke a system screen appeared both for her and Himeko.
"Oh? Didn''t know you had this, well if that will make you believe me then yes." Himeko briefly read through the contract and there was nothing that would harm her so she epted without hesitation. The worst that could happen is a signal popping up to let ra know she is lying.
"Thank you." ra also read through it and was d that there was no real consequence to the contract, so she epted.
With the contract now in ce anything said will be nothing but the truth and if not ra will get notified that she is lying. It definitely added pressure on Himeko, but she had nothing to hide at this point. Her city was destroyed and she had been reduced to almost nothing.
"Now let''s begin, meeting your parents was actually by ident while I was in demonnds hunting for some tier 9 or 10 beasts. After I had my fight with the beast I noticed 2 demons running towards me. At first, I thought they wereing to attack me, but I quickly realised they wanted my attention."
"I decided to humour them since it was rare to talk to demons in the first ce and judging from their looks they weren''t that powerful. What surprised me was what they wanted, it was a request that seemed so immoral." Himeko was hesitant to repeat the request out loud since this was probably going to be the most hurrowing part of the story.
"W-what was it?" ra desperately wanted to know as it had been the one mystery in her life that would most likely change how she saw her parents.
"Are you sure you want to know?" Himeko prepared for the worst as depending on how ra takes it, she may hate Himeko and her parents.
"Yes, I do." ra was determined to find out the truth, even if it was something she might regret hearing.
"What your parents begged me to do was to kill you all. After they saw me defeat the beast easily, they wanted me to get rid of any traces of you and your family." Himeko was ready for ra to be angry or upset, but surprisingly she stayed calm.
"W-wait what? They wanted me dead as well?" ra was extremely confused and questioned why. It made no sense to her, especially with how they acted before they died.
"That isn''t all, I actually declined their request, but as I was about to leave I realised that there was something controlling them. It was for a brief moment, but I sensed dark magic within them as they walked up to you." No notifications went off proving what Himeko just said is true. This caused ra''s mind to spiral and she started making the connections to why her parents acted weirdly.
"S-so the reason why you killed them was because-." ra couldn''t believe it, but there was no possible way to deny it.
"Because I wanted to save you, when they entered the cavern there was a ck magic circle that suddenly appeared. I wasn''t going to allow an innocent little girl to get involved with dark magic even if the decision was made by your parents." It was the harsh reality of the situation that little ra wouldn''t have seen, and perhaps it was a truth better left unheard. Himeko wondered if it was better to have never told ra so she could keep the warm memories of her parents that have now turned cold.
Chapter 235 The Truth And Forgiveness
"T-t-that can''t be right, why would they want to kill me? We were at that cabin for a vacation away from the capital." ra was on the verge of crying since it sounded inconceivable for her parents to want her dead.
"That is an answer I do not know, my only guess was someone or something corrupted them with dark magic and intended for you to be sacrificed. After I had killed your parents the magic circle disappeared and I decided then to take you in." Himeko wished she had all the answers about ra''s parents, but investigating the demonnds was not worth the investment.
"No that can''t be right, say something false so I know this damn contract is working!" ra was having her doubts and she needed to see what it was like if Himeko said something false.
"I wanted to kill your parents." Himeko said something that was a tant lie and just as expected a message popped up confirming she was lying.
ra stared at the message speechless. Everything felt surreal to her, so much so that she couldn''t even bring herself to resent Himeko anymore. She may have killed ra''s parents, but if she didn''t then ra wouldn''t be where she is now.
It was hard for ra to suddenly change her view, but at the very least, the anger inside her was no longer directed at Himeko.
"I''m sorry ra I really did try to look after you as if I was your real mother. I probably shouldn''t have let the seal stay, but the selfish part of me really wanted you to be my real daughter. I had never been with anyone in my life so I never got the chance to have my own child." Himeko didn''t show it, but she was insecure about how she had never been able to create her own family, so for her ra was that opportunity to finally have someone important in her life.
"Honestly, that doesn''t even matter anymore. I understand why you kept the seal on my memories. I don''t think I would have been able to handle it before." ra started to think about how she would have reacted back then if she knew the truth and her only conclusion was a mental breakdown.
It was hard enough getting all her memories back, so if she knew the truth as well it would be a disaster for her mental health.
"I''m relieved to hear that. Honestly, I truly wanted to let you keep your innocence, if only for a while longer. You were such a bright young girl and I didn''t want that to ever change." Himeko could rest easy now that ra doesn''t hate her anymore. It almost brought her to tears remembering how happy ra was growing up.
"I guess I should say sorry." ra felt bad for harboring hatred for Himeko and wanted to make it up to her somehow.
"There is no need to, it wasn''t your fault, just a shitty situation you were caught up in." Himeko didn''t want ra to apologise as it waspletely within reason for her to feel the way she did.
ra stayed silent for a moment, trying to think of what to say. Himeko saw ra looking rather restless and was about to move on, but then ra spoke up.
"Sorry, Mum." ra got out of her chair and jumped on Himeko giving her a hug and almost spilling her wine.
Himeko was stunClocked by ra''s words and didn''t know what to think. It was words that Himeko wanted to hear for a very long time, but never thought she would get to hear them.
"Thank you My daughter." Himeko hugged ra back and they both began to cry in each other''s arms.
The rest of the group slightly opened the door, peeking to see how things were going. They were almost on top of each other with nor and Silver barely bncing on their feet to get a look. It was a sweet scene and they were all quite happy that the rtionship between ra and Himeko was finally repaired.
Especially for Shaman and Elysia who were the most worried since they really liked Himeko. After all, if ra decided to reject Himeko then they had no choice but to take ra''s side.
Meanwhile, while they were peeking, Silver was trying his best not to touch anyone, being very self-conscious of himself. nor however, who was right behind him was trying to get a better look.
She pushed her body up against Silver who was struggling to stay standing.
"Ahh!" Silver fell forward into Elysia who then fell into Shaman, and nor who caused the chain of events ended up falling since she was using Silver to support some of her weight.
The door swung open and the group stacked on top of each other. ra and Himeko looked over at the 4 perverts with unimpressed looks.
"Never knew you guys liked to watch~?" Himeko wiped away the tears and turned back to her teasing self.
"Damn it guys, If you''re going to eavesdrop at least don''t get yourself caught." ra didn''t mind them listening in, but what annoyed her was the fact they blew their cover.
? "Haha sorry, we were just too curious and plus the walls are not exactly thick." Shaman felt bad, but they could hear their conversation from inside so they thought it wouldn''t matter.
"Really? Well, that''s good to know." Himeko didn''t realise they were thin and that was probably for the best she found out since she had been rather indulgent thest few nights.
"Is everything good now?" Elysia wasn''t sure if they should leave or if things were all done.
"I think so." ra had nothing else to say as she found out everything she wanted to know. There were still some lingering questions about the artifact, but she didn''t really care anymore.
"Well, I have some questions for you all. I have been stuck in this cave for a while so I need some updates on what''s going on." Himeko had been living under a rock for thest month, so she wanted any news the girls had.
"Oh sure, but we don''t have much in terms of news since we have just been doing Freja''s bidding." Shaman didn''t have much to tell other than their adventures.
"I still want to know everything, especially how you picked up an elf princess." Himeko was really curious about nor''s story, especially as it involves the state of Elfhiem and it seems like a lot had happened.
"I-it really isn''t that special." nor felt embarrassed about it and didn''t think it was that big of a deal.
"Doesn''t hurt to talk about it, also is Silver alright there?" ra saw no harm bringing it up, but what she was really concerned about was Silver who was stuck under nor''s legs.
"I''m fine, just beingzy." Silver could easily get out, but he just hasn''t bothered with it. nor hadn''t even realised he was there, but seeing that he was fine she didn''t bother to move her legs.
"Okay well let me get you all chairs so we can talk." Himeko drew the same magic circle and chairs appeared next to ra''s.
Everyone got up from the ground and took a seat around Himeko. They then began talking about what happened after Ebonscale and how they met Freja.
"Oh that clumsy cheetah. Did you know one time she was passing me tea, but somehow she stepped on her own tail and fell over? It was a great scene to watch. Honestly I''m surprised she hasn''t had any such blunders in front of you." Himeko recalled some of the times when she saw Kiruya which consisted of a lot of tripping over.
"There were times she almost did, but it seemed like she was being extra careful." Shaman saw Kiruya almost fall a few times but never had she stumbled like that.
"Ah she must have gotten better at catching herself, that''s good." Himeko was proud of Kiruya since Himeko couldn''t imagine the horror of tripping in a professional setting.
*
Continuing on, they talked about their journey to Elfhiem and how they met nor.
"Damn Silver! didn''t know you were already into picking up girls." Himeko was impressed and caused him to blush since it wasn''t his intention at all. nor also blushed as now the thought was stuck in her head.
"Haha well, that wasn''t the only thing that happened. Freja had a surprise visit and helped Elysia with her explosive personality." Shaman wasn''t sure if Himeko knew that ra was part of the rtionship, but it was better to exin now rather thanter.
"How so?" Himeko definitely noticed the change but wondered how it happened.
"It maye as a surprise, but ra is actually a part of the rtionship now." Shaman and Elysia sandwiched ra who sat between them and held her hand.
"WHAT!?" Himeko was shocked! Although it did seem weird that Elysia and Shaman sat apart, she didn''t think it was because ra was also in the mix.
"Haha yeah, Freja sort of forced them to make out and things sort of developed from there. They of course talked to each other before then, but this was the nail in the coffin." Shaman realised how absurd it sounded especially since it was Elysia.
"The world is too cruel! Even my foster daughter is more sessful than I am Maybe I should try to date a woman rather than a man." Himeko was now having a midlife crisis and was extremely envious of Shaman.
"It''s okay, I''m sure there is someone." ra felt bad for Himeko and tried tofort her.
"Thank you sweetie." ra''s words softened the pain, but the fact that Shaman now had two people in her pocket made Himeko feel worse about her situation.
"Maybe we should let her calm down before continuing." nor figured it would take a while for Himeko to calm down.
"Yeah, let''s grab something to eat." Elysia, seeing that they may have caused a mental breakdown, saw this as a time to have a break.
"ra, watch over her while we go prepare some food." Shaman tried to run off to the kitchen, but Elysia grabbed her by the cor since there was no way she was letting Shaman go anywhere near the kitchen.
"You stay here as well! I''ll cook." Elysia sat Shaman on the chair preventing a disaster from urring.
"Hmph fine."
Chapter 236 Demon Lands Best Healer
"The pope is here." A flying demon flew into the throne room informing the queen of the pope and the admiral''s arrival.
"Damn, I thought I had some more time." The demon queen, who was sitting on her throne didn''t look like she was doing much, but that was far from the truth. Using her telepathy, she was constantly contacting people trying to organise a counter offensive.
It took a lot of her mana as she was sending instructions from across the territory which was no easy feat.
"So far they are travelling by beast and aiming straight for the capital destroying anything in their way." The detailed report helped the queen decide on what to do next and hearing that us was heading straight here meant only one thing.
''He wants the artifact.'' ina heard about the incident in Ebonscale and how us stole the Eden of control. It was bad news, but without the other remaining 4 artifacts, it wasn''t a concern. However, he was now making his move and was most likely going for the other 3.
''Maybe it''s better to stop him when he invades the Fox realm or Elfihiem.'' ine didn''t see much hope in stopping us and wondered if for the first time she should reach out.
''No, my pride won''t let me.'' nia''s pride red up and there was no way she was going to let us have his way.
"Call Luna and all the strongest demons to the capital. We will bring the fight to them!" ine yelled her orders and like a PA system used the rest of her mana to announce it in every major town.
The drain was so bad she almost passed out from mana exhaustion, so she resorted to chugging down the purest mana potion she had on hand. Smashing the bottle on the ground she quickly teleported from the throne to an armoury. It contained many demon swords and armours which have been around for hundreds of years.
Under each item was a que detailing information about the item and the cost of using it.
[Demon god of vampiric defence]
When worn the armour can repair any sustained damage through absorbing the owner''s blood. Blood can also be offered to the armour to temporarily boost its defensive capabilities.
The armour was midnight purple and was designed topletely cover the user, leaving not a single gap. Even the helmet was meant to fully cover the head and connected to the rest of the armour as if it was all a single piece. It wasn''t the grandest looking set, but that didn''t matter as it wouldn''t be seen.
''This will do.'' ine chose one of the hardest to use armours, so much so that if anyone other than a demon tried using it they would be sucked dry before they even had the chance to regenerate their blood.
Putting her hand on the armour, she phased through it and the armour began to merge with her body. It was a painful process, but it needed to be done if she wanted to fight the most powerful person on the continent.
Once the armour finished merging it seemingly vanished, leaving only an opaque outer shell of midnight purple around ine. Another advantage of the armour is that it is almost invisible, hence why no one bothered adding much decoration to the armour which looked like a basic piece of equipment.
With her armour chosen, she walked over to a wall that was lined with different kinds of weapons. ine didn''t hesitate in choosing a weapon as she favoured the axe. She skipped over most of the weapons and settled on a double-headed axe, the name of which was Masakari. It was a manhunter axe and the weight alone could crush anyone.
The axe head had a face of a demon carved into the head of the axe and etchings of mes ran around the de''s edge. Put together, the jagged de gave the impression of a fierce fire demon. The handle was predominantly gold with a red wrap near the axe head. The bottom of the handle was ck with a painting depicting the very demon the de was made for.
[Battle axe of the raging me]
Upon every swing the de gets hotter, enhancing the power of each strike. If the user is unable tond a strike after a certain time all the built-up power gets redirected back to them.
''I shouldn''t have to worry about this one.'' nia had used the axe before and never had the axe backfire so far, although if it did happen she probably wouldn''t survive.
Having grabbed her weapons of choice, she returned back to her throne room and saw a demon half-cat sitting on her throne.
"Luna, now isn''t the time." nia grabbed Luna by the back of her clothes and threw her off.
"Nyaaa!!!!" Luna didn''t even get a chance to move before she was flung into the air. Using her water she was able to create a jelly-like substance to soften her fall. Bouncing off it, shended on her feet.
"I need you to stay close to me while I fight the pope. I''m wearing armour that will constantly suck my blood." ina intended to have Luna as a pocket healer in the uing battle and use her expertise to the fullest.
"Really? I don''t know if that''s a good idea since couldn''t he just target me?" Luna liked the idea on paper, but knowing that they were up against the pope it sounded like suicide to just expect things will go their way.
"I know, which is why I must ask you. How willing are you to sacrifice yourself for our territory?" ina''s eyes turned cold as she stared at Luna, waiting for her answer.
This was a difficult decision for Luna since she originally wasn''t from the demonnds. Although she grew up here, she never really felt patriotic about the ce and only rose in the ranks for her own self interests rather than any intention to protect thend.
The hesitation was enough of an answer for ina. Of course, she understood Luna''s thought process since if she herself wasn''t the queen she too would have opted to preserve her life rather than give it up for a higher cause.
"Heh, you don''t have to answer. I just wanted to know if you were willing to give everything up, but I''m d to see you don''t have blind devotion." It did not change much of ina''s ns, but she wanted to see if Luna would stick by her side until the end. If she did it would make things a lot easier, but as she said all us had to do was target Luna.
"Phew." Luna felt relieved hearing it was a trick question and that she wouldn''t be murdered if she said no.
"Anyway, I hope you can support the front line fighting the admirals. Most of them are tier 10 but we can at least be thankful that Himeko isn''t there. Hopefully it shouldn''t be too much for our elite squad to handle. Although, I do want you to capture the admirals if you can because I have a feeling that the pope is just using them." It was ina''s gut feeling as other than Himeko, only the pope knew about the Eden of lust. So if his target really was the artifact then the admirals are just his pawns which she believed could be used against him.
"Why? Shouldn''t we just kill them for breaking the treaty?" Luna didn''t understand the thought process since trying not to kill someone is harder.
"Let''s just say I believe some of them actually don''t want to be fighting." ina was confident in her assumption and she could feel herself getting excited.
"Okay?" Luna still didn''t get it, but she was a healer so it isn''t like she would be doing any fighting herself.
"Anyway, some people should be arriving soon." It had been a decent amount of time since her announcement so she expected to see people entering the throne room soon.
As she spoke, a group of demons of varying races entered all ranging from tier 8 to even some tier 10. This was the elite squad of adventurers as well as the appointed protectors of the demonnds.
Luna was also a part of this group as she was the main healer for the elite corps, but since they recently finished a dungeon most of them were on a small vacation.
"Issac!" Luna ran up to a pure demon who was fully geared in armour and had a massive shield on his back. He was about 2.5 metres tall and his shoulder pads were wide enough for someone to sit on.
"Hey, Luna." Issac picked up Luna as she ran towards him and put her on his shoulder. The two were childhood friends when Luna grew up in the Demonnds. They stuck to each other like glue and even became adventurers and in the end joined the elite squad together.
"Good to see everyone here. As you heard we are going head to head with the human territory''s best warriors. I need you to capture them and turn them against the pope. If they don''tply then kill them, but as you may have guessed I feel that the admirals are being forced to participate against their will." ina exined the n, surprising everyone about needing to capture the enemy. Still, after hearing her reasons it all made sense.
"I will being with you all to join the fight. You have 30 minutes to get ready before we leave." She nned to head straight for the pope and would exin more as she found out more.
After she finished her instructions lesser demons came out with trays of consumables that will help the elite squad. There was no use in being selfish so she was going all out giving the best potions she could.
Chapter 237 Facing The Pope
Preparations were done and the elite squad of 18 were waiting for the demon queen. Each of the 18 yed a different role and although it was a big squad they often split up into 2 smaller groups.
There were 2 healers, 2 tanks and the rest were some form of damage ranging from archers to rouges.
ina appeared by the door wearing her tier 10 clothes which not many have seen. It was quite revealing and resembled a subus which was half the reason she didn''t wear it often.
ina''s hair just passed her shoulders and was dark blue which contrasted with her red horns and eyes. Her outfit was basically just a dress that was so revealing it only covered her chest, opening up afterwards to reveal everything below her midriff. The only things covering her lower half were some panties and thigh-high stockings which was something she hated. There were also sleeves that went up to her elbow, but that did notpensate for the amount of skin she was already showing.
''This should not be considered tier 10 clothes.'' ina wished she could get a re-design but her roots as a subus which she abandoned affected how her outfit came out. She knew it could have been worse, but she never realised just how deeply ingrained her ancestry was.
Most of the male demons were looking away as the fate that would be bestowed upon them would be worse than death if they were caught looking.
*Sigh* "If you are not ready too bad, we are going." nia stomped her heel into the ground and immediately a red magic circle covered the floor. Suddenly the elite squad and nia all vanished leaving the castle.
They appeared on the outskirts of the capital on top of one of the neighbouring hills. In the distance, a small dust cloud was approaching and they could only assume it was the pope and his admirals.
Everyone swallowed their saliva as this was most likely going to be their biggest fight yet.
It wasn''t long before a person in full white appeared in front of all of them.
"Hey there demon queen, believe this is the first time we are meeting." us spun a sword of light in his hands while licking his lips.
ina didn''t even bother to entertain him and jumped into the air swinging her axe. us didn''t move from where he was floating and blocked the swing casually.
"That''s not how you treat a guest." us was not impressed and in response coated his foot in light and kicked ina in the ribs.
The force sent her flying, but before she wasunched away she somehow managed to hook the axe head around us'' neck. This dragged him with ina into the forest, away from everyone else.
[Go counter the admirals!] A telepathic message echoed in the minds of the elite squad. All 18 of them then started to run down the mountain towards the admirals.
Luna, who was still riding on Issac''s shoulders, managed to cast a buffing spell on ina before she was out of range. She also did an AOE cast on everyone making sure they were all topped up on buffs.
Luna may only be tier 8 but with her support skills she could still elevate a squad of veterans to take down even a tier 10 beast.
''Stay safe .'' While they approached the admirals, Luna looked off into the distance where ina wasunched. She felt the immense magical power that came from the two and it was difficult to judge who was truly stronger. None of the current territory leaders have ever fought against each other so there was no way of telling who is the strongest among them.
However, us had been regarded as the strongest purely based on the fact he received an actual blessing from the gods. Many people didn''t like this fact, but there was no reason to argue since people preferred peace.
It was a fight that was going to make history and will show who is the strongest out of the 2 leaders. In a sense, it would prove that us is a genuine threat to all nations.
"Bastard!" ine gritted her teeth as the armour that surrounded her body stabbed into her back. Blood was drawn and the cracks that formed disappeared quickly. us cracked his neck as being dragged wasn''t a nice feeling. The hoodie he was wearing also ripped which surprised him since it was tier-10 quality.
"I''ll make this easy, give me the Eden of lust and I''ll leave right now." us lied through his teeth, but ina was easily able to read his intentions.
"Yeah right, what do you n to summon with all 6 Edens." ina wouldn''t give it up either way.
"If I told you then I would have to kill you." ck mist appeared around his arms, but that was enough for ina to get a good idea of what he could be doing.
"You monster, why are you trying to summon a forbidden god? Have you gone mad? Do you want the world to be destroyed? There is a reason why we split the artifacts 500 years ago." Considering the artifacts contained more magic power than everyone on the continentbined, the prospect ofbining it with such dark magic would likely result in summoning something truly world-destroying.
"Oh don''t worry, this isn''t my home anyway." us smiled, but his face was void of emotion or empathy. What ina saw was not human, but some different being instead.
"Go to hell." She needed to stop him no matter what. Even if she didn''t care much for the outside territories this was still her home and she wasn''t letting a selfish monster have his way with it.
"I''m already there!" us and ina charged at each other and shed weapons again. This time she revealed her element which looked simr to dark magic due to the properties of demonic essence turning things ck.
ck mes simr to Freja''s erupted from the axe and engulfed us in mes. ina pushed away from him and spun in the air charging the de. The axe head waspletely red and was catching on fire showing it was now fully charged.
us stood there with the mes burning away at him, but with one swing of his hand the mes were dispersed. No damage was done to him at all, but that was expected.
"Interesting axe you got there, show me what it does." us opened his arms wide inviting her to attack. His cockiness pissed her off and so she took the invitation to get a free hit.
us was sent flying at the speed of sound into the ground causing it to crack to the point of causing an earthquake. Although there was no shy explosion upon hit, almost the entirety of Demonnds felt the its force.
ina didn''t stop andunched herself into the ground where us was while spinning for another charged attack.
The charged hit made contact with the equivalent force of a nuclear explosion. Dirt erupted from the ground into the sky as ina created a crater the size of a small town.
However, usid on the groundpletely unaffected by the hits. His clothes had a bit of dirt on them, but there was no sign of injury and the ground underneath him was unaffected.
nia jumped back into the sky, losing a bit of her confidence. She didn''t expect him to die, but the fact there was no sign of damage scared her.
''I have to use my demon form if I want to beat him.'' She didn''t want to use it, but at this rate, she needed to use everything at her disposal.
"Now my back is sore." us got up from the ground and stretched his back as if nothing ever happened. He dusted himself off and jumped into the sky ready for his turn to attack.
"This is fucking ridiculous." ina couldn''t believe it still and wondered how the hell he got this power. The blessing of a god is one thing, but to have power that is beyond any tier 10 sounded impossible.
"Hope you''re ready." us didn''t give any heads up and appeared in front of ina while swinging down. She wasn''t able to block with her axe so she raised her arm forcing the armour to take the blow.
The armour instantly started sucking blood and was repairing the cracks that would keep forming. Luckily her regeneration was keeping up with the armour, but she could only regenerate for so long.
"Interesting." us didn''t know how it worked, so he suddenly increased the power in his light sword and infused it with dark magic creating an impossible blend of both contradicting elements.
Suddenly ina couldn''t take it and her arm was almost cut off, so instead she let herself getunched back.
"Fuck it, we are transforming now." No longer hesitating, ina slit open her neck and let her blood gush out. And yet, as if her blood was alive it immediately moved to engulf her body.
***
*RUMBLE*
"What the hell." Everyone felt the earthquake which seemedpletely unnatural as there shouldn''t be any eruptions.
"Wait, you don''t think it already started?" Shaman knew the pope wasing to attack but didn''t think it would be starting already.
"Started what?" Himeko didn''t know yet as they hadn''t gotten to that part in their storytelling, but that was because they thought they had more time.
"The pope is here tounch an attack and we came to pick you up before he came, but it looks like he is here." Elysia exined and Himeko instantly felt her body get goosebumps.
"We were meant to head to the capital after this, but I don''t think we want to now." ra remembered what Freja said, but going there would just mean their death. They were only tier 6 so there was no way they could join the fight.
"Let''s stay here for the time being, can you contact Freja?" Himeko didn''t care what the orders were, she was going to keep them here for their safety.
"I believe so, but let me check the mission details again since she might have ounted for this." Shaman remembered there was still more to the instructions so she pulled out the tube and opened the scroll.
Chapter 238 Whats Next?
[Mission part 2]
After meeting up with Himeko, if by chance the pope has already arrived skip to the second paragraph as this will be n b.
-> n B
If you are here that means bad news. I''m not stupid enough to send you to the capital under these circumstances. From what you said the Pope is after ra so exposing you like that isn''t a good idea. If you told Himeko of the n I assume she wants you to stay in the cave, but that''s actually a bad idea.
You may think you are safe, but the protection it provides will notst much longer. When you opened the gate with the medallion it should have released an immense amount of magic, meaning the magic circles that are in ce will deactivate. Now do not worry, there should be a teleporting stone that will take you to a dungeon. It is tier 8, but you should be fine with your new clothes. Also Himeko should still be able to handle tier 8 monsters so hopefully she tags along.
Use this time while the pope is making a mess to level up the best you can. Once it is safe outside, if the demon queen is still alive go say hello and make sure to say Freja sent you. Also, bonus points if you call her .
Now I must warn you, after you teleport DO NOT STOP! Enter the dungeon as quickly as possible, for if the pope notices you there he can appear in a second and you will die, especially if he recognises ra.
With that said I wish you luck my darlings.
"Okay, we need to leave." Shaman let Himeko read the mission details and it was obvious thetter wasn''t happy with it as she almost ripped the paper.
"I didn''t know that this cave would run out of magic. It wouldn''t hurt if my parents told me everything, but nooo they were confident their precious daughter wouldn''t need to use this cave." Himeko was rather frustrated as this was her first time using the skill, but the fact she is only finding out about its features now annoyed her. What was more frustrating was the fact Freja knew more than her, which shouldn''t be the case at all.
"Anyway, we should get going. Himeko, is there anything you need to do before we leave?" Shaman quickly took away the scroll from Himeko before she ripped it and took a few steps back.
"Let me go grab my things." Himeko didn''t want to leave, but she would rather they take Freja''s word than risk getting themselves killed.
Himeko disappeared into the small cave house, taking only a couple of seconds before she came back out. A ming greatsword was mounted on her back and she wore a long qipao dress simr to ra''s. The qipao was red and reached down to her ankles with splits on the side allowing movement.
The clothes were not tier 10, but they were enough considering her power right now was equivalent to a tier 8. She didn''t want to admit it, but right now the group could probably beat her if they attacked all at once.
"Ready." With Himeko ready everyone huddled together and Shaman pulled out the aforementioned teleport stone.
Crushing it in her hand, blood spewed out of the broken shards and encased everyone in a ball of blood. It wasn''t real teleportation but more of a protective shell, yet it still moved so fast that it felt like teleportation.
Shooting out of the cave they suddenly found themselves in front of arge metal door. It was the dungeon door everyone was familiar with so not wasting any time they ran in.
However, as they did, someone else appeared in the sky.
***
ina''s body grew in size and her skin turned a dark purple. Her teeth became sharp and the whites of her eye turned pink. Her body now resembled more of a demon than a human reminiscent of what most people think a demon would look like.
The benefit to this was her rate of regeneration got faster and her mana would now transfer to demon essence. The main reason for transforming is to allow the demon to handle the constant use of demon essence as it is very toxic to their human forms.
s, the Demon essence in one''s body is limited hence why they do not stay in this form for long as it takes weeks to recoup.
us waited for the transformation toplete as he wanted it to be as challenging as possible since so far ina hadn''t put up much of a fight.
"Hmm?" However, just then he noticed 2 presences that he had been searching for with no sess for a while now.
ina lunged at us, but he vanished on the spot,pletely disappearing.
She expected an attack from behind, but he truly just ran away. A few momentster however she felt his presence back in the capital. Her heart sank for a moment, but she was quick to calm down and chase after the pope.
Her new form came with superior speed so it would only take her a couple of seconds to catch up.
***
"So this is where you are." A smile appeared on us'' face and the group froze. The pressure he gave off was suffocating and it was as if they were trying to walk through thick mud.
Everyone made eye contact with us making this the real first encounter with him. He lowered himself to the ground and looked at each one of them, analysing them in turn. However, Shaman caught his eye and he leaned in close.
"Earth?" With only one word, it was enough for Shaman to panic as it just confirmed that us is from the same world. Seeing her shocked face, us got his answer and now knew that Shaman is also from another world.
"Tch, seems like they won''t stop sending people, best I get rid of you." us summoned a light sword and was about to sh down with it, but Shaman was able to block the blow with Kotetsu, managing to fight through the suffocating pressure and protect herself. It took every ounce of her strength, but those few seconds she bought were enough. us was surprised that his blow was just stopped, but he then realised which sword she was using and it was no wonder his attack was blocked.
He hadn''t used a strong light sword to kill Shaman since she was only tier 6 and he didn''t expect her to have such high-tier equipment.
Going for a stronger swing, suddenly he felt himself getting crushed and dragged along the ground. ina arrived thinking he was attacking a citizen which only infuriated her.
Once us got his bearings, he kicked ina in the face with enough force to lift her in the air. He then tried to outrun her back to the group, but ina wasn''t going to let it happen. Easily catching up to him, she grabbed him by the back and threw him out of the capital.
us didn''t want to constantly use his teleports as it did consume a considerable amount of mana. If he had anchor points nearby it wouldn''t have been a problem, but freely blinking around was inefficient.
His mana reserves may be massive, but to teleport once depending on the distance took up to 5% of his total mana. Although it regenerated quickly, he had already used over a quarter of his mana and he wasn''t going to risk wasting more than needed for the time being.
"Damn it." Being so close yet so far annoyed him since he already saw how much of a problem the fox girl was going to be, but right now he had other priorities.
ina appeared just above us as he let himself fly through the sky, both her axe and her hands were covered in a ck mes. Instead of charging the axe with normal mana, this time it was filled with demon essence. This naturally increased the power of the axe as demonic weapons were originally designed for demon essence to flow through them.
Swinging down with her axe, she redirected us'' trajectory towards the ground, but this time she actually did some damage. A gash opened up in his stomach and the ck mes were actually burning him.
"AHH FUCK!" us did not expect to be hurt, but what he did not know was the fact demon essence was being used. It was a lot more vtile and it gave the extra punch she needed to harm him.
"Not so tough now boy." This rekindled the hope in ina as she could now entertain the possibility of killing him.
"Don''t get cocky now." us was not happy and decided he wouldn''t y with his food anymore.
The dark magic which he had been sparsely using came out in full force. ck mist covered his body and the surrounding area. Screams of agony echoed out and ck hands emerged from the mist. It was as if the mist was a portal to hell itself.
ina trembled a little seeing the dark magic, but she wasn''t going to let it deter her. She found an opening and she wasn''t going to let it slip away, especially since she was scared of what this dark magic might do if it wasn''t stopped.
us emerged from the mist now inpletely ck clothes. His blonde hair turned ck and his eyes turned from blue to red. As if he was apletely different person, it was now clear this was who he truly was underneath the fake persona of the pope.
Chapter 239 Are You Ready?
The pressure of the pope disappeared once he was far enough away, but Shaman''s legs still buckled from underneath her.
She was profusely sweating and was unable to control her breathing. Just a moment ago her entire life shed before her eyes and even now she couldn''t believe she managed to survive that encounter.
Elysia and ra who were behind Shaman quickly picked her up from the ground. They cursed themselves for not being able to do anything, but what could they do? With that done, Everyone rushed into the dungeon where they would be somewhat safe.
Stopping at the bottom of the stairs they saw the hellishndscape of the dungeon. It was covered in magma which constantly spilled out of active volcanoes. There were clear areas where they could stand, but from a quick nce, it looked like the whole ce was impossible to traverse.
"Are you okay Shaman?" Elysia though did not care where they were and was more focused on making sure Shaman was alright. ra was the same and she was trying to see if there was anything in their inventory that could help.
"I-I think so." Shaman got her breathing back to normal, but the fear she felt was still there paralysing her legs.
"I''m sorry I couldn''t do anything. My power hasn''t returned so I was just as helpless as everyone else." Himeko felt responsible since she hadn''t told them she was in a weakened state and worried they expected her to protect them.
"Don''t worry Himeko, we didn''t expect you to, especially after what you have been through." Silver consoled Himeko since after going through mental torture from the pope, no one expected her to be able to step up against him.
"To think he would react that quickly." Elysia thought they would have a few seconds, but as soon as they teleported it was like he was waiting for them.
"I''m just d that we got out in one piece."ra, while expressing her relief, was filling a small cup with her blood since she figured her regenerative properties as a demon might help Shaman. It was rather gross, but it was worth a shot to see if it would help her recover.
Shaman didn''t know what it was but she drank it anyway. It was only a momentter however when she suddenly convulsed in pain.
"Argh!" Shaman dropped the cup and held her hand to her chest, sending Elysia and ra into a panic.
"What did you do?!" Elysia didn''t know what ra gave Shaman, but clearly, it only made things worse.
"It was just some of my blood, I know I have some regeneration capabilities so I thought that might work." ra exined her thought process, but the response she got was a facepalm from Elysia.
"She isn''t injured, you dummy, what is she going to regenerate?" Elysia wanted to bonk ra on the head, but after what they went through, she could really me her for not thinking straight, so Elysia didn''t judge her too harshly.
"Oh" This made ra realise her stupidity as she face-palmed herself.
However, before they could do anything the pain seemed to subside and Shaman was back to normal.
*Cough* *Cough* "What the fuck did you give me?" Shaman now felt sick and wondered what she was even given.
"My blood." ra avoided eye contact as she was rather embarrassed about her small mess up.
"No wonder it was warm." Shaman felt gross, but was confused as to why her entire body felt warm as well. It was like something was flowing through her veins.
"Are you at least feeling better now?" Elysia just hoped there were no weird side effects and by the looks of things Shaman got over the shock.
"I think I can walk now, give me a hand." Shaman could feel her legs again and her nerves calmed down. Elysia and ra grabbed Shaman''s hands and lifted her up. At first, she struggled to stand up, but she quickly regained her bnce with the help of the girls.
"Nevermind, my legs are still numb." Pins and needles invaded Shaman''s leg and suddenly her calves started to cramp.
"Fuck maybe I can''t walk still." Shaman gripped Elysia and ra''s clothes trying to keep herself up. Eventually, her legs stopped cramping as the blood returned to them, getting rid of the pins and needles sensation.
"You okay now?" ra and Elysia wanted to do more, but all they could do was support Shaman.
"I should be fine now I think." Shaman started to get frustrated at her own body since she was mentally fine and wanted to get moving.
"We don''t need to rush, so don''t push yourself." nor knew they would be down here for a while so there was no need for Shaman to force herself.
"I know, but after experiencing that, I need to get stronger quickly. He is someone who also came from my world and he knows I''m from there as well. There is no doubt I am now on his list of targets and with his proficiency in dark magic, the whole world is at risk of destruction as well." Shaman had a sense of urgency to get stronger and already saw him as the final boss.
"Shaman!" Hearing what Shaman said made Himeko realise something! Although she didn''t understand the other world business, that wasn''t Himeko''s main concern. Shaman, hearing Himeko''s voice, instantly stiffened up and hoped she wasn''t in trouble.
"I know you may feel pressured right now, but don''t forget the world doesn''t revolve around you. You don''t have to speed your way through life just because of him. Besides, if you really want to, you can always run away. What I want to hear from you is whether you are ready for the pain and suffering ahead. You are choosing a very dangerous path and once you go down that route there is no turning back." Himeko had realised that Shaman was picking a fight with arguably the most powerful person on the continent.
It wasn''t a bad thing, but Himeko still felt like an adoptive mother for most of the group members and was worried they were rushing to their deaths. So unless they are prepared for the consequences she wouldn''t let them proceed.
The encounter with us was a wake-up call to everyone, that in the grand scheme of things they were quite insignificant. Although they may havee from some noble family and have been given a system that lets them cheat their way, It didn''t make them the heroes of the world. As far as anyone else is concerned, they were just a group of friends adventuring together and taking on odd jobs.
Himeko saw this and didn''t want Shaman ying the hero if she wasn''t ready. Himeko preferred Shaman to live how she wanted rather than try to be something she can''t handle.
Shaman stayed silent for a couple of minutes thinking about what Himeko said.
''I know that I''m not the hero, but everything points at me being the only person who can stop him.'' Shaman saw herself as the protagonist because of the system. There were plenty of signs that indicated she would be something so much more given time, so with the pope making his move she wanted to reach the apex of her power quickly.
"I don''t truly know if it is something I can do, but this ce is now my home and with the blessing that I''ve been given, how can I not want to protect it? I may not be able to do anything right now, but I at least need to try! If not for the people of this continent, then at least for the people I love and care about. Even if I run away until I''m powerful enough, it''s meaningless if I end up losing what I set out to protect to begin with." Shaman understood Himeko''s concerns about continuing with her adventure, but there had to be a reason why she was given a system.
Even if the gods are ying with her life, there must be some reason she is here. She had read too many novels not to notice how she''s been tied by the invisible strings of fate. Still, if it meant a chance at protecting her loved ones she was willing to dance to their tunes.
Of course she did not know whether her conjecture was correct, but at the very least she felt like there must be a purpose for bringing her to this world. It may not be to beat the pope, but either way, the first step remains the same. Nothing will change until she makes her way to tier 10, the height of all power.
Elysia, ra, Silver and even nor were rather touched by what Shaman said, but they couldn''t deny the sound of just running away from everything was appealing.
Himeko bit her lip, not sure what to say in response as Shaman appears to have made up her mind. The motivation and drive to keep going forward were there, so with her rapid growth, who is Himeko to stop her from growing? Himeko didn''t want to get in the way and she now felt like she was.
"I understand, I don''t think you truly get how difficult it will be, but if you think you can keep going down this path, then I won''t stop you." Himeko wanted to try to convince Shaman, but the look on her face said she wouldn''t be swayed. So the next best thing was to support her and help her achieve whatever her goal is.
"Thank you though, I hadn''t really thought about this before." In a way, Shaman was grateful to the pope for almost killing her. It led her to an important crossroad, a choice of who she wants to be as a person. It''s been long since shest stopped to really think about her end goal. Although it originally was to return back home, now it was to save the people she cared for.
"As long as you and everyone else understand what is at stake then I have nothing else to say." It was enough for Himeko as she could put her mind at rest that Shaman isn''t going in blindly.
Everyone else nodded. Even though they were not the ones who''s resolve was being tested, they still couldn''t help rethinking whether this is truly the path for them. Especially for nor who joined more on a whim, yet now she was determined not to fall behind so that she can stand proudly aside her friends.
"I don''t even know if I fully understand, but I don''t n to let anyone down. I''ve now seen what I''m up against, so all I need to do is beat it." Shaman started feeling confident in herself, but she quickly made sure to bring herself down to reality.
''Don''t get too ahead of myself, I may have a system, but so does the pope. I''m not the only special person in this world.'' It was a good reminder, but it also gave her motivation to use her system to the fullest.
Lately, she had been neglecting it, only relying on its passive features, but if she was going to beat the pope she would need to find out more about it.
"Haha, I''m sure you willter, but for now let''s go let off some steam.. literally." Himeko figured they should turn their attention to the dungeon and put their resolve into action.
"Sounds good to me."
Chapter 240 A Wild Cat
Now motivated to grow stronger and beat us, the first step was to level up. Having a tier 8 dungeon in front of them would allow them to speed level through tier 6. With Himeko''s help, theirbined strength should suffice to face the monsters of this dungeon.
It was a scary feat facing off monsters 2 tiers above you, almost as if each mob was a mini-boss. Still, as long as they were able to single out the enemies it shouldn''t be too difficult for them.
"Alright, it may not look like it, but my original role is a tank." Although there was nothing about Himeko that screamed sturdiness, surprisingly her great sword was more than enough for her. However, the group were still perplexed and couldn''t help but have their doubts.
"Don''t look at me like that, I may just have a massive sword, but that''s exactly what enables me to tank. If you don''t believe me just watch." Himeko understood their confusion, but she didn''t think it was thatplicated.
"NYAAAAAAAAA!!!!!" Suddenly a scream echoed from the staircase behind them and everyone turned to see what it was. They spotted a blue dot at the top of the stairs falling towards them. Stepping out of the way, they waited for whatever it was tond.
None of them were too worried since they could feel that it was someone around tier 8, so it was most likely not someone from the pope''s entourage.
"Ow, shit, fuck, help, damn it." As the dot got closer, the group were able to tell it was a female that was falling down the stairs.
"Should we brace her fall?" nor felt bad for whoever it was and wondered if they should help.
"No let her fall, she could be with the pope, so let''s see if she is human first." Himeko preferred to err on the side of caution. If it really was an enemy, at least they won''t be able to put up much of a fight after tumbling down all those stairs.
"Wait, I can check." Shaman tried using her inspect skill to verify if they were human or demon.
[Luna]
[Race: Demon cat]
[Tier 8]
"It''s a demon car." Shaman informed everyone of her race, verifying that it was someone unrted to the pope. Of course they couldn''t know for sure but it was most likely the case since to their knowledge the invasion should only consist of the Pope and the admirals which were all humans.
"I see, well let''s wait for her then." Himeko was a lot less worried now. At any rate, it was only a matter of time before the demon cat arrived.
A few seconds went by and Luna finallynded at the bottom of the stairs. Landing on her face she slid across the ground until she hit a rock. Everyone watched wondering if they should approach or restrain her.
"That damn Issac throwing me in here for protection. I''m the fucking healer for demon''s sake! I can just out-heal their damage." Luna shot up from the ground frustrated that she was just thrown away.
"I need to get ba-." Turning around she was greeted with a group of people all looking at her curiously.
"Stay back! I have a wand and I''m not afraid to drown you all!" Luna pointed her wooden wand at the group. It was an expertly carved stick encased with a blue mana crystal at the top.
"Woah we are not your enemies." Shaman didn''t want to start a fight and definitely did not want to needlessly antagonise a tier 8.
"Hmmm." Luna scanned through each of them and saw that one of them was a demon. She didn''t like the fact they were all half-beasts since they shouldn''t be here, but they weren''t human either so she was inclined to believe they are not associated with the pope.
"You, demon! State your name and why are you with a bunch of half-beasts." Luna wanted to hear from the person who should be native to the demonnds.
"My name is ra and we just travelled here to meet with the demon queen , but as you can see the pope got here first. We came down here to wait out the attack and try to le- try to tier up." ra hoped mentioning the demon queen would convince the demon cat rather than having the opposite effect of aggravating her.
"Eh? How do you know her nickname is ? Who are you?" Luna was sceptical, but since they knew the queen''s nickname, it must mean they are somewhat close to her. Unfortunately, she had no recollection of these people.
"Does Freja ring a bell?" Shaman interjected with Freja''s name wondering if Luna knew who she was.
"N-no." Luna shivered as memories suddenly shed in her eyes.
"Okay, she clearly does." Himeko could recognise the face of trauma anywhere and clearly, Luna had been through something.
"Why did that demon wait! that makes no sense Why did that thing send you." Luna, forgetting she was also a demon now, realised a little toote that she was indirectly insulting herself, so she tried toe up with a different retort.
"We don''t really know, she just ordered us to go see her. Apparently she would have something for us?" Elysia found it odd that they weren''t given a specific reason, but at this point, they were used to Freja working on a need-to-know basis, holding back details until the moment they are needed.
"Well, at least I can somewhat trust you... The name is Luna, but right now I need to get back into the fight." d that they were not enemies, Luna decided to give them a pass. She had already spent way too much time talking and was eager to get back.
"Why are you even down here?" Silver was too curious as you don''t often see a demon cat being sent flying a set of stairs.
"We were trying to get to the queen, but as we got near the dungeon one of the admirals showed up and targeted me. My friend Issac then proceeded to body m out of the way and I ended up down here." Luna exined as she walked past everyone.
"Anyway, don''t die and hopefully I will see you around if we get out of this alive. Cya." Luna waved while she conjured up jelly under her feat. She then swiftly went up the stairs but when she reached the top the door didn''t open.
Hitting face-first into the door, she bounced back and fell down the stairs again. Everyone in the group couldn''t believe this was happening, but this time instead of letting her hit the ground, they cushioned her fall.
Shaman created an ice slide to make Luna fly into the air and using nor''s wind, they slowed her fall down. Landing on her feet, she was now embarrassed that this was the second time. The first time was understandable, but now it was inexcusable.
"Well uhh looks like I''m locked in here." Luna didn''t know what to say as now she was awkwardly locked in the dungeon.
"That doesn''t sound right, shouldn''t the doors open? I know the doors have anti-magic prevention on them so they shouldn''t be shut." Himeko was rather concerned as it meant they were trapped as well.
"Weellll you see, my friend Issac, he uses earth magic, but what he does is bring things up from the ground. So, technically if the door is shut then he must have literally manipted the ground to cover the door. So technically because it is all natural the doors can''t do anything about it." Luna knew her friend well enough to figure out the most likely case. The fact there was no light seeping through the slight cracks of the door further proved that there was something behind it blocking the way.
"Hang on, why hasn''t this been abused?" Shaman felt like this was an extremely fatal w and thought there would be more cases like this.
"Don''t worry, it does." Himeko, having heard the exnation, reminisced about simr events that happened in her own city.
"There is a reason why the dungeons are monitored so heavily. It''s so people don''t go tampering with them, you know, but there are always some bad actors." Luna had seen it a lot with demons since conflicts always arise.
"I see, my other question is how did she end up with us? Aren''t the dungeons instanced or were we too close to the stairs that we hadn''t really entered the dungeon yet." Elysia noticed that no one should havee through, but they were still close to the entrance so it was possible they hadn''t gone far enough in.
"Oh no, the dungeon isn''t instanced. Because it''s tier 8 all the magical power in the dungeon is used to keep this ce running and can''t support that much power." Himeko exined and it made sense since tier 8 is quite powerful.
"Hang on, can''t the pope catch up then?" Shaman felt like this was a bad thing and it is only a matter of time before he arrives.
"The next floor is instanced which also houses the boss, so as long as we don''t take too long we will be fine." Himeko understood their concern, but she believed they won''t take that long.
"Alright" Shaman was very sceptical, but they had no other choice as going outside was a no-go.
*Sigh* "Now I really don''t know what to do. The anti-magic doors make it impossible to break the earth wall behind them and there is no telling when will it crumble naturally, unless Isaac dies or someone destroys it from the outside that is." Luna was lost on what to do since she needed to be out there helping the elite squad out, but now she was out ofmission.
It was also a scary thought that she had no idea what was going on outside and for all she knows everyone died.
"Well how about this, you help the girls and boy here who are tier 6 clear the dungeon and boost their tier. In return, Once the door can again be opened if their tier is high enough we can help fight.." Himeko tried to negotiate with Luna not that she had anything better to do anyways.
"...." Luna gave it some thought since she didn''t want to waste her energy, but having more helping hands in the fight will be super useful.
"Fine." Luna was going to be conservative with how much she helps, but at least this way even if they are tier 6 they will still be able to clear the dungeon easily.
"Sweet, I guess the next question is, what is your ss?" Himeko was able to gather she had some sort of a support role, but wasn''t sure if she was a specialised healer.
"Oh you don''t know? I''m of course the best healer in the demonnds, Luna!" Speaking very proudly she hoped for an excited reaction but instead got nothing. The group had no idea if it was true and it looked more like stroking her own ego than the truth.
"Ohe on I''m not lying, just watch me." With her pride kicking in, she was going to make sure to show off while helping them.
"Alright, hope you don''t disappoint." Himeko saw the opportunity to poke at her pride and hoped it got Luna properly motivated.
"Just you watch, hmph." Luna pouted while crossing her arms.
Chapter 241 Volcanic Dungeon
With Luna now temporarily joining the group, it was time to take on the dungeon. Himeko took the lead while Luna stayed in the back. Everyone else was between them, making them feel like they were being escorted.
"Hey Luna, is there anything we should keep in mind?" Shaman figured Luna had done the dungeon before, so surely there was no harm in asking.
"Most enemies here are made of moltenva so any cold elements will work, like water for example. I don''t know how ice will fair since I''ve never seen someone use ice, but I know fire doesn''t work at all. Other than that if your weapons are good enough, physical attacks should be enough to destroy the cores." Luna didn''t mind exining as she enjoyed herself ying the mentor. Most of them may not be demons, but that didn''t matter to her anymore.
She always liked helping lower-tiered adventurers which she even used as a pass-time when there was nothing else to do.
"Looks like you have to use your spear, Eli." Shaman nudged Elysia since she could only use fire and hadn''t learnt any other elements yet.
"Tsk, maybe I should try to learn water or something." Elysia didn''t like hearing she couldn''t use her fire, so she considered using her skill select to cheat her way to a new element.
"Haha, as much as learning water would be useful, beginner level water magic would be useless here." Luna liked the enthusiasm for learning a new element, but without being an expert with it, the magma would evaporate it.
"Well, at least I''m not the only one." Elysia was instantly discouraged, but she foundfort that she was in the same boat with Himeko who also was a fire user.
"If you''re thinking of me then you are wrong. Fire may be ineffective here, but my own fire is an exception to that rule." Himeko smirked, clearly indicating she had a trick up her sleeve.
"Oh? Now you have me curious, from what I can tell you are quite strong for a hu-.... human?!" Luna hadn''t realised it since everyone else was a half-beast, but Himeko herself had no animal features. There was also nor who wasn''t a half-beast either, but her pointy ears clued Luna early on to her being an elf.
"You just realised?" Everyone looked at Luna like she was dumb for not noticing sooner, which was only fair as she just assumed whatever she wanted to believe without really looking.
"Don''t worry, my name is Himeko and I want to kill that bastard pope just as much as any of you. After the torture he put me through that''s the bare minimum he deserves." Himeko didn''t want to cause problems so she kept quiet up till now, but that n went up in mes.
"I would normally be skeptical, but seeing as you are with everyone else, I can''t really doubt you." Luna''s initial warning sirens fired off, but then she realised how stupid it was since Himeko was following a group all of which are non-humans.
"d that you didn''t jump at my throat." Himeko was relieved that Luna didn''t get angry or jump to a random conclusion.
"Oi, I''m not that short-fused. I''m just on edge! Especially since I can''t get back out." Luna didn''t want to show it, but she was under a lot of stress. A lot of the members rely on her for support, so she was worried sick that something horrible would happen.
"Anyway, what are everyone''s names? We are close to the first area and I haven''t learnt any except Himeko and ra''s." Luna saw they were approaching the volcanic ins where the first enemies should appear.
"Oh, I''m Shaman, these are my girlfriends Elysia and ra. Silver is my son and the Elf is nor." Even though Luna already got ra''s name, Shaman still felt the need to reintroduce ra as her girlfriend. Shaman also wanted to see Luna''s reaction to her having 2 girlfriends.
"Hold up, did I hear correctly? Girlfriends?" Luna stopped walking to process what she just heard.
"Yes, you did hear correctly." Shaman pulled in Elysia and ra by their waists as actions speak louder than words. It was also apparent on Luna''s face that she didn''t believe it.
"Oh no, what has Freja done to you." Rather than being confused, Luna was more worried about their wellbeing.
"Are you all okay? Are there any injuries or mental scarring? I know someone who is good at dealing with trauma." Luna ran up to them and began to inspect them for any issues.
"Woah, don''t worry we are not Freja 2.0. We are all happy with each other and I''m not on a quest to gather more." Shaman understood the misconception which made her shiver at the thought.
"Phew, I was really worried there." Luna, hearing the exnation, backed away d that there wasn''t a mini Freja roaming around. It was bad enough that Freja attempted to court Luna which is where the trauma stemmed from.
''Rather than the shock I was hoping for, thatpletely backfired.'' Getting directed to a psychologist left Shaman flustered as she somewhat regretted introducing them as her girlfriends.
"Good thing I''m not in that entangled mess." nor shook her head as she couldn''t imagine how annoying it might be.
"You''re not with the wolf boy Silver here?" Luna assumed they were partners since they were stuck together like glue. Every time Luna looked at nor, Silver was always there, never a moment apart.
"W-what no!" nor, having been paired with Silver again, was wondering why the hell everyone assumed that. She knew they were together a lot, but it couldn''t be helped since Elysia and ra were always stuck to either side of Shaman.
"Okay enough ying, we got enemies." While everyone was ying around, Himeko walked ahead to attract some monsters.
Everyone focused ahead where one molten monster was approaching them. The creature itself was made up of rocks forming a human figure. And from in between the rocks themselves came a slow stream of moltenva. Lastly, lodged within its chest was a visible red core making a clear target.
Luna instantly got to casting buffs for everyone which was amon procedure for her. A blue light encased everyone making them feel empowered. It was an odd feeling for them, but a good one that they couldn''tin about.
"Alright girls, just watch how I tank." Himeko now had her chance to prove her worth as a tank using her greatsword.
The molten creature lunged at Himeko while spewing magma out of every crack in its body.
Himeko held her greatsword up, covering most of her body to block the both lunge and the ensuing magma. Just before anything touched her, magma erupted from her sword creating a shield. She then shoved the molten shield forward pushing the creature back and temporarily stunning it.
"Now!" Calling for either the girls or Silver to attack, Himeko jumped back to get out of harm''s way.
Shaman was the first to respond by jumping over Himeko and right towards the molten monster.
Just before shended, she covered Kotetsu in ice to see how it would work in this dungeon. shing down across the monster''s chest, ice formed where she hit. The core was struck, but it wasn''t enough to break it.
However, they expected this, so ra came running past swinging her de whips around the molten monster''s legs. Sliding on the ground while tugging on her whips, ra forced the monster to the ground.
With its back exposed, its core was clearly visible from its back, which worked out well for Elysia who wasing from above with her spear. Using her raw strength she stabbed into the hole where the core resided, splitting it in half.
The fight was thought to be over, but suddenly the moltenva inside the creature rapidly pulsated. ''self-destruction'' was the first thought through everyone''s mind, but Elysia hit the ground so hard that her spear got stuck.
She desperately pulled on it, but the spear wouldn''t even budge. Shaman and ra tried to help, but there was no sign of iting out.
"Shit just run." Shaman knew they had to abandon it, so she pulled Elysia and ra off into a stardust portal. After waiting a few seconds, they realised nothing happened, which was rather confusing as they were sure something was going to blow.
Opening up another portal a little further away, Shaman poked her head out. Spotting the monster which now looked like a bunch of rocks, she realised there was nothing pulsating anymore.
Luna, Himeko, nor and Silver were giggling to themselves as what they thought was an explosion turned out to be nothing of the sort.
ITurns out that the magma inside the monster was so condensed, it would force its way out once thetter expired, but once enough came out it stopped pulsing altogether.
Elysia and ra poked their heads and noticed the end result. They all had long faces while looking at their giggling fiends.
Coming out of the portal, they tried to ignore the fact that they ran away by pretending it never happened. Elysia shamefully walked to her spear and ungracefully pulled on it with all her strength. This time around it came out with little to no resistance.
"Ahem, well good job on killing the monster. Ready for more?" Himeko collected herself and tried to hold a straight face while speaking.
Chapter 242 The Grind Begins
Having a taste of what the monsters were like, Shaman was confident they could fight more than one. With Luna''s buff, they had just enough power to fight the molten creaturesfortably.
"That was just the basic mob, so don''t get too ahead of yourselves. The flying monsters are a pain in the ass and cause a lot of problems. Just think of any animal and there is ava version, but 10x stronger." Luna saw the confidence on their faces, but she didn''t want them to think every monster will be the same.
"Do you think we can take on more than one?" Shaman took Luna''s words seriously, so getting her opinion would be beneficial.
"I believe you can, but if there are any problematic monsters I will call you all back." Luna didn''t want to limit them, but she wasn''t going to risk their lives any more than necessary.
"Anything you want me to do?" Himeko decided to let Luna take the lead on what they should do since she was familiar with the dungeon.
"Just try your best to keep the monsters distracted while everyone else attacks. How heavy of an attack do you think you can handle?" Luna wasn''t sure of Himeko''s capabilities, so it was hard to n without confidently knowing the extent of her strength.
"I can pretty much handle anything that isn''t tier 9 or above without any issues." Himeko wondered if she should disclose the fact she used to be tier 10, but it felt like it wouldplicate things. She was getting stronger with each passing moment as her strength slowly came back, but it was hard to judge exactly where she was on the power scale.
"Okay good, then I will rely on you to take the brunt of the attacks from any of the bigger monsters we encounter." Luna knew the monsters did not go above tier 8 until the boss, so there should be no issues.
"Understood." It was a simple job, but that''s what she preferred since they were focusing on Shaman and her group.
Proceeding deeper into the dungeon, it wasn''t long before they scouted a group of monsters after peaking around a corner. It consisted of different beast-looking monsters ranging from wolves to an oveyrge eagle the size of a small ne. Most didn''t seem too threatening except for the eagle which somehow was able to fly despite being made of a bunch of rocks andva.
It was easy to see why Luna said to look out for flyers as it could easily just fly around dropping magma on them.
"Anyone ranged?" Luna needed someone to keep the bird upied, but she didn''t know if anyone could even attack at range.
"I can, but I only have my fire arrows." Elysia pulled out her bow, but there wasn''t much she could do. She did have arrows, but they were made out of wood which would most likely turn to ash before she could even pull back her string.
"Tsk, are you sure you don''t have normal arrows? Even if they are wooden I can coat them in water, preventing them from turning to ash right away." Luna rubbed her forehead as the one ranged person had the worst possible element for this dungeon.
"Oh, I do." Elysia didn''t even realise it was possible andpletely disregarded the idea of using normal arrows.
"Okay pass them here, I will enchant the arrows with water." Luna felt relieved that her well thought strategy wasn''t just thrown out the window.
Dumping down the few hundred bundles of arrows Elysia brought ages ago, Luna instantly got to enchanting them. A small blue magic circle appeared below them and, just as some of the arrows caught fire, water washed over them.
A small circle was engraved on the body of the arrows which were now ready for use.
"That should do it! Now then, remember that you don''t have to kill the bird outright. Focus on hitting its core to interrupt its attacks. It may seem odd, but the core is also its weak point, so none-fatal hits can still stun these monsters. If you are unable to hit the core before its attack, please yell out." Luna gave Elysia her mission for the next encounter and it sounded easy enough.
She hadn''t used normal arrows for a while, but she trusted in her abilities.
"Have to say, despite being so all over the ce before you are a great leader and strategist." Shaman''s expectations had been blown out of theva. At first, Luna seemed very disorganised and scatterbrained. However, it turns out she has quite the head.
"That''s good to hear. When you are in the backline as much as I am, you get to see the whole battle and learn how the art of war works. That being said, talking isn''t part of the n, so let''s keep our heads straight." Luna didn''t want to waste any time on chit-chat, so she got them back on track after her brief answer.
Shaman wanted to poke Luna''s brain, but thetter was right, they were in the middle of a dungeon. It didn''t stop Shaman from taking notes though as she wanted to develop that kind of quick strategic thinking. To some degree, she had that skill, but Luna was able to think of multiple ns before Shaman could finish one.
"Alrighty! Himeko, you will run out and grab the attention of the monsters. Elysia, you will stay back and focus on that damn bird. Everyone else, work together to kill the monsters and don''t get in the way of Himeko." After outlining the jobs in a simple way, everyone nodded their heads in response.
"Go when you''re ready Himeko." Luna gave the signal to Himeko as she would lead the charge.
***
The capital city was partially in ruins and bodies were littered everywhere. The fighting was brought into the city by the ones that blindly followed the pope. About half of the admirals followed us wholeheartedly and were going all out. The other half didn''t want to be there in the first ce.
Jane was one of them and to her surprise the demons made her an offer.
"Do you really want this fight? If not then join us." It was a female demon wielding 2 weapons that resembled flintlocks. Her outfit looked like it was ripped from a wild west film clearly indicating some otherworldly influence even if she didn''t know it.
Jane''s interest peaked, but this would mean losing her position.Still, her hesitation was enough for the demon to coax her more.
"If you join us, then you can stay here and receive a position of influence. The demon queen understands the risk you''ll be taking and is willing to offer a hand." Hoping the admiral will cave in, she held off from attacking.
''What do I do?'' Jane was in a tough spot, she didn''t know if it was the right thing to do. In the end, it didn''t matter to us if she died which made the admirals feel like throw-away minions.
What also made it tempting was her best friend Himeko being exiled. She didn''t know if Hiemko was even alive, but the main reason Jane became an admiral was to stay close to Himeko.
"What do you want me to do?" Jane wanted to know more as it would drastically change the battlefield if she got up and left.
"For starters, stop attacking our forces. If you can either help us in the fight or convince others to join us I''m sure the Queen would reward you generously" The female demon was thrilled to hear that the demon queen''s deductions were correct.
"I see, for my own safety I won''t fight against the pope, but I will stand down. I know who else may be willing to stop fighting so I will help you convince them." Jane didn''t want to be a puppet anymore. If there was even a small chance of Himeko being here, it was worth the switch.
"Good, lead the way." The demon was still cautious, but her newpanion sounded genuine. Jane was also wary since there was no way to tell if the demon was telling the truth, but she was willing to take the risk.
***
Issac on the other hand was not having much luck with the admiral he was facing. The admiral was tall with medium-long hair covering one eye. His uniform was silver which hinted at his element, but Issac has yet to figure it out.
"Bastard, why do you fight for him? Don''t you see how stupid this is?" Issac was trying to fulfil ina''s orders, but the man was not listening. He only responded with attacks that seemingly pierced right through his armour. It was odd as the armour itself waspletely untouched, but every punch felt like it hit him unhindered.
Even when blocking with his shield it was as if the admiral''s body phased through it.
"Tch looks like there is no getting through to you." Even though he was ordered to capture his opponents, there was no way he was going to win unless he aimed to kill.
Chapter 243 Speed Levelling
Unaware of what''s going on above, the group began their assault as Himeko rushed out to the open. Stabbing her great sword into the ground she twisted it, causing the surrounding area to crack. With her sword alone she made the ground rupture and rise with force, knocking back the monsters.
The agitated monsters began their charge focusing on Himeko. The eagle screeched with its non-existent vocal cords as it prepared tounch magma from its mouth. From behind the corner Elysia quickly aimed her bow, firing the enchanted arrow.
With great uracy, she hit the core chilling it with a ssh of water. The eagle instantly cooled down, preventing it from producing any magma.
With the eagle temporarily out ofmission, the rest of the group ran out and stood behind Himeko.
Luna stayed by Elysia so she could direct her if need be as well as the group.
A few of the molten monsters charged at Himeko, but with one swing of her great sword they were knocked back. She made sure to not hit them too hard as she didn''t need the kills.
Shaman, ra, Silver and nor split into groups of 2, taking advantage of their shadow skills. Shaman and ra got closer to some of the stunned molten monsters with [Shadow Cloak] while Silver and nor did the same.
This way they could move around without pulling any attention from Himeko who was keeping the other monsters busy.
The beasts Shaman and ra came across were canines andrge cats which have their core on their chest, making it hard to hit when facing them head-on.
Taking the initiative ra leapt from the shadows and into the air. Performing a somersault, she spun her whips and then struck the ground near the monsters with all her umted momentum. The whips exploded with lightning, creating a shockwave thatunched the monsters into the air, giving Shaman a clear shot at their cores.
Sliding underneath them in the brief moment she had, Shaman conjured ice spikes aimed at each of their cores. Thanks to the buff Luna gave them as well as it''s effectiveness against magma, her ice was strong enough to break the monster''s cores.
*
Silver and nor approached their monsters a little differently as instead of dogs and cats, they were up against humanoids. However, they looked different from the first one they encountered. Instead of normal looking humanoid bodies, they had oversized arms which looked like clubs.
Silver had an idea and that was to use the monster''s limbs against them. He didn''t think they had perfect control over them so he thought it might be possible to redirect their hits. He whispered his ns to nor who was sceptical of the n, but she still agreed to do it.
The major concern was that Silver was going to use himself as bait to make the monsters swing. During that swing, nor would use her wind to redirect the hit into its chest, destroying the core or at least giving Silver the opportunity to smash it himself.
Not really having time to even argue about it, they both exited [Shadow Cloak], grabbing the attention of the 3 humanoids.
Not sparing a moment, they charged at Silver while swinging downwards. This was not ideal as redirecting it would cost too much energy, so he improvised.
Entering [Shadow Walk] just before they made contact, he appeared behind one of the monsters while lodging his scythe into its core. Losing one of their members did not phase the monsters as the other two recovered and swung towards Silver horizontally.
This was the opportunity they were looking for so Silver quickly dodged, allowing nor to use her magic.
Swinging both her fans, she conjured wind that had the same force as a full-speed train. The wind hit the humanoids, diverting their attacks, albeit not the way the duo expected. Instead, one of the humanoids hit directly into the chest of the other one, killing it in an instant with a bright explosion of magma.
In addition, due to the sheer force of the hit, the surviving monster lost its entire right oversized arm in the explosion.
It worked out either way and provided a chance for Silver to kill the remaining humanoid. As Silver swung for the core, what he didn''t see was that the humanoid was able to keep swinging its broken arm all while regenerating it.
Before he had a chance to react, a rock arm hit him directly on the side, sending him flying into the wall. Imprinting his own body in the rocky surface, Silver''s entire body ached. Yet before the pain could register, a green glow enveloped his body.
Just as Silver was hit a defensive spell was casted by Luna, protecting him from fatal damage. Once he was embedded in the wall, Luna then casted a greater heal, removing any pain he would have felt.
Silver got out of the wall like nothing ever happened, but he was still dazed from the attack.
"Silver!" Luna called out to warn him as the humanoid lunged at him for another attack.
However, nor quickly summoned a wooden spike and shot it towards the monster. The wooden spike sizzled as its holy nature fought to keep it from burning up, all the while nor''s wind propelled it to greater speeds.
Before the monster could take another step towards Silver, the wooden spike made impact, destroying its core.
Luna let out a sigh of relief as she wasn''t sure if her protection spells would be enough. She may be a great healer, but there isn''t much she can do to protect against extremely powerful attacks that can instantly kill someone.
With the 2 groups having dealt with their monsters, Himeko swung her sword as if in a baseball game, sending more monsters for them to kill. These were thest enemies of the wave, so it allowed Himeko to now focus on the bird that Elysia had been distracting.
The 2 groups joined together to take advantage of the monsters still being mid-air. Thankfully Himeko hit like she was going for a home run, so it gave ample time for them to prepare.
nor threw wooden spears while Silver created shadow spikes that emerged from the ground. Shaman shot ice spikes inbination with her stardust portals to send them towards the cores that couldn''t be easily reached. rabined her whips to create her sword and extended it with lighting to give her the reach she needed.
Before the monsters hit the ground, they were already dead.
*
Elysia kept peppering the bird with arrows, not giving it a chance to charge any attacks. This forced it to swoop instead of staying in the air.
Elysia was able to easily dodge the bird and even hit it with a sneaky arrow as it flew by. Himeko figured out the bird''s attack pattern from thatst attack, so as it flew down for another swoop, she jumped into the air.
Landing on its back, Himeko mmed it into the nearby ground, allowing Elysia to get the finishing blow. As she stabbed her spear directly through its back, the bird''s core was destroyed marking the end of their first wave of enemies.
"d to see everyone did so well. Even though we had one small scare, you are all trained so well that there was no need to worry." Luna was thoroughly impressed with the group''s synergy which reminded her of her own party.
"Did we ever train nor?" Shaman whispered to both Elysia and ra as she had no recollection of nor getting any training at all.
"I don''t think we ever did." Elysia tried to think, but they hadn''t even had a long enough break to even bother.
"Didn''t the system say something?" ra wasn''t too sure, but she swore Rea said something about the system having a hand in keeping nor up to speed.
[Yes I did, because of the skill "Call of Lin", nor has been given a boost to herbat senses. I shouldn''t be doing this, but as per request by... unnamed forces, I have been influencing nor''s moves to ensure she makes the right judgement. Do not worry it is helping her greatly and slowly I will be helping her less and less.] Rea gave the exnation they were after, but if anything they wish they didn''t know.
It felt like they were being cheated since they never got that kind of assistance.
[Oi, without me she would be screwed and I don''t want to see poor baby Silver getting heart broken.] Rea unconsciously spoke out, betraying the real reason why she had helped.
"The system has a thing for Silver?" ra was surprised to hear this as she thought the system didn''t have feelings. Just some entity programmed to act like a person.
''Stay away from my boy!" Shaman screamed in her mind as she didn''t want to draw attention to herself.
"Girls?" Himeko saw them whispering to themselves and it really wasn''t the time for it.
"Sorry!" The three of them instantly stopped talking with Rea and listened up.
"Anyway, we will continue this process until you are strong enough or the door opens up, so if you need anything do so now before we continue." Luna didn''t want to stop their momentum as the more they got done, the more they could help.
Exhaustion also wouldn''t be a problem as Luna would be able to refresh them in an instant.
No one had anything to say, so they proceeded to go deeper into the dungeon repeating the process.
Chapter 244 Looking Grim
Issac wasing to his wits ends against the admiral. No matter what he did he could not stop a single attack. It was also apparent that the admiral wasn''t even taking the fight seriously. There were so many opportunities that the admiral could have killed Issac, but he just never took the chance.
''Maybe I shouldn''t have thrown Luna in the dungeon.'' Issac regretted his choice to lock her up in the dungeon as she would have been a great help. His instinct as a friend got the better of him, making him fail to see the actual consequences of her not being around.
"Enough ying." The admiral suddenly spoke his first words which only meant bad news.
In a panic, Issac entered his transformed state to give him the extra edge. He didn''t want to use it, but now he had no choice.
''Hopefully, I can take extended leave after this.'' His armour and shield began to sink into his flesh causing him to grow in size. Veins popped out of his skin, glowing a light red as demonic essence coursed through them. Even his armour adopted a simr reddish glow as it sunk into his skin.
The armour seemingly fused with his muscles, giving him quite literally muscles of steel. Now having a body on par with the most extreme bodybuilders, he wanted to test if the admiral could do him any damage.
"Tch." The admiral didn''t like the look of things as his magic relied on his opponent wielding metal, but controlling said metal from within another''s body was beyond his reach.
"Not looking so confident now are you?" Issac saw his opponent''s frown, betraying a hint as to what was actually happening.
The best conclusion he coulde up with was that the admiral had the ability to manipte metal. So when he punched Issac, the admiral would force the metal to mold its shape, giving no resistance to his fist and making it seem like he punched right through.
To further hide this fact, he then returned the armour to its original state, making it hard to tell what was happening.
"Doesn''t matter." With his strategy exposed, he had to attack in a different way. Luckily for him, they were in the middle of the city where a bunch of metal was present. He was capable of conjuring metal, but only from his body, so a metal-rich environment was where he shined the most.
Swinging his arms, metal spikes suddenly shot out from the buildings, barreling directly towards Issac from all directions. There were many sources of metal for him to make use of, from piping, to building reinforcements and even kitchen wares.
Issac stood still letting all the spikes hit him and, to the admiral''s surprise, nothing pierced his skin. The admiral raised an eyebrow, curious as to how his skin was able to defend against the spikes. He knew the metal merged with his skin, but he didn''t think it would also give him the same level of protection.
"My turn." Issac was thrilled to see the attacks werepletely useless. It gave him the confidence to go on the offensive.
Kicking off the ground, the extra muscle mass he received lended his every move pure destructive force. His arms in particr have grown in strength considerably thanks to having merged with his shield. Strength he put to full use as he threw out a massive punch.
The Admiral tried to step back to avoid the punch, but an earth wall arose behind him preventing him from dodging. He didn''t think the demon had any elements due to him not even using it to protect himself, but that was a clear misjudgment.
Taking the punch, he was sent through the earth wall and the buildings behind it. Even after going through a bunch of buildings the admiral showed no signs of slowing down.
And yet, somehow Issac was able to catch up to the admiral just before he broke through another building. Winding up for another swing just as the admiral came through, he punched again redirecting him straight into the ground.
A crater the size of a football field was formed, copsing many buildings in the vicinity.
With most of his bones broken beyond repair, the admiral was left profusely bleeding from the many holes where splintered bones broke through his skin. It wasn''t long until he died from blood loss ending the fight, but Issac wasn''t fairing too well either.
Transforming back to his normal form, the armour that merged to his skin pushed itself out, ripping his skin in the process. Issac screamed in agony as he felt like he was getting skinned alive.
''Sorry... Luna.'' He knew he shouldn''t have used it, but it was his only choice. There was no way he could stay on the defensive forever. The post-transformation side-effects were truly horrific, but unfortunately, without Luna''s healing he had no choice but bear with the pain and try to recover as best he could.
Luna was his safety and without her there was promise he would survive after transforming, but he still took the risk.
His skin was no longer there, leaving his muscles fully visible. He did start to regenerate, but there was no telling if it was enough due to how slow it was.
The armour he wore was scattered all over the ce covered in blood. The admiral''s dead body was at his feet making it look like they killed each other.
All Issac could do now was sit through the pain hoping that he wouldn''t die, but he epted the fact he very well could.
''Please everyone else stay alive.''
*
After teaming up with the demon, she was able to gather around another 7 admirals willing to stand down. At first, it was awkward with Jane almost having to fight her own, but after she properly exined they were open to the idea.
4 of the admirals were willing to fight against the pope while the other 4 would simply stand down, not wanting to get involved. They didn''t want to lose their livelihood so they preferred not to get involved.
This left Jane with a team of 12 including the demons to face off against anyone that stood in their way. Their goal was not to directly fight the pope as the admirals knew all too well that even with all 20 of thembined, their chances were still slim. The only person who was remotely close in power was Himeko, but she wasn''t here.
They didn''t know the kind of power the demons had, but seeing as they were of simr tiers it was unlikely theirbined force would work.
"Jane, are you sure you are willing to fight your own?" Surprisingly the demon Jane fought with had gotten a little close. While they were making their way to the other admirals and demons, it gave them time to get to know each other.
"I''m sure it will be fine, Carole." Jane was too deep into this to turn back, so she continued forward without caring what the pope would think.
"I sense Issac here, but it seems like he is no longer fighting." Carole recognised Issac''s presence, but it was odd that it wasn''t moving.
"Down here." Pinpointing his location Carole took a dive towards the ground with everyone else following. Reaching a crater, they saw the dead admiral with a hardly breathing demon.
"Is! You dumbasss why did you transform without Luna?" One of the other male demons instantly recognised what happened to Issac. Running up to his side, the demon pulled out a red glowing liquid in a bottle from a small bag.
"Sorry Jin." Issac struggled to get his words out, but it was a good sign that he was still alive. Half of his body was still pure muscle as his flesh took its time regenerating. However, it had significantly slowedpared to when he first began healing.
Jin forced Issac to drink the red liquid which seemed to be some form of demon essence. Suddenly the speed of his regeneration increased, increasing the likelihood he will survive.
"Wow, he managed to take down Kinzoku." Jane was surprised he was taken down since he was one of the strongest. Sadly he had been with the pope for the longest so his loyalty was beyond reproach. No matter what us did Kinzoku would follow him.
"It''s one less person to worry about though so that''s a relief." Bartholt, the oldest-looking admiral walked up from behind. He knelt next to Kinzoku''s body, double-checking that he was dead.
"Would be a shame to lose him." Bartholt''s words made Jane extremely suspicious, but before she could question him, he pulled out a syringe. Injecting it into Kinzoku''s body, ck mist quickly enveloped his body.
Bartholt turned to face Jane, but his eyes turnedpletely ck. Whomever she was speaking to now, it wasn''t Bartholt.
"Sneaky admirals going behind my back, I may not be there, but I know your every move." us had used Bartholt as a vessel for his secondary body.
"Bastard what did you do!?" Jane jumped back while pulling out a long sword.
"Why don''t you find out for yourself?" Bartholt fell to his knees while his eyes bled a ck liquid. Soon his body fell limp as us left his body.
However, Kinzoku''s body rose up into the air by the ck mist. No one knew what was going on, but they prepared for a battle as some form of dark magic took hold of the dead admiral.
Chapter 245 Dark Magic Possession
The ck mist dispersed from Kinzoku''s body revealing that he was alive and well. However, his eyes werepletely cked out with liquid oozing out simr to Bartholt. No one wanted to approach initially because of the dark magic, so everyone stood back waiting.
A few of the demons dragged Issac away to safety leaving only 8 to deal with the possessed admiral.
"Since when did the pope know dark magic, I knew he was suspicious, but I never thought he would go that far." Jane seeing the use of dark magic only strengthened her will to stand by the demons. The fact that us was revealing such a power meant he had no intention of letting theme out of this alive.
If the whole territory were to find out, it would put the people in a state of panic.
''That might be what he wants.'' Jane didn''t want to rule out that us wanted everyone to freak out. It would allow him to gopletely unhinged.
"Jane, any ideas?" Carole wanted to know as much as she could about this admiral as anything could be useful. No one has ever dealt with this kind of possession before so until the fight started they wouldn''t know if the possessed Kinzoku still had ess to his magic.
"He maniptes any form of metal to his will, but needs to be near it or else he must draw it out of his body. Physically he is weak, but I am not so sure about that now." Jane gave a brief description of Kinzoku to Carole and the demons that were staying to fight.
This caused them some worry as there was plenty of metal on their attire which could be used against them.
"Don''t worry another limitation is he can''t control metal on another person unless he has physical contact." Luna saw the panic, so she quickly corrected her mistake. This would be thest of her exnations as Kinzoku seemingly woke up.
His body moved as if controlled by strings like a puppet, but due to his shattered bones, many of his limbs bent in ways not humanly possible. It was a gross sight for everyone, but it was the least of their worries.
Issac''s armour that was spread out across the field slightly shook, catching the eye of Jane. Knowing exactly what it meant she swung her long sword leaving a trail of water.
"Get close to me!" No one hesitated to listen to Jane as they quickly rushed behind her. A water barrier enveloped everyone just as metal spikes shot at them. They shot at such a high speed that it took everyone a second to even realise they were being shot at.
The barrier rippled vigorously from the spikes pushing as hard as they could. Jane struggled to keep the barrier up, feeling the pressure mount on her.
Everyone else took the opportunity to destroy the spikes to lighten the pressure. Carole fired her pistols, shooting out small balls of condensed mes. Thankfully the barrier allowed for attacks toe out without dampening any of the involved elements.
Everyone managed to destroy the spikes allowing Jane to drop the barrier. They all quickly spread out surrounding Kinzoku who had been observing the whole time. It was unclear as to why since he was now just a lifeless puppet, but there had to be a reason.
All of a sudden the ground shook like an earthquake prompting everyone to jump in the air. Creating tforms out of their respective elements, they watched as metals of various kinds shot out of the ground.
They were not in the form of spikes but instead remained as chunks of unrefined ore. The group felt their hearts sink as they stared at the sheer amount of metal now floating in the air. It was clear that up till now Kinzoku was merely preparing the field, setting up to allow for himself to shoot metal from any direction.
Just as expected spikes came from every direction making it hard to block. Many opted for dodging, but a few were still grazed.
Before they could even think of retaliating, the 2 admirals and 1 demon that got grazed by the spikes started to spasm. Their bodies convulsed as some of their limbs began to inte. As if they were balloons their muscles popped, ck liquid shooting out everywhere.
Everyone avoided the ck liquid as it was clear dark magic was the reason behind it. This made Kinzoku all the more dangerous as even one scratch can mean death.
"Damn it!" Jane hated this and contemted running away. It was not worth it to stick around, but she felt obliged to help. Her and Carole were leading this alliance, so she didn''t want to betray that bond they formed.
''Gonna need you toe out, Tangetsu.'' Jane pressed the palm of her hand against a rune on her de, lighting it up. A burst of water that looked like a dragon''s head shot out from the de. The head itself quickly travelled around destroying the spikes and buying her allies some breathing room.
The admirals and demons followed Jane''s lead, working hard to finish quickly so they could finally focus on Kinzoku.
Jane directed her dragon head, Carole overcharged her pistols and the admirals created grass, Ice and crystal projectiles. The 2 other demons conjured up fire and lightning.
Everyone fired at the same time at Kinzoku, but a ck bubble protected him. Everyone''s projectiles turned to ck dust as soon as they made contact. No one knew what to do now as approaching close quarters was death and long-range attacks now seemed ineffective.
Jane tried sending a few more, but nothing worked, it would just turn to dust and get blown away by the wind.
"I think we just run." Jane didn''t see any way to beat Kinzoku without getting anyone else killed. They already lost 3 people with just a simple scratch, so was it even worth continuing the fight?
The dark magic being used was simply too unpredictable, turning even the rtively weak Kinzoku into an unkible abomination. It was as if the dark magic elevated him to a tier beyond tier 10 and far above their reach.
"I agree." Carole saw no conceivable way and didn''t want any more of her friends getting killed.
Kinzoku suddenly twisted his body, sending the chilling sounds of bones cracking as he did. Dark mist seeped out of his body towards the dead bodies like a tentacle.
Everyone could only assume that they were going to get possessed, so it was their cue to leave.
"Run everyone!" Not wanting to stick around, Jane gave the order to get away as far as they could. Using every ability to make themselves faster they tried to create as much distance as they could.
However, it would be toote for some as Kinzoku was faster, soon catching up to the 2 demons that were still alive.
"Arial! Krone!" Carole stopped in her tracks trying to go help them, but Jane grabbed her wrist.
"We can''t stop it''s toote." Jane knew it was hard, but they didn''t have a choice. If they stopped to help it would only mean their death, but Carole seemed not to listen. Breaking out of Jane''s grip she sealed her fate right then and there. Jane kept running without turning back, knowing what the oue of such an action would be.
On the other hand, Carole''s pride and friendship wouldn''t allow her to abandon her friends, so she rushed back to save them.
Kinzoku was about to stab the 2 demons who were paralysed with fear, unable to even scream, but Carole intercepted him, jump-kicking him in the face while firing her guns. This would prove to be useless as spikes pierced right through Carole''s body and straight into the 2 demons behind her. Just like everyone else ck liquid poured out of their body and they fell to the floor dead.
The damage Carole did amounted to nothing as Kinzoku was already dead. Unless his entire body was destroyed it will still continue to fight. Jane didn''t see the oue but hearing Carole''s cries suddenly stop clued her to the demon''s death.
Only one other Admiral was left alive now as well as some other demons that took Issac away, but they would be best not toe back.
Jane at this point did not care what the oue was, she only wanted to live. While running she rummaged through her dimensional storage ring trying to find anything that could get her out of there. She wasn''t one to have travel stones or teleportation talismans because she never needed them.
She truly never cared much for battle since she preferred to spend her time on cksmithing, creating her famous weapons. However, a stroke of luck urred when she found an old stone at the bottom of her dimensional storage.
It was given to her by Himeko but she had no idea where it might lead to. All she remembered was it would take her to a safe ce if need be. It was given to her around the same time that conflict between Himeko and us arose.
"Fuck it." Crushing it suddenly blood enveloped her, teleporting her to an unknown ce. The admiral that was left behind felt betrayed, but it wouldn''t matter in the end as his heart would be pierced by a random spike from a nearby building. In the end, running was futile as they were surrounded by weapons. If Jane were a second toote she too would have been killed.
A mere moment after she teleported dozens of spikes took her ce, shish-kebabing the air that once surrounded her.
Chapter 246 Where The Hell Am I?
Jane appeared in an unfamiliar room,ying on the floor with one person staring at her. Once she got her bearings she suddenly realised that the person staring at her was someone much stronger than her.
Quickly getting up from the ground she pulled her sword out of reflex, but the person merely reacted by pinching its tip.
"Ara~ No need to be so feisty." A very seductive voice echoed out, which only made Jane more ufortable.
"Who are you?" Scanning the person in front of her, she saw a blonde she-wolf with jewel-like green eyes. The she-wolf was in a military uniform which could only mean one person.
"Oh my I thought my reputation preceded me the name is Freja, the ruler of the Freya forest and you, my friend, have somehow teleported into my throne room." Letting go of Jane''s de she did a small bow as she wanted to get Jane''s trust.
Her guest may be human, but the fact she teleported here must mean she is someone close to one of Freja''s friends.
"Huh? You''re THE Freja? The one that killed the mythical tier 10 creature when she was only at tier 9?" Jane lowered her sword, scanning Freja from top to bottom. There was no doubt that it was her as she fit the description perfectly.
"Good to see that no one has forgotten, now may I get your name lovelydy~? Seems like you have juste out of a very tight situation." Freja noticed all the scruff marks and messy hair, so it must have been dire if she had to teleport away, especially since she is a tier 9 herself.
"I''m Jane, a cksmith and a friend of Himeko, who gave me a teleport stone in case I desperately need an out. Still, I didn''t expect to find myself here." Jane hoped Himeko had not got her in a death trap as the fox realm isn''t so friendly with humans because of the church.
"Ohhh Cecilia''s friend, now it makes sense that you have a stone, well don''t worry I''ll treat you like a guest, but please do tell me what led you to use the stone." Freja was incredibly curious about what was going on as looking at Jane''s uniform it looked like she was one of the 20 admirals of the church.
''Hope this doesn''t involve the fight in the demonnds. That would either mean it is going horribly wrong or the demons are winning. I do hope it''s thetter but.'' Freja gave it the benefit of the doubt, but for someone as strong as Jane to retreat in such a desperate manner seemed odd unless she was fighting the demon queen herself.
"I-I Okay." Jane felt like she couldn''t say no as Freja was very authoritative yet somehow also seductive at the same time. It was a weird dynamic, but Jane felt like Freja''s words wrapped around and pulled her in.
"Maids! Get Jane cleaned up and take her to the lounge."
Jane''s intuition was more on point than she realised as Freja was already putting her charms to work. Luckily for Freja Jane was not aware of her tendencies when it came to women just yet. Freja wouldn''t impose if Jane was taken, but as far as she knew Jane was single making her free reign.
Still, there was a time and ce for everything, so if the situation turned out to be something major then she would get serious. For now however, the hunter inside of her couldn''t help it.
Suddenly maids came out from behind pirs, a fact which confused Jane since said pirs were very thin and would be unable to hide the poofy maid dresses. However, before Jane could question anything the maids got work cleaning her up with magic.
She was also lifted up into the air by one of the maids and moved towards the lounge while the other maids continued to do their work. Jane was amazed by their efficiency as before she even left the throne room she was already cleaned up.
Her dirty clothes were somehow washed without her feeling a drop of water as if she had a shower in a mere couple of seconds. Distracted by the maids'' abilities, she suddenly found herself on a veryfortable couch in front of Freja.
"Amazing right? All handpicked by me." Freja saw the amazed look on Jane and couldn''t help but brag about it.
"You have a great eye, I would kill to have maids like them." Jane, being a cksmith, always found herself needing to stop to clean, but with maids like Freja there would be no reason to stop.
"Moving on, tell me what is going on in the Demonnds." Freja figured she would be blunt knowing the kind of position Jane held.
*Gulp* "Well, the Pope has revealed he can use dark magic and used it to possess one of the dead admirals. He became far stronger than we could handle, pretty much killing everyone except me and possibly 3 others, but I have no idea if they survived." Initially, Jane doubted if Freja knew of the assault on the Demonnds, but that question alone told Jane not to underestimate Freja''s intelligence.
"Shit." Freja''s attitude suddenly changedpletely. Hearing dark magic was used out in the open meant he was no longer going to hide. There were also the girls and Silver in the dungeon of which he might now be aware.
Jane stayed silent, not knowing if she should speak more as the air suddenly got tense.
"Do you know what''s going on with the demon queen?" Freja hoped that ina was the only one fighting us as no one else wouldst even a second.
"From what I know they are duelling as we speak." Jane started feeling nervous as it seemed like Freja believed there was something more going on than just a fight between leaders.
''I''m going to have to postpone breaking the barrier over the fox realm castle.'' Freja had some ns while the group was away, but it seemed like she needed to bring her attention to the Demonnds.
''System, am I able to use the item boxes to give exp boosts?'' Freja didn''t want to rush things, but things were bing desperate.
[Sorry, they cannot be used on other people that are not part of your system''swork] A ck screen appeared in front of her which only aggravated Freja.
"U-umm Freja?" Jane didn''t know what was going on, but it felt like she did something wrong.
"Oh sorry dear, just thinking things over. The mere thought of the Pope tends to unnerve me." Freja almost forgot she was with Jane.
"I really didn''t want this to happen, but he forced us all to and now half of us are already dead at his hands." Jane felt a degree of responsibility since she was technically a part of the church and hoped Freja didn''t hold it against her.
"It''s alright, you will be safe here, but frankly I need to go and help the demon queen. As strong as she is there is no way the pope is going down, especially if he is using dark magic. Even I''m not sure if we can beat him, but if we can drive him away it will be our win." Freja decided she would leave to go fight. She owed a favour to ina anyway so no better time to repay her.
"Wait, do you know anything about Himeko?" It just urred to Jane that Freja knew Himeko so there was a chance that Freja knew of Himeko''s whereabouts.
"She is alive and well and is currently in the Demonnds dungeon. I will bring her back here after I''m done so sit tight." Freja smiled, happy to share that Himeko was alive. Relief washed over Jane, but also panic since Himeko was currently in the Demonnds.
"Please do whatever you can." Jane had almost lost everything in a single day, so knowing her best friend was still alive was herst ray of hope, which only made her fear losing it as well.
"No need to ask, I got a few disciples with her so it''s in my best interest as well. If you have any questions don''t be afraid to ask the maids and they will assist you. Also, if you see any wild women walking about, don''t mind them." Freja gave Jane onest warning before vanishing on the spot. There was no more time to waste as there was no telling when us would overpower the demon queen.
Dark magic being as unpredictable as it was, a single spell could be her undoing, especially if Kluas was adept at it.
Jane felt a little overwhelmed with the sudden change in environment, but she at least felt safe. With so many big things happening in such a short time, the only thing she was sure of now was that her home was no longer safe. There was no longer anywhere she belonged.
Everything she valued was still at her smithy. Even if she left right now to go fetch things, the core of her forge could not be moved. Her city was built around a volcano that was on the east side of Elysium. She used the magma as a furnace since the metals she used needed heat beyond what most magic could offer.
''Let''s just rest, I feel exhausted.'' Jane leaned into the couch and found herself drifting. The fatigue finally caught up with her, forcing her body to shutdown on its own.
***
Appearing by the castle, Freja instantly felt where the battle between nia and us was happening. Flying through the air as fast as she could, she appeared just above the battle making her presence known and causing them to briefly pause.
"Long time no see us."
Chapter 247 Elaina Vs Klaus
ina and us stared at each other waiting for one of them to make a move. us finally revealed his true colours, no longer holding back on the use of dark magic.
ina didn''t want to get close as one wrong move could instantly cause her death. It wasn''t known exactly how it works, but the main reason for the ban on dark magic was due to it being able to instantly kill people. It was a power that nobody should wield, so there were manyws that enforced the destruction of any grimoires or any form of writings rting to it.
It was thought that everything rted was destroyed as it hadn''t been harnessed in years, but us was living proof that some knowledge still remained somewhere. Of course there had been some instances of dark magic being used throughout history, but it happened unintentionally. The only known cases were of people who were mentally ill and gave birth to negative emotions who in turn took form as dark magic.
It was not fully understood, but it was believed that dark magic uses emotions to take form. So seeing us use it so effortlessly shows how deeply ran whatever negative emotion he is feeling, which ina could only guess is hate.
"It''s a shame seeing you like this. Why do you have to go to such lengths to make everyone suffer? As far as I know, you had a great life growing up." ina wanted to get to the bottom of why us has fallen down this path. It didn''t make sense why someone who used to be so bright turned so foul and dark.
"Words are a waste of breath, don''t bother to try to understand what I''ve been through." Memories shed through us'' mind which only infuriated him. It pushed him to make the first move, disappearing into ck mist. He then appeared directly behind ina while swinging a sword made of that same pitch-ck mist.
ina blocked his sword, worried that the dark magic would destroy or corrode her own weapon, but it did nothing. The demon god''s soul in it was protecting it from getting destroyed by the dark magic, which also meant the armour she wore would at least give her ayer of protection.
She was no longer afraid of the dark magic allowing her to fight back far less restraint.
us was annoyed that the natural corrosion dark magic caused did not work so he pulled away, but as he did a hand grabbed him by the neck. ina smashed us into the ground while sting him in the face with ck mes. She also spun her axe with one hand and then swung it down trying to cut him in half.
ck mist caught the axe, preventing him from getting cut, but the impact from the axe was still felt. The bones in his body were getting crushed by the shockwave caused by the sh of axe and mist, but it wasn''t enough to do any major damage.
"Just die already bastard." ina stomped on us'' head, but just as her foot was about to make contact, a hammer made of ck mist the size of a building suddenly rammed into her from the side,unching her away from us.
Swinging her axe into the ground, she slowed herself down to regain her footing. Yet by the time her foot touched the ground, dark mist swords had already materialized around her trying to skewer her.
Just as she managed to dodge the des, us took the chance to appear in front of her and knee ina in the stomach. His knee was coated with dark magic, turning it as sharp as a de. However, ina''s armour sessfully stopped it from piercing her so she was only pushed back instead.
Although the blow did not hit that hard, the corrosion from the dark magic took a lot of blood from ina to repair. She didn''t expect it to take so much, reminding her she wasn''t as safe from dark magic as she initially thought.
"Tsk." us was irritated as he hoped that would have been the killing blow, but he overestimated his dark magic.
"Not so confident now us? Sounds like your cheat codes are not as powerful as you thought." ina tried to y it off as if his attack did almost nothing to her, trying to deter him from continuing the fight.
"Don''t think you can stop me with words. I won''t yield until I am dead." us intended to finish what he started, especially since he had already revealed his use of dark magic. He needed to act quickly before more tier 10 beings catch wind and team up to defeat him.
It was a risk he was taking, but if his n yed out smoothly then it wouldn''t matter if the whole continent fought against him.
"I shall be your death then. As I always have, I will keep protecting the continent from the shadows." ina didn''t like that her taunts were not working, but if she needed to sacrifice herself then she would. To her, the monster us is bing should not exist in this world, so if her life was the price of peace, she will dly pay it.
"If only you knew the truth..." us muttered under his breath, smiling as he pitied themon people of this world.
ina dashed while dragging her axe behind her, but before she got close to us a voice resounded in their ears.
"Long time no see us." Freja had made her appearance prompting us and ina to look up.
"Great more problems." us shook in anger as thest person he wanted to see was Freja. She was the one thorn in his side that he had been unable to pull out. He tried avoiding her by causing problems in the fox realm to keep her at bay, but it seemed ineffective.
"Freja!" ina was shocked to see Freja here since she wasn''t one to interfere unless it directly affected her.
Freja floated down to ina''s side smiling as if she was meeting an old friend.
"Good to see my master is in good health." Completely out of character, Freja addressed ina as a superior. If anyone else had heard that they would be doubting their hearing, considering Freja''s prideful nature.
"Don''t go saying that, you long surpassed your master when ites to the ck me." ina didn''t like this dynamic as Freja was now so much more adept at magic than her.
"You declined long ago to join my harem so sadly I''m yet to call you my little de-."
us was not going to sit there and listen to Freja talking about her rtionships. It disgusted him at how openly perverse Freja was, so he shot forward with his dark magic sword trying to stab her in the throat.
With the tip of her fingers, she grabbed the de,pletely unaffected by its dark magic. us looked at her in confusion, unsure how she was even standing.
"Heh~." Freja loved how us was confused as it showed just how immature his knowledge of dark magic is.
"How?!" us jumped back in pure reflex from the sudden fear that washed over his body. Seeing his attack getpletely stopped with just a few fingers terrified him, activating his fight or flight response.
"How naive of you, must mean you haven''t been using it for too long." Freja walked closer to us while conjuring up a small me on her finger. With each step, the me got darker to the point where it looked like a void.
"Freja no! I told you to never go deeper with the ck mes, it already treads the fine line of dark magic." ina knew what Freja was doing which was a very dangerous territory of magic.
Dark magic can take different forms which can be indistinguishable from a variant of an element. The ck me was an example of this, with the only thing separating it from dark magic being the type of negative emotions needed to bring forth the corruption.
Freja was someone who could control her emotions, so it was easy for her to forcefully ignite her hatred or despair.
"Do not worry ina, I''m still staying a few millimetres behind the line." Freja understood ina''s concerns, but she wouldn''t have been able to stop the de any other way. Dark magic was a counter to itself, so only by being tantalisingly close to the edge would she be able to stop us from using its corrosion.
"Tch, just some party trick then."
Freja''s words only made us more infuriated since to him it all seemed to be a facade. There was no way Freja was able to harness dark magic without crossing that line.
"Don''t get cocky now, I have had plenty of practice with that nice barrier over the Fox Realm pce." Revealing where she was able to practice, it all clicked inside us'' head.
"No wonder you haven''te out of your forest bitch." He couldn''t believe that his own magic was used against him, but now it was impossible to deny. He now had to Kill Freja here, otherwise she will literally be the death of him.
"Why thank you~ I put a lot of effort into learning everything I could." While speaking Freja took a few steps back to see what us would do. It was also for her own safety as in reality she couldn''t freely use her void me as there was a high chance of killing herself.
"Katarina, take over for me." us'' eyes suddenly became void of life for a few moments before they returned. However, his demeanorpletely changed, taking a more feminine posture.
"Careful ina, we could be up against a god." Freja didn''t know what kind of possession it was, but with us so entrenched in dark magic it wouldn''t surprise her that some evil being just entered his body.
"Hoho~ how perceptive of you." A female voice came out of us'' mouth which was very jarring, but it only proved Freja''s words.
"A god? How?" ina knew of gods possessing objects, the demon weapons being living proof, but a human body? The soul would be destroyed alongside the body as the power of a god is impossible to contain.
"No questions, just fight." Katarina moved even faster than the pope, bing a blur even to Freja''s eyes.
Freja pulled out a thin ck sword adorned with ck gems just barely in time to block a strike she couldn''t even see.
"No holding back it seems." For the first time in a while, Freja felt threatened.
"Please, entertain me."
Chapter 248 Driving The Dark God Back
Freja and ina stood beside each other with their weapons drawn, ready to attack. They both covered their weapons in ck mes with Freja also adding a bit of blood to the mix. She coated a thinyer over her sword allowing it to extend additional des of blood.
"Freja do keep in mind my attacks are quite explosive." ina didn''t want to identally hit Freja with one of her charged attacks.
"Don''t worry about me." Freja already knew what the weapon did thanks to her system, but still appreciated the heads up.
"You twoing or what? I''m already getting bored." Katarina was examining us'' body, trying to get used to moving since it wasn''t her own.
"How dare we waste a god''s precious time. How about we help by sending you to the underworld where you will have all the time in the world to count the screams." Freja said as she initiated the attack with a simple sh to test the waters.
Without even looking Katarina blocked the blow with just her hand as she yawnedzily.
"Is that all you got?" Katarina was thoroughly unimpressed, making her wonder why us even switched in the first ce.
"Tch, don''t be so confident." A blood de aimed at Katarina''s face shot out but was stopped with her other hand.
"I''d say take your own advice!" Katarina hated Freja''s attitude as it oozed arrogance and blind confidence in herself. She should be terrified, not purposely trying to defy a god.
Katarina kicked Freja in the stomach, almost breaking us'' leg out of sheer power. Freja wasunched back, but ina extended her arm for Freja to hold onto. Using that momentum they spun around redirecting Freja back at Katarina.
Freja spun in the air creating a drill shape with her ck mes. Trying to enhance her mes as much as it would allow her, her mes got so hot the ground around her began to melt.
"When will you understand that my power is beyond yourprehension." Katarina was getting sick of attacks that would do absolutely nothing to her. However, she forgot that she is in a normal human body, so she was limited to what it could handle.
Holding her hands out to directly stop Freja''s attack, she misguidedly took the attack full on. us''s bones made dangerous sounds as his flesh was getting burnt away. Although she didn''t feel the pain, if she held the attack for any longer she would no longer have a body to possess.
So she tried redirecting Freja''s attack while moving away before shepletely lost her arms.
"Tch."
"Looking a little hot there." Freja was taking the chance to provoke Katarina whenever she got it. The bacsh from her attack has thrown her back a tad, so she desided to distract the prideful god instead.
"Shut u-." Katarina tried to respond, but was cut off when ina appeared from behind her, spinning her axe. Using the t side of it, she swung it like a baseball bat sending Katarina flying into Freja.
Using her free hand Freja grabbed Katarina''s face and smashed it into the ground. Freja then concentrated all of her mes into her hand, sting Katarina''s face.
While Freja was burning Katarina''s face, she used her other hand to wield her sword. She then etched a circle on us'' body putting some sort of hex on him.
After the circle was finished Freja jumped away, letting ina who wasing from above do one big swing right into Katarina''s chest. This by far was her most powerful hit so far as she spent roughly 20 seconds spinning in the air in order to make her axe as hot as the sun.
She was barely even able to wield the handle for how hot it was, but the armour she wore kept her safe from the overbearing heat. The surrounding environment however, werepletely turned to ash in a 1000 metre radius.
Katarina wasn''t holding up too well as us'' face was now gone and the heat from the axe was at work disintegrating the rest of his body.
ina''s axe finally made contact with us'' body, causing cracks in the earth to extend out over 100 metres, but that was nothingpared to the centre point, where the crack ran so deep that magma erupted. us'' body was consumed by the magma leaving no sign of Katarina.
It was as if she stopped possessing his body as soon as Freja got a hold of her.
"ina get back!" Freja had retreated to the air a fair distance away, and now with a bird''s eye view she had noticed something.
A ck pool was forming where us'' body was and Freja didn''t know if it was a dark magic spell or if his body itself actually turned into dark magic after being destroyed. Nheless, Freja wanted ina to get away quickly in case things take a turn for the worst.
ina, using her bat wings, flew in the air to join Freja who was straight-up levitating.
"I will never understand how you fly."
"I''ll tell youter, but I fear the battle is far from over." It was rather simple how she flew but now wasn''t the time. The ck swirl in theva was getting bigger with each passing second. It didn''t give off any mana reading, but Freja definitely felt something fill the air.
It was like the cold breath of death brushed over them causing their hair to stand up.
"I thought my sealing circle would have some effect, but it seems like it doesn''t apply to dark magic." Exining what she etched into us'' body, Freja hoped it would prevent him from using any skills that may get him out of the situation.
"So that''s what you did. I think it''s better to call it a mana seal since dark magic is emotion and all. I don''t think such magic for sealing someone''s emotions exists, unless they are brainwashed." ina liked Freja''s idea, but it seemed like it was too little to impact the current situation.
While they were talking, a ck sludge suddenly emerged from the magma sucking it all into its own body.
"What the fuck is this?" Freja didn''t know how to fight this thing that was, as from what she could see, made of pure dark magic. There was no way she would be able to get close without bing a lifeless husk.
"ina, I don''t like our chances." Freja tried to think of a way out, but depending on how this thing acted, there wasn''t any viable solution.
"Hang on it, doesn''t look like it will fight." ina enhanced her vision with demon essence which allowed her to see even mana particles. A golden light she had never seen before was beaming into the sky, bending in the direction of the human territory.
"What do you see?" Freja saw the slight pink glow in ina''s eyes.
"I think it is preparing a teleport, but it''s using mana the likes of which I''ve never seen before. I think it could be divine magic." It was only an assumption, but considering the fact they fought a god just now, it didn''t seem too far off.
"Interesting." Freja was greatly intrigued by the divine magic and thought maybe she could try to harness it.
A few momentster and the ck sludge suddenly vanished in a blink into thin air, leaving no traces behind.
***
Deep underground the ck sludge appeared in a confined room slowly melting away. It evaporated into nothingness, slowly revealing a bodypletely covered in burns.
"Wake up us!" Katarina''s voice echoed inside his mind forcing him to wake up. Gasping for air, he regained his bearings, realising he no longer was in the Demon Lands.
"Argh fuck!" Feeling the pain kick in from the burns, he wondered how the hell this happened. He let a god possess his body, but instead of defeating ina and Freja, he got 3rd-degree burns.
"Your body is too weak for me to use. I tried using divine magic, but your body is so pitiful that I couldn''t even conjure up a spell." It was aplete waste of Katarina''s time and only served as an embarrassment.
"You said you could bitch! How was I supposed to know you would be useless if you took over my body." us did not want to take any shit from Katarina who told him it would be okay.
"Hmph, I didn''t think the constitution of a human would be so weak. If it was any other race I would have been fine." Katarina had done possessions before, but it had always been on other races who tend to be stronger.
"Then why don''t you fuck off then?!" us took it as an insult as he spent countless hours preparing himself, but now that chance was ruined. The whole continent is going to find out what he has been doing causing a war.
"Do you think I can go anywhere? You are the only person that can even wield this cursed power, now stop sobbing and get moving."Katarina had enough of us'' attitude so she wanted him to hurry up and move forward with the n, not that he had any other choice.
"Whatever, I will get on with the summoning and you will give me the real Katarina back."
"A deal is a deal after all."
Chapter 249 No Brakes
While the chaos outside wasing to an end, the group in the dungeon had made some serious progress. With Luna being able to constantly cure their fatigue and refuel their energy, they could keep fighting until she ran out of mana.
The only issue the group ran into was having to wait for monsters to spawn which only got worse as they got stronger. Their levels now exceed 350 which was ready for tier 7, but due to how long it takes to evolve they were still tier 6.
Even though their level capped out at 350, thankfully the system still stored any extra exp gained so that when they finally evolved it would automatically level them up.
They also made sure that everyone was at the same level so there wouldn''t be a gap when they were levelling.
[Shaman]
Level 207 -> 350 (+30)
[Silver]
Level 207 -> 350 (+30)
[Elysia]
208 -> 350 (+30)
[ra]
208 -> 350 (+30)
[nor]
Level 206 -> 350 (+30)
Currently the group was taking a break while Luna checked on the dungeon door to see if they could leave.
"Has some of your power returned Himeko?" ra was sitting next to Himeko catching up on small things as well as informing her about how it was going with the three-way rtionship.
"I would say I''m about to break through to tier 9, but I have no idea how long it will take since I am currently using mana to fight. If I was cooped up in the cave for a week I think I would have been back by now, but this is the first time I have done this so there is no telling when exactly I''ll make a full recovery." Himeko could only give a rough estimation as it had been years since she was tier 8 making it hard to gauge her own level.
"Maybe we could give Himeko a system." Shaman overheard what ra and Himeko were talking about giving Shaman the idea.
"Are you sure? I feel like she doesn''t need it, unlike me." nor sat across from Shaman worried that the system may stunt Himeko''s growth.
"It''s not a matter of needing it, but I feel like she will just benefit from it. She doesn''t even need to stay in our group since there is no restriction as long as she doesn''t betray us." Shaman took inspiration from Freja in how she used her system. It was used as a tool to enhance the people around her, so she thought that giving Himeko a system would just make her stronger.
"Doesn''t sound like a bad idea, but is she even eligible let alone allowed? I swear there was some restriction on it." Elysia liked the idea, but she remembered something about the conditions when she first got the system.
[It is up to Shaman to decide the conditions for Himeko since Shaman technically can control the system contract details. However, I still have to approve the terms as I can already see you taking full advantage of that.] Rea had never bothered to borate on grant system skill since the terms were already quite fair.
"That would have been nice to know... But I guess I never really read it after giving it to Elysia." Shaman felt like Rea should have said something, but at the same time, Shaman never bothered with it as there were no reasons to.
[I believe I said something that in the future you could manipte it more, but that was months ago now.] Rea couldn''t recall it too well, but she was sure she left some disimer.
"Oh well, good thing we know now since it may need some changing for Himeko." Elysia opened up her system and briefly skimmed the conditions. There were some conditions that were a bit restrictive which would make it very difficult for Himeko.
"Although it doesn''t matter to us, I can see the max distance being an issue for her, although I don''t know how far that is." Silver was looking through his system contract and the maxim distance they can be away from Shaman is 50,000 km
[Uhhh unless Himeko achieves space travel then that is impossible to reach. This is just the maximum range that the system can handle.] Rea didn''t think that they would ever reach that distance so it was a rather negligible restriction and was more of an FYI note from Rea.
"Now that I am looking at it, there really isn''t much to change. The only thing worth changing is extending the period of time in which she mustmunicate to at least a year and removing the need to meet physically every few months." Shaman understood why these conditions were there, just in case that the person she gave a system to ran off with it. Without thatmunication then there was no way of knowing if said person would betray Shaman.
However, it would be rather inconvenient to do it regrly with Himeko who could end up being gone for a few months at a time.
"We need to see what she will do first since there isn''t a home for her to go back to." Elysia realised that Himeko no longer has a ce to stay, so there was a high chance of her staying with them.
"I don''t mind Himeko joining, her tanking abilities are amazing which is something we kinda need." nor had grown to like Himeko in the short time being with her, not to mention her contributions in battle. It was quite often that Himeko would jump in to protect nor when things got a littleplicated.
"Let''s ask once we are out of here since it''s ultimately her decision." Shaman felt they were getting a little too ahead of themselves as there was no telling what Himeko will do. Freja might have some ns for her which Shaman didn''t want to get in the way of.
"Sounds good, it also looks like Luna is back." Elysia spotted Luna walking back down the dungeon stairs with a rather disappointed look.
"Any updates on the door?!" Shaman waited for Luna to get closer before yelling.
"Sadly no, so let''s go kill the boss." Stress was building for Luna as they had been in the dungeon for well over 2 hours now. The only hope she had was the fact Issac''s wall didn''t disintegrate meaning he was alive.
"Anything we should keep in mind, miss healer?" Himeko wanted to know any details as it would dictate how she would approach tanking. If it was arge monster then she would have to go all-out on defence, but if it is a nimble monster then she''d choose a counter-attacking style.
"The boss can take 2 forms. One is a giant molten human with very destructive attacks, the other will be our size making him a condensed monster of pure magma. You will see what I mean when we get there." Luna figured showing would be better than telling as both forms differed greatly in how they attack, so they wouldn''t know what to prepare for until they got to the boss''s room.
"Is everyone ready then?" Himeko figured they had rested enough so the sooner they moved on the better.
"If you need, I can cast a rejuvenation spell." Luna wanted everyone to be at their best, especially since the boss is quite a jump in power from the regr monsters.
"We should all be okay." Shaman looked around checking for herself if anyone needed anything, but everyone was ready to go.
"Let''s get going then, the entrance to the boss room is at the peak of the tallest volcano here." Luna pointed her staff to the corner of the dungeon space where there was a mountain-sized volcano. Even though it was only a dormant volcano, it still made the boss encounter plenty intimidating.
"Hope it doesn''t erupt." ra said out loud what the entire group was thinking.
"Don''t say that!" Elysia now felt like a curse fell upon them guaranteeing that it will erupt once they get there.
"Haha, don''t panic. It won''t erupt unless the boss goes berserk so just kill him fast enough before that happens." Luna saw the teasing potential so she lied that the boss could cause an eruption.
"Should we even be fighting it then?" Shaman wasn''t so confident anymore as it sounded like the boss could instantly kill them.
"Don''t worry I should be able to protect you all since I can use magma." Himeko didn''t panic at all since one of her main elements was magma. This put everyone at ease, but Luna pouted as Himeko swatted away her teasing attempt.
With nothing else left to be said, the group traversed through the volcands towards the boss. They encountered a few groups of enemies, but at this point, it was a rinse-and-repeat form.
Himeko would keep their attention while the others took down a monster each. At this point it took them no more than 10 seconds to clear, and so it wasn''t long until they reached the foot of the volcano.
"Didn''t know climbing was a part of it." Silver thought there would have been some kind of path leading to the top, but there was nothing of the sort.
"Better get climbing, plus you have me so let me know as soon as you need a spell." Luna giggled as Silver''s reaction was rather adorable.
"I hope this goes quickly." Silver couldn''t reallyin as Luna literally made it impossible for them to be exhausted.
Chapter 250 Demonic Core
After 30 minutes of constant climbing, they finally made it to the peak of the volcano.
"Now we just jump in." Luna looked into the hole which was extremely deep with no bottom in sight. The group took a nce at the hole, making them all question if it even is the boss room.
"Can''t I just use ice magic to create a slide down?" Shaman did not want to just jump in without having a way to stop herself.
"Ah don''t worry about it, you will live." Luna suddenly pushed everyone and herself with water, giving no warning whatsoever.
"AHHHHHH!" Elysia and ra instinctively wrapped their arms around Shaman, almost choking her. Silver and nor were falling side by side searching for a way to brace their fall. However, Silver could not enter any shadows since he needed solid ground. He could technically hide on nor''s body, but it felt wrong for him so he opted to just fall.
Himeko caught on to what Luna was trying to do, as just before she pushed everyone, Himeko saw a mischievous grin.
"Shaman! use your ice?" Elysia was helpless in this situation thanks to her only knowing how to destroy or kill things, but not how to protect herself. ra was much the same with no real skills that will brace a fall.
"Sto-op sh-shaking me th-then!" Shaman was being thrown around by two people desperately trying to get her to do something, but now she was dizzy and unable to concentrate.
It would be toote as they were about to hit the ground. Elysia and ra shut their eyes not wanting to watch their approaching demise, while Shaman only just got her bearings back.
Just as their faces were a few metres from collision, blue slime covered the ground creating a pillow. The group, who were expecting to hit solid ground ended up being embraced by something soft instead.
Bouncing up into the hair, ra and Elysia opened their eyes, realising that they were now going back up.
"What the hell?" ra looked down seeing the blue slime which had braced their fall. At first, she thought it was a monster that was going to eat them. Now however, she noticed it was directly connected to Luna''s staff, which was lodged into the ground nearby.
After bouncing a few times, they sunk into the slime as if it was a couch. Shaman was in a daze now being crushed by ra and Elysia instead of being choked.
nor and Silvernded nicely on the slime since the former used her wind just before hitting the ground.
Luna and Himeko quickly got up as they were now in the boss'' territory.
"That was uncalled for!" Elysia protested as she genuinely thought she was going to be either severely injured or dead.
"You can yell all you wantter, the boss could appear anywhere." Luna dispelled the slime causing them all to fall to the ground except for nor and Silver.
The two of them were in the process of getting up, but nor wasn''t expecting her support to just disappear so she almost fell back. Silver caught her hand and pulled her up, saving her from falling. The same couldn''t be said for the other three as now Shaman was on the verge of passing out from being crushed by 2 girls.
"I would move if I were you, it looks like your girlfriend is going to pass out from too much ass." Luna noticed that Shaman hadn''t responded in a while and was a little worried that she was being crushed.
"Oh?" Elysia and ra looked down at Shaman whose eyes were rolling back while mumbling something.
"At least I can say I died by ass~...." Shaman epted that she may not make it out alive, but she was smothered to death by her loved ones. However, today wouldn''t be the day of her death as she was finally freed.
"Shaman!" Elysia gave Shaman a light p in the face to wake her up which seemed to do the trick.
*Cough* *Cough* "Huh? What? I thought I died?" Shaman looked around trying to get her bearings as she had no recollection of what happened in thest few minutes.
"Ahhaha, sorry we kind of freaked out and almost killed you." ra came clean straight away. Although ''killed'' was an exaggeration, it certainly felt like they were getting close to it.
"It wasn''t too bad, ahem, anyway where are we?" Shaman didn''t care about what happened and was more concerned about where they were.
"Boss room." Himeko kept a lookout while they gathered themselves, so she kept the exnation brief.
"Oh" Hearing that they were in the boss room instantly brought Shaman out of her confused daze. She stood up pulling out Kotetsu and kept alert as they could be attacked at any moment.
"d that we are catching up." Luna started to regret her choice of toying with them since she didn''t think it would disorganise them this much. However, the boss hadn''t appeared yet so it wasn''t a big deal, albeit still stressful.
Everyone pulled out their weapons, ready for the boss to appear and expecting something to happen.
"This isn''t right, he should have crawled out of the ground by now." Luna scanned the area with her mana but wasn''t able to find any traces of the boss.
"Could someone have killed it before us?" Himeko knew it was unlikely, but other people could have possibly been in the dungeon.
"There is a chance, but we have been in here for 2 hours already. It makes no sense that they would still be down here." Luna didn''t disregard the chance of there being people, but who? Almost everyone who was tier 7 and above was called to the capital.
"Could it be one of the admirals from the human side?" nor threw a random idea out there which was surprisingly more likely than it being any demon.
"That would be stupid. Wouldn''t theye after us while we were still weak?" Elysia instantly denied the idea, why would they let them grind out the dungeon before fighting?
"They might not have known we are here and or have even been too busy fighting the boss." Shaman wanted to entertain the idea since it very well could be the case.
"Hold on, I see something." Himeko, who watched the back of the group, spotted a light appear in the distance.
"There! Mana ising from that light." Luna looked over and focused her mana sense directly on the light to increase her maximum range.
"Careful everyone! We don''t know if it is the boss or not." Himeko didn''t like how abnormal the situation was, so she wanted everyone to be prepared for anything.
"I''m sensing something odd It is definitely the boss, but it feels stronger somehow." Luna couldn''t put her finger on it and would need to see the boss itself to get a better idea.
The light became closer now forming the shape of a human. It was definitely the small variant of the boss, but the magma in its body was purple.
"Demon essence?" Luna couldn''t sense it since there was no way to actually measure it, but she knew what it looked like.
"What?" No one in the group knew what demon essence was, including ra who was a demon. She knew there was some other energy in her, but didn''t know the name for it.
"It''s something all demons have and it looks like our boss here has somehow found a way to use it. I swear there was an order to constantly clear this dungeon to prevent any mutations." Luna exined about an interesting detail that no one heard of before.
"Mutations?" Shaman wanted to know more as she was aware of dungeons having differences sometimes, but mutations soundedpletely different.
"It only urs in certain dungeons like these. If they''re left unchallenged for a prolonged time, then their boss will change in a drastic way. It is something you would normally not have to worry about since those dungeons are managed by the local governments." Himeko gave the exnation as she had helped with the tier 8 dungeon in the fox realm for a favour.
"That makes sense, but I feel like this was nned." This dungeon sitting directly under the capital, Shaman would have thought this would never happen so clearly this was not coincidental.
"It has to be, the elite squad have been given leave from dungeon clearing for a while, so I know exactly who is responsible." A list of suspects appeared in Luna''s head, which she would need to deal with after they got out.
"Any tips? We can figure out who''s responsibleter." Elysia did not like how close the boss was getting and yet they still haven''t done anything.
"Oh, right you guys are not demons. The boss will most likely regenerate its health as well as have stronger attacks. Think of it as him having a stronger version of mana, but much more expensive. However, It looks like the molten core is now a demonic core, meaning he now has an infinite source of demonic essence." Luna now had a better look at the boss which made the core in its chest much more obvious. The red gem became infected with purple now making its primary source of energy demonic essence.
"Now we don''t have any more time so do as we did with the monsters outside, just make sure you coordinate your attacks and STAY CLEAR of any attack from the boss. I''m sure turning into fried half-beasts is not on your bucket list." There was no more information Luna could give, so with her done Himeko charged forward to start the boss battle.
Chapter 251 Surprisingly Effective
Himeko swung her great sword into the boss to see the kind of defence it had and if it was even safe to touch. The boss did not move at all, taking the full force of Himeko''s attack. Turns out however, that it didn''t need to move at all as it came outpletely unharmed.
Instead, Himeko''s mes caused a reaction with the demonic magma. As it came in contact with Himeko''s mes, the boss''s chest started bubbling like it was about to explode at any second. Not taking any chances she pulled away her great sword while creating a magma shield in front of her.
And not a moment too soon. Just as she expected the boss exploded like a volcano, releasing purple magma rapidly from its chest. The heat was so great that the floor around the boss turned into a magma pool, making it impossible to approach without protection.
Luna quickly cast her support shield on Himeko. This was demonic essence they were dealing with, so she wanted to make sure Himeko was fully protected.
Magma flew left and right inside the empty volcano, lighting it up with an orange glow. While it did help reveal the darker parts of the volcano''s interior, the group would have rather made do with less lethal lighting.
Once the magma stoppeding out of the boss Himeko let go of her crumbling magma shield and jumped into the air. Phoenix wings came out from her back which was something she didn''t want to show, but hiding it would only make it harder for her. The boss on the other hand dimmed down as if it was out of batteries.
It stood still, slowly getting brighter as it recharged its power, giving Himeko a chance toe up with some sort of n.
"Phoenix wings? It can''t be. Himeko The phoenix admiral of the human territory that KILLED THE PHOENIX!!!" Luna finally realised who Himeko was. The only reason she didn''t recognise her earlier was the fact that this Himeko was tier 8, not tier 10. Himeko was also presumed dead, so Luna thought it would be impossible for someone dead to appear in the Demon Lands.
Everyone else became worried, not knowing if Luna would turn against them. They didn''t know how much she knew of Himeko''s situation, but now they needed to see what Luna will do.
"Ahhhh whatever, now isn''t the time. The fact she is weaker means something must have happened." Luna became very distrustful of the group, but right now if she didn''t help there was a high chance of all of them dying. She also wasn''t a good fighter, so despite the group being of a lower tier they would still pose a challenge for her.
Everyone was relieved to hear Luna wouldn''t stop helping, although they would still have to exin themselvester.
Himeko had no idea this was going on and was still trying to create an opportunity for them to attack. That proved difficult as magma still surrounded the boss, making it rather tricky to get close unless you had some form of flight.
Technically someone like nor or Shaman could levitate, but they would run out of mana quicker than they could kill the boss.
''Let''s see if I can use the magma against the boss.'' Himeko didn''t know how demonic essence interacted with mana, but she hoped by inserting her own magma into the mix she could take control or influence it.
The boss was slowly beginning to move again as its dimmed body was almost back to its lit state.
Himeko lowered herself just above the magma and then stabbed her greatsword into the ground. Once it was firmly stuck in ce, she channelled her mana into her sword. Magma flowed out of her sword and mixed with the magma around it as Himeko tested her ability to wrestle its control from the boss.
An electric shock shot back through the sword burning the palm of her hand. Instantly stopping the takeover, she pulled out her greatsword and flew back into the air. Luna healed the burn mark straight away as she realised what Himeko tried to do.
"Don''t bother! Demonic essence is so much more potent that it will only backfire unless you can use demonic essence yourself!" Hearing the exnation as to why it didn''t work, Himeko scratched her head wondering what to do.
''Looks like we are going the Elysia route.'' Himeko didn''t want to go too much on the offensive, but in order to allow the group to make a move she needed to cause some havoc.
Before the boss finished regenerating Himeko charged up her sword causing mes to burst out.
"Take cover!" Not knowing exactly where the magma wouldnd, all she could do was warn them.
nor took the initiative to create a wooden wall protecting everyone. Luna joined in, coating with water type protective magic so it wouldn''t burn as soon as it touched the magma.
Everyone hugged the wall just as Himeko swung her great-sword, creating a sh in the shape of a phoenix. The phoenix crashed into the boss in a blinding explosion. The magma that surrounded it was sted away creating space for the others.
"Now!" hearing its safe toe out, nor dispelled her barrier. As the group rushed towards the boss, Silver took the chance to head towards the shadows. This made him a lot faster than everyone else, giving him the first attack.
However, instead of attacking he created shadow restraints to keep the boss still. Going all out, he covered its body with so many shackles that even the magma could barely get out.
nor joined to help restrain the boss. With the magma pushed back, she could finally call on roots from under the ground to trap the boss''s feet. nor then backed off and used her wind to boost the others'' speed. Luna followed up with a buff to the trios'' magic hoping that it would be enough to kill the boss.
The three of them all attacked at once aiming for the core of the boss hoping their conjoined attack would destroy it.
They used Elysia to harness Shaman and ra''s elements on her spear. It was something they hadn''t tried before, but on paper, it sounded like a great idea.
Shaman used her ice and stardust together to create a new sub-element of the two. It wasn''t an official element the system recognised, but thebination caused Rea to create a new category in Shaman''s element list.
[Elements]
Ice - Tier 6
Stardust - Tier 6
[Sub elements]
Gxy Ice (Ice + Stardust) - Tier 6
Shaman didn''t know it yet, but shebined her elements to the point where they became one. Before, she would just use them together, but never actually managed tobine them. The closest she got was when she coated her sword in ice and then Stardust, but they were still separated inyers.
With this new element, the dust turned into tiny shards of ice which were harder to melt. This worked greatly in their favour as the ice served to conduct and even enhance ra''s lighting.
Shaman''s Gxy ice swirled around Elysia''s spear with ra''s lighting shing through it.
ra and Shaman then backed off to a safe distance after fusing their elements with Elysia''s spear.
Elysia then stabbed right into the core of the boss causing a small shockwave from the elemental reaction. The ice caused the core to sizzle while ra''s lighting made the core erupt.
Elysia thought things were going well until suddenly she was pushed away by an invisible force. She looked at the boss confused, but she realised that the boss was pulsating with a purple light. She assumed it was the demonic essence that actually pushed her back.
"Get back!" Luna didn''t like the look of the boss as now its entire body was fueled with demonic essence.
Everyone listened with Himeko standing before the group, ready to block any sort of attack. The boss shined with the purple light turning brighter with each pulse. Eventually, it released all the demonic energy up into the air all at once, creating beams of light. The streaks of light took on a familiar shape as they converged into a demonic face. Luna stared in disbelief as she shook and fell to her knees.
"No way It has a demonic god inside it." The face of lights was the mark of a demonic god. It was usually seen on weapons as a sign of warning, but the boss had actually be a god in and of itself.
Shaman and the group were used to this as many of the dungeon bosses they faced held a weapon rting to these demon gods.
"Looks like the demon history I know is lost." ra thought Luna would know about these weapons being hidden in various dungeons, but from her reaction, it was clear she had no idea. This made ra want to know what the Demon queen knew as surely she would have some knowledge of it.
"Doesn''t matter, all I know is that we need to seal it back from whence it came." Shaman didn''t know how they were going to do it, but it was what needed to be done.
"First let''s see what it''s doing." Elysia saw the beams of light changing meaning its transformation was nearing its end.
The beams of light retracted back into the boss and caused it to grow in size as well as form a weapon. A purple spear formed in its hand, which it wielded with confidence. The boss''s bodynguage changed drastically, as if it was a normal human now, no longer acting like some mindless zombie.
Luna could only assume it was the god taking over and she was terrified by it. She wanted to run from this being said to be beyond any mortalprehension. What she didn''t know was that it was limited to the power of the wielder, so right now the boss was only as strong as a tier 8 leader.
"Get it together Luna! We either fight it ory down and die, take your pick!" Himeko was ready to go head-to-head with the boss, but she would need Luna to keep her alive. Luna woke up from her somewhat irrational fear, so she got up from the ground and clenched her staff.
"F-fine, but at this point none of my tips are of any help." Luna''s hand shook, but Himeko was right, now wasn''t the time to sumb under pressure.
Chapter 252 Clara’s Demonic Form
The boss stood still with the spear in its hand while purple light filled the cracks in between the rocks that made his body. Once every single gap was filled, its body seemingly activated. Spinning the spear in its hand, it leaned back, getting into a fighting stance.
The boss was at least a metre taller than everyone, but this didn''t matter to Himeko as it just gave her a bigger target to hit.
Himeko charged in like usual, keeping the attention on herself to allow the group to set up for an attack.
Himeko and the boss shed their weapons together, creating small shockwaves with each hit. If it was anyone else, the amount of force behind each swing would have been enough to shatter their arms, but Himeko held strong with no arms being shattered.
Silver, who has yet to exit the shadows since restraining the boss, decided to make use of the element of surprise as he deployed his shadow domain from which he could fire off shadow weapons.
From high on the volcano''s wall, a hammer double the size of the boss fell towards it with great force. The boss, noticing the approaching danger swung upwards, which proved meaningless as his spear pierced nothing but air.
Shadows were not physical objects, and only a magic-infused attack could hit a magical phenomena. The boss, unfortunately, had just swung normally without infusing anything into the strike. Himeko jumped back as the hammer smashed down on the boss'' body which was filled to the brim with magic and demonic essence.
The body of the boss was crushed, but that wasn''t nearly enough to kill it. Once the shadow hammer dissipated, its body rebuilt itself back to normal in a matter of seconds. Once it returned to normal the boss coated its spear in a purple me as if it learnt right away how to counter Silver.
To experiment, Silver shot out a bunch of smaller hammers towards the boss at very high speeds.
The boss spun its spear above its head destroying all the hammers easily without letting a single one get close. With Silver''s element of surprise now gone, he also now needed to be a bit more creative with his attacks if he wanted them tond.
Himeko jumped right back into exchanging blows with the boss. Taking advantage of the distraction, Shaman and nor were the next ones to try something. Running along an ice tform in the air which Shaman created under her feat, nor followed her closely behind.
Shaman noticed that with them being in an inactive volcano it was a lot cooler, allowing her to use her ice much more freely.
While running along the ice, nor created wind grenades with her dual fans. Swinging them at the boss with her fans, they cut through the air hitting the boss directly on its side. It did not do a lot, but she did manage to take out small chunks which was better than nothing.
Once they were behind the boss, Shaman jumped off the ice tform followed by nor.
Shaman coated Kotetsu in her new gxy ice, fueling it with a lot of mana to create as many shards as she could. nor created a gust of wind behind Shaman to try and make her fast enough that the boss wouldn''t have time to react.
Shaman flew straight at the boss'' back, shing down as if she was aet. The boss tried to turn around, but Himeko made sure she kept up her assault, forcing the boss to keep its back turned to Shaman.
Kotetsu was able to cut through the rock with ease, and wherever Shaman cut, flowers made of ice shards were left behind. On the outside, it looked like fragile unassuming flowers, but underneath its icy petals the flowers were rooting themselves into the boss'' body, cooling the magma.
This made a significant change in the boss, turning his fast movements into sluggish ones.
Elysia and Himeko took advantage of the slower movements aiming for the core. The boss was unable to block any of their attacks so they jumped in the air aiming to deliver the finishing strike. However, just as the tips of their weapon touched the core, a pulse pushed them back.
The invisible energy once again stopped them from doing any damage which was rather frustrating.
Suddenly the boss burst purple mes out of its body, reheating itself. The ice in its body melted right away alongside the flowers on its back.
Being back to square one, they needed a way to attack the core fast enough as well as do enough damage. Shaman considered trying to create a massive ice spear behind the boss once it was cooled, but she worried the boss would respond with his mes now that he was aware of the danger.
Additionally, they only had a 5-second window before it undoes her ice and returns back to normal, which would not be enough time for Shaman to set up such an attack.
"Shaman! Do that again, I think I might be able to kill it." ra had an idea although she wasn''t sure if it would work. After returning to the Demonnds she found that just being there was fueling her with demonic energy. She didn''t understand why, but she felt like this was what she was always missing to properly use her demon powers.
Every time she would go to use her powers, there wasn''t enough demonic essence to maintain it for more than 10 seconds. She did get better with a bit of practice, but it felt like she was missing something.
"Got it! Give us a minute!" Shaman once again ran around the boss with nor on an ice tform waiting for an opportunity.
Himeko kept its attention, now needing to distract him away from Elysia as well. There was nothing else for her to do really, so she opted to be even more of a pesky fly to the boss. She would constantly try to trip up the boss as it attacked her, trying to create that opportunity for Shaman.
Silver also joined in by constantly sending shadow weapons of different kinds at the boss, dividing its attention even more.
It was bing hard for the boss to handle everyone and an opportunity was starting to show itself. Shaman decided to go for it hoping ra was ready, but her attempt would instantly be halted.
Pirs of purple mes shot out of the ground, nearly singeing Shaman''s tail. The tform of ice Shaman and nor were standing on melted away, causing them to fall to the ground.
Silver, who wasn''t affected by the pirs of fire, quickly moved underneath nor and Shaman, picking them up into his shadow. Taking them a safe distance away, the two girls came out of the shadows rushing back towards the boss.
Elysia and Himeko who were at the front were almost hit by the mes as well, but luckily for them they noticed the iing danger in time.
There were clear holes in the ground like air ducts which glowed purple just before the mes came.
Luna was far and away out of range from the boss, but she was still constantly casting resistance and protection spells both on the group and herself. She tried to time her spells for when the group needed them as each cast did notst for long. It was the best way to conserve her mana since casting long-term buffs costs too much mana, mana she wanted to save in the case there''s a need for a major healing spell.
''Damn it looks like the boss won''t allow anyone to get close now.'' ra doubted that they would be able to replicate the early attacks, which wasn''t a good sign. It was evident that Himeko was getting tired with Luna being the only reason she hasn''t exhausted herself yet.
''Fuck just use it ra.'' Luna was growing frustrated with ra, who was hesitant in transforming, worried that if things did not go as nned she would be out of the fight. Thest thing she wanted was for everyone to worry about her safety in such a dangerous situation.
However, she needed to try no matter what the consequences would be.
Letting her demonic essence flow, her body began to transform ever so slightly. Her nails became longer, turning into small fiery-red knives. Her purple horns reverted back to their original red colour as well as her eyes.
Her body took on traits of a vampire like fangs and bat wings while her pupils narrowed into small slits. A thin slick ck tail with a spade at the end grew out of ra''s back which signified another part of her bloodline.
Luna saw the transformation, which left her in awe as what she saw was a pure demon. No one other than the demon queen had a transformation like that, which was part of the reason why she was the queen in the first ce.
Luna had so many questions, but all her demon instincts were telling her to support ra. Applying every offensive buff she could, Luna almost identally overused her mana.
"This feels a lot better than I thought." ra felt emboldened as if she was above everyone else, but transcending even that was the feeling of unbridled power. Inbination with Luna''s buffs, she felt like one swipe from her could destroy anything.
"Let''s see how long I canst." ra didn''t feel like she was pushing herself unlike before which was odd, but it only proved to her that demonic essence was flowing into her from the environment allowing her to stay in a transformed state.
Chapter 253 Sealing Another Demon
ra dashed past Himeko and Elysia which took them by surprise. They hadn''t seen ra transform, so suddenly seeing a demon dash past them left them confused wondering who might that be.
ra had retracted her whips so she could use them as swords. Her own movement was too fast for her to use whips so she opted to use the sword form of her whips des. She hadn''t used this form too often since she preferred using whips, they also wouldn''t be enough to destroy the core so she had to switch anyway.
The boss tried to defend itself by shooting purple mes from its core directly at ra, but she was able to easily dodge them. Once she was close to the boss'' body, ra fueled her swords with demonic essence evolving her usual purple lighting into pure red lighting.
Stabbing into the stomach of the boss, her swords hit with the impact of a lightning strike. The lightingpletely destroyed the bottom half of his body leaving it to fall to the ground.
This opened up a chance for Shaman to attack again. With the support of nor once more, Shaman came from above stabbing directly into the boss'' body. Its purple light dimmed as the boss went back to its dormant state.
"Silver, restrain the body!" ra was going to seal the core so she needed the boss to stand still while she sealed the demon god.
Shadow chains emerged from the ground holding the boss in ce. ra put away one of her swords while getting on its back. Putting her hand to the core, a sharp pain filled her arm forcing a scream. Luna quickly put a pain nullifier spell on ra while also healing her just in case.
''WHYYYY!!! LEAVE ME ALONE!!!! DIEEEEE!!!! I M-MUST KILLL!!! FAKE DEMONS!!!'' These mad screams reverberated in ra''s mind, making her almost go insane. The amount of hatred inside the core was immeasurable, which made ra wonder if this was the boss'' inner thoughts. However, once she started wrapping her mana around the core she felt demonic essence merging with her mana. After merging, the red coloured essence that was seeping out took to a new shade of purple, giving ra a new understanding on the interactions of demonic essence and mana.
It was now clear to her that pure demonic essence was red, meaning the boss was mixing it with mana to produce its purple hue. Which raised the question, can she do the same, and if so do the other demons use this as well?
These would be questions better saved for Luna as she was the resident demon who would know more about it.
Meanwhile, the boss was still struggling to stop her flow of mana and tried to fight back by submerging itself in magma. Luckily, thanks to ra''s new form she was able to resist the heat with Luna''s help.
Eventually, the core waspletely covered, but nothing seemed to change. Its body lit up as it shot both normal and purple mes at ra. Jumping away, randed and flicked the magma off her hand, freeing it only to reveal it now ck and burned. Luna''s healing restored it back to normal, but without her ra could have very well lost her hand.
''Let''s not get toofortable with Luna around.'' ra was intentionally being risky because Luna was supporting them, but once she was gone, there was no way in hell ra would try to get that close to such a dangerous enemy.
The boss destroyed Silver''s restraints as it lifted itself back up while restoring its legs. Even though a lot of it was turned to ash, It was as if it was turning back time for its body.
''Maybe it''s the spear and the core.'' ra didn''t initially think the spear was involved as it shared no resemnce to the demon weapons they saw before. It was worth a shot, but if this didn''t work then their only hope would be to destroy it.
The boss turned its attention to ra as now she was the biggest threat of them all. Himeko tried to grab its attention, but she was swatted away as it walked towards ra.
"Looks like I am ying the tank." ra didn''t like the change of roles, but it was probably for the best.
However, before ra could get a taste of what it is like to be a tank, Ice shot up from under the boss'' feet. Shaman decided to go all out to give ra a second chance which waspletely uncalled for and stupid.
"ra go now!" Shaman held her hands to the ground pouring everyst drop of mana without restraint, trying to engulf most of the boss'' body. She also made sure to make the ice as dense as possible, giving ra plenty of time to do what she needed to do.
The boss was unable to move and once again his body began to cool, causing its light to dim. Shaman saw this before finally passing out from mana exhaustion. nor was about to catch her, but Elysia quickly swept in, catching Shaman while nearly mming nor out of the way.
Even though Elysia was better at dealing with her jealousy, it still did show itself out of pure instinct every now and again.
ra was a bit stunned to see what Shaman just did, but now she had her chance. Luckily Shaman had not frozen the spear within the ice as she focused more on covering the core and making sure the ice was as dense as possible.
Going up to the base of the spear''s de, ra used some of her demonic essence on the spear to see what kind of reaction it would show. Just as she hoped the form of the spear suddenly changed, now resembling Silver''s weapon.
It now made sense to ra as to why she couldn''t seal the demon as it wasn''t actually in the core, as the weapon''s shapeshifting capability proved it was a full fledged demonic weapon. A red gem glowed in the spear flowing demonic essence into the boss'' body.
Now with the true source in front of her, she covered the gem with both her hands. Using mana and demonic essence together she cut the flow from the spear to the body and felt the spear trying to send all the essence into her instead. The voices returned in her head, but much louder than before.
ra''s hand shook trying to not give in to the voices that were trying to take over her.
"A????????????????????????????????????????????????? ?????????????????????????????l?????????o?????????" ra spoke in demon tongue which no one but Luna could understand, surprising the demon-cat. ra didn''t have much recollection of ever learning thisnguage, but when she entered her demon form it was like knowledge was passed down to her.
Suddenly a surge of purple essence flowed into the purple gem and its glow dimmed. The spear was now inactive, no longer possessing the boss, but it still was alive.
"She really is royalty" Luna knew ra just did a sealing spell, but what interested her more was the fact she could speak it. No one other than the royal family had the capability to articte the words which are inherited through blood and essence.
What ra didn''t know was that by activating her demon form to its fullest she finally was able to inherit her family''s innate abilities.
"Now we just need to kill the boss." ra took the spear off the boss, cing it in their inventory forter as Elysia may be able to use it.
Silver took the initiative as with the boss still encased in ice, a good smash would shatter it to pieces.
Creating the strongest shadow hammer he could, he let fall from the top of the volcano.
"Heads up!" Silver gave a warning, sending everyone scrambling to get to a safe distance away from the boss. Just as Silver hoped his hammer shattered the ice alongside the boss'' body. It had be much weaker after losing the demon weapon making what seemed like steel as soft as butter.
[Ding]
A system notification rang out for everyone letting them know that they indeed killed the boss which was a relief. ra returned back to normal, but her body was not working as intended. This was her first proper transformation which took a big toll on her body.
Everyone else was in a simr state as they all let themselves fall to the ground. Even Himeko felt the mental exhaustion kick in which is something Luna couldn''t remedy.
"I would use my magic to help you all, but excessive abuse of my magic may cause some damage to your body, so with our fight over you''re gonna have to rest." Luna''s magic wasn''t a cure-all, but more of a supplement that pushed the body''s limiters, so there was only so much she could do before it caused problems.
"That''s fine, I could use a nap." norid on the ground feeling the adrenaline wear away. She hadn''t done a lot of big moves, but it was her first ever boss fight which her body wasn''t used to at all.
Taking the moment to rest, Luna wanted to ask the questions she built up during the fight, but almost everyone was half asleep.
"Oh my look at thiszy kitty." A voice echoed out in the volcano causing Luna to instantly stiffen and her hair to stand up. It was a voice she did not want to hear, especially in her current position.
Chapter 254 Future Plans
ina found Luna thanks to a report from Issac who was barely alive and yet still managed to somehow regain consciousness. Many demons were injured and needed immediate attention, so there was no time to waste.
"I-it isn''t what it looks like." Luna felt sweat bead down her face unsure if she was in trouble and knowing that if so there was no easy way out.
"No need to be so stiff, I knew you were locked down here, what I''m more curious about is the fact you are with some of my guests." ina knew from Freja that she sent some people that hade for some training, but it looked as if they had been doing fine as they just cleared the dungeon.
"Oh, that was by ident, when I was thrown down here I bumped into them, so instead of wasting time I helped them go through the dungeon." Luna instantly rxed upon hearing that she wasn''t in trouble, relieved that ina came back alive.
"Good to see you were productive. Nowe along with me everyone." ina lowered herself into the volcano. When her feet touched the ground a red magic circle lit up underneath everyone''s feet.
The circle glowed brighter until everyone was engulfed, finally teleporting them out of the dungeon.
**
Appearing in the middle of the room, the group half expected to appear in mid-air, but to their surprise, theynded on solid ground in the same exact position as before they got teleported.
"Ara~ look at this cut-." Freja, who was already there, was flirting with one of the demon maids only to be rudely interrupted. Her hand was underneath the maid''s chin as she almost kissed the maid, but she froze in ce when she noticed her new audience.
"Stop ying with my servants." ina forcibly teleported the maid away, saving them all from the very embarrassing situation.
"Tch." Freja was rather annoyed as she hasn''t tried demons before and thought now would be a great chance to seduce one.
"Wait! why are you here?" Shaman thought Freja was unable toe hence why they were sent to the Demon Lands instead.
"I won''t be here much longer, the situation was much more dire than I thought, so I stopped what I was doing toe help my dear mentor." Freja winked at ina causing her to fake vomit.
"Wait, mentor? The demon queen?" Elysia looked back and forth between the two wondering where the connection was.
"Regretful as it was, I was the one to teach her the ck mes. It was years ago when I just inherited the throne from the runaway rulers." ina sat down on her throne while exining how they knew each other. However, what she said at the end piqued the interest of ra as the answer she was looking for may be right in front of her.
"W-." ra wanted to ask, but before she could say a word, a voice echoed in her head.
''I rmend you don''t mention your parents ra. I will exinter before I leave, but let''s say she holds a lot of resentment towards them and most likely you as well.'' Freja hadmunicated to ra telepathically, warning her of the consequences.
ra felt frustrated, but there was no reason to doubt Freja, so for their own safety she gritted her teeth not saying a word.
"Anyway, Luna! Get to work before I kick you out of here myself." ina red at Luna who was just standing there waiting.
"Yes Ma''am!" Hearing her orders Luna exited the room as quickly as she could. ina was not in the best of moods as the pope ran away and over half of the elite squad was killed. Her city was also partially ruined which will be a blow to her economy and reputation as a ruler.
"Okay now, what did you want me to do with them Freja? I really don''t want to waste my time when I have other things to do." ina looked at each one of the group members gauging the strength of each one.
"Well, I want you to put them through the same kind of trials I did and get them up to scratch. Also, please don''t go easy on them." Freja did a small bow which was very uncharacteristic of her and only showed how sincere she was.
"Hmmm I see, you have brought some interesting people so I will do as you request. However, it will have to wait until I get the city back up and running." ina didn''t mind as she saw the potential in them, but there were other priorities.
"Fair enough, why not put them to use while they are here?" Freja smirked as she offered them up as freebour.
"Oi!" Shaman didn''t sign up for this, but they didn''t actually have a choice in the end. Freja and inapletely ignored Shaman''s protest, continuing their talk.
"Hmm, no I don''t think it''s a good idea to have foreign races roaming around. They will stay here while I clean up." ina didn''t want more problems to ur so she preferred to put them under house arrest for the time being.
"Makes sense. Is there anything you want from me before I go?" Freja figured that as long as she was in the Demon Lands she could at least help with something.
"Just leave, I know you actually just want to have fun with my maids." ina rubbed her forehead,pletely seeing through Freja''s n.
"Ahhh too bad, I will go then after seeing my little ones off." Freja looked at the group who were staring back, not too happy about being called little ones.
"Whatever, I have things to do." ina clicked her fingers summoning demon maids and butlers to take the group to their rooms. She then disappeared from her throne, leaving the group and Freja to themselves.
"Don''t worry she is a lot more light-hearted, but now that she has calmed down from the fight all the problems havee flying into her face." Freja hoped that the group weren''t scared of ina as she was genuinely nice, but once the fight with the pope was over her mood turned sour.
"Well, I know I wouldn''t be in the best of moods if suddenly half of Elfhiem was destroyed." nor could imagine the annoyance as seeing something you''ve lived in for so long crumble is not the best feeling.
"I think that goes for anyone, but it sounded like she lost a lot of good soldiers." ra didn''t know how strong the military was, but from ina''s words, it seems there were a lot of casualties.
"I''ll tell you about it once we are in your room, now let''s just follow the servants." Freja was going to exin the situation and the new developments regarding the pope.
**
Following the servants to a set of rooms, they quickly imed a few. They then met in Shaman''s room as it was the biggest since it needed to hold three people.
"So how did the fight go? I feel like we would see a happier reaction if the pope was defeated." Shaman could tell from ina''s bodynguage that things had not gone as well as they wanted.
"It was going good for a while, but of course the man managed to run away in thest possible moment. However, he has now shown us that he uses dark magic, a fact I have recorded on this image crystal as evidence." Freja moved a crystal in between her fingers which had something resembling an image inside it.
"Wait, doesn''t that mean everyone will turn against him when this goes public? Wasn''t it stupid of him to have shown it in the first ce?" Elysia tried to think of a logical reason, but maybe there just wasn''t one.
*Sigh* "If I''m honest it won''t do much. You know the state of Elfhiem and, well, the Fox Realm is not in any fighting shape either. Also, as you just saw the Demon Lands are in a very weakened position. Even if this goes public it will only cause panic among the citizens which would just cause more problems." Freja wanted to make the world know, but most people were powerless to do anything about it anyways.
They could try to band together all the powerful people in the continent to fight, but Freja was worried that would only cause more unnecessary deaths.
"Well what can you do, we are nowhere near powerful enough to fight the pope and getting to tier 10 could take forever" Shaman didn''t like where things were going. At the current rate, they wouldn''t make it to tier 10 in time.
"I have a n, but it relies on the pope not doing anything big for about a year"
Chapter 255 Shaman’s Breakdown
"A year? That feels a little long." Hearing the time frame that Freja set seemed way too long to Shaman. Especially with the pope making such aggressive moves it felt like it was only a matter of time before the whole continent would be engulfed in war.
"Trust me, I don''t think The Pope will be making moves any time soon. Despite getting away he seemed heavily injured and not in a way that can be healed by magic." Freja wasn''t certain, but due to the dark god possessing the body of us, there had to be some repercussions from all the divine energy the god had used.
"Well, it isn''t like we have a choice anyway." Elysia saw no point in worrying about the time frame. Until they are ready, there isn''t much that can be done.
"Mmm, surely there is a better option? I have gotten so much stronger in such a short time, so surely there is something." Shaman wanted to see if there was any way to go faster, but Freja was most likely already giving them the fastest avable option.
*Sigh* "Shaman,e with me, I need to talk to you alone." Freja noticed thattely Shaman''s attitude has been rather problematic as there seemed to be a superiorityplex forming.
"Huh?" Shaman didn''t know why, but before she knew it, Freja teleported them away to one of the demon castle towers.
Everyone else was confused about where they disappeared and what would Freja want to talk about. They couldn''t tell what recent events would make Freja act in such a way. Himeko alone had an inkling as to why, but she didn''t want to say anything yet.
''I hope Shaman doesn''t take too much offence to what Freja has to say.''
*
"Why did you need me alone?" Shaman instantly became anxious, feeling like she had done something wrong.
"Is it someth-."
*SLAP* "Shaman, as much as you may think you are the saviour of this world, do not get ahead of yourself. We came from the same world and I remember the feeling of finally obtaining strength." Freja pped Shaman with a small amount of force that would leave a mark, but not enough to send her flying into the wall.
"I always thought I could be a saviour, the protagonist, the one to rule over everyone, but that is just not possible. I am just one of the few who so happen to have an easier time getting stronger and I can guarantee the pope had gone through the same."
"I''m trying to help you get strong as quickly as possible, but frankly if you think you''re some superior being then you will just get yourself killed. Thest thing I want to see is my best friend''s daughter die in front of my eyes." Freja was stern, showing a slight bit of sadness which was extremely rare. Shaman froze, remembering she had a very simr conversation with Himeko in the dungeon. However, hearing it from Freja affected Shaman a lot more since Himeko was a lot nicer and didn''t p anyone.
"So please, do not fight because you feel like it''s your responsibility alone. You may never have to fight the pope at all. ina and I are perfectly capable of fighting as well as a few others who are yet toe." Freja took a deep breath hoping she got her message across. There was no need for Shaman to be this trump card against the biggest evil since it just wasn''t true.
Even if Shaman and her group were able to be ready in a few weeks it wouldn''t change the oue.
"I I don''t know if I can. From the moment I woke up in this world, I was constantly chased and hunted down. I always had to rely on my own strength to move forward, to save my friends, to untangle the twisted web of schemes. With my system and allies I kept facing enemies both stronger and more experienced, and it was always by our own efforts that we''ve won or at the very least survived."
"And yet now I''m what? I''m supposed to just sit back and let others handle it? Wasn''t this why I was brought here? Isn''t this what my mother sent me out to do? wasn''t this what you all trained me for?"
"If this is not my burden, then I I don''t even know what I''m fighting for anymore!"
The thoughts she had always kept to herself were finallying out. All the frustration that kept bubbling under the surface, hidden safely so as to not worry Elysia or the others, now out in the open as sheid bare her heart. Hearing Freja''s words triggered Shaman to break down as it was the cold truth that she simply could not see from where she stood. That the world managed before she came, and will keep on turning even without her.
Shaman wanted to try everything she could to be strong enough and everything was going well so far. There were a few close calls, but they always managed to fight their way through while getting stronger.
"I''m not saying you are not important. I am trying in all my power to make you the strongest you can be, but I don''t want you to fall into this dark pit of hell and end up losing everything you hold dear just because we rushed you." Freja borated, further answering a part of Shaman''s question.
"Do I still need to fight?" Shaman bit her lip trying her best not to cry, but it was pointless as tears still streamed down her face.
"If you chose to no longer fight, then there is no reason for me to stop you." Freja pulled Shaman in for a hug hoping it was the right thing to do. Comforting was not Freja''s strong suit, but from dealing with countless girls crying to her she learnt a thing or two.
"I want it to be over, I want to go home." Shaman smothered herself into Freja crying out what she wanted. It had been a while since she thought about it, but for the first time, she wanted to go home back to where she originally came from where everything was so much easier.
"That''s it, let it all out. I wanted to go home many times in the past, but you need to keep moving forward." Freja slowly patted the back of Shaman''s head, trying to sympathise with her situation.
*Sniff* *sniff* "But it''s so exhausting." Shaman felt like just dropping everything and running away from it all. That way maybe she could live peacefully with her new family, but at the same time, it didn''t feel fulfilling.
"We are allowed to take breaks, I know I have been pushing you guys a lottely, but there will be times when you can''t take a break and I wanted to prepare you." Freja thought she might have pushed Shaman a little too far, but she also figured this was a necessary thing to go through.
To her, you needed to go through your lowest of lows in order to learn how to deal with them. If Shaman hadn''t broken down now, it would have been only a matter of time before it happened.
*
<5 minutester>
"Sorry." Shaman calmed down, but she still hugged Freja while thest few tears leaked out.
"No need to apologise, I just hope you remember that no matter what happens next, you take full advantage of what I got in store for you, okay?" Freja was d that Shaman calmed down since the others were probably getting worried.
"Mhm, I understand now, although I may be unique, it doesn''t mean that I suddenly became the solution to all the world''s problems. However, I''m still not quite used to this, trusting others with the important problems, not making everything my personal responsibility *sigh*." Shaman came to terms with herself, no longer carrying the burden of the world she didn''t need to carry.
"That''spletely fine, but please talk to Elysia and ra. Don''t try to bare it all on your own when you have 2 perfectly capable girls to be by your side. Plus I''m sure they would love to have you in their arms." Freja smirked as it was clear Shaman wasn''t taking advantage of having 2panions to rx with as ofte.
"Well, thanks to you we haven''t had time to do anything!" Shaman pouted as it wasn''t like she could in the first ce.
"Oops, well good thing that won''t be the case anymore."
*Sigh* "It better be."
"Now let''s head back to everyone, I still have to exin what will happen over the next year."
"Oh true, I guess I didn''t really hear you out." Shaman awkwardly chuckled as she didn''t even hear the n yet.
"You will see why I talked to you first before exining." Freja clicked her fingers teleporting them back to the room they were previously in.
Everyone was still where they sat, but it was clear on their faces they were worried. However, when they saw the blood ball appear with Freja and Shaman inside they were relieved, all except for Elysia and ra.
They instantly noticed the hand mark on Shaman''s face as well as the puffy eyes which indicated crying.
"What did you do?!" Elysia didn''t quite jump up, but she was ready to pounce if there wasn''t a good reason.
"Shaman has something very important to talk to you and ra aboutter, but for now I need to exin what will happen next."
"Please don''t worry, it wasn''t to hurt me so please calm down." Shaman quickly walked up to Elysia and ra to hug them both just to reassure them.
This seemed to work for the time being, calming them enough to wait and hear what Shaman had to sayter.
"Ahem now let me exin what I want you to do over the next year."
Chapter 256 Training With The Demon Queen
"For the next year I will have you stay here and go through ina''s regime. This should get you to tier 9 by the end of it, but you will be something more than just a tier 9. You will all be proper warriors with proper training." Freja nced at nor as it was obvious the system was helping her. Freja didn''t know for sure, but there was no way the princess had gotten any training, so she was 99% confident it was the system''s doing.
"Now, I know you may be concerned about the approaching threat of the pope, but for the time being please leave that to me." Freja wanted to reassure everyone that it will be alright even if a year goes by.
"What about me?" Himeko felt a little out of ce since she was already tier 10.
"You can stay if you want, I figured if it''s okay with them you could join their group." Freja didn''t really care and was more than happy to roll with whatever Himeko wanted to do.
"That''s fine, plus we could really use a frontline." Shaman preferred for Himeko to stay since having her there made the dungeon so much easier.
Himeko waited for a moment to see if anyone would protest, but they just stayed silent waiting for her response. This made her extremely happy that she was epted and even more so by ra.
"It isn''t like I have a ce to go back to anyway, so I''ll stay to protect them." Himeko''s motherly urge to protect kicked in, but she tried her best not to show it.
"With that settled, I will go organise your training regimen with ina, so prepare to make a trip to hell a few times." Freja was going to leave the details to ina, but it didn''t stop Freja from describing what it will be like.
Everyone gulped a bit of saliva, nervous about what kind of training they will go through. They thought ina wouldn''t be as bad as Freja, but the two were friends which was a red g in and of itself.
"Don''t be so worried. Oh, onest thing Himeko, are you able to deal with the whole ra situation." Before she left, Freja wanted to address how ra is possibly ina''s rtive.
"Oh don''t worry I got that covered, I wanted to deal with that before I left anyway." Himeko had a n in mind already that she wanted to do before she left, but seeing as she is staying now there was no rush.
"Good. I will try talking with ina personally about it, but you might need to help smooth things over." Freja wanted to try to use the fact she was friends with ina to talk about it, but with her current mood, it wasn''t hopeful.
"With that said, does anyone have anything to say before I leave you here for a year?" Freja was about to leave and most likely wouldn''t see them until after they finish their training, so now was their chance to say something.
"No one? Not even a goodbye or tears now that I''m leaving?" Freja looked around hoping for a response, but they all just shook their heads.
"It isn''t like we won''t see you again." ra didn''t see the point as it isn''t like they are going their separate ways forever.
"No offence, but I don''t really know you." nor didn''t have any kind of attachment to Freja, so she didn''t have anything to say.
"I doubt you can stay away for a year so see you in a month." Shaman doubted that Freja couldst a month without at least paying a visit so she felt simr to ra.
"Tch, I hate how you are right. Whatever, I''m leaving." Freja was annoyed, but she couldn''t be mad at them. If anything it was the kind of attitude she wanted them to have.
"Bye Freja." Everyone waved goodbye as she clicked her fingers, disappearing in a ball of blood.
"I guess now we wait." There was nothing else for them to do so Shaman figured they might as well take the opportunity to rest.
"I''ll head to my own room. If you need anything juste knocking." Himeko decided to leave first as she had nothing left to say, plus it felt a little awkward hanging around with people she saw as her own kids.
"Oh alright, are you sure you didn''t want to talk about ina?" ra was curious about how they were going to deal with her family situation.
"That can wait, plus we need to wait for Freja to make her own attempt, as how ina responds may change what I have in mind." Himeko didn''t want to gue ra with more things to stress about, so it was better to wait until the timees than talk about it now.
"Alright" ra was already stressed about it and not knowing how ina would respond left her worried. However, at the same time, the part of her that kept overthinking the n was happy for any excuse to dy the possible conflict.
"I''ll head back as well, I feel myself falling asleep." nor felt exhausted from all the fighting making her want to just fall into bed and sleep.
"Same." Silver wasn''t as exhausted, but his favourite thing was to sleep which sounded really appealing right now.
"See you guyster then." Shaman waved off Himeko, nor and SIlver as they funnelled out of the room.
"Sooooo-"
"Now Elysia, not tonight." Before Elysia could even ask Shaman shut down her attempt to even suggest they have sex.
"Aww, no fair." Elysia pouted as she was rather pent up considering they haven''t had a chance ever since ra joined the rtionship.
"Is this how you feel all the time, Elysia?" ra was in a simr situation of wanting to do it but was being blocked by Shaman saying no.
"Yes! Do you see Shaman? How dare you make two girls wait, hmph." Elysia instantly jumped at the opportunity to try and make Shaman feel bad, hoping she would change her mind.
"Surely no one wille." ra figured Shaman was worried that people would walk in or hear them, but it was already gettingte so it was very unlikely anyone woulde.
"Hmmmmm."
ra hit the mark perfectly as that was Shaman''s main concern. She felt it was rude to do such a thing on the first night in a new ce. It would definitely not leave a good first impression if they get caught.
"Come on, surely it won''t matter." Elysia crawled up to Shaman now trying to use her body to tempt Shaman. ra also joined in by pressing her body against Shaman''s side.
"Damn it you two! Fine." Shaman couldn''t take it anymore and decided to give into temptation.
"Hehe~ nice work ra." Elysia high-fived ra as they just doubled-teamed Shaman into getting what they wanted.
***
Appearing out in the open above the city Freja noticed ina floating high as she watched over the city. The entire city was slowly getting rebuilt by magesbining their elements to remake the housing districts.
"I thought you left." ina didn''t turn to face Freja, continuing to stare down the city. While she seemed idle, she was actuallymunicating with a bunch of demons coordinating the repairs. It was also to gather information about what happened with her elite squad as some of their bodies were never found.
"There are a few things I need to talk to you about." Freja had to leave soon, so she hoped ina would at least hear her out.
"What is it?" ina wanted to say no, but seeing as Freja wasn''t up to her usual games she knew it was serious.
"Well firstly I have a human who is a part of the pope''s army who betrayed him, so I thought you might want to talk to her." Freja remembered she left Jane at her mansion who could be a good source of information.
"Sure, bring her in." ina didn''t care as she already knew from the few demons that lived that a woman had helped.
"HImeko will also be staying and she is friends with this human so don''t treat her badly." Freja was worried that Jane would be tortured, so she tried to make sure Jane was seen as friendly.
"Yeah, yeah I know she isn''t with the pope. What did you really want to say?" ina believed what Freja said so there was no need for her to try to convince ina. However, she knew how Freja liked to build up to the big subjects, so there was bound to be something worth a reaction at the end.
"It''s about the missing heir Your younger cousin." Freja tried to be careful with her words as it was a touchy subject.
"Go on." ina wasn''t going to snap yet as it was about her younger cousin who realistically hadn''t done anything. Her anger was directed at her cousin''s parents since they were the ones to run away.
"I may have found some information about her whereabouts, but I want to know first what you would do with her." Freja didn''t want to reveal ra''s identity as it may lead to ina taking ra as a prisoner.
"What are you getting at? I wouldn''t do anything of course, unless they want the throne back. Sure, they are descendants of those bastards who ran away from their responsibilities, but I doubt the girl would even remember she is royalty." ina''s opinion was rather unexpected. Freja thought she would be a lot more heated about the topic.
"What if I tell you she does remember and is currently in your castle?" Freja tried to be subtle, but ina already guessed who it was.
"Huh? It''s her?" inapletely broke concentration and turned to face Freja.
"Yes it is, but don''t get me wrong, she doesn''t desire the throne, if anything she would be d that you want it still." Freja was relieved to see that ina didn''t vanish on the spot to investigate.
*Sigh* "More things to worry about, I''ll talk to her tomorrow." ina rubbed her head while trying to link back to all the demons she wasmunicating with.
"Good, well I will be off now, don''t grind them to death with your training regime." With everything said and done Freja could leave without worry.
"If they survived being around you they will be fine." ina waved Freja off as right now the training was the least of her priorities.
"Aww I''m not that cruel , but oh well see youter." Freja disappeared on the spot before leaving a slightly agitated ina.
"How many times do I have to repeat not to call me !" Yelling out her annoyance she identally broadcasted it to all the demons she was speaking with.
''Ma''am, are you okay?''
''Yes I''m fine, keep talking about what happened.''
Chapter 257 Falling To Temptation (R-18)
Shaman, having given into Elysia and ra''s advances, has repositioned onto the bed. They all stripped down to their underwear with Elysia keeping her stockings and ra with her thigh highs.
Shamanid in the middle of the bed with Elysiaying on one side massaging one of Shaman''s breasts and kissing her neck. ra on the other side was rubbing her fingers on Shaman''s panties while making out with her.
Shaman let out moans into ra''s mouth, feeling overstimted from being touched in almost every sensitive spot. ra eventually moved Shaman''s panties to the side, inserting fingers into her pussy.
Shaman jolted from the sudden insertion, breaking away from the kiss which finally allowed her to moan out loud. Elysia took this chance to pull Shaman in for a kiss, switching with ra.
ra then decided to move onto Shaman''s breasts, so using a little bit of magic ra unclipped Shaman''s bra. With Shaman''s breasts now exposed ra started to suck on one of Shaman''s nipples while still fingering her.
Being consumed by the pleasure Shaman reached her hand under Elysia and started to rub her pussy through the stockings. Elysia shook from the sudden touch, but her tail still wagged showing her enjoyment.
ra was a little too low to reach so Shaman ended up wrapping her arm around, reaching for ra''s breasts instead and fondling them. It almost broke ra''s concentration, but she still continued to suck uninterrupted.
This was ra''s second time so her body was still extremely sensitive to everything, but she stayed determined tost longer than before.
After a minute of basking in the pleasure, Elysia decided it was time to change position. Pulling away from the kiss, Elysia ripped her stockings and moved her panties to the side while straddling on top of Shaman, hovering just over her face.
Elysia also pulled out the strap-on from their shared inventory and put it on Shaman.
Elysia then gestured for ra to get on, which thetter did immediately after taking off her panties. Lowering themselves at the same time, they both instinctively held each other''s hands. Meanwhile, seeing Elysia lowering towards her, Shaman reacted by using her tongue to enter Elysia''s pussy.
"AHH~!" As they moaned in unison, ra started to move up and down while Elysia rubbed herself against Shaman''s face.
To reduce some of the noise, ra and Elysia kissed each other with their breasts rubbing against each other as they moved.
Continuing the motions for a couple of minutes, ra already felt herself cumming, but she tried to concentrate on holding it in.
Elysia however, did not care and cummed right into Shaman''s mouth. Moaning as loud as she could, her body shook as she climaxed. This caused a chain effect as the scene only made it hard for ra which pushed her over the line. Just as Elysia finished moaning ra dropped down all the way on the strap-on.
ra tried to keep in the moan by gritting her teeth but sounds still leaked out as her body shook from the pleasure.
Elysia and ra leaned on each other helping them stay up straight. Due to them being pent up the first climax felt a lot stronger than usual.
Shaman also took this chance to get a breather as her face had just beenpletely engulfed in Elysia''s ass.
*Huff* *Huff* "Your turn darling~." After Elysia caught her breath she got off Shaman''s face and looked directly into her eyes. Shaman smirked in response telling Elysia non-verbally to give everything she got.
Elysia took the challenge and so she quickly helped ra off the strap-on.
"Alright, ra~ I want you to lie down. Shaman, get on all fours on top of ra." Ordering them to get into position, Elysia took the time to put the strap-on on herself.
Once they were in position, Shaman did not waste any time and instantly started kissing ra while fondling her breasts, ra also returned the favour by doing the same.
Shaman wagged her tail and ass trying to entice Elysia as much as possible. This only made Elysia grip Shaman''s tail and pull her in straight onto the strap-on.
Shaman quivered with pleasure, her eyes almost rolling back from the sudden pration. It had been a while so she was very tight, but it only added to the experience.
Elysia and Shaman also ended up releasing all of their tails once they had fully lost themselves, which only gave more things for Elysia to grab and pull on. Using both her hands she bundled them together and pulled on them in sync with her thrusts.
Shaman uncontrobly moaned as her sensitive tails were being pulled while Elysia pounded as hard as she could.
After a couple of minutes, Shaman ended upying tiredly on top of ra which made their pussies rub against each other. It was just enough for ra to be right on the edge as she continued making out with Shaman who at this point could barely concentrate.
Elysia, seeing the kind of position they were in, decided to take the strap-on out of Shaman and inserted it in between her and ra.With their gentle rubbing elevated to proper pration, the two drowned in pleasure leading to a joint orgasm.
Now close to her breaking point, ra wrapped her legs around Elysia which was unexpected, pushing her to go even faster.
Shaman could no longer hold the kiss, but she needed to hold onto something so her hands wrapped around ra''s horns. This made it harder for ra as they were very sensitive like a tail and made Elysia''s thrusts all the harder to bear.
Eventually, Shaman and ra finally reach their climax both cumming at the same time.
"ANGHHHHHH~!" Their moans filled the room, but Elysia didn''t stop. Knowing ra might need a breather, she lifted Shaman off of ra.
Elysia sat back with Shaman sitting on herp face to face with Elysia.
"Round 2~." Not getting any break, Shaman was lifted into the air and dropped right onto the strap-on. Shaman''s body bounced up and down using Elysia''s shoulders as support. This made her breasts directly in front of Elysia''s face giving her a chance to suck on them.
"Oh my, they have gotten so much bigger from when we first did it." Elysia hadn''t really paid attention, butpared to the small fox girl she was back then, it was like her body grew into a fully grown woman.
"Shut up and fuck me~." Shaman was also proud of her developed body, but right now all she could think about was the pleasure. Elysia giggled, but she couldn''t argue as it wasn''t the time for reminiscing.
Another minute went by and with onest deep thrust Shaman cummed again. Hugging Elysia tightly as her body climaxed, Shaman felt herself already approaching exhaustion.
ra on the other hand was itching to go at it again and was touching herself as she watched Elysia fuck Shaman.
"How about you give it a try ra?" Elysia figured ra could have a shot at the strap-on and try to lead.
"Me?" ra wasn''t too confident as she never was someone to lead, especially in this kind of situation.
"Yeah sure, why don''t you deal the final blow to Shaman." Elysia had an evil grin which could only mean she had a n.
"Hehe~ sure." Seeing the evil smile, ra instantly agreed as she too was feeling a little devious.
Elysia slowly lifted Shaman off and gave the strap-on to ra. While she put it on Elysia wanted to try something new they haven''t really done. Once again Elysia positioned Shaman on all fours, but her face was directly ced right in front of Elysia''s pussy.
ra, after a little bit of time trying to figure out how to put the strap-on finally managed to do it.
Approaching Shaman''s behind, it was rather tempting to put it straight in, but Elysia quickly leaned over while pointing to a certain spot.
"While she is in this state try putting it in this hole instead." Elysia wanted to see Shaman''s reaction as it would be priceless.
"Alright?" ra wasn''t sure if she should, but she trusted Elysia and so she slowly inserted it into Shaman''s ass.
Instantly Shaman''s eyes widened as a sharp pain invaded her behind, only to be reced by pleasure shortly afterwards. Once the entire tip was in, ra pushed deeper a little quicker causing Shaman to moan. However, ra pushed Shaman''s head into her pussy forcing Shaman to lick.
Once it was reasonably deep, ra picked up the pace and Shaman even moved her hips causing it to go deeper. Managing to quickly pull away, Shaman expressed how she felt about it.
"Oh fuck why does it feel so good~." It was an odd feeling, but Shaman found it just as good as the regr way.
Elysia smirked hearing her response, but now she was curious how it felt.
ra, hearing of Shaman''s enjoyment, decided to go even faster pushing Shaman to climax again. This was the final blow to Shaman''s stamina, leaving her passed out from pure bliss.
ra slowly pulled out the strap-on and once out Elysia quickly rolled Shaman over to the side of the bed.
"Now ra, let''s end it together." Elysia slowly crawled to ra reaching behind her to remove the strap-on. Once off Elysia stored it back in their inventory which confused ra.
However, it made sense once Elysia opened her legs, clearly wanting to scissor with ra. Moving into position, they both rubbed their pussies together aggressively while touching themselves.
"Fuck., I''m close." ra wanted to time it with Elysia, but it was harder with each passing moment.
"Aww! Same, just keep going." Elysia was on the brink of climaxing, trying to build it up as much as possible. Eventually, they overflowed and cummed at the same time.
Their bodies shaking, they ended up continuing to rub, extending the climax just that little more. After they finished ra was out for the count, but Elysia still felt like she could keep going.
"Looks like I took charge a little too much this time If only I wasn''t so goddamn horny!" Elysia was having some post-orgasm rity, realising her mistake in making Shaman pass out from pleasure.
However ra, who was thought to be finished, still had a little energy left. Hearing Elysia''sint, ra crawled between Eysia''s legs and started eating her out. At first, Elysia thought she was getting into a morefortable position to sleep, but then suddenly she felt a tongue begin to lick her.
ra tried to be as intense as possible, making Elysia grab a hold of ra''s horns and pushing her further in.
"Oh yes~ Just like that." A minute went by as Elysia used her thighs to hold ra in ce, almost crushing her.
ra did not stop and, eventually, Elysia cummed straight into ra''s mouth. Making sure to drink every drop ra hoped it was enough for Elysia to feel satisfied.
"Thank you , I think I''m good now." Elysia found her head spinning which was a sign she too was close to passing out,
"Hehe~ no worries." ra was happy that she managed to satisfy Elysia as shortly after ra passed out still in between Elysia''s legs.
Elysia was in no better shape as she passed out sitting up still holding onto ra''s horns. Finally done with their long-awaited session, they all slept peacefully, leaving the mess for their future selves to deal with.
Chapter 258 Blacksmith Jane
Jane, who was left behind at Freja''s mansion, sat in one of the guest rooms hugging her knees worried about the oue of the fight. Almost every Admiral had been killed, making her possibly the only one to make it out alive.
To make things worse, killing the admirals seemed to be part of the n as us was able to reanimate them. This way they would never go against him, giving him the perfect loyal elite squad.
''Does that mean if I die I will turn undead as well?'' Jane was scared for her own life, worried that she had already been infected, so she tried to figure out how us was able to set up such a n. Then it hit her, she knew exactly when they were most likely all infected by the dark magic.
"The emergency meeting" Jane explicitly remembered drinks being provided which could have been infused with mana. As long as it was a very small dose they would have a hard time realising it. There was also the fact that many stayed behind to talk with us, especially those that supported him.
''There is a chance I am fine.'' Jane had not taken the drink or stayed behind, so unless this was something done more than a year ago then she should be fine.
"Hello there." Even though Jane never heard the door opening, there stood Freja, as if simply appearing in her room was perfectly normal.
"AHH! When did you get there?" Jane almost fell off the bed from the shock of hearing Freja.
"I have been here for a while and saw you deep in thought so I didn''t want to interrupt you, but I got bored." Freja tried to be considerate, but she had things to do and Jane needed to leave.
"Oh, well what did you need?" Jane felt intimidated by Freja''s presence, so she avoided all forms of eye contact.
"I need to send you back to meet the Demon Queen and tell her everything you know. Himeko will be there, so you shouldn''t have to worry about getting instantly killed by ina. She is in a rather bad mood at the moment." Freja exined what was going to happen to which Jane didn''t seem to respond too well.
"W-wait, going back there? Won''t I just be killed either way? We humans pretty much killed their heroes." Jane was afraid of the consequences she would face as she felt partly responsible for all the damages caused.
"Don''t panic so much, many of their people saw you helping them. There will be no witch hunt for your head." Freja understood her worries, but it was unwarranted. In an attempt to calm Jane down Freja approached, giving Jane a hug which was unexpected.
Jane froze up, but after feeling how gentle it was, she hugged back.
"Alright" Jane was still sceptical to a degree, but she believed Freja was telling the truth.
"Good girl~ now let me send you off." Freja clicked her fingers teleporting Jane away in an instant.
''Maybe that was a little cruel to send her so suddenly oh well I''m sure she will be fine.'' Freja shrugged it off and teleported herself away.
***
"Huh?" Jane had no idea what had just happened, but she found herself in some big hall with a throne. A quick look told her the ce waspletely empty, but then she heard someone walking behind her.
Quickly getting up from the ground, she turned her body, preparing for the worst, but froze when she found someone truly unexpected.
"Jane?" Himeko walked in with a very loose white t-shirt, leaving her chest tantalisingly close to being visible. It was also impossible to tell if she was wearing shorts as the shirt was truly oversized.
"H-Himeko?" Jane blushed and quickly looked away covering her nose.
''Fuck she is still hot.'' Jane thought Himeko would have been heavily injured by The Pope, but she still looks the same as before.
"Oh my god! Jane, you are here!" Himeko rushed over, hugging Jane from behind. This was a critical blow as Jane felt Himeko squish her body right up against Jane''s back, letting her feel everything.
''She isn''t wearing anything underneath!'' Jane''s mind spiralled, betraying her obvious crush on Himeko. To Jane, Himeko was her only friend for whom, after knowing each other for many years, she had finally developed feelings. Still, to this day even Jane herself didn''t realise what feelings meant.
"Why are you looking away? We hug all the time, hmph!" Himeko noticed how Jane was acting all shy, which was a little odd as she usually returned the affection.
"S-sorry." Jane felt bad, so she turned around and hugged Himeko back. However, due to their height difference, Jane was engulfed in Himeko''s chest.
"Haha, it''s okay, I''m sure you are still recovering from all the fighting." Himeko slowly patted the back of Jane''s head trying to make her feel as safe as possible.
"Damn you, why did you have to disappear on me?" Jane started to tear up as she recalled just how much she missed Himeko. Thefort she provided by just being there was invaluable to Jane, so it came as a shock when Himeko was suddenly gone.
"I''m sorry, us defeated me, forcing the use of my reincarnation skill. But I''m here now and as good as new." Himeko felt her heart ache to see Jane break down. She didn''t really realise how much Jane cared about her until now.
"Dummy, don''t do that again, I don''t want to lose the person I love." Getting carried away in the moment, Jane identally confessed, but Himeko was too dense to realise it as she saw it as tonic.
"It''s okay now, I won''t be going anywhere. I will be joining some of my peers to help tier them up, so I should be out of harm''s way for a while." Himeko exined to Jane what the n was, which dide as a surprise, but alsoforting to know she wasn''t going anywhere.
"Ahem!" Breaking up the tender moment, the woman on the throne cleared her throat trying to get their attention.
"Sorry to break this up, but you can continueter, I have limited time and it''s gettingte." ina was in a hurry so she wanted to deal with Jane as it shouldn''t take too long.
"Oh sorry, you did call for me so I don''t want to waste any more time that you have given us." Himeko actually had been called to the throne room by ina but didn''t know why.
"Alright. Now tell me Jane, what exactly happened?" ina got straight to the point wanting an ount of what transpired in the city.
"Y-yes." Jane quickly stood up straight and faced ina trying to be a little bit presentable.
"What happened was."
**
"Hmm, I didn''t see that transformed admiral, must have been taken away when we drove us away." ina saw the damage done, but there was nobody matching the description of the metal-using admiral.
"Were there other bodies?" Jane wondered whether the other admirals transformed as well as she was confident that Kinzoku wasn''t the only one infected.
"I only saw the bodies of my own, are you trying to say that there were other admirals killed?" ina did not find any solid evidence, but Jane''s testimony did line up with what the other demons were saying,
"Oh no! they must have transformed as well." Jane''s worst fears came true. The others must have indeed been infected in some way beforehand.
"Hmm, that would exin the missing bodies Come here Jane." Things started to click into ce in ina''s head, making her realise something.
Jane slowly walked up to the throne wondering what it could be. She was honest the whole time so it was a little confusing as to why ina would want to see her up close. However, just as she was close enough, it clicked in her head why.
''She must think I will transform too!'' Jane, realising this fact, tried to step back, but it was all toote as ina stabbed with her hand right through Jane''s body.
"JANE!!!" Himeko screamed, instantly coating herself in mes and jumping forward.
"Halt! I am not killing her, look at my hand!" ina used her other hand to put up a magical barrier stopping HImeko from getting closer.
As she pulled her hand out of Jane, demon nurses came out from behind instantly healing Jane back to how she was.
Himeko was stunned as Jane was instantly healed back, but what caught her eye was the swirling dark ball in ina''s hand. It was clear this was nted by the pope and most likely the cause of the transformation Jane talked about.
*Cough* *Cough* "Fuck that hurt." Jane still felt a lingering pain, but she now felt a lot lighter.
Himeko calmed down, seeing that Jane was perfectly fine and no longer had a gaping hole in her stomach.
"d to see you are okay, sorry about the sudden surprise, but I didn''t want to take the chance of a manual activation." ina was not going to let the Pope get any more wins in her presence, so it was better Jane didn''t know what wasing.
"What is that?" Jane looked up to see the swirling dark ball wondering how the hell that fit inside her.
"It''s pure ck magic, the same thing that corrupted the admirals. I noticed something odd in you when you mentioned a transformation, so I took the liberty of scanning your body for any anomalies." ina exined her process while she crushed the dark orb, erasing it from existence.
"So I''m safe now?"
"Yes, you are Jane. Now, what do you want to do now?" ina found out all she needed and was in a better mood now that she ruined another one of us'' ns.
"She is a cksmith, so I say we use her skills to make some upgrades to your new trainees'' equipment." Himeko jumped in knowing full well that Jane is capable of making legendary weapons which would be a great help.
"Hmmm, I don''t mind. Maids! Please set Jane up with a room and a forge." ina called for some demons to do her bidding while Jane was still trying to understand what was going on. She still felt dizzy from the sudden attack on her stomach making it hard to concentrate.
"It''s okay Jane, let me take you to my room while they set things up. Thank you ina for your help, see you tomorrow." HImeko realised Jane was just like a lost child right now, so Himeko took the initiative to leave.
"My pleasure." ina disappeared leaving Jane and Himeko to themselves.
Chapter 259 Dense Woman
After ina disappeared, Himeko and Jane followed some of the demon maids to Jane''s new room. It was a rather simple room like any other, but there was one major differencepared to everyone else.
"My own personal forge!" Jane''s eyes sparkled seeing a forge in the very room she will be staying in. It was still being built, the many demons in the room using their earth magic to create it. There were even some demons that specialised in long-term spells to reinforce the room.
There were many intricacies when it came to creating the perfect forging environment, but the butlers and maids were all specially trained. They had such a wide variety of skills that whenever ina wanted something done, there was always someone up for the job.
"Wow, lucky you." Himeko was envious of such a specialised room and wished she had one too, but there was no skill she had that required one.
"Hehe, now I don''t even want to leave the Demon Lands I wonder if there is a way to be one." An interesting thought appeared in Jane''s head, which to her sounded like a great idea. This perked the ears of the demons in the room since it was rare for anyone to be willing to join them.Most people avoided the demonnds, in part due to their closed-off nature, but some would stille from time to time as part of their travels.
"I have no idea how it works, but if it''s what you want to do I support your decision." Himeko was shocked to hear Jane wanted to convert, but it didn''t really bother Himeko. If anything, it made her curious about what she would turn into.
"Before you get ahead of yourself, it may be toote to transform into a demon since it is a natural process that urs during childhood. Queen ina could possibly have a method, but that is beyond me." One of the butlers spoke up exining partly how demonse to be.
Jane didn''t like the sound of it as it seemed like it would forever remain a fantasy, but it was worth a shot asking ina. Jane felt ashamed in her humanity after everything the Pope made them do, so if she could change her race, she would finally feel liberated from the pope''s sins.
"Usually people who do want to change get declined by the queen, but seeing your unique position she might be willing to go through with it if there is a way. None of us has seen it happen, so don''t get your hopes up." A flying female maid chimed in seeing Jane looking a little down hearing the news, hoping to give her a little hope, but not too much.
"Hmm okay, probably will take a while since it sounds like the queen will be busy for a while." Jane was d to hear that the demons supported her choice which was not seen as some kind of taboo.
"Anyway, if I have a choice, what do you think I should be Himeko?" Jane turned to Himeko wanting to hear what kind of half-animal or monster would fit her.
"Hmm, probably some kind of fish." Himeko didn''t think too deeply about it and thought of the first thing associated with water.
"Ew! No offence to any fish people, but I''d rather not." Jane was revolted by the idea and was hoping that Himeko was joking.
"Pfft, don''t worry, I would rather you be a cat girl or something than a scaly fish with demon horns." Himeko chuckled at Jane''s reaction to her suggestion, d that Jane did not actually consider it.
"A cat girl feels too normal though, Maybe something like a bunny." Jane tried imagining herself with different kinds of ears, but the only thing that stuck with her was bunny ears.
"...cute." Himeko had an image appear in her head of Jane with bunny ears and a tail. It was extremely adorable, making Himeko almost blush as suddenly a few lewd thoughts invaded her mind. They were known to have quite a high libido, so if it was a proper transformation it would probably mean Jane will need to find a partner.
Jane blushed hearing Himeko''sment, which only turned worse when her brain also deviated to some of the well-known facts about the bunny race.
"Ahh! Don''t think about that." Jane quickly realised what Himeko was thinking as her face turned slightly red. So Jane ran up to Himeko, hitting her lightly and trying to distract her from such thoughts. However, Jane identally blurted something out in the process.
"Plus It won''t be a problem anyway if I have you." Jane quickly choked on her own words realising what that implied.
"Huh? How?" But in typical fashion, the implication flew right over Himeko''s head. All the demons in the room who overheard the conversation facepalmed. They couldn''t believe how dense she was, especially after the previous string of lewd innuendos.
*Sigh* Jane could do nothing but sigh, as she kept fumbling on her true feelings, but Himeko was blind to them. Deep down Jane hoped Himeko would pick up on these slip ups, but a very direct approach would most likely be the only way. However, Jane was too afraid to make that jump. Despite her outward attitude being rather extroverted, she was very shy on the inside when it came to herself.
"You never change, do you? No wonder you don''t have a partner yet." Jane shook her head as a flood of memories came back to when they were younger.
"Ehh? Where is thising from? I''ve been trying hard you know, but every guy is always afraid of me because of my status." Himeko wondered why Jane thought as such, since Himeko has made a genuine attempt whenever she could.
"..." Jane right then and there wanted to ask whether she has ever considered dating a woman, but her anxiety stopped her. It was now clear that Himeko did not see other women as potential partners, which exins why she was so dense.
Jane wanted to scream. She couldn''t force herself upon Himeko, especially if she isn''t into it. The demons in the room all had stopped working, instead watching everything unfold. They all unanimously felt bad for Jane as right now it was a one-sided love.
"Jane?" Himeko was still confused why Jane was acting like this. It didn''t make any sense, but seeing as the atmosphere suddenly got awkward she felt like she should leave.
Jane stayed quiet not knowing what to say, all the while internally she was freaking out so much that her words wouldn''t even leave her mouth.
"I''ll head back to my room then" After she gave up on getting a response, Himeko figured she was the problem so she simply up and left. She was still worried, but hoped it would all be okay by tomorrow.
Jane wanted to stop Himeko, but even if she did, the words still would note out, so she stayed put. The demons, seeing that the show came to an end, quickly finished up their work and left, giving Jane some space to think.
''Maybe I should give up, it didn''t work then and it won''t work now.'' Jane walked over to her bed and fell face-first into the pillow. She knew the problem was herself for not being assertive, but she really thought Himeko ought to have picked up on the hints by now.
***
<5 years ago in Ebonscale>
"Jane! You made it, I thought you wouldn''t be able to make it since you''re so close to tier 9." Himeko sat in her tower waiting for Jane who had just walked through the main door. It was clear on Jane''s face she was exhausted.
"Urgh, no matter how many things I kill and tier 10 weapons I make there seems to be no improvement at all." Jane walked right up to the couch where Himeko was and fell right into her.
"Oop, if you need to rest, you could have stayed home you know." Himeko didn''t mind Jane staying, but Himeko was worried that Jane was forcing herself toe.
"You know I consider this ce right here home." Jane snuggled into Himeko using her as a body pillow.
"That''s very sweet of you, how about I take you to an actual bed and then go grab us something to eat." Himeko figured the couch wasn''t the mostfortable so it would be better if they moved somewhere with more space.
"Sure." Jane didn''t care as long as she was next to Himeko.
Teleporting to Himeko''s room, they bothid in the bed for a moment, but just as Himeko tried to leave...
"Na don''t go." Jane kept HImeko restrained, preventing her from going to make something.
"Come-on do you want to eat or not?" Himeko chuckled as Jane was acting extremely cute, but it wasn''t enough to stop her.
"Get ra to do it, she can cook right?" Jane tried toe up with an excuse, but the only problem is that ra can''t really cook.
"Uuuhhh I haven''t taught her just yet." Himeko hadn''t gotten the chance yet since she had been busytely trying to get her city festival organised.
"Tsk, okay, bute back quick." Jane reluctantly let go of Himeko allowing her to head to the kitchen.
*Sigh* ''How assertive do I have to be!!!!'' Jane was mentally screaming as once again her actions were perceived as just something a friend would do.
''This cycle will never end will it?''
Chapter 260 Rise And Shine
?
Shaman, Elysia and ra were snuggled up together peacefully sleeping. It had been one of the best nights of sleep they have had in a while as the bed quality was somehow much better than Freja''s. Also after a night of stress relief, they were able to rx fully.
However, it woulde to an end when a loud siren echoed throughout the room. The 3 girls all jumped out of bed terrified while also pulling out their weapons. They also used the system to put on some clothes since they were still in their birthday suits afterst night''s endeavours.
The siren quieted down when suddenly ina''s voice boomed throughout the room.
"Shaman, Elysia, ra, Silver and nor, please meet me in the barracks. Some servants will lead the way, so don''t worry about getting lost. Also, be quick, if you are not here in 20 minutes I will drag you out in whatever state you are in." The girls were so surprised by the sudden announcement that it took them a moment to realise ina had actually broadcasted it directly to their minds.
After getting the message, the 3 girls fell back onto the bed relieved but also annoyed at the sudden wake-up.
"Urghh did she really have to wake us up like that." Elysia groaned in annoyance as she did not appreciate the crude treatment.
"What even is the time?" ra wondered if they had slept in or something considering the rude awakening. Hopefully that would mean they wouldn''t start their training right this instant.
[It''s 8 am] Rea disyed a message in front of everyone illustrating the time and everyone rolled their eyes.
"I was hoping for at least a sleep-in. We haven''t even had the chance to evolve to tier 7 and spend our points." Shaman was hoping they could get a day to themselves since there was still some housekeeping that needed to be done when it came to their system.
"We should be able to tonight." Elysia figured things shouldn''t be too rough today since it is only day 1.
"We can only hope." ra wished that was the case, but from what she could tell, ina seemed very strict.
*Sigh* "Let''s not waste any more time, we should probably make a good first impression by being early." Shaman knew that ina had no connection to them other than being Freja''s mentor, so there was no expecting any sort of special treatment. They were treated nicely for now, but that was most likely because of Freja so there was no telling how ina would treat them.
**
<5 minutester>
After cleaning up both themselves and the room, they all exited the bedroom where they found demons waiting for them. The servants gesture to follow them and so they did, all the way to the back of the castle.
Reaching an open area, They noticed ina waiting outside of a building in one of the corners along with two others.
It was Himeko and someone with blue hair who they have never seen before.
"Mom!" Just then, Silver yelled from behind while running up to Shaman. Turning around, Shaman gave Silver a hug and also spotted noring out of the door as well.
"Hey sweeties, did you sleep well?" Shaman stroked the back of Silver''s head, enjoying the feeling offort.
"Mhm, although I didn''t like how I was woken up." Silver also shared the same annoyance with everyone else as a mental wake-up was a new kind of rm no one wanted.
"Haha, we didn''t either so you''re not the only one." Shaman was d that she wasn''t the only one, but at the same time, this was her son so a little bit of anger built inside of her.
"Anyway, let''s head over, they are already waiting for us." Shaman pulled away from Silver and began walking towards ina. Everyone followed along as they all approached the barracks. As they stopped before her, ina stared at them scanning every part of their body.
Without saying a word, she walked up to ra and flicked her horns causing them to go back to their original red form.
"So she wasn''t lying." ina had to confirm that ra was indeed her rtive. ina had already guessed it was ra, but without seeing the horns in person there was still some doubt in her mind.
"O-oh ummm." ra felt her heart stop as her fake identity was just utterly destroyed in under a second. She didn''t know how well the conversation about who she really was went so her mind braced for the worst.
"Don''t be afraid, I have no anger towards you. As long as you don''t threaten my position as the demon queen then I won''t hurt you. Also, don''t think that just because you are my cousin I will y family, you have to earn it before I consider you part of the same bloodline." ina''s voice was very cold which was understandable, but ra couldn''t help feeling depressed.
Knowing for sure that ina was ra''s real family, it was a stab in the heart to hear her words.
Shaman and Elysia noticed the change in expression on ra and so they grabbed her hand to console her. Himeko frowned upon hearing ina''s words, but there wasn''t much she could do.
*Sigh* "Moving on, I am still very busy so today will be short and more of a preparatory step for theing months. Here we have Himeko who will be assisting me, and the girl next to her is Jane. She was a part of the pope''s admirals, but she was smart enough to bail on him so she is going to be the one to forge your very own tier 10 weapons." After introducing the new girl, Shaman instantly recognised the name as it belonged to the person who made her current sword.
Saman wanted to speak up and talk to Jane, but right now it was neither the time nor ce.
"To outline what we will be doing exactly, you will mainly be doing raids on the dungeon to get your tier up to at least 9, but that will be the final task of your training. What we will be doing before you head into the dungeon will be constant mock battles against many of my remaining soldiers and me."
"Another point of focus is the use of your mana. It may seem odd, but there is a lot of waste in how lower tiers use their mana making you exhausted quicker. You naturally do learn how to be efficient, but that takes years if you do not have a mentor."
Now before I begin, I want you all to state your names, weapons, fighting style and elements." ina did a big exposition of what to expect which seemed reasonable, but at the same time sounded long and gruelling.
"I''m Shaman, I use a Katana and I''m mainly a close-range fighter. My elements consist of Ice, Stardust, wind, water and fire." Shaman wasn''t sure if she should reveal she has stardust but thought it would be stupid to hide since it is her natural element.
ina raised an eyebrow upon hearing the rather long list of elements. She knew very few people that held more than 3 elements, so when Shaman counted 5 it made ina very interested in what Shaman is capable of.
"Elysia, I use a spear and bow making me ranged, but also closebat if need be. My main element is vampiric fire."
Once again ina was intrigued as she has never heard of this kind of me, making her curious about Elysia''s identity.
"My name is Silver, I use a scythe and my element is shadows. With that said I am more of the assassin of the group." Silver had epted that he isn''t very strong when fighting head-on, so he embraced his role as someone who is more subtle and uses tricks rather than fighting.
ina nodded her head finally seeing someone who is rtively normal, not to mention Freja also had affinity with shadows meaning ina was familiar with how to train him.
"C-ra, I use l-lightning and 2 whip des making me a mid to close-ranged fighter." ra was still nervous, afraid of being judged so she ended up stuttering some of her words.
ina didn''t show much reaction to ra''s response since it was exactly what she expected.
"I''m nor and my weapons are dual fans. My elements are holy nature and wind. I don''t really know a specific role I fit in, but the closest thing would be restraining enemies from mid-range.
ina would need to see what nor is capable of before making any judgment, but one of her elements was quite unique.
"With that said, I can tell you are all on the cusp of tier 7, so I want to see how you fight." ina suddenly pulled out a double-edged axe which was simr to the demon one she used before, but this one was meant for training.
"Any rules?" Elysia suddenly became excited as she would love to go all out against someone much stronger.
"There are none, but I will be taking you all one-on-one and if you lot are still standing by the end we can also do an all-on one fight to finish things off."
Chapter 261 Dueling The Demon Queen
?
Everyone except Elysia gulped some saliva since they will be fighting the demon queen herself. It reminded Shaman and Elysia of when they duelled Himeko, but that was a lot more rxed thanks to her being a family friend.
ina was aplete stranger on a personal level, so there was going to be no special treatment whatsoever. Of course, they wouldn''t die, but everyone was thinking the same thing.
''We are going to get our arse kicked.''
"Don''t look so worried, I will go easy on you and react to your attacks with a few of my own in between." ina smirked seeing the group''s faces, but what caught her attention was Elysia''s excited face. It happened every now and again she would train abat manic who either has no power or actually poses quite a threat.
''Hmm let''s fight her first, I''m sure she will be strong seeing as Freja knows them.'' ina would fight Elysia with a bit more intensity and use her as a demonstration for the others.
Everyone calmed down hearing what kind of duel it will be, making them more eager than scared.
"Alright, Elysia you''re up first." ina walked out into the open area ready to fight Elysia. Everyone else took a spot next to Himeko and the blue-haireddy of which they were still curious about.
"This is Jane, a human cksmith and a very close friend of mine. After this, she will be helping you all with some new weapons." Himeko quickly gave Jane an introduction since curiosity was stered on everyone''s face. Jane gave a quick wave to everyone, but by then the fight had already begun.
*BOOM*
Elysia had started her offensive with a highly explosive arrow causing a massive dust cloud to form around ina.
Elysia then switched to her spear while entering her hybrid fox form. The red mes violently thrashed around showing she was not holding anything back. Elysia sprinted towards the dust, but before she could enter it the cloud was split in half as a gust of wind blew everything away.
ina stood in the middle unscathed as expected, but instead of letting Elysia get close, ina suddenly disappeared. Appearing behind Elysia just slow enough for her to react, ina swung down with her axe.
It wasn''t a strong strike, but to a peak tier 6, it was a devastating blow if they were to get hit.
Elysia spun herself around while swinging her spear which was enough to redirect the axe from hitting her. However, she still felt the bones and muscles in her arms tear and break. The force of the axe caused enough shock in her body to do indirect damage.
Dropping her spear back into her inventory she jumped back while letting her mes heal her body. Once they were healed she took her spear back out, this time approaching the fight more cautiously.
ina realised what had happened which was aplete mistake on her part. She had gotten a little too excited to fight Elysia causing the strength in her axe swing to be higher than intended. The only saving grace was the fact Elysia could self-heal which was a relief to ina.
ina also noticed that Elysia became rather reserved, so she gestured for her toe.
Spotting the signal and the look of realisation on ina''s face, Elysia no longer acted so cautiously. Rushing straight ahead with her spear, she also created fire spears around her aiming them to strike at the same time.
ina stood still waiting for the veryst moment to dodge. Moving her body only slightly, ina was able to perfectly fit her body in between the iing spears, evading them by a scant few millimetres.
However, Elysia''s attack wasn''t over. The spears that were made of fire erupted, which had caught ina off guard. Elysia''s level of control over the mes was incredible, reaching a degree of proficiency which only a tier 8 could do.
The erupting mes engulfed ina''s body looking as if she was being burnt alive, but that was far from reality. Standing up like normal, the mes that surrounded her body suddenly changed to a dark ck, even darker than Freja''s.
The mes then dispersed from her body showing no burn marks at all. It was no surprise to Elysia that ina could take control of the mes, but she still hoped that some damage would have been done.
"Don''t look so shocked, you are facing what is probably your worst opponent as I have full control over any me when it touches my body." ina felt bad for destroying Elysia''s attempt at an attack so she exined her apparent immunity, hoping that Elysia will try to be more creative.
"Urgh." Elysia rolled her eyes at the exnation while jumping back to put a bit of space between them.
''How the hell am I even going to do a single scratch?'' Elysia tried wracking her brains, but then she thought maybe using no elements was the better option. They are here to train, but it didn''t revolve around improving just their use of mana.
Adjusting herself to the new n, Elysia decided to use her mes more strategically. She still kept her hybrid form on since it enhanced her physical traits, and there was no stopping the mes it produced naturally anyways.
Ready to resume the match, Elysia charged forward and swung her spear upwards, hitting nothing but air. ina looked at her in confusion at first, but then Elysia''s mes followed suite, rising from the ground creating a barrier around her. This blocked ina''s line of sight, allowing Elysia to set up the next phase of her attack.
Spears started to emerge from the wall, yet instead of being made from dancing fire they seemed surprisingly solid, their shape and form matching Elysia''s spear uncannily well. And yet as great as her fire maniption was, Elysia still couldn''t hide the fake spear''s reddish glow, immediately giving away the game to the sharp-eyed ina
Perhaps if Elysia also imbued her own spear with mana she could have replicated the effect, but unfortunately as she just came up with this strategy Elysia failed to consider this allowing ina to quickly pinpoint all the fake ones.
After figuring out which was real, nia blocked the strike as well as the follow-up as Elysia didn''t stop her barrage. Every fake spear would fade to nothingness on touch while ina would block the real one.
Elysia tried to attack from unusual angles, but there was no prating nia''s defence.
Having enough of spinning around blocking strikes, ina reached out her hand to the wall causing it to disappear revealing Elysia to be mid-strike. She tried her best to pull away, but ina was too fast for Elysia to react to.
Feeling her stomach cave-in by a foot, Elysia was sent flying across the ground. This time ina held back so her bones were not broken, but she was winded like never before.
Stabbing her spear into the ground, she slowed herself down after being sent as far as 200 metres away. The gap would be quickly closed as ina appeared right in front of Elysia, yet instead of more pain she was assaulted by crushing pressure.
Fear suddenly washed over her as ina''s body morphed into something non-human. The world around her no longer existed and she could only see what barely resembled a face. Sweat covered her body as she reacted on pure instinct, swinging her spear widely while sending out any and all fire abilities she had.
Suddenly the pressure disappeared and Elysia could breathe again. ina stood in front of Elysia offering a hand to help her up.
"W-what?" Elysia was confused as to what just happened. She felt death crawl on her skin, but now ina was offering her hand instead.
"You passed the final thing I wanted to test you on. You overcame the feeling of death and attacked. Even though it wasn''t the most elegant, the majority of people would just crumble under the pressure." ina was happy with what she saw and now had a good idea of what to do for her.
Elysia tried to process the information as what just happened felt more like a failure rather than a pass.
"Don''t think too hard. It''s now Shaman''s turn so I''ll take you back to your group." ina still had her hand out waiting. Seeing Elysia''s hesitation did give her pause that she was maybe a little too hard on Elysia with the final test.
''I didn''t n to use it so early, but the potential of Elysia is so great she might even be able to handle the ck me if her mind can withstand the insanity.'' What ina had shown Elysia was the true form of the ck me and that same madness torments ina''s mind whenever she uses it.
The reason ina had shown it to Elysia was very simple. At the very start of the battle, Elysia used a me that she has never seen before, even proving to haveplete control over it. If she was a tier 8 this wouldn''t be something out of the ordinary, but because of how low she was it truly showed that she is one with fire.
''She fits all the requirements, but she is still physically weak for now.'' ina was now fully invested in this group''s training and couldn''t wait to see what the others could do.
Elysia finally took ina''s hand after calming down and returned to the group.
"Shaman your turn."
Chapter 262 Disciple
?
Shaman, hearing her name being called, felt a rush of anxiety ovee her body. She wasn''t as worried at first as it would only be a mock duel, but now that the time had actuallye, facing ina was much more frightening than she imagined.
"You''ll be alright." Elysia walked back into line looking extremely exhausted which only made Shaman worry. No one was able to tell what happened at the end of their duel, so for Elysia to look so pale it must have been tough.
"A-alright." In the end, Shaman took a step forward and grabbed ina''s out-stretched hand. Teleporting to the middle of the field, ina took a few steps back, giving Shaman some space.
"Start whenever you are ready." This time ina was going to go a bit easier to gauge what Shaman is capable of. For Elysia, ina already knew the kind of test she had to give to find out if Elysia was a good candidate for the ck me. For Shaman however, ina would let her show her talents before choosing a course of action.
Shaman took a deep breath before pulling Kotetsu out of her inventory. This instantly grabbed Jane''s attention as she recognised the design.
"Is that one of my swords?" She needed to get a closer look to confirm if it was, but it looked extremely simr to one of her failed experiments.
"Possibly, it did look familiar when I saw it, but I never saw a sword like thate out of your forge." When she first met Shaman, Himeko suspected her Kotetsu belonged to Jane, but it was quite far removed from the cksmith''s usual style that HImeko shrugged it off.
"Well, that''s because I threw out every sword of this style. It was meant to be a sword that would be able to evolve and get stronger as the user did. It''s abination of monster materials and cores, but I was unable to create a stable sword without it falling apart."
"I did however manage to create a katana with the only difference being that I used a dormant magic crystal to facilitate the monster cores'' energy. The katana in the end did nothing and was just a regr weapon so I threw it away thinking it was another failure. However, somehow that sword is now in her hands and has even managed to evolve." Jane tried racking her brain and the only possible weapon it could be was the in katana she thought was useless.
"What materials did you use?" Himeko was curious as the sword had an alloy that resembled a mix of different materials, but she didn''t know of what kind.
"If I remember, I used dragon skin, Serpent scales and. Kitsune ws." It just hit Jane in the face as to why the sword could suddenly be working.
"The user needs to bepatible with the sword, otherwise it''s just an iron stick. How did I not think to do that sooner? And what would I have to do for a human to be able to use it would Human flesh even work for that?." Jane''s sphemous thoughts leaked out which terrified Himeko, but truth be told that might actually be the material needed.
"Let''s wait until the fight is over." Himeko didn''t want Jane to get too ahead of herself since for all they know the sword wasn''t even made by her.
"Oops sorry, you''re right." Jane quickly stopped talking and decided to postpone thinking about the sword until she got to see it up close.
*
"Interesting sword, now show me what you can do." ina was impressed with Shaman''s weapon as she felt the magical energy ooze out from the materials used to make it.
Shaman didn''t say anything in response letting her actions speak for themselves. She was going to use everything she could in hopes ofnding at least one scratch.
Shaman activated her [royal bloodline arts], surprising ina with her eye-catching stardust effect which danced all around Shaman''s body. It felt simr to Elysia''s hybrid form, but it was clearly much stronger which made ina raise her guard.
Shaman pushed her hybrid form as much as she could, causing her bright blue eyes to look like you''re staring right into the center of a gxy. The stardust that floated around her body looked as if it was cutting the fabric of reality and opening tears in space itself.
ina was almost mesmerised by the effect, but she had seen this exact thing before.
''Cecilia''s daughter.. looks like she has grown up well.'' ina smiled hoping that this would be an exciting fight. What Shaman disyed was way higher than what her own tier should allow, but because of that she was still limited on how much oomph she could get out of her ability.
However, while ina was appreciating the hybrid form, Shaman vanished from where she was standing. As Shaman appeared right in front of ina swinging Kotetsu, thetter tried to block the katana, but the tip of the de vanished before making impact.
A stardust portal then opened right behind ina''s back with the deing out.
"Nice try, but you''re not quick enough." ina expected this kind of attack as this very move was used against her before. Enhancing her tail with mana, the spade at it''s tip blocked Kotetsu from piercing her back.
"Are you sure?" Shaman smiled while ice formed on the de and all around her. Spikes shot directly towards ina, but before they could touch her skin ck mes burst out from her body melting the ice.
Shaman quickly vanished back into her stardust space to avoid the fire, but then ina did something Shaman thought was impossible.
While in her stardust dimension, Shaman suddenly noticed ck cracks starting to form. Shortly after, ck mes exploded into the dimension tearing a hole through it.
"So this is what it''s like inside." ina stepped through the hole she created while smirking. The shock on Shaman''s face was amusing since she could only assume this was the first time Shaman had seen someone break into her own dimension.
"H-how?" Shaman had been feeling confident after the first few seconds of the fight, but to see her one safe zone be so easily torn open, the rush of anxiety came back with vengeance.
"No time for answers, show me more." ina charged at Shaman swinging her axe, wondering how she would react. This forced Shaman to snap out of the small panic attack she was having.
Using wind to increase her speed, Shaman moved to the side, just barely avoiding the axe swing. She then switched to using water, an element she has underutilised so far.
Thankfully like most of her other elements, she had achieved the ability to use them freely and was not bound to only using skills.
"Oh?" ina was impressed with the number of elements Shaman was using. She knew beforehand Shaman was capable, but didn''t know to what extent.
Water burst out of Kotetsu creating a water de that constantly moved like a rapid stream. Shaman also formed water tridents around ina preventing her from moving.
However, ina needed only light a small fire on her finger and all the water evaporated into steam. This crushed Shaman''s spirits as it seemed like ina had no weaknesses when it came to the elements. Her mes were just so powerful that they cancelled out the usual counter elements.
Shaman jumped back while exiting the stardust dimension hoping it would give her some time to think, but ina did not let that happen. Once again shattering the barriers of the dimension, she walked through like it didn''t exist.
''Fuck.'' Shaman was at a loss for what to do next since almost all her elements could be countered.
"More!" ina was trying to push Shaman, making her desperate enough to use everything.
''Wait, my gxy ice.'' Shaman had almost forgotten the sub-element she had gotten in the dungeon. It needed to be consciously used since rather than using her usual ice it was a whole different element.
With something new to try, Shaman used her domain which had a significant change once again. The flowers now took the same look as her hybrid form, looking like tiny gxy flowers. There were also different colours among the flowers representing each of the group member''s eye colours.
ina stoodpletely still wanting to see what Shaman will do. It made ina happy that there was more to see so she wanted to give Shaman a chance to perform.
Shaman dashed forward while covering Kotetsu in gxy ice and creating ice spikes to send through portals. As she got closer, Shaman sent a handful of ice spikes at once praying that the ck me wouldn''t melt the ice to catch ina off guard.
ina, though, would not use any mes and perfectly positioned her body to dodge all the spikes. She was able to sense where the mana formed in the air and was able to picture in her head the exact pose needed to avoid them.
It was to be expected, but it still baffled Shaman that ina was able to make all these choices in a matter of seconds.
Nheless, Shaman swung with Kotetsu while also sending ice spikes off the de straight for ina''s neck and body. The Gxy Ice shined brightly as it came into existence, its many miniature suns making it almost too blinding to look at.
Just as Shaman hoped, ina went to light her fire to stop all the ice, and yet even when she did nothing happened.
ina''s eyes widened as the ice was refusing to melt, forcing her to enter her demon form. This allowed her to harden her skin with demon essence causing the ice to shatter upon impact.
Shaman was happy to see she managed to get a hit in despite the ice doing absolutely no damage.
After all the ice was gone ina dismissed her demon form and smiled at Shaman. It was unclear if the fight was over, but ina stabbed her axe into the ground signifying that it had.
"Well done, I''ll take you on as a disciple." ina patted Shaman''s head, extremely happy with the results.
Chapter 263 Fight Among Cousins
?
After ina and Shaman finished, they were instantly brought back to the group. Shaman sat on the ground somewhat confused as it had ended so suddenly.
"Did I get a hit in?" Shaman wasn''t sure if she even managed to hit ina as there was no visible damage.
"Yes you did and I''m extremely impressed." ina offered her hand to help Shaman up, but before she could, Shaman fell back to the ground.
"Thank god!" Shaman felt her entire body rx as all she wanted to do wasnd a hit.
"Don''t rx just yet, the day is hardly over. I also think Jane here wants to talk to you" ina smiled while shaking her head as Shaman reminded ina of her younger self when she was first beginning her training.
"Hmm?" Shaman sat up to look who Jane was and her eyesnded on the blue-haired girl next to Himeko.
"Hey~." Jane did a polite wave while smiling, trying not toe across as unapproachable.
"Oh okay, sure." Shaman wondered what it might be, so she got up from the ground and walked over.
"Now ra, it''s your turn." With Shaman now out of the way, it was time for ra''s duel.
"Yep!" ra felt extremely nervous since ina was her own cousin, so if there were any grudges they would likelye out now.
"Don''t stress too much ."
"You got this Mother."
Elysia and Silver gave their words of encouragement knowing full well that ra would be nervous.
Hearing their words helped ra calm down. She reflected on the root of her worries, the fact that ina might be holding a grudge. Knowing that she tended to overthink things, especially when ites to rtions with other people, she decided it was pointless to worry about it any longer and refocused on the fight at hand.
"It''s alright, I know what you are thinking. I do not hold anything against you, after all, I was just as pissed at them for using their 8-year-old daughter as a pawn. I may not look it, but I''m d to see you have turned out great. Still, it doesn''t mean you get to have my seat, understood?" ina saw the hesitation in ra''s steps and was worried that ra''s insecurities would affect the duel.
Family did not matter at this moment in time as all ina wanted to see was how strong ra had be.
"I understand." ra took a deep breath, ingraining ina''s words in her mind. Stepping closer so she could take ina''s hand, there was no longer any hesitation in her step, which is exactly what ina wanted.
"I want you to enter your demon form right away if you can." ina took a few steps back to give ra some space.
"Alright." ra didn''t know exactly how long she could stay in it, but with how fast the duels were so far it shouldn''t be a problem.
"Ready whenever you are."
With the signal to go ra began her transformation, which caught ina''s attention pretty quickly. It was extremely simr to her own, which shouldn''t be the case since their family had split apart long ago.
''Why does ra have subus traits? If she is their child then she should be taking on a more dragon-like form unless'' ina didn''t know for sure, but if what she is thinking is correct then ra is not a cousin but actually a half-sister.
''Tch, those bastards are more scummy than I thought. Let''s see if she is a full subus or a half-dragon.'' Without getting in contact with ra''s demon essence ina wouldn''t know for sure.
ra''s body finally finished adjusting and by looks alone, ina was able to tell ra had the eyes of a dragon, the tail of a subus and the horns of royalty. There was little room for doubt that there were some affairs going on, but until she felt ra''s demon essence ina couldn''t confirm it.
ra, unaware of what ina just discovered, charged at her while pulling out her whip des. Instantly coating them with lightning, ra swung forward going right past ina.
ina had stood still because she did not see them as a threat and wanted to see what ra had nned.
While running forward ra retracted her des aiming right for ina''s back. The attack itself was rather simple and one that ina could easily dodge, but because the whips were coated in lighting it still posed some threat.
ra overcharged her whip des causing lightning to burst out from every part of the de towards ina.
An explosion erupted directly hitting ina, but as the dust settled bat wings were seen covering the entirety of ina''s body. Although her bat wings looked rather thin, they were still protected by ayer of demon essence.
Unravelling her wings, ina revealed her own full transformation, which made ra notice that her form was quite simr to her own. However, she thought it merely confirmed that they were cousins since the two still had some differences, especially since she herself had no wings.
"I''m not done." During the explosion, ra fully retracted andbined her 2 whip des to create a lightning long-sword. Inspired greatly by Himeko''s style of fighting, she used all of her weight to swing down at ina as thetter opened her wings up.
"Nice try." As the de was a few inches away from ina''s face she caught the very tip with her fingers. Having already switched to her tier 10 clothes, the ck gloves she wore were able to withstand the burning sensation from the lightning.
ra retracted her lightning from the de, thus reverting its length to its true shorter form and allowing her to continue the attack. However, this attempt would also be swatted away by ina.
Using her spare hand ina swung with her great axe, parrying the de while also sending ra reeling back.
"I like the way you think." ina so far had been rather impressed with ra''s fighting style as it adapted very quickly depending on the situation. The only thing ina wanted to test was how ra would defend against her attacks.
This would also allow ina to feel ra''s demon essence since thetter has yet to use it in her attacks.
ra slid on her feet until she came to a full stop and took this chance to take a breather. It was hard to imagine any way to even get an attack in making Shaman''s feat all that much greater.
However, she wouldn''t need to think for long as ina came at her directly swinging down with her axe.
Surprised by the sudden attack, ra tried to redirect the axe by parrying it with her sword, but the force was almost too great for her to bear. This triggered ra''s innate demonic instincts leading her to use her demon essence to reinforce her body, finally allowing her to withstand the pressure.
''It all makes sense now.'' ina felt the fluctuation in ra''s body, allowing her to pinpoint who her parents are.
''ra''s mother and my father seemed to have gotten along I guess that''s why my father disappeared when I was younger.'' ina had already guessed it was her father, but now that she was able to find traces in ra it was all the more obvious what he was doing some nights when ina was still a kid.
''I think I have learnt everything I needed to know now, so let''s see how long ra canst while constantly under pressure.'' ina no longer needed to test ra, but to train her demon form ina wanted to push ra to the limit.
Once ina''s axe crashed into the ground ra tried to retaliate with her own stroke, but ina was too quick. After blocking ra''s de, ina started a barrage of axe swings, just strong enough to bring out ra''s demon essence and force her to constantly be on the defence.
It didn''t take long for ra to understand what ina was trying to do, so shepletely focused on surviving the attacks.
ra was constantly on the move dodging, redirecting and blocking the axe for 10 minutes. At this point, ra had turned her whip des into two swords allowing for more flexibility when redirecting the axe''s blows. It also gave her some opportunities to counterattack, but every attempt so far had been unsessful.
However, it wouldn''t be long before ra suddenly buckled when trying to block an attack. Gettingunched across the field, her demon traits began to fade signifying she reached her limits.
''Shit.'' She hadn''t even felt she was close to her limit, but now the usual fatigue thates from using all her energy was catching up. This made her unable to brace her fall, but ina was fully prepared. Before ra could even touch the ground, she was already caught.
"Well done, especially for someone who hasn''t been home for years." ina was satisfied with ra''s use of her demon form even though it was still quite immature.
"Urgh." ra wasn''t able to register what ina was saying as suddenly her consciousness faded.
"Whoops, maybe I shouldn''t have pushed her to the absolute limit."
Chapter 264 Elanor And Silver’s Turn
?
Passing ra over to Elysia, it was now time for nor''s turn to fight ina.
"ra will be fine, but when she wakes up, tell her to meet me in my throne room tonight." ina wanted to tell ra who she was as it turns out they were sisters.
"Mhm." Elysia nodded her head while backing away with ra in a princess carry.
"Now who''s next." ina turned to the 2 remaining people yet to fight. nor and SIlver looked at each other for a moment wondering who should go first. In the end, nor decided to step forward, trying to use this moment as a way to help her confidence.
"Alright then,e with me." ina offered out her hand, teleporting the both of them.
''This should be quick, I can see nor is very new to fighting.'' ina was able to tell from how nor carried herself that she was no fighter, at least not yet. However, her confidence was admirable and was needed if she wanted to go down the path she is currently treading.
"Ready whenever you are, show me everything you got." ina nned to be more defensive for this fight as she wanted to gauge how experienced her opponent is in fighting.
nor nodded and pulled out her fans which made ina raise an eyebrow having never seen anyone use fans as a weapon.
"Interesting." ina muttered to herself, intrigued about how nor would fight. It also put to question ina''s earlier analysis as the way nor carried herself now made a bit more sense. She wasn''t a close-range fighter, but someone who fights with elegance.
nor took a moment to think to herself about what to do. She wasn''t good at making the first move since she felt her moves were very predictable.
''Just do it, this is a mock duel and I just need to showcase what I can do.'' nor gave herself a pep talk, building up the courage to finally attack.
A sweep from her fan and roots emerged from the ground trying to ensnare ina. Surprisingly they were quite effective due to the holy nature of their element.
ina had not recognised this aspect of nor''s element, so she let it happen and to her surprise, it began to burn her skin.
"Argh!" Quickly incinerating the roots with her ck mes, ina became extremely cautious. nor was a direct counter to any pure demon. In any other situation, ina would have killed such a foe on sight before they could be a problem.
nor herself was even more shocked at what just happened since she only thought it would affect monsters.
"Interesting, you are not a priest or anything are you?" ina wanted to be sure, since if nor was indeed a follower of god then there is no way ina was going to teach her.
"No? I just sort of have the element." nor didn''t do anything special to obtain the element as it was just something she had.
"Hmm I see, keep attacking." ina wanted to experiment with nor''s holy nature but it would have to wait until the one-on-one training.
nor nodded once again, this time attacking with her wind. Waving her fans back and forth, she created multiple tornados surrounding ina.
The ground also rumbled indicating more roots were on their way. This time ina jumped into the air and levitated. Roots broke through the ground trying to reach her, but before they could get close they were burnt to ash.
The tornados began to get closer all the while sending wind shes directly at ina. Dodging with ease, ina let the shes continue on their way, some even colliding with each other causing explosions of wind.
Surprisingly, ina wasn''t expecting such a reaction, almost getting her wings clipped by the first wind explosion.
''I will throw in one attack.'' ina was beginning to get used to nor''s fighting style and had a proper assessment of her experience. A lot of nor''s moves were very pre-meditated which wasn''t a bad thing, but in the flow of battle if she is not used to making quick decisions then she risks being thrown off her tempo or even freezing up.
Dashing through the air narrowly dodging the tornados and their barrage of wind shes, ina telegraphed a swing wanting to see how nor would react.
Panic was visible on her face as nor tried her best to think about what to do, but her hesitation cost her too much time and ina was forced to stop her swing before it was toote.
"Alright, we are finished." ina rxed and offered her hand, but nor was still panicked from the attack.
"Wait what? Why?" nor was curious as although she didn''t react in time there was still more she wanted to show.
"I would have killed you right then and there so I stopped. You do not have experience of what it is like to be in battle and struggle to make those quick decisions. For example, you should not have needed to think in order to raise a wall made of roots. You know it''s one of my weaknesses, so you should take full advantage of that fact." ina gave her analysis which made nor go deep into thought.
''Damn it, I got overwhelmed.'' nor was cursing herself as everything ina said was right. Hesitation was a big problem for her, but she didn''t know how to go about fixing it.
"Now let''s head back."
"A-alright." nor took ina''s hand and the two found themselves back. nor walked back looking disappointed which caused Elysia and Silver to be a bit worried.
"It''s okay Elysia, just a little mad at myself." nor could see the concern so she wanted to clear up that it wasn''t anything bad.
"Now wolf boy it''s your turn." ina wanted to move straight onto the next duel and Silver epted, taking her hand without saying a word.
"Show me what you got." ina didn''t know much about Silver, but still got some basic idea from the scythe he was pulling out and the style of his clothes. She gathered his role in the group was some type of assassin or rogue.
Silver didn''t say anything and instead disappeared from ina''s sight. Of course, ina was still well aware of where he was. ina''s natural perception of magic was a lot more advanced than Silver''s magic meaning no matter how well hidden he was she would be able to pinpoint the exact spot.
''Still impressive that he can vanish physically without a trace. If he was up against one of my elite soldiers I doubt they could find him.'' ina gave credit where it was due, having been impressed by Silver''s ability to hide without there being any kind of visible distortion.
As a bit of a tease, ina moved her axe, directly pointing it at Silver and continued to follow his movements. Silver quickly figured out hiding will be impossible which he half expected to be the case, but had hoped on the off chance that ian wouldn''t have been able to tell.
With his ns of surprise over, Silver finally started his attack. He moved around ina in a predetermined pattern, trying to confuse her while also establishing his domain.
Using the hidden shadow space around ina, he summoned swords to shoot out from the ground. Silver also jumped out of the shadows and swung with his scythe right for ina''s head.
ina smirked just before stomping the ground and tensing every muscle in her body. She channeled her demon essence throughout her entire body, hardening her skin. Generally, it was not effective against people who are on a simr tier, but it definitely worked against Silver. As for why she hasn''t used it before, it was due to her being unable to move while in this state.
Many fights require constant movement, so it was rare when a situation came about that justified using this technique.
The shadow des stopped as soon as they made contact and dissipated shortly after. Silver''s scythe was also stopped right in its tracks, unable to cut through ina''s neck.
"Hmm? Is this a demon weapon?" ina had finallye in contact with one of the many demon weapons the group has. It instantly piqued her interest as she has never seen a demon scythe in the armoury.
"..." Silver didn''t know what to say as he was pretty sure his mother said not to say a thing just in case.
"I won''t punish you if you tell me, I''m genuinely curious." ine saw the hesitation and guessed he was well aware that it was indeed a demon weapon.
"We got it from a dungeon." Silver tried to not give too much detail, but it seemed enough to tip ina about its possible origins.
"Ha! Your group really is something Now keep fighting." ina was still curious, but questions couldeter. Putting her finger up against Silver''s scythe she gave it a little push which was much stronger than it looked.
Being sent back a few metres, Silver quickly stopped himself and entered the shadows.
Chapter 265 Compatibility
?
Silver tried different methods of attack, but no matter what he did ina easily swatted them away. It was by this point that ina decided to end the duel as she felt the duel was no longer beneficial.
"We will stop now Silver, you have done well. Despite your abilities being more passive in nature, you still found a way to apply them aggressively." Overall ina was happy with Silver. Despite being one of the weakest when it came to raw power, he still held an important role that not many parties have.
"Hmph." Silver though was not happy that it had ended this early as he still felt like he had a chance to at least deliver a scratch.
"No wonder Luna likes you." ina shook her head as she remembered Luna going on a ramble about how cute this wolf boy was.
"Huh?" Silver''s ears perked up hearing the words cute and Luna, but he wasn''t sure what ina was talking about.
"Don''t worry about it too much, just be careful when we move on, as you will be with Luna again. She tends to obsess over cute things which includes you." ina didn''t want to scare Silver, but at the same time wanted to at least leave him a warning.
Silver had seen a little bit of this side of Luna when they first met, but he didn''t think it was that bad.
"I''ll be careful." It was a nice warning since he worried about being treated like a plush toy if Luna had her way.
"Good, now let''s head back." ina let out a sigh of relief while teleporting them back to everyone else.
**
"Yo." Shaman walked up to Jane who was eagerly waiting to talk for some reason.
"Hello! You must be Shaman, I wanted to have a look at your sword." Jane got straight to the point and if it wasn''t for Himeko holding Jane by the back of her cor, then she would have sprinted as soon as the fight finished.
"Uhhh, sure?" Shaman didn''t see a problem with it whatsoever, so she pulled it out of her inventory.
Jane quickly snatched it and began to examine every part of the de while nodding her head. She even swung it a few times, which Shaman was rather concerned about, but a smile and nod from Himeko reassured her it was okay.
"Interesting I never got this damn crystal to work, but somehow you can do it." Jane was trying to confirm her theory that it was apatibility issue with the sword and so far everything supported that.
"I can say there is apatibility thing with the sword." Shaman didn''t want to say too much since she could see howpatible she was with Kotetsu but wasn''t sure if Jane knew about the system.
"Really? How do you know? I mean it makes sense if you are the only one that can use it. Has Elli-... Elysia! tried?" Jane got close to Shaman hearing that she knew that it was indeed apatibility issue.
"Well whenever I use Kotetsu, it feels like it is just an extension of my body, but when used by someone else it just feels like a sword and no she hasn''t tried." Shaman leaned back trying to give herself some space since Jane was way too close forfort.
"I see, I see. ELYSIA! Come try the sword!" Jane called for Elysia toe over which she quickly did, wondering if something was wrong.
"What''s up?"
"Can you try using Kotetsu?" Jane held out the katana to Elysia and dropped it, surprising thetter who almost failed to catch it.
"Eh? Why? I have no idea how to use a katana." Elysia held Kotetsu awkwardly, unsure what to do with it.
"Just hold it in your hand and give it a few swings to see if anything happens." It didn''t matter if Elysia knew how, Jane just needed to see if Elysia was alsopatible since she is also a kitsune.
"Okay?" Elysia held Kotetsu in her hand trying to copy how Shaman does it and flowed some mana into it. Surprisingly the crystal lit up a bright red, indicating it adjusted to her element.
"Woah." Elysia wasn''t sure if she was doing it right, but whatever was happening seemed to be good.
"So it is because I used a Kitsune w." Jane finally figured out what was preventing her from using the des she created.
"What?" Shaman at first thought that Jane used a person who was a kitsune, but then it urred to her that there are beast versions of their race that are not so friendly.
"I made a line of swords all using different high-tier beast materials which I believe resulted in making those swords only useable by the counterpart race. So for example a sword made using dragon fangs would only be usable by a half-dragon." Jane exined how she made the sword, but it surprised Shaman that they didn''t turn out to be just great swords in general.
"Also the looks of the de have changed quite a bit, but looking at the runes I engraved on it, I must have been in my creative mode when doing them." Jane had taken back the sword from Elysa to be able to see the handle where the runes were located.
"You can head back now if you want Elysia, thank you." Jane didn''t want to force Elysia to stay especially if she found it boring.
"Oh okay, no worries." Elysia did a small bow and walked off while also smiling at Shaman as she walked by.
"Soooo, what now?" Shaman was curious about what Jane had in store or if she just wanted to have a look.
"I was nning to make you all weapons as per ina''s request, but you already have one that doesn''t need recing. So I thought I could upgrade it for you instead." Jane proposed something that instantly got Shaman''s attention as an upgrade to a sword of legendary rating didn''t sound possible.
"Really? How so?" Shaman was curious how Jane would even go about it.
"Well, I made these like... I don''t know maybe 8 years ago? And let''s say my weapon-making skills have gotten so much better, like the hilt is slightly off and the rune inscriptions are a little wonky. Like there is so much I could make better about Kotetsu here." Jane described things that Shaman never even noticed. She had always assumed the de was already perfect, but it sounded like it was extremely wed.
"So if you don''t mind, can I take this back after your training? I promise to be done by tomorrow night." Jane passed back Kotetsu to Shaman while asking, hoping it would be a yes as she wanted to work on it as soon as possible.
"Sure, it isn''t like I have a reason to decline." Shaman didn''t mind at all what Jane did as long as she doesn''t break it or somehow make it worse.
"Yes! Alright, I will make sure I won''t disappoint." Jane had fire in her eyes which made Hiemko raise an eyebrow.
"Haven''t seen you this worked up to be in the forge again." Himeko had a teasing smile while poking Jane''s side.
"How can I not be, finally I get to do something other than make shit weapons for the pope." Jane for the most part hadn''t been able to do much with her forging skills as she had been swamped with so many requests, but now she had none.
"Are you two by chance... Together?" Shaman had this question ever since she saw them together and noticed that Jane seemed quite close to Himeko. However, when she asked this Jane''s face instantly turned dark and her excitement vanished.
"Hmm no? We are just friends." Himeko tilted her head wondering how Shaman made this assumption.
"Oh Hey, Himeko is alright if youe to my room tonight to talk? There is something you should know." Shaman instantly gathered the situation as by Jane''s expression alone she could see that right now the love was very one-sided.
"I can, but why?" Himeko was rather suspicious about what it could be, but she had no reason to decline.
"Well, I just wanted to tell you some things in private that is all." Shaman didn''t have a usible excuse so she hoped Himeko would just trust her.
"Alright? I don''t mind." Himeko shook her head as there was no reason to be sceptical. Jane''s face lit up a bit hearing what Shaman was nning and, looking at her full of hope, Jane got back a wink.
Jane couldn''t believe that someone was going to help as she thought her rtionship with Himeko was forever going to stay in the friend zone.
Knowing what Shaman is going to do only made Jane even more motivated to make Kotetsu the best katana she will ever make. This also applied to the other group members as she wanted to provide the best for them.
Chapter 266 No Longer Dense
?
With all the duels finally finished, ina now had a good grasp of what every person needed.
"I have decided we won''t have the massive duel as I am not confident that everyone is quite ready and I would like to spend some time refining some skills before then."
"First I will personally train nor and get her up to scratch. It is clear she has little experience and is my biggest worry. As for Shaman, Elysia and, when she wakes up, ra. I will assign you to one of my prominentbat experts that are still alive. As for Silver, I will leave you in the hands of my intelligence sector. They don''t participate inbat, but their stealth skills will be invaluable for you to learn." ina assigned different parts of the party to cater to the kind of things they needed to learn.
The main trio and Silver had a good amount of experience, but theycked the finer details that would allow them to excel in their styles. As for nor, who only recently joined, shecked the battle count and needed to build a proper foundation.
"So what now?" Shaman nodded, having no objections, but she was wondering what ina nned for them to do now.
"I will give you the rest of the day to yourselves as I make preparations for your new instructors. Also, make sure you all speak to Jane about getting new weapons and confirming what you want." ina would have liked to have kept going, but with the skill disparity being quite big she needed to prepare a crash course for nor as well as contact their new instructors.
Everyone nodded and, with their confirmation, ina disappeared. Jane waved them over, signalling for them toe get their weapons sorted.
"Alright, let me see all your weapons." Jane could easily use their current weapons as a temte depending on the kind of material she ends up going with. Hence, she wanted to see what they have before making anything brand new. Surprisingly, almost every one of their weapons except ra''s whips and Elysia''s bow was made of demon metal.
"Wow okay, well I made ra''s whip des and your original bow, but as for everyone else, how did you get your hands on such rare weapons?" Jane was intrigued by how they came into possession of demonic weapons since those are meant to be exclusively forged in the demonnds.
"Found them in a dungeon, we actually have a few pieces of demon metal as well." Elysia shrugged it off while pulling out a piece of metal they had picked up way back in the Ebonscale dungeon. By this point it was just collecting dust so Elysia figured Jane might have a use for it.
"Mhm, just sort of fell into our hands when we were dungeon clearing." Shaman was not sure if it would be a good idea to exin how they got it, especially since these demon weapons are supposedly part of the demonnd''s ancient history.
She was even surprised by the fact that ina didn''t recognise Silver''s scythe or nor''s fans, but that may be due to the dormant state the weapons are in.
"Hmm, I can work with this. I might be able to upgrade all your weapons. I will make ra a new pair of whip des. As for you Elysia I might be able to make it so that your spear can change form into a bow and vice versa. Everyone else, I will see what I can do to upgrade your weapons so hand them over." Jane smiled, already feeling excited to begin tinkering with everyone''s weapons. She proceeded to open up a dimensional space from her ring and everyone put their weapons inside.
Giving up their weapons left them almost feeling naked, but seeing as they were close friends with Himeko, they could not help but put their trust in Jane.
"Thank you, I shall get to work right away." Jane was quick to leave and was almost running back to her forge.
"Seeing as you are free, what did you want to talk about Shaman? May as well do it now instead of waiting until tonight." Himeko had nothing else to do and wanted to know what could Shaman possibly want.
Shaman didn''t expect Himeko to request the conversation right here and now, but she wasn''t wrong that there was nothing stopping them. She took a nce over to where Jane ran off, but thetter was already out of sight and back in the castle.
"Well How do you see Jane? Just as a friend or as someone special." Shaman didn''t want to be too obvious yet and wanted to get Himeko''s view before being blunt.
"Hmm she has been a good friend for many years and she is someone I hold dear." Himeko spoke very casually about it and everyone could tell that Jane was indeed friend-zoned
"Have you ever considered Jane as a potential partner?" Elysia was the one to take the aggressive approach which made Shaman freak out a little since she wasn''t nning to bring that up yet.
"A partner? No, not really. I didn''t think Jane had those kinds of feelings." Himeko''s response made the group collectively facepalm. Even nor who was rather oblivious when it came to rtionships was able to clearly see what was going on.
"What?! You''re not telling me she actually does?" HImeko''s face began to get red. It seemed absurd to her for someone like Jane to have these kinds of feelings.
"That''s exactly what we are saying." Shaman shook her head, finding it unbelievable how dense Himeko was. For someone who had been actively seeking some romance not too long ago, Shaman thought the dots would of connected for Himeko much sooner.
"Ehhh!?!? There is no way.. I guess she has been rather downtely." Himeko took a second to think about Jane''s behaviourtely. If what everyone is saying is true then perhaps it would make sense for Jane to have been distressed.
"Do you see it now?" Shaman didn''t know how aggressive Jane had been, but surely there had been some signs that Himekopletely ignored.
"I-I think so but why me?" Himeko all of a sudden was feeling a wave of embarrassment as now everything became obvious.
"That''s for you to find out. We don''t actually know Jane all that well, so you need to figure out yourself how you feel." Shaman could easily give a list of the good qualities of Himeko, but it would be less impactfuling from Shaman.
"Wait so how do I know she really has feelings for me and this isn''t some trick?" Himeko suddenly saw a ring hole in the group''s logic. After all, if they have hardly spoken to Jane then how would they know if she has feelings towards her?
"Okay, did you not see how glued to you she was during the duels? And when you said you were just friends, the look of sadness that washed over her made it pretty clear." nor was surprisingly frustrated at Himeko''s denseness. Being the member who was the least close to Himeko, nor came off really harsh.
However, it seemed to work as Himeko had nothing to say in response.
*Sigh* "Do you understand now?" Shaman hoped that things would turn out well as ultimately Himeko was the deciding factor.
"Y-yes." Himeko''s mind was filled with hundreds of thoughts that almost overwhelmed her. She felt incredibly stupid and guilty for not realising sooner, especially after how obvious it was in hindsight.
"That''s all we needed to say, so now it''s up to you on what you want to do. Personally, it seems to me like having lost her ce and nearly losing you as well left Jane all the more desperate now." Shaman didn''t want to push too hard and make Himeko feel like she has to, but Jane''s situation seems mentally taxing even if she doesn''t show it.
Shaman imagined it was simr to how she felt when first arriving in this world. She had no one to rely on and had to survive all by herself. Although it wasn''t long before she rescued Elysia, the loneliness and desperation to have someone to support her caused the two of them to get together way quicker than anyone should.
Thinking back on it, it was a very toxic rtionship as it caused many jealousy issues down the road, but with it all being resolved now their rtionship has never been stronger than what it is now.
"I-I see, I need some time to think, plus I do not want to hold up her work, so I''ll wait until she finishes." Himeko gave herself a deadline in hopes that she will have an answer by then.
"I would say it would make her more motivated, but again, who knows what will happen if you say yes." Elysia got a lot of her motivation from Shaman, so it wasn''t a bad idea to go to Jane right away as it can push her to do her best. However, Elysia could imagine an explosion of feelings and work being put to the side.
"Ahh don''t say that!" Himeko''s mind instantly thought of doing something lewd. Trying to avoid any further teasing she quickly covered her ears.
"Haha oops." Elysia giggled and hid behind Shaman, using her as a shield.
"Don''t use me as a shield! You''re the one that put the thought in her head." Shaman though did not appreciate that and used Stardust to teleport behind, Elysia reversing their roles.
"I-I''m not angry, but do you girls always have to make everything so sexual?" Himeko shyly spoke while facing away from them which was rather cute.
"me this one for having a brain that I swear is filled with 80% about sex and 20% about how to make the biggest explosion." Shaman pulled on the side of Elysia''s cheek taking a jab at her thought process.
"Ow, ow it isn''t all that full!" Elysia couldn''t deny it, but she didn''t feel like it was true all the time.
Silver wanted to confirm what Shaman was saying, but he felt awkward bringing up the fact he was present during such times in wolf form.
"Haha, well thank you, girls, I feel much better now and I see what I''ve been missing." Himeko calmed down seeing their usual light-hearted atmosphere back and couldn''t help but thank them.
"You can thank us after the deed is done, now go and get your thoughts in order." Shaman didn''t want to hold up Himeko, so she tried to shoo her away nicely.
"I sure do, I''ll see you allter." Himeko felt exhausted even though she had barely done anything.
"Bye~" Everyone waved as Himeko clicked her fingers disappearing into a ball of mes.
Chapter 267 Tier 7
?
After finishing their talk with Himeko, everyone else returned to their rooms. They finally had the chance to evolve as well as spend their attribute points. However, ra hadn''t woken up yet which was slightly concerning, so theyid her on the bed to let her rest.
"Finally we have a chance to actually use all the points we have built up." Shaman let herself fall onto the bed next to ra while opening the system menu.
[Do you wish to evolve?]
[Yes/No]
As per usual they had more than enough cores from the monsters they had killed for the evolution and it was just a matter of pressing a button.
"Hopefully no onees to disturb us, it would be quite hard to exin why we are all in an egg." Elysia imagined room service appearing and walking in on such a scene.
"Surely not." Shaman didn''t think that would happen as their rooms should have already been attended to beforehand.
"Anyway, Rea? Can you start ra''s evolution for her?" Shaman figured it might be beneficial for ra to go through the evolution since it fully rejuvenates the body.
[Sure can.] It was no problem since Rea was responsible for authorising it in the first ce. So without further ado, ra was encased in an egg, beginning her evolution.
"Guess we can begin as well." Shaman pressed yes on the evolution menu and her vision turned ck.
***
<8 hourster>
It was very early morning and the eggs were on the verge of cracking. After a couple more shakes, Shaman finally broke through the outer shell. As per usual she began to eat the shell, enjoying the sweet taste of its hard exterior.
[Level 350 -> 380]
The room was still pitch ck as the sun hadn''te up from the horizon yet.
''Damn, I woke up early.'' Shaman looked over to ra and Elysia who hadn''t finished with their evolution. In the meantime, Shaman decided to enter the bathroom to see if her looks changed at all.
Turning on the light, she looked in the mirror to see not much had changed. It was definitely an improvement as she felt like she was nearing that goddess level of looks. She was only approaching 19, at least assuming her birthday hadn''t passed yet, which was crazy for her to think about.
"Oh well, age doesn''t really matter to me anymore, plus I look like I am in my mid-20s now." Doing a small spin in front of the mirror, it was hard for her to imagine herself looking the way she did back when she first arrived in this world. It felt so childlike when she thought back and made her really realise how much of a difference it is having a refined body.
"Also these 7 tails are starting to be more of a nuisance, at least they would be a good pillow." Shaman wagged her tails which had increasingly be bigger and fluffier. It was easy to see that it wouldn''t fit in any tight spots as well as being a danger to any valuables on the wall.
It was hard to consciously know where her tails were positioned so Shaman saw herself knocking over a bunch of things in the hallway.
*Crack*
Hearing the slight noise of an egg cracking, Shaman quickly returned to the bedroom to see Elysiaing out of her egg.
By this point, the sun was finally showing itself providing some light and allowing Shaman to check whether Elysia had changed at all.
"Still beautiful as always." Shaman couldn''t spot any major differences seemingly following Shaman''s precedent.
"Hmm?" Elysia turned her head with a piece of egg in her mouth which was adorable.
"Hey~." Shaman walked closer to Elysia as she picked another piece of her own egg she has yet to finish.
"How long have you been up?" Elysia had started her evolution pretty much a few seconds after Shaman, yet thetter was up way earlier.
"It''s only been 5 minutes."
"Oh."
"Has ra shown any signs of wa-."
*Crack*
Just before Elysia could finish her query, ra''s egg began to make some noise answering Elysia''s question.
Waiting patiently for ra to break out of her egg, Elysia and Shaman sat next to each other finishing off their eggshells.
ra finally emerged from her shell and much like the other two not much had changed in her appearance.
"Morning sweetie~." Shaman instantly greeted ra who looked around confused and clearly still half asleep.
"You sure nothing changed Shaman? You are much more flirty with your words than usual." Elysia however, picked up on a small change as it wasn''tmon for Shaman to use nicknames.
"No? I guess I''m just in that kind of mood." Shaman didn''t feel any different, but one thing she noticed was that her feelings toward Elysia and ra felt stronger.
"Oh well, I''m notining." Elysia smiled happily since it was a change she would ept any day.
"Hello and what the hell happened?" ra held her head extremely confused as to how she got to where she was, not to mention how the hell did she manage to get inside an egg.
"Ah that''s right, after your fight with ina you passed out and we were let go for the rest of the day, so we decided to take the chance to evolve to tier 7. Jane has also started on our new weapons.." Shaman gave a quick briefing on what happened which ra seemed to understand.
"I see, is there anything else?" ra aligned the timeline in her head as thest thing she remembered was fighting ina.
"Oh we also knocked some sense into Himeko, so hopefully she and Jane will get together." Elysia also dropped the news of the conversation with Himeko which left ra shocked.
"Wait what? You got through to that dense mother of mine!?!" ra couldn''t believe it, finding it absurd that they managed to pull it off.
"It wasn''t that hard, with enough people pestering her she eventually came to realise that Jane has feelings." Shaman didn''t want to take too much credit as they had hardly said much and were more of a nudge in the right direction.
"Wow okay, well hopefully everything turns out well." ra didn''t think it would be that easy, but she guessed that Jane had been on the offensivetely so it was easier to notice.
"Anyway, make sure you assign your attribute points, I''ll go check on Silver to see if he is awake yet." Shaman also needed to do hers but she was way too curious to see if Silver had added a few years to his age. If the trend continued he now should be at least 18 years old physically.
"Kayyy~ Don''t get lost." Elysiaid back down in bed taking advantage of the opportunity to rest some more.
"It''s only a few rooms down, I''m not that directionally challenged." Shaman didn''t know where the slight jab wasing from as she usually is the one leading.
"You never know what else could have changed. You may look and act hotter, but it may havee at the cost of your spatial awareness." Elysia shrugged while borating on her thought process.
"Pfft." ra couldn''t help but chuckle. However, suddenly both Elysia and ra found themselves falling?
"AHHH!" Elysia and ra screamed in unison as they had no idea what happened and all they could see was the ground getting closer, but before they hit the ground they were back on the bed.
"Hmph." Shaman pouted before exiting the room and Elysia realised what just happened.
"Damn it she used her illusion skill." Elysia breathed heavily feeling wide awake now.
"Maybe next time, don''t insult her." ra felt like she was about to have a heart attack especially since she too wasn''t quite fully awake.
*
"Hehehehe." Shaman though was giggling evilly just outside as their reactions were quite funny.
*Phew* ''That was good, now let''s assign these points.'' Shaman walked down the hallway while assigning her points.
''Over 5,000 points! Let''s go, this is going to be a massive upgrade.''
[Attributes]
Unused: 5,340 -> 0
- Vitality: 900 -> 1670
- Agility: 1310 -> 2350
- Intelligence: 1160 -> 2200
- Strength: 1350 -> 2250
- Dexterity: 1260 -> 2200
- Defence: 850 -> 1500
Feeling the rush once again, it almost caused Shaman to trip over her feet as she was enjoying the feeling a little too much. Catching herself and quickly looking around thankfully no one saw her almost fall face first.
*
Arriving at Silver''s room, Shaman stood at the door preparing herself mentally for any drastic changes that may have urred.
''Surely he is still my cute bubbly wolf boy.'' Shaman didn''t want to let go of her current image of Silver as he was too cute to not adore. However, if he had changed to look like a grown man now, she didn''t know how to cope.
*Sigh* ''Maybe there is a way for Elysia and ra or even me to have a child. It seems rathermonce to have same-sex rtionships, so maybe there is some magic that allows reproduction without the opposite gender.'' It was an interesting thought, but that was something better left for the future when there isn''t a potential world-ending threat.
''Arghh enough stalling.'' Shaman saw the rabbit hole and now she was just meaninglessly worrying that Silver may no longer look young. Sucking it up, she knocked on the door and shortly after the door opened.
"No way."
Chapter 268 No Longer Cute And Sorting Out Feelings
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Shaman froze where she stood as she witnessed apletely different person open the door.
"I-is that you Silver?" Shaman was at a loss for words as the half-wolf person in front of her looked nothing like the cute small wolf boy, instead, it was a wolf man.
"Yes, it is me Mother? Did you get shorter again after evolving?"
"Oh my god." Shaman blinked a few times trying to process what she was seeing, hoping it was just an illusion. Silver was now well over at least 6 feet tall and had gained the physique of a well-trained body that most women would fawn over.
"What?" Silver felt rather awkward that his own mother was just staring at his body.
"Have you even looked in the mirror yet? Also, your voice is deeper now?" Shaman was shocked that Silver wasn''t aware of his new looks and expected him to be freaking out.
"No? I just woke up right after you knocked. Although I feel like I did get a bit taller since I had to reach lower than usual." Silver thought to himself as it did seem like some changes happened, but he didn''t think they were that big of a deal.
"Go. Look. Right now!" Shaman needed Silver to see the changes as his nonchnt reaction should really be illegal.
"Oh okay, one second then." Silver walked back into his room giving some time for Shaman to think.
''My cute cuddly boy is gone! Does that mean he is at the right age now and I shouldn''t be so much against him pursuing nor? Is that even morally right? He isn''t even a year old mentally.'' Shaman fell down a spiral of thoughts and luckily Rea came to interject.
[If you are concerned about his age, know that due to the nature of Silver''s birth, I had linked his aging to his level, so right now he is about 20 and must reach tier 9 or 10 before he resumes aging like normal. I also did the same for you and anyone you gave the system to rtive to your current age.]
[So do not worry you won''t be old and wrinkly anytime soon and when you reach tier 10 you will be at your peak appearance. This is also the major reason why you enter an egg as it speeds aging and makes sure nothing goes wrong during the process.] Rea exined that the system was actually aging them, which Shaman had already assumed, but she didn''t think it actually sped up the process, instead thinking it was more of a cosmetic change.
''But what about mental age? He has barely lived?'' There was still one ring issue that Shaman saw and that was emotional maturity. He may be an adult, but for all she knew, Silver is still a child just in a grown-up body.
[Haha do not worry, you underestimate what the system is capable of, I assure you Silver is emotionally mature, so expect some hard-hitting questions. Don''t want to let him down as a mother now hehe~.] With that Rea seemingly disappeared leaving Shaman to drown in her thoughts.
''Urghhhhhh, damn you for being so unreasonably convenient!'' Shaman cursed the system for being too good, but it did answer some questions she had even about herself.
''It probably exins why I seem more flirty than usual, the system is bringing out our true selves more and more with each evolution.'' It made sense when paired with Rea''s exnation, but Shaman felt like this was a little too fast.
"What the hell!!!" Silver''s voice echoed from his room signifying he finally saw what he looked like.
"I understand why you looked so shocked now." Silver stumbled his way back to the door looking just as bbergasted as Shaman.
"See!" Shaman was d that Silver realised the drastic change and didn''t feel like she was going crazy.
However, all themotion that they were making caused nor to wander out of her room to see what was going on.
"The sun is hardly up and there is so much noise." nor leaned out of her door which was right next to Silver. In terms of looks, nor did not change much as she was much older than the rest of the party meaning she was already close to her peak.
That did not mean she didn''t have any changes. Much like Shaman, nor had gained a more mature look to her.
Shaman and Silver both locked eyes with nor without saying a word.
"Hmm?" nor was confused as to why they suddenly stopped talking, but after rubbing her eyes, she finally noticed what happened with Silver.
"O-Oh my." nor''s face instantly turned red, but she tried to cover it with her hand. Shaman squinted her eyes as she knew exactly what nor was thinking.
''Wait, technically Silver is an adult now so I shouldn''t be so stingy anymore? Arghhh! This feels so wrong yet so right.'' Shaman was once again debating herself if she should step in or let it happen.
*Sigh* "So yeah, this is Silver." Shaman in the end gave up on having the debate since she already knew Elysia and most likely ra would be all for Silver getting together with someone. If anything it was probably a good thing it was nor as it was someone Shaman could trust at the very least.
"Y-yep, that''s me." Silver was also blushing since now that he was older mentally, the signs of attraction were a lot more obvious to him. This put nor and him in a sort of stalemate as nor couldn''t stop staring while Silver couldn''t look away either.
It made Shaman want to cover Silver''s eyes to stop him from staring, but she refrained and wasn''t even sure if she could reach him properly.
"W-well d to see you all had a smooth evolution, that''s all I wanted to check." Shaman didn''t want to hang around for too long as the situation was almost too awkward to bear.
"Y-yeah thanks Mum." Silver wanted Shaman to stay for emotional support, but the words he really wanted to say did note out. However, an Idea popped into his head which might help resolve the situation.
''Rea, please contact Mother Elysia and ra toe out.'' He wasn''t sure if this would work in his favour, but it would at least get him out of this weird staring contest with nor.
[Sure thing, but I hope you''re ready hehe~.] Rea did just as Silver said and shortly after Elysia and ra came walking out of their room in a hurry. Shaman freaked out as this was quite an awkward situation to walk into.
"Ara~! I was not expecting this." Elysia being her usual self was quick to spot and realise what was going on, instantly taking advantage of the situation.
"Damn Silver had another growth spurt overnight." ra was shocked, but she was more amazed at how much he had developed.
nor though, was quick to see what Elysia had nned as the horny fox had an evil grin smeared across her face. So in a panic, nor quickly ran back into her room before things got out of hand.
"A what a missed opportunity. Anyway, I have to say Silver, you''ve be quite a handsome young man now." Elysia was disappointed that nor ran away, but she wasn''t going to chase, so instead Elysia did a few circles around Silver to get a good look at the changes.
"Haha thanks, but it feels awkward being taller than you all now. To think I was looking up at you all not too long ago." Silver felt much better now that Elysia and ra were here, but he also felt bad for nor who was clearly embarrassed by the situation.
"Too bad we are not back in Ebonscale, you would have been very popr amongst some of the women there." ra remembered all the conversations she would hear from women when she was just out and about which mostly consisted of who was the hottest guard in the area.
"I wouldn''t even be able to hold a conversation, let alone approach anyone." Silver thought about it for a moment and saw himself freezing up, unable to really speak while surrounded by women he didn''t know.
"Oh well, that doesn''t matter, clearly you have your eyes on nor." Elysia with a smug grin nudged her elbow into Silver.
"I-it isn''t like that okay maybe a little." Silver pouted as his face returned back to being red. He wanted to deny the allegations, but after a little bit of thought realised there was no denying it, especially in front of Elysia.
"Hang o- nevermind." Shaman wanted to intervene, but she once again stopped herself.
"It''s okay Shaman, I understand how you feel, but at this rate, we can''t really stop it. I mean look at nor''s face before she ran off it''s clear there was something there." ra knew what Shaman wanted to do, so ra tried to point out the reality of the situation. She also tried tofort Shaman by going to her side and holding her hand.
"Will it really be okay?" Shaman didn''t want to let go, but Silver quite literally outgrew the image Shaman wanted to keep.
"Of course it will be, it isn''t like he is going to run away." ra assured Shaman that even though Silver may have grown up, granted probably too fast, he wasn''t going anywhere.
"I''m sure Silver would love your support, after all, he is your son." Elysia waved at Shaman, bringing to her attention Silver who had averted his eyes, looking like he was seeking approval.
"I" Shaman second-guessed herself before speaking, but she thought back to how her parents were not the most open-minded and knew how suffocating it felt.
"A-as scary of a thought that you are already grown up, you can do whatever you like Silver. I may be worried sick as a mother, but don''t let me stop you from liking someone. If anything, you''ve made an excellent choice in picking nor." Finally receiving his mother''s words, Silver''s face lit up as he ran at Shaman on impulse giving her a bear hug.
"Thank you Mother!"
Chapter 269 Bold Moves
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After Shaman finally epted Silver growing up, it was time to get nor out of her room. Training would most likely start in the next hour, so Elysia nned to cook everyone breakfast before it began.
"I think we should make Silver knock on the door." Elysia was quick to suggest the most embarrassing option.
"Are you sure? I feel like she will just shut the door in Silver''s face." ra though was worried about nor''s response and felt it might be too much for nor to handle.
"What do you think Shaman? You''re the deciding factor." Elysia put the spotlight on Shaman who clearly wanted to avoid the question.
"D-don''t look at me, ask Silver if he wants to do it. Why should I be the one to decide what he should do now, he is an adult now after all." Shaman felt weird calling Silver an adult, but it worked in her favour as Elysia couldn''t argue with that logic.
"Tsk So what will it be then Silver? Willing to try to make a move~?" Elysia got closer to Silver, nudging him once again.
"I-I don''t know." Silver''s face turnedpletely red as he had no idea how he would even approach nor. Elysia also made it sound like he had to flirt which was way beyond his social skill set.
"Stop teasing the boy. You don''t need to pull any moves, just knock on her door and say we are heading to the kitchen." ra was starting to feel bad as it was clear he was getting ufortable.
"A, raaaa, don''t ruin the fun and let me tease him." Elysia rolled her eyes as her fun was being put to an end, but she understood that she might be pushing a little too far.
"Let our son adjust first before you go teasing him alright? Now make your way to the kitchen." Shaman pinched Elysia''s ear from behind, practically paralysing her.
"Yes Ma''am!" Being quick to submit, the moment she was let go Elysia quickly ran off to the kitchen freeing Silver from any more teasing.
"Okay, now Silver, you don''t have to, but I think it will be good for you to face nor since you don''t want it to be awkward for the rest of the day, but that''s purely up to you." Shaman finally built up the courage to give her own advice. In her mind, it felt extremely awkward, but she needed to say something since she didn''t want to see Silver fail.
"Mhm." Silver nodded feeling a bit more confident in himself now that he didn''t feel pressured to make a move. It was also reassuring to see Shaman on board with this venture despite it being quite embarrassing.
"Me and ra will head to the kitchen now as well, so remember to just be casual about it okay? No need to act any different from who you are." Shaman took ra''s hand and waved Silver goodbye as the two walked away.
"Good luck!" ra also waved to express her support as she was dragged away.
''Alright, I got this.'' Once the two of them were out of sight, Silver took this chance to take a few deep breaths. Now feeling ready, he approached nor''s door and gave it a few knocks.
"nor?" Silver''s voice shook a little and almost got stuck, but he still managed to speak clearly.
After waiting a few seconds, the door slowly creaked open and nor poked her head out. Scanning the hallway so that it was clear of Elysia, she finally spoke up.
"W-whats up?" nor''s clearly nervous expression rxed Silver a bit knowing he wasn''t the only one feeling jittery.
"W-we are all having breakfast so I''m here to let you know that it is happening." Silver tried to stay confident, but his face was quick to turn red causing him to begin stuttering.
"O-oh I see, I''ll be ready in a second." nor felt at ease knowing that was all, but she still needed to mentally prepare. The sudden change in Silver caused her to have very conflicting feelings as yesterday he almost seemed like a younger brother, but now that he had another absurd growth spurt nor felt something click in her brain.
"Alright, I''ll be just outside then." Silver thought to go on ahead but at the same time, he also wanted to try to make an attempt. It may be small and subtle, but at least Elysia couldn''tin that he didn''t try.
nor nodded and shut the door, however she did not move from where she stood. Instead, she leaned her back up against the door and slid down it, sitting on the floor.
''What the hell is wrong with me.'' nor found it hard to think straight after witnessing Silver''s new body. She couldn''t help going through all the nice things he had done for her in the past, only her active imagination now reced his younger form with his new mature looks. What also didn''t help was nor''s imagination making everything seem far more romantic, possibly due to Elysia''s earlier remarks.
''Damn you Elysia, the only thing that kept my mind out of the gutter was the fact he looked so young, but now he is hot.'' Elnaor wanted to sob right then and there, but simr to Shaman, nor was faced with the dilemma of how old Silver actually is.
[Do not worry, his looks reflect his age] Rea realised she had not given the exnation to nor, so she quickly jumped in giving the same exnation.
nor was shocked at first, but it did make sense, helping nor finally get out of the dilemma.
''Okay so I am not attracted to someone who is barely even 1, thank god.'' Feeling like she could breathe, it made it easier for her to look at Silver and not feel conflicted.
''Still, should I even see Silver like that? Elysia and the others don''t seem to be against it, but what about my parents? Surely Father would object to me having a rtionship with someone outside of our race.''
''Arghhh I don''t know, it isn''t like I am pursuing the throne so does it really matter? I''m pretty sure half beasts live a simr life span to us elves.'' nor felt lost on how she should feel as well as how the people around her would react to such a rtionship. She believed it would be fine, but a slight doubt still gued her mind.
''Let''s just see how it goes realistically there is nothing stopping me, so why should I worry so much about it.'' nor didn''t want to leave Silver waiting outside for too long, so she pushed away the thoughts for the time being.
Opening up the door, SIlver was waiting patiently while pacing around the hallway.
"I-I''m ready." nor didn''t feel like running away which was a good sign, but she still felt extremely shy.
"Cool, to the kitchen we go." Silver smiled and took the lead, making sure to be a couple of steps ahead to respect nor''s space. It also allowed him to hide his face as thoughts were racing through his head.
Walking in silence until they reached the kitchen, Elysia was still cooking while Shaman and ra were sitting in a dining area.
Elysia looked up and clearly wanted to try and tease Silver, but she refrained. Heading over to the dining area, Silver and nor sat down next to each other at which Shaman raised an eyebrow.
ra wore a smug grin while making eye contact with Silver, but she didn''t say anything.
It was awkward sitting there in silence, but once Elysia brought out some food, things were much morefortable and they proceeded with their morning.
***
Himeko had not gotten a wink of sleep as her head had been constantly gued about what she should do.
''I mean I like Jane, but do I want to go that far with her?''
''....''
''Who else am I going to be with anyway? My entire city was massacred and there is no way I am stepping foot in Elysium without the pope noticing.'' Himeko rolled around in bed debating with herself whether it was the right thing to do.
After thinking about Jane for a while, she couldn''t deny that she had some feelings towards her, but Himeko was worried that she would be a horrible partner. The trauma of always being rejected because of her extremely outgoing personality prevented her from just barging into Jane''s room.
''Maybe that''s what I need. Stop thinking about all these problems that are just in your head and figure it outter. Ahhh but what if that is too forward.'' Himeko felt like a kid again, unable to decide what she wants to do.
''Fuck it, I''m going over. She should be awake by now.'' Himeko saw that the sun was up and knew Jane would have woken up to work on the weapons right away.
Getting out of bed, Himeko quickly tidied herself up and began walking straight to Jane''s room.
''I''m actually doing this.'' Himeko''s heart was racing as she was only one knock away from facing Jane. Himeko didn''t know if going right away for a kiss would be too bold, but she felt like that was the best way to get her point across.
''If Shaman and the girls are wrong about Jane having feelings, then I''m making sure their training henceforth is as difficult as possible.'' Making onestmitment regarding how to cope if things go wrong, Himeko finally knocked.
"Hmm?" Jane almost instantly opened up the door and poked her head out.
"Himeko what are you doing here at this hour?" Jane felt nervous seeing Himeko so early in the morning, but it was probably something important so she opened up her door fully.
However, right as the door fully opened, Himeko stepped inside as she wrapped her arms around Jane, pulling her in for a kiss.
Chapter 270 [Bonus ] Jane And Himeko [R-18]
?
Jane didn''t understand what Himeko was doing or evenprehend what had just happened. Himeko pulled away from the kiss, still holding Jane closely, who looked extremely lost.
"I-I W-w-what." Jane''s brain stopped working as it was finally starting to catch up. Himeko had just kissed her out of nowhere without any warning.
"Haha sorry, I hope you didn''t mind." Himeko''s heart raced, still unsure if Jane has feelings for her and knowing full well her approach was very sudden. Still, it was worth it seeing Jane''s adorable reaction.
"N-No I d-do not mind at all. I-I just can''t believe it, am I dreaming or is this actually you." Jane managed to get some words out, but her voice was shaky and she couldn''t stop stuttering.
"It really is me and that was my answer to your feelings. I''m sorry for not noticing earlier, but finally, I''ve noticed them and am willing to go further with you. We have been friends for years and seeing the situation we are in, I don''t see the reason why not to love you as a partner as well." Himeko hoped she wasn''t being too presumptuous, however Jane started to cry which seemed like a good sign.
"I-I Finally I love you H-Himeko." Jane once again was stunned by Himeko and all her pent-up emotions finally exploded inside of Jane. She hugged Himeko tightly as she sobbed into her shoulder.
"I love you too." Himeko smiled seeing Jane, but a part of her felt bad for making Jane wait for so long.
''It doesn''t matter now, all I can do now is make Jane happy as an apology.'' Himeko wasn''t going to dwell on it and instead was going to focus on Jane.
*
Moving to the bed they enjoyed each other''s embrace for about 5 minutes, allowing Jane to finally calm down.
"W-wow this really is real." Jane lifted her head from Himeko''s body and got her bearings. Although everything felt so real she was still sceptical, but she didn''t want to believe it was a dream, if anything it would be a nightmare if all of this was fake.
"Of course it is silly." Himeko giggle and kissed Jane''s forehead trying to drive in the fact that this is really happening.
"Ahh! Still! I''m freaking out here, you suddenly barged into my room to kiss me and now we are in bed. I didn''t think this would ever happen! Of course, I don''t mind and would like to keep going, but I''m too shy." Jane''s words trailed off, but because they were so close Himeko clearly heard what she said.
"I figured I would speak with actions, so if you want more just say so we do have all morning to ourselves." Himeko blushed, but she still kept her confident front.
"I-I definitely heard you loud and clear" Jane fell silent hearing that Himeko is willing to go all the way. However, Jane felt like it would be too early. Her desires were screaming yes, but it''s literally only been 5 minutes.
"Do what you want Jane, it isn''t like we are strangers."" Himeko saw the conflicted look on Jane and could guess why.
"..." Jane bit her lip as Himeko was right, they have known each other for years, so it wouldn''t be unusual for them to take big steps in their rtionship since they have already done the get-to-know-you part.
"I want you." Jane finally convinced herself and let her desires win over any thoughts she had against it.
Himeko smirked and repositioned herself on top of Jane, straddling her. Jane suddenly became nervous as now it was actually happening, she had no experience and didn''t know how to act.
"Hehe~ I''ll take the lead so don''t worry. Justy there and listen to my words~." Himeko leaned right into Jane''s ear sending shivers down her spine. Jane nodded in response and braced herself for what was toe as this would also be her very first time.
She wasn''t oblivious to it, but she had never tried to explore anything sexual, having wanted to wait until she got a partner. In hindsight, she wished she had done some self-exploring, but it was toote for that now.
Himeko wore a one-piece dress as that was her usual outfit and so she took it off revealing bright red lingerie. Jane stared directly at Himeko, admiring every part of her body. Jane also felt herself getting turned on, causing her to squirm.
Himeko then leaned in to kiss and pressed her body up against Jane preventing her from squirming anymore. While they kissed, Himeko took a break to invade Jane''s shirt, slowly removing it with thetter''s cooperation, giving her a chance to steady her breath and conserve her strength for the long night ahead.
Himeko then moved her hands to Jane''s shorts, pulling them down to her knees making it possible for Jane to take them off with just her legs.
Both of them were now half naked with Jane in typical light blue underwear matching her hair.
By this point Jane''s mind turnedpletely nk, letting her body simply go with the flow and her desires reign free.
*
5 minutes had gone by of just kissing as the two let themselves warm up, taking things slowly for the sake of the rather shy Jane. Himeko then positioned her hands over Jane''s breast and began to fondle them.
"Ahh~." Jane released a low moan, each touch of Himeko making her tingle with pleasure. Her body heated up, unused to the new sensation, yet hungry for more .
Himeko then upped the intensity by nting her knee right in between Jane''s legs, rubbing against her pussy. Jane squirmed at first, but soon gave in to the sensation and even began to rub against Himeko''s leg unintentionally.
"Fufu~ someone''s already really wet." Himeko easily felt the wetness from Jane''s panties giving her an opportunity to tease.
"I-it''s all your fault hmph." Jane felt embarrassed and pouted at Himeko only adding to her cuteness.
"I guess I have to take responsibility then~." Himeko leaned in for the neck this time, intending to give Jane a hickey as a way to mark her.
This sent another wave through Jane''s body which was quite unexpected since she didn''t think getting her neck sucked would feel that good.
Himeko also took this chance to undo Jane''s bra as well as her own. Now the tips of their breasts rubbed against each other adding to their pleasure.
Jane felt like she was about to explode as pressure was building up inside of her lower half. As it was getting harder and harder to contain, her body kept moving on its own, rubbing against Himeko''s leg with greater tenacity.
However, Himeko noticed that Jane was close and suddenly stopped what she was doing.
"W-what?" Jane breathed heavily, confused as to why Himeko suddenly stopped. Jane really wanted to experience a sweet release, but now it was just robbed from her.
"I won''t let you cum that easily~." Himeko got up on her knees wearing a smug grin and locking eyes with Jane.
"Grrr." Something in Jane seemed to clickThe shy and ashamed Jane was no more. Himeko raised an eyebrow at the sudden change, but before she knew it, Jane suddenly flipped their positions.
Now on top, Jane went on the aggressive, kissing Himeko before she could utter a single word. Copying Himeko''s actions, Jane pleasured her the same way.
Jane then moved onto the neck putting her own mark on Himeko.
"A~." Himeko couldn''t help but let out moans as pain and pleasure intermingled into waves of ecstasy.
"Hehe~." Jane felt proud of herself, her girlfriend''s cries confirming that she was doing a good job.
"Cheeky brat." Himeko chuckled slightly as seeing Jane act proud was quite adorable. A sh of mischief passed her eyes as she took the chance to roll Jane over. Switching positions once again, Himeko this time got in between Jane''s legs.
She then took off Jane''s panties, now leaving herpletely naked. Jane was suddenly back to her old nervous self as she didn''t know what Himeko was going to do.
Leaning in close, Himeko used her tongue to begin pleasuring Jane to which she was not prepared. It was another new sensation she didn''t think was possible and she didn''t want it to stop.
"Anghhh~! A~!!" Jane was finding it hard to contain herself as her body was quick to return all that built-up pressure.
*
It would only be a couple of minutes until Jane finally started to cum. Shooting it all directly into Himeko''s mouth, she tried to drink it all, but having never done so before there was still plenty that she missed.
Surprisingly it was rather sweet, so Himeko did not stop licking, making Jane squirm even more and making her want to cum again. Her thigh muscles also started to cramp as they were constantly under tension, but the pain was nothingpared to the pleasure she was feeling.
Finally, seeing that Jane''s legs were beginning to spasm, Himeko stopped, not knowing if it was a bad or good thing.
*Huff* *Huff* "That felt amazing." Jane was out of breath and she could feel her head spinning now that she wasing down from the climax.
"We haven''t finished yet dear~." Himeko needed her turn too and Jane gulped a bit of saliva, her mind racing. Jane no longer had the energy to keep going and was both anxious and curious about what Himeko had in store.
"You won''t have to move, but I need to get my turn in." Himeko spoke as she took off her own panties, intending to sit on Jane''s face.
Jane nodded her head and without much warning, Himeko mounted herself right on top of Jane''s face. Understanding the assignment, Jane used her tongue to lick Himeko''s pussy. It took her a moment to get the hang of it, but it wasn''t long until Jane began pushing her tongue inside.
Himeko rubbed her pussy with the motions of Jane''s tongue letting out loud moans. A few minutes go by and Jane picked up the pace, bringing Himeko close to climaxing.
"Ahh~ Fuck~ I''m cumming~." Himeko pushed deep with her hips making sure Jane''s tongue reached as deep as it could. Himeko cummed directly into Jane''s mouth, who tried to get as much of it as she could as well.
Once she was finished, Himeko fell to the side of Jane marking the end of their first session.
"You did amazing~." Himeko quickly wrapped her arms around Jane, hugging each other in their own mess.
"I love you~." Jane felt the happiest she ever felt in her entire life and snuggled herself into Himeko.
"I love you too~." Himeko patted the back of Jane''s head, happy to hear those wordse out of her mouth.
Chapter 271 Meeting New Mentors
?
After eating breakfast, they heard ina''s announcement to return to the training field. Today they would meet their new mentors who should be experts in the fighting styles they specialise in.
Arriving at the barracks, there were 6 people waiting for them, 2 of which were Luna and ina. The others were people that they had not seen yet, but judging from their appearance it was easy to tell who would be paired with whom.
"Wee, d to see you are all well. It even seems that you''ve finally made it to tier 7." ina scanned each and every one of them, surprised that they managed to tier up overnight. It was definitely abnormal, yet strangely enough it was just like Freja, which exins why she was so adamant about getting them trained.
"Oh my god what happened to you, Silver!!!" Luna, who adored cute things, was in disbelief when the small wolf boy was now pretty much a full-grown man. She circled around him trying to ascertain whether her eyes were ying tricks on her.
"Uhhh, I grew up?" Silver didn''t know how to respond and felt a little awkward having Luna hover around him. nor gave Luna a death stare seeing that she was making him ufortable.
"O-oh sorry." Luna realised what she was doing and slowly backed away, a little disappointed as she gathered the two were in a rtionship.
*sigh* "Anyway, today you will be going through a training routine with your respective mentors." ina wanted to throw Luna across the field, but instead, she just tried to move on and began the introductions.
"Shaman, you will be going under Tyso''s watch." ina gestured to a male demon monkey who was dressed in ck robes with two katanas hanging off his waist. Tyso did not speak much and only nodded in response to ina''s introduction.
"Now for Elysia, you will be with Vania." The next person in line was a female demon half-elf, something they did not think possible and made nor raise an eyebrow. The elf demon wore a skin-tight red top and ck pants showing most of her curves, which Silver couldn''t help but stare at.
nor noticed Silver''s gaze and elbowed him in the ribs, breaking away his attention. nor then quickly looked away, slightly blushing as she didn''t want him to think of her as the jealous type.
"I may be an elf, but I have lived here all my life therefore gaining demon traits, so don''t think too deeply about my appearance." Vania did a polite bow, understanding why they may be a little surprised that an elf, whose people were known for taking pride in their country, haspletely defected to another nation.
"Moving on... ra, your mentor will be Kano. He is an expert only in whips. That''s the closest I could get considering your weapon is extremely unique, but I''m sure you can still learn a lot from each other." ina didn''t have anyone who was an expert in whip des so the next best thing was just someone who used a whip.
"Greetings." Kano was a female demon who had a cowgirl aesthetic which got a slight chuckle out of Shaman. It was extremely stereotypical to the point that even her voice had a typical Southern ent which Shaman found hrious. Luckily for her, herugh would go unnoticed.
"Last but not least we have Shino who is our top stealth expert in the intelligence branch." Silver looked over to see who it was, but when he did the person that was pointed at had already vanished. Suddenly Silver felt a chill down his spine and, out of pure reflexes, he spun around as he pulled out his scythe.
A small woman who waspletely dressed in skin-tight ck clothes swung down with 2 small scythes. Silver managed to block her blows, but the ground underneath him shattered, showcasing how strong the strike was.
"I like him, d it wasn''t a waste of my time ina." Shino nodded approvingly as she walked back to where she originally stood.
"d you like him." ina was worried for a moment and was about to interfere, but she saw Shino redirect the force at thest moment. Silver on the other hand was shaking in his boots as the sheer force he felt from that strike terrified him.
However, he also realised that the power he just felt was something he might one day achieve, which definitely excited him.
"Alright! Like I said, nor will be with me. As for everyone else, I would like you to follow your respective mentor. Luna, you will keep tabs on everyone. Make sure that by the end of the day they are all properly healed." ina gave the call to split up and begin training. Walking up to nor, ina took her hand and teleported them away.
The mentors gestured to follow them, taking each of them away to their personal training areas, which is where they will be living for the next few months.
**
As the group split up, it seemed that Silver and nor were the only ones to be taken to separate locations. Shaman, Elysia and ra all found themselves in a massive part of the castle where it would seem more of the elite demons resided.
The main area was a massive hub with hallways leading to different sections, each marked with signs depicting what was down that hallway. Many of the demons looked over curiously, as it had been quite a while since anyone other than the elites have been allowed to this area of the castle. However, after having a quick look they returned to whatever they were doing.
"You will be staying here with us while we train you. We were instructed to let the three of you share a room. But before we settle you into your room, we will get straight to training as we need to see for ourselves the kind of skills you have." Vania exined what the n was and the three girls nodded together. They were relieved that they would be staying together, but were still somewhat worried about Silver and nor.
"This is where we will separate for the time being as we will be heading to the personalised training halls." Vania said as they reached an intersection. The various paths led to a different hallway with differently marked doors. Each instructor took their charge down the relevant hallway which weirdly enough ended up being one and the same.
"..." Vania stood silent for a moment feeling the extreme awkwardness that came with saying bye, but still walking in the same direction.
"I-I guess not." Letting out a defeated sigh, Vania followed the other 2 mentors as well as the two girls following them.
"Haha, it''s okay." Elysia patted Vania''s back trying to provide somefort to her mentor.
"Thank you." Vaniatched herself onto Elysia giving her a hug, which wasn''t the best idea. Both Shaman and ra turned around, panicking that Elysia would burn Vania to a crisp, but when they turned it was quite the opposite.
"No worries, but isn''t this a little too close?" Elysia was acting rather normal for someone who would kill if anyone other than Shaman and ra touched her.
''Okay that''s exaggerating, but it seems like she is holding herself back.'' Shaman saw the veins popping out from one of Elysia''s hands, which showed she was about tosh out. ra noticed this as well and tried to gesture for Vania to let go.
"Oh sorry." Vania quickly let go as she did not mean to invade any personal space and was just treating Elysia same as she does for everyone.
"It''s okay, but Vania, please be careful around Elysia, she can get a bit unreasonable when ites to other women and men." Shaman quickly walked up and whispered the warning. Vania nodded understanding the situation hopefully.
After getting the warning, they quickly caught up to the two other mentors who did not stop nor care about what was going on. Soon they each found their rooms, each containing the environment best suited for their respective weapons.
***
While separated from the others, Silver wasn''t too far as he was taken to the underground part of the castle. He was taken to a small room filled with magic holograms disying iingmunications as well as maps of areas disying the locations of high-tier monsters.
Yet the most people-packed section by far was the one that seemed to deal with intelligence from other nations. Silver scratched his head at this since the demons were supposed to be closed off, yet seemed to know everything that was going on.
"Wee to the backbone of the Demon Lands, where we are constantly gathering information about the other nations as well as the dangers inhabiting our ownnds. It is our responsibility to ensure the safety of the people of ournd." Shino introduced the internal workings of her job, however this would not be their focus.
"But I''m sure you don''t care much about all of that, follow me and I''ll show you your training regimen." Shino continued onward to a different room which revealed an obstacle course of extremely dangerous traps with a dummy at the end.
"If you can survive this, then I will take you out on a real mission." Shino smiled, presenting the challenge to Silver who had a look of dread stered on his face.
Chapter 272 Reset After Reset
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Silver tried to look for a path to the dummy, but no matter where he looked, there was some kind of trap that would stop him.
''Even if there was a clear path, It would just mean there''s a trap I failed to notice.''
"Allright kid: no magic is allowed. I will give you a hint though, the best way to approach the problem is taking it one step at a time. Now then, I''ll leave you to it for the rest of the day, so if you manage toplete it,e find me." Shino gave Silver a light pat on the back before walking out of the room, leaving him to navigate this course.
"Thanks, I guess." Silver knew he could easily get by using his shadows, but that would ruin the point of this course. His best guess was that this course was meant to teach him how to deal with both predictable and unforeseeable dangers.
''Hmm, if it''s like that, then maybe it''s easier to imagine each trap as a monster. She did say to take one step at a time, so maybe I just need to run at it and deal with each trap as ites. Silver considered just running the obstacle course the entire day, but he wanted to get the most out of this course.
It was a great chance to practise his movements, especially in his newly evolved body, as it was quite the jump.
Mentally preparing himself for what was toe, Silver took a step forwards once he was ready. As soon as he entered the course, he instantly felt that he had stepped on a pressure te. Before he was able to react, a padded bat came flying from the roof, hitting him back into the wall.
"Argh!" He was hurt more by the wall than the trap, which came at a speed he didn''t even think possible for one. It wasn''t beyond his ability to react, but the unpredictability of the unknown made it hard to respond properly.
''She wasn''t lying about taking it one step at a time.'' Getting up from the ground, Silver approached the course again, this time much more prepared.
Taking the same step, the trap once again flung itself at him. Silver stepped to the side, yet his step also took him a little more forwards, stepping onto another te. Looking around for anything that might being his way, he was surprised that nothing seemed to be happening.
However, suddenly the ground underneath him shot up,unching him back into the wall.
"A goddamn springboard!" Silver''s excitement for this course was slowly turning into frustration since, at this rate, he would beunched into the wall a couple hundred times before making it.
''Okay, okay, maybe I am too slow; I am with the intelligence squad, so efficiency is key.'' Silver shook his head and thought of a different approach.
Sprinting at the course, he dodged the first two traps quickly, but as soon as he took his next step forwards, another springboard came up from the ground in front of him, smacking him right in the face.
"Fuck!!!!!" Silver screamed out, now angry at the course for smacking him again all the way back to the start.
''Wait, that was the first time I swore... It feels kind of nice though. No wonder Mother does it, I just hope she doesn''t mind me saying this stuff as well now.'' Silver became self-aware of his actions and how he was changing.
''Ahhh, that doesn''t matter now; I need to get through this damn course.'' Silver had barely made any progress, not even reaching the traps he could see.
''Alright,e on, no more being smacked back to the start.'' Silver collected himself and tried once again to run through. Swiftly dodging the foam bat and avoiding the springboards, he was now in new territory.
Silver heard the next trap activating, sounding like a taut string being let go as if it were an arrow being shot. Recognising the sound, he dodged out of the way on pure instinct, and as he did, an arrow the size of a tree flew by. The arrow itself had a blunt tip so as not to kill him, but what surprised him was that the arrow seemingly disappeared when it hit the edge of the course.
''That''s handy.'' However, this slight distraction would be his downfall as another arrow was shot, only this time from his side.
''Shit!'' He had moved in such a way that all his weight was on one foot, making it impossible to dodge without getting hit. Silver tried to kick himself in a different direction, but the arrow was too fast and impacted the side of his ribs.
Luckily some magic seemed to be at y, as the blow itself did not hurt as much as it should. Hitting the wall once again, Silver dragged himself back up and to the start of the course. He tried to see if he could enter through the side, but there was a one-way barrier preventing him.
''At least I dodged one.'' Trying to cope with the fact that he managed to dodge one arrow gave him a bit of hope that he could do this. It was already apparent that he needed to work on his footwork in order to not end up in a situation like that.
"Again!" Entering the course again, Silver paid much more attention to his footwork, learning how to be lighter on his feet.
Reaching the arrow section again, this time it was much easier to navigate past the arrows. Listening for the sound cues of where the arrows wereing from, Silver was able to preemptively move. However, as he got deeper, two arrows were fired at once. To make things even moreplicated, the previous traps he encountered have now also made their return.
A padded bat came flying towards his head, while two arrows were directly aimed at his back and ribs.
''Crap, what am I meant to do?! Think Silver, think!.'' Being stuck in thought over what to do, Silver lost his brief chance to escape, the result of which was yet another defeat. After being smacked in the face by the padded bat first, Silver wasunched to the start once again.
"Damnit, at least I made progress." Silver did not feel as frustrated this time; he had managed to adapt and progress further than ever before. The sense of fulfilment outweighed the feeling of annoyance at being sent back.
''How did I fail that time?'' Pondering what urred, Silver tried to figure out what stopped him from progressing. He knew he could easily think of a way to dodge it now that he has the time, but what about the next set of traps?
''Urghhh, I don''t know; let''s try again and see if I can figure it out.'' Silver couldn''t think of why he failed and could only conclude that he just didn''t have enough time to react. With the traps not being deadly, it was easy to memorise the course after each try.
Attempting the course again, Silver returned to the same point and was able to duck down the slope to avoid all the traps. Making another step forwards, the springboards made their return, this timeunching Silver into the air while arrows fired.
"How the hell am I meant to dodge this?" Silver looked around for anything that could help. From the corner of his eye, he noticed a rope positioned just in his blind spot. Without thinking, he grabbed the rope, avoiding the arrows that would have punched him back to the start.
Swinging off the rope to the ground, a new trap finally came into y.
''Can you even call this a trap?'' Silver witnessed human-shaped golems with four arms swinging around padded bats. Arrows were also fired at him, only this time they were much smaller and greater in numbers.
''Shit!'' Silver narrowly dodged the arrows, yet as he danced around them, the golems were quick to approach. Swinging the bats at a speed that was almost unreadable, Silver slid across the ground into a springboard trap, which caused him to beunched out of the course.
*
"He has got some guts for just running at it constantly." A male who sat at a desk observing Silver was quite impressed with his will.
"Well, no one other than Shino has gotten past the halfway point, so it''smendable that he is slowly making progress." A woman who sat behind the man was also impressed.
"Indeed, although I don''t know how he will do once he reaches the traps that will actually pose a threat."
"Well, if he is like us, he will stop when he reaches that point."
"You know the whole point of this course is to mentally train you with non-lethal traps for the first half. By the time you reach the real traps, there will be no difficulty in dodging them. Now, how would you like to join him and finish that training you quit halfway through?" Shino had made a surprise appearance in between the two cking members, threatening to throw them in the course as well.
"No Ma''am!" In unison, the two got back to work, monitoring the course and making sure nothing went wrong.
"Good." Shino chuckled and looked through the window to see how Silver was doing before leaving again.
''ina, your judgement of character is never wrong.''
Chapter 273 Not Today
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Several hours had gone by, and Silver had yet to get past the golems. Every time he made some form of progress some new trap would stop him. There were a few times that he reacted quickly enough, but even then, dodging both traps and golems would prove too much, throwing him back out in short fashion.
To make things worse, the random nature of the golem''s swings were hard to adapt to, throwing any attempt at memorisation out the window.
*huff* *huff* "I don''t think I can keep going." Silverid on the floor,pletely out of energy, as had yet to stop relentlessly throwing himself at the course, taking no breaks in between.
"You did a phenomenal job at not giving up, newbie." Shino, with a proud look, appeared at Silver''s feet, offering her hand out to help him up.
"I''m guessing I didn''t do badly?" Grabbing Shino''s hand, Silver stood up, unsure if her words also meant that he performed well. Still, even if that wasn''t the case, he was proud of himself.
"For someone''s first try, you did a lot better than some of the people that work here. However, I am not here to reward you, as you have yet to earn it." Shino didn''t want Silver to get content with his current results just yet, as there was much more for him to learn.
"I see." Nodding his head, he understood that he hadn''tpleted the course yet, so it was too early to celebrate his progress.
"Good, nowe with me. I want you to look back through what you just did and analyse it. Also, don''t worry about not knowing where you can improve, as I have had two people take notes during the entire time. I trust they will give you some pointers." Walking out of the obstacle course, Silver followed closely behind until they arrived at a set of desks with one space free.
There was a man and a woman typing away on some kind of tablet while a recording of Silver yed on a hologram. It was quite surreal for him to see his attempts at the course being yed back, but he also saw the usefulness of such device as he already spotted some things he could improve on.
"Jenny and Otuka here will be looking after you for the rest of the day, so once you are done, they will also show you to your new room." Shino gave a small exnation, as both her subordinates looked up from their desks, making eye contact with Silver. He gave a small wave, feeling slightly intimidatedTheir expressions were quite stern, so it seemed like they were judging him.
"Well, hello, I''m Jenny, and I look forwards to working with you, Silver. You have certainly impressed me, so you can rx." Jenny''s expression softened, giving him a weing feeling that allowed him to rx.
"Likewise! Although you can certainly improve, it was a great first try." Otuka pushed up his sses while giving a more neutral and reasonable response.
"Thank you; I hope I can improve even more with your help." Silver did a small bow, showing his respect as they were his superiors as well.
"Alright, I will leave you three to it; if there is something urgent, you know where to find me, Jenny, and Otuka." Shino then vanished from where she stood, leaving Silver in Jenny and Otuka''s care.
"Let''s not waste any time, then. First, I have cut down the footage we got of your training, and I want you to watch it. Make sure to take note of anything you think you need to improve on, and then I will point out anything you may have missed." Jenny pressed a few buttons before a screen appeared over the vacant desk.
Silver took a seat on one of the wheelchairs. At first he was very confused, but he quickly got the hang of it. He even got a sudden urge to spin in it, but he refrained since the video of himself began to y.
Looking at himself from a third-person perspective, it was easy to see the kind of mistakes he was making. Most of the clips that were being shown were of the golem section, and from what he could tell, he just couldn''t react quickly enough.
He thought back to when those moments happened, and it wasn''t like he didn''t see them, but it felt like his body was not moving as fast as his brain.
''Grrr, I was so close that time.'' It was beginning to get frustrating for him to watch, just seeing how close he was to dodging some of the traps.
Eventually, the video woulde to a halt, with the final clip being his final attempt, which was more or less the same.
"So what could you see?'' Jenny rolled over in her chair with a few pieces of paper in her hand, seemingly a report of Silver''s performance.
"From what I could see, I wasn''t able to react quick enough. It was like my body wasn''t capable of keeping up with my mind." Giving a short analysis of himself, Jenny nodded in confirmation before flipping through some of the papers in her hands.
Once she stopped on a certain page, she pulled it out and passed it to Silver.
"So far, you are correct, but there is something you will need to learn in order for this to not be a problem. Hopefully, during this next week, you will be able to understand what it means to fight on instinct." Jenny then pointed to the page, which gave a detailed overview of every clip that he just watched.
"Instinct? I guess that makes sense, but how is that reliable?" Silver understood what it meant to fight by instinct, but to him, it felt like something that would be inconsistent, as there was really no way to make proper decisions in a split of a second.
"You''ve got a good head on you, Silver, but instinct doesn''t mean you throw away all thoughts. It''s about reacting to your surroundings without taking the time to think. Most of your failures were due to you taking too long to think about what you should do."
"At the start of the course, it''s fine, but when you reach the golems, the course speeds up, cutting that time to think. What you need to do is act on your first thought. You know what an arrow sounds like when fired; you know the sound of the spring about tounch you. As soon as you register this sound, you need to act without actively thinking about it."
Otuka jumped in, going in-depth into what it meant to fight on instinct, and Silver was finally able to see its worth. Initially, he thought it was some kind of mindless style of fighting, but it was much more than that.
"There are also a few other things that you need to improve on. I''m guessing you are mainly self-taught?" Jenny wanted to exin some of the other errors since his movements were also far from perfect.
"Mhm, I don''t think I have ever gotten proper training from anyone. I''ve sort of been just learning as I go and using whatever has beenfortable." Thinking about it for a moment, Silver realised that he had never received training from anyone, not even from his own mother.
"Interesting; you move quite well for someone who hasn''t gotten any training. However, it is certainly not good enough if you were topare yourself to someone who knows what they are doing. You are entering a stage where the people you face are all going to be strong."
"Many people naturally reach tiers 5 to 7, especially those with a good aptitude for magic, but to go beyond that, it requires a lot of dedication and effort to get strong. You may have heard it from others: anything above tier 5 or 6 is when the dungeons start to be more unique and begin to show intelligence, especially those above tier 7." Jenny borated on her reasoning behind why Silver will need to improve. It would do no good for his motivation to mindlessly train without even knowing why.
Sure, it would be of use against strong people like the pope, but in the more immediate future it would be of great use in dungeon clearing, which will be part of his training.
"I see, so now the people I will be facing will have actual merit behind their tier, and the dungeons now pose more of a threat without any preparation." Silver recited Jenny''s words to make sure he was understanding them correctly.
"Precisely! We need you polishing up your movements as well as learning how to properly prepare for a mission. You are in the intelligence department after all, so it''s best to get as much information as you can and prepare ordingly. Intelligence can always be useful, even if things don''t go exactly how we expect them to."
"Enough chatter, Silver! Are you ready to be analysed to death?" A grin appeared on Otuka''s face, as this was the most egregious part of their training regimen.
"It''s not like I have a choice, haha."
Chapter 274 Tyso
?
Shaman walked in with Tyso, a mostly silent demonic monkey who wore a very loosely done kimono. To his side was strapped a katana on which rested his hand, ready to draw at a moment''s notice.
His body did not resemble a regr human, resembling a monkey as much as one could aside from the blue horns which protruded from his head. His eyes were also constantly shut, making Shaman wonder if he was actually blind.
"Fight, eyes closed." Finally, Tyso spoke a few words that Shaman found unreasonable. She had heard it before in stories about how one could sense the enemy before they attack, but she could never find that feeling even with her eyes open.
"Now." However, Tsyo was not going to wait around and began to unsheathe his sword. ck and red smoke oozed out of his sheath, covering the grassy in in a thinyer of putrid stench. Once it reached Shaman, she felt as if death loomed over her. Her ears were assailed by terrifying screams as the smoke morphed into hundreds of faces that cried at her in a desperate plea.
"HeLLlpP UuSsS."
She then shut her eyes as Tyso had asked, and the feeling of death as well as the screams vanished. It didn''t make sense why they had stopped, but it was a good incentive for her to keep her eyes shut. Left without a choice but to fight blind, She conjured up a gxy-ice sword, as right now Kotetsu was with Jane.
"Good, now focus on my mana. Feel where Ie from." Receiving her instructions helped Shaman refocus on the task at hand.
''Easier said than done.'' Trying to feel the mana in the area, she was instantly assaulted by the aura around her. Everywhere felt the same, with no indication of Tyso moving, let alone where he even is. She started doubting that it was even possible to sense any kind of movement.
For her, it was hard to grasp the solid feeling of mana and the kind of form it took. Everything was fuzzy, and only when there was an immense amount of mana being used could she tell it was there.
A few seconds went by with nothing happening and just a sea of fuzz, which was clearly the sword''s aura.
"Hmmm, I see the issue." Seemingly out of nowhere, Tyso''s voice reached Shaman from right besides her, giving her a jump scare. It also prompted her to swing, but Tsyo stopped it with just the tip of his fingers.
"Good reaction, but your sense of mana is awful. You may open your eyes." Flicking Shaman''s sword away as well as holstering his, the aura sucked itself back into the sheath.
Slowly opening her eyes, she was relieved to see the aura was gone, but arguably the judgemental gaze from Tyso was worse. He maintained the same neutral expression, and being stared at by such a face felt like her soul was being pierced.
"Something clouds your senses; I attacked you about 20 times without any reaction... although it feels like I am seeing two people in the same spot."
Shaman''s breath hitched at Tyso''s words, as he wouldn''t be wrong about two people inhabiting this body. Although the other Shaman has been inactive for quite some time, so she never really had a reason to worry about it.
"..." Shaman didn''t know what to sayshould she admit that she was in such a predicament, or would that lead to Tyso mistrusting her and possibly killing her?
"Speak; you seem to know why." However, Shaman''s silence would only incriminate her, and Tyso wanted to get to the bottom of it.
"W-well, you are not wrong; there is another person, but they are dormant." Shaman didn''t want to get into the whole transported to another world talk, so she tried to avoid telling the full story.
"I see; I can sense that you are the same person, but one is much stronger than the other." Tyso rubbed his chin, trying to think of a solution to this, but Shaman didn''t understand why.
"Is it a bad thing? Why is it dulling my senses? Come to think of it, over time it has felt like I''ve been slowly bing one with this other me." It also urred to Shaman that the memories she had been supposed to investigate had just merged with hers. Either the system was involved or, as she evolved, those memories started to be a part of her.
''That is so weird. It''s like I have two childhood memories.'' When she thought back to when she was a child, two memories from different timelines came up. It almost gave her a headache as it set off a chain reaction of more memories from both pasts, some of which she hasn''t seen yet.
"No, but from what it sounds like, your souls are assimting. The iplete nature of it is causing your sixth sense for mana to not operate properly. From what I have researched from the souls I''ve collected, mana is something physical and spiritual."
"As you know, we have mana veins, but they facilitate the mana in a physical way. Where our manaes from is our soul and core, which indirectly grant us the ability to sense it. However, because your soul is currently trying to merge, it has caused a disturbance." Tyso pinpointed what exactly was going on, which made some sense.
''I am also not from this world, so it might just be that I haven''t fully received all the benefits until our souls merge.'' It was a possibility, but something she would keep to herself, as she did not want to be Tyso''s next test subject for his study of souls.
"Wait, so is there a way to fix this?" However, Shaman still began to worry, as thest thing she wants is for there to be no way to fix it.
"Don''t worry, it is rare. However, I deal with souls from time to time... The aura you felt earlier was all the people I have killed. Whenever someone falls to this de, their souls are bound to it." It was terrifying to know such a sword exists, but besides that, it seems like he is a perfect fit to help.
''Sheesh, I wonder if it has any effects on his mental health having to carry around such a burden.'' It was certainly an unpleasant thought to know that all those faces and screams were those of all the people that Tyso had killed. But she didn''t know if they were innocent or not, so she only hoped that the sword was used with good intentions.
"I-I see, so how am I meant to assimte with another soul? I''ve never really heard of such a concept before." Now Shaman wanted to know how it was even possible; it was the first time she had heard of anyone being able to manipte souls in this world.
"It''s rather simple, but it may take a long time depending on many factors. However, in your case, given that the other soul is almost identical, it should only take a few days, if not a day, but that is up to your capabilities." Given a rough time frame, it didn''t seem too bad, but there was more.
"But to actually assimte with this soul, you''ll need to enter a dream state, so when I say three days, you will be spending three consecutive days within your mind. Do not worry too much, as when you are in this state, your mana will sustain all of your body processes. You will still feel the after-effects of not eating for three days, but you won''t die." As Tyso kept borating further on what Shaman has to do, it felt more and more like a daunting task.
She had no idea what it entailed or where she would even start in her mind.
"You may have many questions about what you need to do, but everything will be obvious once you begin. I will be facilitating your mind by creating a space in which you can meet the other soul within you. It will be up to you what happens in there, but all I can say is that it''s your decision whether to try and be one or find a way to separate. Once that is decided we will continue the conversation, so for now, let''s get prepared." Tyso then reached into a dimensional ring, pulling out a silver cube.
"Alright, I understand." Shaman felt the nerves creep up on her as she would be meeting her other self, which she didn''t expect to ever happen. Everything was happening so fast, as it had only been no more than 10 minutes since they started. Still, she supposed the earlier the better.
"Good, now sit down in afortable position." Tyso looked at the cube, doing something to it, but Shaman couldn''t sense anything from his body, which made her think that either he was using a system, or once again her inability to sense mana was hindering her.
"You seem a lot more talkative now." Not wanting to jump down that rabbit hole of possibly exining about her system, Shaman brought attention to the fact that Tyso had be much, much more vocal.
"I generally do not like to speak, but I get ahead of myself when training and dealing with souls, so don''t expect me to act like this outside of training." It made sense, but Shaman also found it a bit sad.
"To each their own, I guess." There wasn''t much she couldment on, so she sat down cross-legged, waiting for further instructions from Tyso.
"Close your eyes again and ce your hand on this cube." cing the cube in front of Shaman, he took a few steps back for his own safety.
"Here goes nothing." Said Shaman as she ced her hand on top of the cube while closing her eyes. As soon as she made contact with the cube, her mana burst into the sky in a surge of light, then charged back down into the cube. Her consciousness began to fade to ck. It was only once she was fully knocked out that her mana calmed itself down, streaming into the cube smoothly.
Chapter 275 Meeting Myself?
Chapter 275 Meeting Myself?
As I plunged into the darkness of my own mind, time seemed to lose all meaning. I couldn''t tell whether there would ever be an end to my fall, or if I was even still falling at all. I didn''t have any sense of direction, and the only indicator I was moving was the asional white spec that would fly past me.
Eventually, those white specs grew in number until my vision waspletely engulfed in a white light. I shut my eyes from the blinding light, and after a few moments, I felt my feetnd on solid ground.
Slowly opening my eyes to let them adjust to the light, I saw that I was in a field of flowers. It was the exact same flowers that adorned my domain, with them representing Elysia, ra, and Silver. Red Dahlias are Elysia, Purple Roses are ra, and Clematis are Silver.
I presumed nor hadn''t made an appearance in the domain yet since she is still quite new to the group.
However, what caught my attention was a tree off in the distance, surrounded by white flowers. Walking up to the tree, it appeared to be right next to a cliff that led right into the abyss.
"I wouldn''t want to fall down there." I didn''t know what would happen if I fell down such a pit since this is a dreamscape, but I wasn''t going to risk it.
"I know right." Suddenly, my own voice came from the tree. It sounded slightly younger, but it was certainly my own voice.
"Huh?" Turning to the tree, I spotted a younger version of myself in a in white dress sitting up against the tree, hugging her knees. I instantly recognised that this is what my body looked like when I first arrived in this world. The rather short stature andck of assets were very much present.
"Hey, other me." The other me looked up and down my body, seemingly taking in how much had changed.
"Hey? This is extremely weird, I didn''t think I would be physically talking to you." It was weird to be talking to someone who is fundamentally you, and I didn''t really know how to speak to them.
"Haha, that''s understandable, but don''t worry so much about how to talk to me. We are the same person after all." My other self stood up, now really showing how much I have grown.
"I see, but I still feel like I have to apologise for hijacking your body." Seeing the other me that used to inhabit this body, a sense of guilt washed over me as I took over her life, essentially.
"No need to be sorry, I have long stopped caring about my body anymore. After watching you, there hasn''t been a time where I would do something differently. If anything, you are much more confident than I was. Like, who the hell dates two people at once? I definitely would have chickened out even if I loved both Elysia and ra." Going into detail about how she felt about the situation relieved some of the guilt.
"I''m d you don''t mind, but are you really okay with that?" I approached myself, grabbing onto her hands and trying to pull out any hidden emotions. After all, this was me, so I knew how to pull at the heartstrings.
"Ha, we really are the same." Tears formed in her eyes, showing that I am still as emotional as ever.
"Don''t cry. I am here to see what we can do." Pulling myself in for a hug, I found that her height was right at chest level, which was perfect.
"At thish rathe I will keepth crying." A muffled voice came from my chest with a hint of enjoyment in her voice, but it also made her more emotional.
"Oh, you love it; nowe on, tell me what you really want. Would you like to have control again?" I knew she couldn''t resist, and even though I wouldn''t really give control, knowing what she wants will make it easier to decide.
*Sigh* "It would be nice if I could... Just look at me now! I am so goddamn hot now that I''m jealous! I never age here! However, I know it won''t be a good idea since there is no way I can pick up where you left off." Having been able to hold her tears back, she pulled her head out of my chest and began talking about how she truly felt.
"I would have done the same thing, but it doesn''t have to be like this. You don''t have to stay in this empty flower field. As pretty as it is, it must have gotten pretty boring seeing the same scene all the time." I quickly nced back to the abyss, and knowing myself, she probably considered jumping off in order to stop being a burden.
"Hmmm? Do you have a way? I haven''t been able to peek outside for ages, so I don''t even know how you got here in the first ce." A glimmer of hope shone in her eyes, but there was still some reservation left within them, waiting for the bad news.
"Well, the whole reason I''m here is not to say hello but to actually merge our souls together. The person who is facilitating this deals with souls and thus was able to make this meeting possible." I doubted that I would reject this idea, but I still felt anxious waiting for her to process the information.
"O-oh" Seeing her fall silent, I could imagine she was debating whether it was worth throwing away her consciousness. We will be merging, so realistically, she isn''t disappearing but bing one with herself.
''Damn, this feels so weird to think about.'' The whole situation was already confusing while also making sense.
"Alright, I''ll do it. I have nothing to lose, plus we are the same, so what reason is there to decline? If anything, it makes me happy that I will be out of this ce." A smile spread across her face, which warmed my heart to see.
"You''re such a cutie; I kind of miss this young version of myself." I grabbed her cheeks, teasing her as if I were a grandma. I then got to see her pout, which only melted my heart even further, making me almost want to keep her around. Although it had only been about a year since I hade to this world, it still felt nostalgic.
"Grrr, I may be stuck in this version of myself, but once we merge, I will finally have the same body!" Other me revealed what''s most likely her main motivation for agreeing to merge, but I didn''t me her.
"Okay, okay, I''ll stop ying around. Now I don''t exactly know how we merge, but it has something to do with assimting." It was time for the part where I had no clue what to do. Tyso was right about knowing what I have to do once I''m inside, but I had no clue what to do after connecting with my other self.
''Maybe this is when the whole 3-day journey begins.'' Things were going a little too smoothly, which made me question that time frame. I wondered if there was a trial that needed to be done, but where would we even begin?
"Great, of course, we don''t know. Did that person not tell you anything?" In typical Shaman attitude, she reminded me of Tyso''s instructions. Once we''ve reached a consensus about the way forward we were supposed to continue our conversation, but how are we meant to converse when I''m in this state?
"Uhhh, he said he would exin further, but it would seem he can''t contact me right now. Maybe there is some hidden area here you are unaware of?" It was a stretch, but it''s not like I had any other ideas A verbal agreement did not seem enough to start the assimtion.
"I don''t know. I never really left this spot since I could never spot anything in the distance." It makes sense since this tree is the onlyndmark in sight, but now is probably a good chance to explore.
"Hmm, okay, let''s see if I can use my magic here, or maybe ess the system." I hadn''t noticed it until now, but my body felt free, like some chains had been undone.
"Rea?... I guess there''s no system." Could the system be holding me back? This is a dreamlike state, so it''s hard to tell.
Putting the system in the back of my mind, I let go of my other self and took a few steps forwards. Raising my hand, I tried to conjure up some ice to mediocre sess. My magic seemed to be not all there, but then suddenly my other self did the same.
"Woah!" However, her magic was a lot stronger, almost to the same level as mine outside. This almost made her fall back, as she was not expecting such a strong reaction.
"Ohhh I see now. Tyso mentioned that mana is linked with the soul. You must be the one with actual magic affinity, so the amount I can use is dependent on the level of our assimtion!" The situation clicked in my head, which also spurred an idea.
"It just sounded like a bunch of words to me, so I trust you are correct."
"I hope I am, but hey, I have an idea of how we might be able to merge."
Chapter 276 Saying goodbye
Chapter 276 Saying goodbye
"Oh? What did youe up with?" My other self tilted her head, curious what kind of idea I had thought of.
"Well, Manaes from the soul, and technically right now we should be in our soul form, I guess." It wasn''t too far-fetched since this dream-like state might be an illusion created by the cube Tyso put me in.
"That makes sense, I don''t have a physical body, so this must be just my soul taking form." My other self looked down at herself, trying to see if there was a way to tell, but other than logic, there was no way to confirm visually.
"Yes, so my idea was that we try to merge our mana together. I don''t know if there is a specific way, but I think this will work." If what Tyso said is correct, then souls are just lumps of mana. I have no clue about the biology of it all, but I''m guessing it''s simr to genes, where souls areprised of fragments of our parents'' mana.
"Interesting, I think so too, but if we do this and it works, then it would mean goodbye." There was a sad glint in her eyes as she would be giving up her soul.
"Don''t put it like that, you will always be alive even if you lose this form. Just know that from now on we will be one and the same. It may be scary to think about things going ck, but the reality is we will be working together to protect Elysia, ra, Silver, and anyone dear to us." I even started to be emotional, as I didn''t want to say goodbye. This may be the first time we are speaking, but she is still me. Without her existence I wouldn''t be here.
She may be okay with the idea, but when the timees to go through with it I''m sure she''ll be beset by doubts. What if things go wrong? Will it work? Is it worth it? All these questions would surely race through her mind.
"I know, but I can''t help but feel scared. I haven''t been watching what was going on outside and have no idea if we really are capable of protecting everyone." It was perfectly understandable for her to feel this way, especially without knowing what''s been going on.
"It will be okay, I will make sure that we are just fine and I can tell you with confidence that I and everyone else are getting prepared for what''s toe. Trust me, you just have to remind yourself that once we merge we will be fighting together. You won''t have to face these dangers on your own." I knew encouraging myself could go in two ways. Either she would ept my words and motivate herself, or she''ll only sink further into doubt. I prayed that my own words were enough to build some more confidence in myself.
"Yeah, you''re right. This will be my chance to finally help youwell, myself, but that''s besides the point. I will no longer be watching from the sidelines, nor constantly stuck in limbo." The sadness in her eyes vanished now that she had made her resolve about merging. It was a relief for me to hear her confidence which in turn also made me more confident about the situation.
"Alright,e here, I''ll give you onest hug, and then we can get this over with." Opening up my arms to myself, she instantly dived right into my chest.
"Ahh, I can''t wait, I''ve always wanted a body like this." I was probably enjoying it a little too much, and I couldn''t help but giggle as this was myself.
''Am I really this shameless?'' It was a reality check of the kind of person I am, which made me wonder if this is what Elysia and ra think of me.
"Just let me know when you are ready, we can probably do everything in this position anyway." I wrapped my hands around myself because I wanted tofort her as much as possible before we started.
"If I stay too long, I won''t want to leave, so begin whenever." Hugging me tighter, I almost didn''t want to continue this myself, but this needed to be done.
"Let''s begin then. Flow mana through your body and then into me." Giving instructions to myself, I also began to do the same thing. I felt a slight nod, and a few momentster the warmth from her body slowly got stronger until suddenly I felt that warmth invade my body.
"Onest thing before we continue, were you the reason why I went all berserk back in, I think it was called.. Cholden?" It urred to me that there was one time that I lost control of my own body, and I always thought it was my other self that did that.
"Cholden Oh yeah, that was me. Before I really understood what happened to me, I was really invested in what was going on, and the people you teamed up with were exactly like my childhood friends. Sorry if that caused you any problems." Admitting that it was her, I wondered whether she could have taken back full control of her body on her own. Or, perhaps, it was the system intervening, making sure I always stay on top?
My suspicions were growing even more about the system, and even though it helped me greatly, there was the chance it had been programmed with ulterior motives for some purpose.
''Rea is under strict watch about what she can and cannot tell us, both regarding her own existence and anything beyond. As far as we know this whole world might just be some kind of experiment. There is also my old goal of returning home, which I''m not even sure if I want to do anymore Perhaps I''ll meet the god that did this to me if I continue to try.'' It would be something I will need to think aboutter, but since I am getting close to tier 10, maybe then I will get some answers.
''"I see, I was just curious if that was the case." Not wanting to make myself worry, I brushed it off and continued to circte mana.
Slowly epting the mana from my other self, I started to flow mine into her body. We created a circuit with our mana, and once it wasplete, our bodies started glowing.
"It looks like it''s working." It was a good sign, but then I noticed my other self was now hanging onto me as if she was trying to pull herself up.
"Yep! It also seems like my body is disappearing the more mana I give you." Putting more strength into holding her up, I looked down to see that her feet were missing. The bottom half of her body waspletely covered in light, and fragments would break off before disappearing into thin air.
"Keep going, you''re doing great." It was morbid to see myself disappear right in front of me, but I was already feeling the effects of the merge.
"Thanks, it doesn''t hurt, but damn, could I have gotten some warning before they took out my legs?" Making light of the situation, weughed in unison while I tried not to drop her.
"I guess not, but if there is anything you need to say, now is the time." I figured it would be good to check if she had anyst words before disappearing.
"I''m sure you will inherit these thoughts anyway, but please save Mother and Father. It''s probably the one thing I''m sad about not seeing through on my own, but knowing me, I''m sure I will save them."
"Of course, I''ll try my best, and hopefully Freja finds a way soon." It was a given, but relief washed over my other self''s face, finding some peace and trusting me that it would all go well.
"Also, you better give Elysia and ra some more love, I know it feels like you shouldn''t, and I would have done the same, but some more affection won''t hurt, even if it already feels like a lot."
"Of course... since I am here giving myself advice... I''ll have to make sure to be more affectionate then."
"Hehe, good, nowstly... Thank you for talking to me. It''s much better than falling into the abyss."
"No worries, I felt like I learned more about myself, so thank you for existing." Giving my own tight squeeze, the light had reached her torso, and it wouldn''t be long before she was fully absorbed in me.
Tears started seeping from my eyes as I too felt a pang of regret. I wanted to talk a bit longer, but we had alreadymitted to this.
"Hey, you''re not allowed to cry, only I can." Tears streamed down my other self''s face as she gave me a slight jab. However, that hit only resulted in her arm shattering into tiny fragments of light before fading away.
"Sorry, but I''m you, haha." I let the tears fall while making eye contact, making sure I got onest good look at myself.
"True, I can''t argue that." We tried to stop our tears, but they did not stoping out at all.
"G-goodbye me." Saying myst goodbye as the light reached her neck, I almost wanted to look away, but I held strong.
"Cya, make good use of that body. Just as you said, we will always be together, so continue to be strong, you can do this." As she gave me herst words of encouragement, I could only nod in response. It felt like if I tried speaking back, I would burst into tears, and I didn''t want that to be thest thing she saw.
A smile appeared on her face right before she disappearedpletely, fading away like a dying candle.
Once thest bit of light faded, I finally let my emotions go free. I fell to my knees, sobbing and grabbing at thin air, hoping in the back of my mind that she would still be there.
As I sobbed, it wasn''t long before my body began to glow as a surge of mana welled up inside me. A mind-splitting headache followed shortly as all the memories and experiences of my other self rushed into my mind.
"Arghh!" I cried out in pain while still sobbing, feeling everything my other self had gone through. I shut my eyes, trying my best to withstand the pain, but eventually, I couldn''t handle it any longer and passed out on the ground.
Chapter 277 Internal Demons
Chapter 277 Internal Demons
*Crack* *Crumble*
Slowly opening my eyes to the sound of rocks splitting and falling apart. I pushed myself off the ground, rubbing my tear-stained eyes, trying to see what was causing the sounds. However, what I noticed first and foremost was that my clothes had slightly changed.
I was still in a kimono, but now it was in dark blue with a pattern of snowkes. It did not reach my shoulders, almost exposing my chest, but then I noticed that part was covered by a nylon body suit. Aside from covering my chest it also connected to a choker on my neck that was adorned with a star. Lastly, both kimono and choker were adorned by a thick golden outline around their edges.
''Is this the soul''s clothes that Freja and ina mentioned?'' These clothes were not something I had in my closet, so I assumed they must be the ones meant to reflect ourselves.
''I''ll have to see once I leave, but rig-''
*Growl~*
''What the hell?'' Focusing my eyes towards the cliff, I witnessed ck hands grasping at the ledge, trying to pull themselves up.
Instantly assuming that it was dangerous, my body sprung awake, and I jumped away from the ledge.
"Ah shit, my head still hurts." Grabbing my forehead with one hand, I still had a headache lingering from just before I passed out. However, there was a new feeling emerging, slowly overpowering it.
My mind felt free as if ayer of fog had finally been removed, no longer clouding my train of thought. It was a weird feeling, as I never knew my mind was so clouded in the first ce, but now it was obvious that something was affecting my mind the entire time.
''I can sort out these memoriester, I need to figure out what is crawling out of the abyss.'' Images of my younger self''s memories shed through my head, but I had other urgent priorities. ncing over to the cliff once again, the climbing creatures were almost done crawling their way ontond.
They did not resemble any animal whatsoever, looking like some kind of amalgamation that was made in ab. The limbs of the first creature were extremely skinny to the point where any pressure could snap them, but their head was massive, with most of it consisting of arge mouth filled with ck teeth. Where I assume it was meant to have eyes, there were only sockets filled with nothingness. Their grotesque bodies were oozing a disgusting ck slime, dripping onto the ground like some kind of tar.
More creatures with impossible-like bodies came crawling out, however, there were some that came out looking normalsome that I recognised.
My breath hitched for a moment as I saw the skeleton knight from Ebonscale appear. By this point, I had guessed what the abyss actually is.
''The pit must be where all my past traumas live as well as my negative emotions, because there is no way I have fought all of these monsters before.'' Even with my new memories, a lot of these monsters were not something I was able to recognise. These things were like inner demons which, to a degree, makes sense if this ce is a manifestation of my soul.
However, I didn''t have time to figure out exactly what they were as the contorted monsters began sprinting towards me, with their bodies bending in ways not seemingly possible.
''Hope I can use my mana.'' As long as the merge went as nned, I should have no problems using magic, but there was only one way to find out for sure.
Opening up my hand, I conjured up a gxy-ice sword. Surprisingly the sword got conjured almost instantly, and it looked identical to Kotetsu, the only difference being made out of ice.
''Let''s see how much more I can do.'' Now that I was flowing mana through my body, It felt so much more natural. I was able to pinpoint exactly where it was instead of having to rely on a vague tingling warmth that I''ve learned to associate with my magic.
While I was noticing all the changes, the first of the monsters had reached me. It was my old nemesis - the skeleton knight. Adorned in the same armour only made out of tar-like substance, it still had its distinct look as well as its iconic great sword.
"Round 2, and this time no one is going to get hurt." Even though Elysia isn''t here and didn''t really get hurt back then, I still wanted to erase its existence for all the mental torment it caused me.
The skeleton swung its great sword straight down on me, splitting the air around it. Having no reason to hold back, I swung back, directly shing with its sword. Exerting as much mana as I could, I sent out an explosion of ice from my sword right as our swords made contact, creating a 10-metre cier that engulfed the knight.
Wanting to switch elements, it then urred to me that I should be able to learn a new element since I just hit tier 7.
"I think this will be a great choice." Wanting to have the four basic elements, I decided the next element to get, which was very much overdue, would be Earth. I didn''t know if it was possible to do so here with the earth from this dreamscape, but I was going to try anyway.
Looking around for something to use, I notice that the ground below us got cracked from ourst exchange. Just in case it breaks out, I decided to grab some of the debris andunch myself into the air, stabilising on a tform made of wind which I copied from Kiruya. I first tried feeling the mana within the rocks, then once I noticed the subtle waves of mana within them I introduced my own. The rocks slowly began shaking until a few momentster I suddenly felt I obtained control.
"Yes!" Now that I memorised the feeling of controlling earth, I was able to conjure more with my mana. For now, I could only do basic things with the element, but that''s all I needed.
Raising my hands I created a giant boulder 10 times bigger than myself. Dropping it onto the cier and letting gravity do its work. The ice instantly shattered upon impact, crumbling before my boulder as it crushed the trapped skeleton inside. The boulder itself crumbled once it reached the ground, creating a field of dishevelled dirt and rocks.
The monsters that were close by were blown away upon impact, many getting sent back into the abyss by the shockwave. Yet they all came crawling back out but a momentter.
"1 down." I couldn''t tell how many there were in total, but that just meant there was a lot more fun to have.
''I don''t seem to run out of mana either. I suppose this being an imaginary dreamscape means I''m not expending any actual mana.'' There were no restrictions on my body, and at no point did I feel like I was losing any of my strength.
"Heh, let''s see how far I can go then." Smuggness was stered all over my face as I looked down at the monsters trying their best to reach me. They all appeared rather weak, and I was quite confident after taking out the skeleton knight that easily.
However, my thoughts were proven wrong a few momentster. From underneath all the rubble, the skeleton knight emerged, with only a few visible scuff marks on its armour.
"Tch, my earth magic must be too weak to actually do any damage." It was disappointing to see, but it was my first time, so it wasn''t too much of a surprise. I hadn''t fully grasped the use of the element, which prevented it from dealing any substantial damage aside from hitting like a rock.
*ROARRR!!!*
The skeleton knight somehow let out a beastly howl, showcasing its anger. Meanwhile, the monsters that were currently below me started to mutate. Adapting to the situation, the monster grew ck-tarred wings, allowing them to fly.
''I need to stop thinking and just fight.'' Pushing any unnecessary thoughts away, I let myself dive straight into the ground towards the monsters. I used my wind to propel myself even faster, and as I did so I took a note out of Elysia''s book, conjuring up a second fiery sword.
I charged it with as much mana as I could, intending to turn every sh I made into an explosion. To enhance its effect, I tried mixing it with my stardust to see what kind of reaction it would cause.
''Since there is no system, I''ll call it Starfire!'' I named it suspiciously simr to something I knew from my old world, not having the time to worry about any potential issues with the name.
As soon as my stardust became one with the fire, the stray mes that flickered in the air became muchrger, and just like my gxy ice, it looked like space was enveloped within the mes.
The first monster to get in my path was the one that had an extremely skinny body that I will now respectfully call Twig.
Twig opened its mouth wider than its entire body length, revealing a hole leading directly to the abyss.
"Eat this!" I shouted, swinging my Starfire de down the middle of Twig''s mouth. Once I finished my swing, there was a slight crackle, as if firecrackers were going off, before there was absolute silence.
The silence would onlyst a split second as suddenly everything shed ck and white before a massive fire arch appeared. Twig was incinerated alongside everything below it in an instant, including the ground, which had been visibly split.
"Oops, good thing this isn''t the real world."
Chapter 278 Possible Future
Chapter 278 Possible Future
Having destroyed the ground below me, I moved myself to a patch of the flower field less affected by my attacks. The skeleton knight was still alive, unfortunately having read my attack and moved away in time which left it affected.
As for the other internal demons that were following Twigs, they promptly turned to ash alongside it. However, the battle was far from over, as the abyss spewed forth a never-ending stream of abominable creatures. The first wave seemed to consist of fodder, as the next group that crawled out were better formed. They were beginning to look like things I knew, like the skeleton knight.
"Elysia?" It clearly wasn''t imitating her formpletely, but one of the creatures that came out of the abyss was a kitsune that had the same demeanour and even held a spear in its hands.
I was now beginning to get worried about what else the abyss was able to do. If it could tap into my memories it might actually have some kind of consciousness. Unfortunately, it wouldn''t be long until I found out.
As if someone had turned off the light in the room, everything turned pitch ck. The flower field I stood in no longer existed, and even taking a single step was impossible. Just like when I entered this state, it feels like I am falling, but I no longer knew what kind of orientation I was in.
Soon the darkness morphed into the Ebonscale dungeon. Specifically, therge catbs where I fought the skeleton knight. Emerging from one of the hallways was the skeleton knight with his great sword, and impaled on his sword was Elysia. This time, instead of being pure ck beings, they were now detailed with clothes and everything.
"Tch, You can''t fool me." It wasn''t pleasant seeing a fake Elysia being skewered by a sword, but it was clearly a mental trick to try and retrigger my trauma.
As if the abyss heard my words, the catbs began to shift, changing locations. A bright light shed in my face, and suddenly I found myself in a city. It was reminiscent of my previous world, but it was much more advanced.
However, there were clear signs that this was still from the current world I was in. The fourrgest buildings I could see formed a cross, with a floating tform in the middle.
''This must be the capital city, but why am I here? I''ve never been to this ce. Even my other self hadn''t been here before.'' As I was taking in the surroundings, the scenery suddenly changed. The sky was a dark orange, and the buildings around me had copsed. Suddenly, the screams of people echoed in my ears, and mes were engulfing the city.
Looking ahead of me, there was a pile of bodies with one person standing on them.
"The Pope." In his hands was Elysia, slowly being choked out by his grip. I kept reminding myself that this wasn''t real, but seeing it still shook me. It was very possible that I could be witnessing it for real, and it was this fact that scared me.
Not wanting to continue seeing Elysia get strangled any longer, I opened two small stardust gateways and put my hands in them. Opening up another 2 gateways where the pope was, I conjured ice spears inside the stardust dimension and sent them through the gateways, piercing the Pope.
The fake Pope dissolved into nothingness, and so did the pile of bodies.
''It looks like these are not actual monsters but just images for now.'' It was most likely overkill to attack in such an borate way, but I didn''t know if any of these images were actual beings.
''Let''s see if I can force my way out of this illusion. It seems the blessing from the system doesn''t work here. I suppose dreams don''t technically count as illusions.'' There were no signs of the system whatsoever, which included all the benefits that came with it. My guess was that the system is external and not attached to my soul, makingmunication impossible from where I am.
"How about we flood the ce this time?" Taking the opportunity to push the elements as far as I could, it was time to try using water. I hadn''t really used it as much as I''d like, but it was one of those elements where, in most situations, I could use something else and achieve the same result, if not better.
Jumping onto a wind tform again, I made sure to go high into the sky, as I intended to create a tsunami.
''This might bepletely unnecessary, but oh well.'' Raising my hands in front of me and closing my eyes, I tried to conjure up as much water as I could. I instantly felt the strain on my arms when trying to summon so much water, but I pushed through.
Once it became almost unbearable to keep under control, I finally opened my eyes to see how much I had conjured up. I witnessed a swirling ball of water that was trying its hardest to escape the confines of my mana. Its looks were deceptive, as it was only the size of an oversized beach ball, but as soon as I lose control, it will unleash a massive amount of water.
"Time to drop it." Having been let go, the water ball fell to the ground. As soon as it made contact with the ground below the condensed water burst out. In an instant, there was already a massiveke''s worth of water shooting out throughout this fake city.
The force of the water picked up rubble and destroyed anything in its way until it hit some kind of wall. Soon the water hit the limits of this area from every side, indicating that I was in a box. Yet the water didn''t stop there and kept rising, filling up the box.
"Shit, I need to break out of here before I drown myself." In hindsight, it was a stupid idea, and I probably should have used a different element, but I wanted to experiment at least a little.
''Water is definitely not my strong suit, I''m going to need more practice on how to use it more effectively.'' Throwing balls of highly packed water is definitely not efficient, so maybe someone like Luna will be able to teach meter.
''Enough thinking! Time for escaping!'' Conjuring up a spear of ice, I threw it up into the sky to see how high the barrier was, which wasn''t too far from where I was floating. And so I quickly moved the wind tform up to where my ice spear hit the ceiling.
Creating a much weaker Starfire sword, I stabbed it into the barrier, causing it to crack. Light seeped through, showing that there was indeed space beyond it. After hitting it repeatedly, I finally shattered a portion of the barrier, allowing me to get out.
However, this had a chain effect on the rest of the barrier as cracks extended until *BOOM!*
The water that was trapped inside the barrier finally shattered it, creating a tidal they looped around. The weakened barrier could no longer contain the massive amount of water and started spouting it to the outside.
Getting myself out of the barrier, I found that it was suspended in the air just above the flower field. The monsters that were approaching me just before everything went dark were nowing out of the barrier itself.
''Okay, so it''s more like a movie set made by the abyss than an illusion trying to trick my mind. Still, showing me something that hasn''t happened yet is it a sign of what''s toe? It could have been my imaginationing up with the worst-case scenario, but something about it felt off.
''Ahh, enough about that. I should probably get out of this soul state.'' I was overstaying my wee as the merge was sessful, and by the looks of it, I could be fighting this weird abyss forever.
''But how?'' It urred to me that I didn''t have a clue about how to leave.
*Crack*
*BOOM!*
The water that was trapped inside the barrier finally shattered it, creating a tidal wave that flooded the entire flower field. Nothing was able to stop it as the water poured itself into the abyss, taking the monsters with it.
''I guess it wasn''t that bad of an idea.'' Indirectly causing the entire field to be ruined, it gave me a chance to try leaving.
''Alright, I got here by flowing mana into the cube thing, so maybe I just need to try and detach from it.'' Sitting down on the wind tform, I crossed my legs and shut my eyes. Trying to reconnect to my real body, I tried to imagine myself leaving.
Slowly, I felt my body going limp, but before I could make any more progress, my body got grabbed. Opening my eyes, I saw a giant abyssal figure the size of a skyscraper grab me out of the air.
"What the fuck!?" I was confused at how such a thing appeared out of nowhere, but more urgently, my body started to get crushed by its hand.
"Argh! Bastard! It looks like it doesn''t want me to leave."
Chapter 279 Crumbling soul realm
Chapter 279 Crumbling soul realm
Bringing me up to itspletely nk face, the abyss creature stared at me intently despite not having eyes, yet from within the deep darkness of its empty sockets I could still feel its malevolent gaze. Its grip had stopped crushing me, allowing me some room to breathe. However, just then the abyss creature began to open its mouth.
Stringy bits of tar separated as its opened mouth revealed a gaping hole formed of pure darkness. Theplete absence of light was so disturbing it felt like there was a hole in reality.
''I''m curious what''s inside, but I''d rather not.'' I didn''t know what the consequences were if I let myself fall right in, but I wasn''t going to let my morbid curiosity win.
Focusing on the small gaps in the monster''s grip, I manifested ice, trying to freeze over its hand. I quickly poured my mana into the ice to speed up the process, and once it covered its fingers, I used wind to shatter the ice. The fingers were shredded into nothingness, releasing me from the monster''s grip.
"ARGHHHHH!!!" A growl so loud that it almost popped my eardrums came out of the monstrous being, forcing me to cover my ears as I fell through the air. Only once the scream ended was I able to concentrate on stopping my fall.
Wanting to keep the momentum going, I created a slide out of ice, constantly extending it until, after a few spins, I finally got back control of my trajectory.. Now that I was back in the driver seat it was time to gain a bit more speed. Using my wind to propel myself faster, I took back to the skies.
The monster that had lost its fingers had already regenerated them and was now trying to swing at me as if it was swatting a fly. Its movements were slow, allowing me to easily dodge out of the way.
''Hmm, I''ll probably have to take it out in one attack... I probably need to replicate something simr to my Starfire de.'' I didn''t want to repeat the same move, as this was a rare chance for me to push everything to the limit. However, I was running out of ideas, there was nobination of elements I could think of that could do enough damage.
''Hang on, why only two?" Then it hit me: I had been restricting myself to two elements, as that has been my limit when it came to simulcasting.
''Wind, Fire, and Stardust... Might be able to turn that into something akin to a sr wind.'' It was the best thing I coulde up with and, as a quick test, I conjured up some fire while still creating my ice tform with my wind pushing me.
''In theory, I should be able to use three elements, so now I just need to try.'' While in my thoughts, I continued to dodge the monster as if it wasn''t there. It started to be enraged by my actions, no longer just swinging its hands. Tendrils began protruding from its body as well as the abyss it wasing out of.
Varying in size, they all iled about, reducing the area I could slide around in, with some shooting towards me. Spinning around, weaving up and down, I tried my best to dodge everything until I noticed that they were creating a that was slowly closing any gaps.
''I need to get up into the sky.'' Changing directions to go upwards, the iplete nket of tendrils tried to catch me, but just before I ran face-first into one, I dropped my body t onto my ice tform, squeezing into one of the gaps just before it closed.
''Phew, that was close.'' Getting back on my feet, I continued going up into the sky until I was well above the monster. However, as I made my way up, the tendrils unravelled themselves and started chasing me.
Moving side to side as I dodged the tendrils, I kept ascending until I reached an appropriate height. I then levelled my tform out to see where the monster was. The tendrils were still on the offensive, so I kept on the move, trying to think of how I would unleash my attack.
''I need to create a typhoon level of wind that will carry the heat of my Starfire. Let''s use these tendrils as a test.'' After creating a condensed sword out of the wind, I began to also create a Starfire sword within the wind.
Once it was created, instead of mes flickering off the de, there was this visible orange air swirling around, and I had no idea how hot it was.
''Hmm, maybe I can take this further with ice. I don''t know if it can even work, but maybe I can create something akin to aet.'' Noticing I was already considering using four elements at once got me thinking if I couldbine all my elements into something, but the sound of Starfire and Gxy Ice didn''t seem like they mesh well.
"Oh, I can see this being really effective against people, especially if you breathe it in." She didn''t expect the same result against "Oh well, this will do, now let''s test this." Stopping in my tracks, I turned to one of the tendrils while swinging my new creation. Sending a wind sh infused with Starfire. My sh reduced anything that entered its vicinity to ash, incinerating the tendril even before reaching it.
The stray heat released by my wind was so hot it easily burned to cinders many other tendrils as well.
"Oh, I can see this being really effective against people, especially if you breathe it in." She didn''t expect the same result against someone like the Pope, but if the smoldering-hot air were to enter the body, then your insides would have a not-so-great time.
Now that this small test was over with, it was time to upscale tenfold and send it hurtling towards the abyss creature. However, because of that test, it was able to gather what I was trying to do and create a wall of tendrils above it.
Going on the offensive as well, it shot tendrils towards me in an attempt to stop me, but what I created also acted as a great barrier. Anything that came close turned to ash, allowing me to prepare adequately.
Infusing my mana into what I''ll call the sr wind, the air around the sword swirled faster and faster. I was going to let all the built-up mana in the de go free towards the monster, hoping to create a wind that would incinerate its entire body in a sh.
Once I was ready, I lifted the sword above my head and looked down at the abyss creature. It had cocooned itself in the abyss, awaiting my attack.
Not holding myself up any longer, I swung down, releasing all the condensed wind. Bursting out from the sword, a massive wave of heat sprang forth. The air got incredibly hot all the while getting stripped from its oxygen, making it extremely hard to breathe. Luckily, I was in a safe spot, but even then I still felt my throat go dry from just sending it off.
The st of wind expanded itself, forming a massive wave. By the time it reached closer to the abyss creature''s cocoon, its outer edge was already burning away. A few momentster, the wind struck in full force, beating itself against the cocoon, and just like I hoped, it did not stand a chance.
As if it were being deleted out of existence, the sr wind made quick work of the monster until there was nothing left.
''Not as cool as Starfire, but being able to turn things instantly to ash on arge scale is nice to have.'' Starfire could most likely achieve the same result, but with Srwind, I will be able to do it on a muchrger scale as well as from further away. Plus, it is a lot less destructive, even though it will probably set everything on fire, but at least things will stay intact.
*grawallllll*
"Great, it isn''t dead." Looking down at the abyss, I once again saw it regenerating. I thought the sr wind would have also made short work of both the creature and the malicious abyss below it, but that wasn''t the case at all.
"Fine, you will get a full-power Starfire strike." Now that I''m getting sick of it, I decided to just go all out on another move. I was beginning to get mentally fatigued from all the thinking, and I just needed to get rid of this monster so I could leave.
Letting myself fall through the air, I began putting all the mana I could into my Starfire de. While I was busy pushing myself even further, I saw the abyss creature trying to reach out to me with elongated hands.
Waiting for thest moment before the hands reached me, I swung Starfire directly into the creature. Once again, there was the crackle of fire popping before the surroundings shed ck and white. This time, though, having poured more mana into the strike, the surroundings progressively got brighter before the explosion went off.
The entire ce rumbled as the darkness of the abyss below me turnedpletely white. The entire dreamworld started to crack as I suddenly felt a force pulling me out.
I had no idea what I just did, but in an instant, everything turned ck and I was once again in the state I was in before entering that dream.
''Did I just break Tyso''s cube from the inside?''
Chapter 280 Code Red
?
Somewherepletely unknown and not of this world, there was apletely pitch-ck room with the exception of a dimly litputer screen. Behind thatputer was a blonde Kitsune, seemingly panicking over something.
"Sht, shit, shit!! This isn''t meant to happen, their souls were not meant to merge yet! Fuck, he is going to be so mad." I frantically typed on my keyboard, trying to connect myself back to Shaman. Unfortunately, it was of no use as once she entered the soul domain, I lost all connection to her mind.
''I should have stopped her getting into that fucking cube, but here I thought the system would have done its job and declined entry.'' Browsing through the settings of the system and the things Shaman had obtained over time, there was a skill that stuck out to me.
''Blessing of the fox, wasn''t this from that bitch Akrone?'' Reading through the description, nothing seemed out of the ordinary until I saw that there was a hidden effect.
[If you are reading this, you must have lost connection to my dear Shaman, and they are doing something they shouldn''t. Well, I''ll tell you it is most likely me that''s stopping you teehee~. Have fun, my little Rea. Consider your betrayal paid back now. xoxo~ Akrone.] As soon as I finished reading the message, it disappeared from the system leaving no traces.
"YOU CAN''T BE FUCKING SERIOUS!!!" mming my fists onto the desk, I almost snapped it in half. I gritted my teeth, seething at Akrone for this disastrous system failure, trying to tell myself there was nothing I could have done to prevent it. I didn''t have the authority to remove the blessing, not to mention she pretty much forced it into the system, not exactly leaving me room to negotiate.
"Can''t she just keep her dumb kitsune ass in the seal and stop interfering with the experiment? At this rate, Shaman''s body will copse from all the power... There has to be a way to stop her." It was frustrating that this entire thing could go to shit, but I needed to at least try before he appeared.
''How am I even meant to drag Shaman out? That soul realm is almost god-tier inplexity... How did this fucking Tyso even get his hands on one?'' I couldn''t directly interfere with the world as we are meant to stay hidden. If I were found doing such a thing I could be executed.
''If I can just get my hands on it, this whole thing would be over in a sh.'' It would be simple to transport the soul realm into my hands, but due to the Shaman''s soul being present inside, I couldn''t risk it being damaged or separated from her physical body.
"What''s going on, Rea?" My breath hitched as the sound of a male''s voice echoed in my head.
"Ahh Z-Zeus, it''s you." I lowered my head, not daring to look up, hoping that he wouldn''t question it further.
''Fuck, fuck, FUCK! Out of all times, he appears now? At least give me some time to find a solution!'' My heart raced, knowing Zeus would find out regardless of what was happening.
"Rea What happened with Shaman, and why is there a soul realm in front of her?" Zeus turned his attention towards the camera that directly showed Shaman revealing the current situation. His voice developed a growing undertone of anger, seemingly ready to strike me down at any moment.
"She is currently merging with this timeline''s Shaman, which also means she is inheriting the conduit you ced inside her before the transportation." Despite the severity of the situation, the room stayed silent for a few seconds.
"WHAT?! HOW CAN YOU POSSIBLY ALLOW SUCH A THING TO HAPPEN?"
*Crack* *BOOM*
Lightning struck right beside me alongside Zeus'' scream of anger, almost destroying my ears. My head rang while my vision started to contort, bringing me to the verge of passing out.
"I-it was Akrone''s fault, she tampered with the system by giving Shaman a blessing." Trying to exin myself proved useless since Zeus is a stubborn old man.
"AND YOU LET HER DO SUCH A THING?! SHE IS SEALED FOR A REASON, YOU DAMN FOOL. ARE YOU STILL CONSPIRING WITH HER EVEN AFTER BETRAYING YOUR OWN GOD?" His anger and voice grew in tandem, making it harder to stay conscious. His words were so loud in my head that it made it impossible to think of any way to get out of this situation.
"I-I''m sorry, I tried everything I could, but without interfering with the world, I can''t fix it." I tried to reach for my desk as I spoke, but my hand missed just as I put all my weight on it. Falling out of my chair and hitting my head on the table, my head pulsed with pain eliciting a chuckle out of Zeus.
"Ha you ipetent bitch, do what you must without being found. If I return and she isn''t separated from her other self, it will be you who pays the price. Meanwhile, I''ll go pay a visit to Akrone and teach her a long-overdue lesson." Zeus, carrying a very heavy undertone of anger, tried to speak calmly, since there was still a chance for it to be fixed. Until then, I expected him to keep a very close eye on me.
Without bothering with goodbyes, Zeus'' presence left the room, allowing me to get my bearings.
*
<10 minutester>
I was still lying on the floor with my eyes shut. My poor head wanted more rest, but being conscious of the time, I needed to get up soon before Zeus came back. Knowing how most talks go with Akrone, Zeus will get nowhere and return here to check on me.
''After all this shit, I better be able to inherit Akrone''s powers.'' The only reason why I amplying in the first ce was a promise from Zeus, which left me questioning if it''s even worth all the pain and suffering anymore.
''Arghh whatever, just get back to work.'' Dragging myself up from the floor and onto my chair, I tried to think of ways I could interact with the cube. Tyso was keeping a close watch, making sure nothing would go wrong, but surely after some time he would leave.
**
<12 hourster
''WHY ISN''T HE MOVING? mming my desk once again out of anger, I couldn''t believe my eyes. Tyso had been sitting in the same spot the entire time, not even moving an inch. I thought surely he''d move, but no, it''s well into the night and he still shows no intention of doing so.
Luckily Zeus had not made an appearance yet which made me think something happened with Akrone, but I could care less. Right now I needed to sort this issue out before it was toote.
''Maybe I can open up a portal right next to the cube... Surely he should be asleep by this point.'' Getting impatient with waiting, I drew up a magic circle about the size of my hand. Writing down the runes of the circle, I tried to ensure the portal will open in such an angle that it won''t be in Tyso''s line of sight.
Once I finished the circle, I kept a close eye on Tyso and opened up the portal. Seeing no reaction, I began to put my finger through, but as soon as the tip was visible on the other side, Tyso disappeared.
Pulling my hand away and shutting the portal instantly, an explosion appeared on the screen right beside the cube. Once the dust settled, I witnessed Tyso with his sword in the ground, right where the portal was.
''This fucking bastard has been fully aware the entire time.'' My nerves started to kick in, causing my legs to shake uncontrobly. Time was running out, and so far there was no solution on the horizon. Tyso was on high alert, and I couldn''t teleport myself to the room without causing even more trouble.
''I think it''s just a lost cause at this point.'' Reality was kicking in, and there was no way for me to fix it. I could only pray that Shamanes out alive, as the consequences of merging with the conduit too early may destroy her.
***
"Hmm~ Hmm~ oh, my dear Shaman, you''ve done well. I wish I could see Rea and Zeus'' faces when they saw you in the soul realm." Sipping on some wine, I hummed to myself, happy that Shaman was able to find a way to merge with herself earlier.
''If it had been anyter, she wouldn''t have had the chance to save her parents or defeat the pope. Those stubborn old men really need to listen to fate like I warned them instead of locking me up.''
''I guess they think if they don''t hear it, then it won''te true, but oh how wrong they are.'' Feeling satisfied with the current situation, I considered breaking out of this seal, as it was now pointless. The mission I set out toplete was over, and all I needed to do was wait.
"AKRONE!!" However, before I could n my escape, it seems Zues just caught wind of the current news.
"Oh my, what could have happened, almighty Zeus, god of all gods, who is really just a lightning god with nothing going on in its head?" Twirling my cup of wine, I hoped his anger reached a boiling point causing him to finally fight me.
"YOUUU!!! It''s time I finally taught you a very overdue lesson!"
"Ohhhh, so you''re finally going to fight me now?" I sprung up on my feet, excited, as it seemed my wish to fight was about to be granted.
Chapter 281 Freedom
?
"Bring it on, Zeus. I know you want to fight me." Remembering Zeus'' tendency to ogle at me I tidied my kimono. Granted, its skirt is extremely short, and it just barely covers my chest most of the time, but I wasn''t in the mood for any sexual remarks mid-fight with him.
''Maybe it''s time I switch to a modest shrine maiden outfit. I''m far too interested in Shaman to care about finding a partner at the moment.'' I knew my meeting with Shaman would be imminent, so I wanted to leave a positive first impression rather thaning off as a slut.
"Me? Fight you? That would be giving you what you want, instead, you will be going on an extended vacation to the deepest parts of hell."
"Coward!" Hearing those words infuriated me, I was led to believe he had snapped, but that wasn''t the case at all.
"If you had stayed in your cage, then there wouldn''t have been any issues." I heard the arrogance in his voice, thinking he had the upper hand.
''I''m sick of this, if he doesn''t want to fight me, I''ll force him to.'' My hand turned into a w, as purple sparks flickered across my sharpened nails, growing in intensity the more I focused.
"What do you think you''re doing? Nothing you can do can break this seal." Zeus, in his arrogant tone, believed no harm coulde to him, but oh, how wrong he was.
"Stop hiding in the sky, you joke of a god." Dropping down onto one knee, I stab my nails into the ground, causing the entire room to crack, along with the seal containing it.
"What?!" Zeus, bewildered by my actions, had no idea how I was capable of causing so much damage.
"Come out and y." Giving my nails another push, the seal around the room shattered. I then pushed off my feet, shooting through the roof and into the sky. I levitated, witnessing the outside that only consisted of clouds. It was refreshing to finally be free. However, there was an eyesore in my vision.
Zeus, In a typical white robe, sat upon a golden throne in the sky with a shocked expression, finding it hard to believe I was capable of breaking free. It was a delicious look, and I wanted nothing more than to keep his panic going.
Despite being young for a god, all of his hair had already turned grey, making him look like a muscr old man.
No matter how you spin it, he doesn''t look even remotely young.'' For gods, their image was very important, for truly old gods were very powerful and thus held high status, while those who merely seemed old were looked down upon.
"This entire time, you had your full power." Standing up in his chair, he demanded answers that should have been obvious.
"No, you fool. A piece of advice for next time: make sure you know how strong the person is before sealing them." With a click of my fingers, I appeared right in front of Zeus and grabbed his face. mming his face down onto the throne, I made sure to apply just a thinyer of fire at the reasonable heat of the sun.
As I was enjoying the look of his smoldering face, a golden lighting strike came down on me, but I didn''t even budge. There was a slight tingle on my back, which really helped loosen my muscles from all the sitting I''ve been doing recently.
"Oh, how pitiful that was, my lovely Zeus. Can''t even conjure up lightning strong enough to hurt me. I bet ra''s lighting would have been more effective than this static shock." I moved right up to Zeus'' ear, making sure he heard every word loud and clear even through the burns.
"ARGHHH! YOU BITCH, NO ONE CAN MATCH ME!" Finally bringing out his repressed anger, Zeus tried lifting his head from under my hand, attempting to overpower me in strength, the only avenue in which he held an advantage.
Letting go of his face, I jumped back, wanting to see what Zeus would do next.
Zeus got up from his half-destroyed throne while covering the burnt handprint on his face and trying to heal it with his godly powers.
"WHAT DID YOU DO!?"
"Ohh~? Can''t you heal yourself? Maybe you should take a closer look at the wound then?" I watched intently, waiting for the moment of realisation.
"Y-you put a time seal on the wound?" Zeus'' eyes locked on me, wanting some kind of exnation.
"Bingo~! You now have a permanent wound unless I dispel it." I smiled happily, hoping it would piss him off even more, and I didn''t have to wait long. His entire body was shaking with anger and, hopefully, a bit of fear.
"Undo it now!"
*Sigh* "Such a child, no manners at all, and why would I take orders from someone so much weaker than me? You still have a long way to go in godhood, boy. If you think I''m bad, just imagine all of those other gods you think are under yourmand. I guarantee they are using you just to further their own goals."
"Lies! How can you be so much stronger when you haven''t done anything in ages?"
I could only imagine the kind of thoughts Zeus was having, which made it all the more exciting. It was amazing how naive he was and oblivious to the facts.
*Click* Teleporting once again right in front of Zeus, I cupped his cheeks.
"Word of advice, boy, know who you are truly dealing with. I lived a thousand lifetimes more than you. If you knew any better, you would be grovelling at my feet begging for favor, and yet when we discovered earth, you waltzed right in like you owned the ce."
"I couldn''t believe the other gods bothered to take you in considering your tant disrespect, but I guess you still have your uses." Using my finger to flick Zeus'' forehead, I sent him flying at a speed faster than sound. He disappeared from my view, giving me a chance to take in the surroundings.
"Feels good to let loose, at least the other gods from Earth have been much nicer. That reminds me, Aphrodite did say she had something special for me in store." I licked my lips at the thought, knowing full well the kind of services she provided, but I would just have to wait and see.
''I also did hear the Norse gods have been rather stuck up, especially Thor. What''s up with the lightning gods all having a stick up their butt? Odin is quite the schemer but isn''t dumb enough to oppose gods that have kindly invited them into the divine realm.'' It had been a few thousand years since they joined the divine ne, and only in thest hundred years have they been given more freedom. Ever since they went through their trials, it has been nothing but trouble.
''Enough about the politics of gods, I really need to go take a nap.'' I could catch upter on the recent news, but realistically, it didn''t matter. All that matters is that my conduit has been in good hands, and no longer can Zeus, with his dumb experiment, tamper with it.
*BOOM!* A thunderous crack echoed out right next to me, and all I could do was roll my eyes.
"Haven''t you learned your lesson, child?" I was beginning to get more annoyed rather than having fun. Surely Zeus should have understood the message by now.
"ENOUGH!" Zeus, dashing from the clouds, held a lightning bolt in his hand and threw it at me.
I raised my palm, freezing the lightning in ce, and with a little bit more power, I reversed the time of just the lightning. Sending it straight back at Zeus, who unfortunately still dodged it.
"Here, I''ll undo the scar, now can you leave me alone? I now realise how incredibly weak you are and have lost the motivation to fight." I was truly excited to fight before, as I hoped Zeus would pose some kind of a challenge after all that bluster, but he really packed no punch.
"NO! I refuse your ept this result, I''ve barely even shown you what I can do!"
It was true that Zeus hadn''t attacked much, but what is that worth when you are defeated before you can even throw an attack?
"Let me show you true strength, then." This would be my final warning for him if he wanted to turn tail and run, but he was a stubborn buffoon, so I doubted he would leave.
I reached inside my kimono, pulling out a bell and giving it a slight ring. My 12 tails that fluttered in the air began to glow purple. Both my eyes and the purple highlights in my hair glowed as well as I lifted the restraints on my powers.
The air in the area quickly turned dark, the blue sky from before now nowhere to be seen.
"Witness the power of time, where all elementsbine into one. See the terrifying strength you think you can beat." Staring directly at Zeus'' soul, I felt it tremble in my presence. His knees gave out from under him, meaning my power had paralysed his movements. There was a look of dread andplete fear on his face, which I could look at all day. However, if I stay like this any longer, then the upper echelons wille here.
Surprisingly, he was still conscious, which I could give him some credit for, but he was no longer in any shape to fight.
"Goodbye, for now, don''te back until you can withstand this aura. Also, thanks for the entertainment for thest 10 years, have fun living with the fact you''ve been ying in my palm the entire time." Ringing the bell again, I re-applied the power restraints and disappeared from the area.
Chapter 282 New Person?
?
[Error! Error! The system is unable to connect to the admin. Error!]
[If the admin does not reconnect in 5 minutes, the system will run in offline mode!]
[Admin privileges are at risk, if no admin is able to connect, user will inherit control! Error!]
[01000011 01101111 01101110 01101110 01100101 01100011 01110100 01101001 01101111 01101110 00100000 01110011 01100101 01110110 01100101 01110010 01100101 01100100]
[Searching for new admin]
[No new admin connections were found.]
[Host Shaman given partial admin privileges]
[Granted]
<4 dayster>
After falling through the darkness for what felt like an eternity, I finally regained control of my physical body. Opening my eyes, I witnessed the blue sky of the training ground, which I never knew I would be grateful for.
"F-." Trying to speak, I found my throat too dry to speak. However, that little sound was enough to get Tyso''s attention.
"Shaman! You''re awake." Quickly rushing to my side, the half-demon monkey helped me sit up. Once I was straight, he quickly brought a cup of water to my mouth. I gulped the water down as fast as I could, desperate for more.
"Don''t worry, I have brought plenty of refreshments, now keep drinking until you are hydrated." Tyso kept pulling out bottles of water for me to drink as well as some food for when I was ready to eat.
After downing at least 10 bottles of water, my stomach started grumbling like crazy, the smell of food making my brain realise how hungry I am. There was an assortment of fruit, some sweets, and best of all, a te of steak. The piece was huge, and I felt my newly hydrated self already drooling.
"Go head, but try not to choke."
Hearing the go-ahead from Tyso, I couldn''t control myself any longer and began devouring the steak first. It probably wasn''t a pleasant sight for him, but I didn''t care how I looked, I just needed to eat.
**
<10 minutester>
"Oh, that was amazing." Iid back on the ground, feeling full and satisfied.
"Good! Seeing as you are back to normal, I would like you to exin some things." I looked at Tyso, wondering what he meant, but then I realised my clothes stayed the same from when I was inside my soul.
''Wait, how much stronger did I be?'' It was a long shot, but I was so strong in my own soul that it felt like something only a tier 10 should be able to achieve.
[Shaman Shiroi (Admin)]
[Race: Kitsune]
[Level: 380 (actual level: 1000)]
[Conduit of the time goddess Akrone]
Blessed by the goddess'' power, allowing you to ascend to the next realm. If the user receives this item before achieving tier 10, boost level and all stats to the max. WARNING! If the user''s level is not tier 10, there is a 99% chance of death.
Opening up the system menu, I was in shock upon seeing my new title, as well as the fact that admin appeared next to my name.
''Rea? Are you there?'' I wanted answers, but there was no response, I couldn''t even feel her presence.
''Hmm, this is very odd. Could I have taken over the system, and that''s why I can no longer speak with Rea? There was a highly likely chance this was the case since now I was apparently an admin. However, that was still the least of my concerns, I needed to figure out if I really just skipped hundreds of levels.
"Shaman?" Tyso spoke up as I stayed silent looking at what likely seemed to be air to him. I probably shouldn''t keep him waiting too much longer.
"Sorry, can you give me some time to think? I''m trying to figure out what happened myself." I hoped Tyso wasn''t in a rush, as I really needed to sort out my thoughts.
"That''s fine, take as long as you need." Tyso sat back, giving me some space, which was a relief.
"Thanks." Having one worry out of the way, I looked back to the system menu, trying to see if there was a deeper exnation of this conduit. It was from a god I have never heard of, but the fact that it is giving me such a boost, or so I gathered, likely meant it was that same god who gave me the blessing.
''I won''t get any answers about who she is, but what is this little eye icon under the description?'' Spotting an eye with a line running through it, I pressed it, and some greyed-out text appeared.
[Hey my dear Shaman~ you don''t know me, but it''s me, the kitsune of time, Akrone, and the god that has been watching over your journey. I hope this message finds you well and that the conduit isn''t causing you any trouble. Now you are probably wondering, What the hell is going on? I just went from level 300 to level 1000. How is that even possible? Well, I''m d you asked, because you are still at the same level you were before.]
''How the hell does that make sense?'' I stopped reading for a moment and rubbed my head, trying to make sense of the situation. I felt like I was missing so much context on what the conduit is and why the hell I have it. I was worried I wouldn''t be getting proper answers anytime soon, but luckily it seems there was still more for the goddess to tell me.
[I know it doesn''t make sense, but in order for you to not die and literallybust on the spot, I''ve limited its effects. It will slowly develop as you get stronger while growing your skills and elements. There should no longer be a need to assign points, as the conduit will be responsible for it. Another consequence or reward of this is that you may have unlocked your soul form, so use it how you see fit.]
''That exins the clothes, but why do I have the conduit in the first ce? It feels almost like cheating, I mean, the system is a cheat in itself, but now I''m just given strength.''
[It''s not cheating.]
''IS THIS REALLY A MESSAGE OR AM I TALKING TO AKRONE!?!?!'' Either the message knew exactly how my thoughts would go, or I was in reality conversing with God.
[Oop, looks like I have been found out. Jokes aside, I am the goddess of time. So I already knew you would respond like this teehee~.]
I couldn''t believe it, it was a real-to-life goddess of time, and she literally saw the future of this conversation and made it seem like we were actually talking?!
[Ahem, anyway, I can''t tell you why you have the conduit, but trust me, you will need it to defeat the Pope and save your parents. I rmend going through those memories as some allies may no longer appear so friendly anymore.]
[Onest thing, the system should be partially under your control. Now, whatever you do, do not let Rea take back control. I know she has been your mentalpanion, but she isn''t what she seems. You''ll find out in due time, but for now, do not trust anything that seems like a godly presence. This also applies to me, I wouldn''t trust me either, but as long as you continue to provide me with a good show, I will help you out.]
[Now farewell, my little fox, I can''t wait to meet you. Love from your kitsune Akrone~ <3]
I sat there, digesting everything that I just read, which was almost too much for me toprehend. I felt overwhelmed by all the information that was swirling inside my head.
''Urghh, what do I make of this? Why dump all of this on me now? I have to go through memories, deal with this conduit, avoid trusting Rea, and the gods are out to get me in some way. What fucked-up situation is this?'' I needed a break, my mind was spiralling, and I just needed some time to breathe.
An invisible pressure was crushing me, and I needed to know what it was. I felt the weight of the world would crush me if I didn''t understand what was going on.
"H-hey, Tyso, is it alright if we talkter I-I just can''t right now, I need some more time." I didn''t know if I was allowed to leave without giving any exnation, but I guess that would establish whether Tyso trusts me or not.
"I understand."
"I appreciate it, can you show me to my room? If it''s not too much to ask, can you get Elysia and ra? I would like to see them." Feeling relieved that Tyso was willing to wait for some exnation. He gave an approving nod and stood up from where he sat. Offering up his hand to help me up, I took it and followed him out of the training room.
Going through the hall and up some stairs, we reached a hallway full of doors, all containing the different rooms of all the people who worked and trained here.
"Here, I''ll pick you up tomorrow." Tyso gestured to a door before disappearing, not giving me any room to interject.
Opening up the door, I was greeted with a regr bedroom, but what caught me by surprise was that Elysia and ra were already there.
"Shaman!" In unison, they yelled my name while running towards me. They then both jumped into my arms, giving me a hug.
"Hey, Elysia and ra, it''s great to see you again." For some reason, I felt like crying, but I didn''t care, I just wanted to enjoy this time I get to spend with them and forget about my worries. Even if it was brief, it was what I needed right now.
Chapter 283 Traitor?
?
After reuniting with Elysia and ra, I requested that wey down for a bit before I exined anything. They were quick to notice the clothes, but I didn''t have the brain power to go into detail as I only wanted some snuggles to recharge. They, of course, didn''t reject me, and we got into bed, letting me enjoy the moment.
Elysia, in her typical horny fashion, suggested we have a bit of fun, but I bonked her on the head since I wasn''t really in the right mood.
Eventually, I drifted off to sleep in thefortable embrace of Elysia and ra. My nap wouldn''tst long, though, as I woke up after an hour of resting. I don''t know why, but it worked in my favour, as I felt ready to exin the situation.
Shaking the two of them awake, we sat up in a circle with the two of them eagerly awaiting what I had to say.
"I guess I''ll exin what I went through first"
***
Giving a rundown of the whole soul-merging process and the things I gained from it. Elysia and ra were just as shocked as I was. I showed them my stats as well as the message I got from Akrone.
"Wait, so you are technically tier 10, but you are not?" Elysia scratched her head, trying to make sense of the situation. I was in clothes that were only meant to be gained once hitting tier 10, yet I wore them without being tier 10.
"I think so? As far as I know, I''m still tier 7, only now I''m just slowly unlocking my power rather than levelling up." It was the best answer I could give with all the information I had.
"Interesting, have you found out what it means to be an administrator of the system? You might have new options avable to you regarding our own systems since you gave them to us to begin with." ra was quick to understand and was curious about what kind of potential privileges I had.
"Speaking of the system, to think Rea might not be who we think she is. That is if we trust Akrone, but seeing how much power she''s given you, I''d say it''s safe to assume for now that Akrone is on our side." Elysia looked disappointed at the fact that Rea was most likely a traitor who only pretended to share our goals, but there wasn''t much more we could find out.
"It''s not like we have a choice anyway." There was no room to negotiate in the first ce, as we may very well all be dancing in the palm of akrone''s hand.
"Anyway, I''m not too sure what I can do now; there isn''t a tutorial or any kind of guidance." I looked through my system, trying to see if there were any settings I could ess.
"Oh, I think I found something." Scrolling to the bottom of my status page, there was a cog, which I could only assume was the settings. Clicking on it would prove me right, as I would be greeted with a whole list of options.
Some were greyed out and impossible to read, which I found odd since it sounded like I should have full ess, but it might be like the conduit where I will slowly unlock more features as I get stronger.
"So far, I can just change how the system looks; there is nothing here that suggests I can control it like Rea could." It was a shame, but then there was one feature I remembered that wille in handy.
[Hey] I went and wrote down a message. In the past we had to send those through Rea, but now I could just think of it and it would appear. The same message then appeared right in front of Elysia and ra instantly.
"Oh, nice, you can still do that." Elysia was a bit surprised to see the random message, which was fair as they rarely used that feature, but it was still nice to have.
"But we can''t seem to send one back; are you able to manage our systems at all?" ra tried to send one back but seemingly failed.
"Let me scroll some more." Going through a bunch more nk options, I finally came across a setting called Manage Systems. Clicking on it presented a list of everyone to whom I gave a system. It was a good start, so I went ahead and clicked on Elysia to see the kind of things I could tamper with.
Like the rest of the system, there wasn''t much I could do considering most options were greyed out, but there were some I could turn on.
"Oooo, it looks like I can share my power and give you the same privilege I do." Without even hesitating, I instantly gave Elysia and ra the same privileges I had. As for Silver and nor, I allowed them to send messages, but for the time being there was no need for them to also have privileges.
"Sweet, I can y around with it for you then." ra offered to spend some time messing with the system, which I appreciated.
"Please do. it will definitely take a load off my mind not having to figure out this new system." I gave ra a smile, which made her blush. On the downside, I also made Elysia pout since she wanted to be useful too.
"Don''t worry, Elysia, you can keep mefortable while I look through some memories. As Akrone''s message said, some of our perceived allies may not be on our side, and my newly inherited memories have the answers." There wasn''t much I could offer Elysia to do, but I knew giving me ap pillow would be enough for her.
"H-hmph sure." Elysia knew how pathetic it was to be so easily satisfied, but she couldn''tin.
"Thank you, darling." Seeing Elysia already in position, I put my head on herp and shut my eyes.
"Now, I will most likely enter a deep sleep of some kind while I look through these memories, so I''ll be seeing youter." I gave them a heads-up just in case they wanted to ask any more questions before I fell asleep.
"We''ll be waiting." ra sat on the other side of me, holding my hand while scrolling through the system with the other.
"Don''t take too long." Elysia patted my head and gave me some behind-the-ear scratches, which helped me rx.
*
''Alright, let''s see who we''ve got.'' Trying to think of our current allies, the first person that came to mind was Freja. I highly doubted she would be against us, but she definitely felt like the kind of person to hide some dirty secrets.
''She also has a system, so if I can''t trust my assistant, there is no telling if Freja is actually conspiring with hers.'' The more I thought about it, the more I doubted her.
''Ah, here we go.'' Having finally gotten some memories of Freja to pop up, I noticed they seemed to be from the time just before my other self was transported away from home.
***
It was another day of not doing much as I waited until my birthday. Finally, I will be able to register and begin raising my tier. I knew I would easily hit tier 6 or 7 due to my nobility, but I had been training for years now to make sure I was ready.
I knew of many nobles who were very stuck up about their tier, only to be beaten by someone who was much lower than them but actually trained.
"Urgh, the days feel so long, can''t I just do it now?" I rolled over on my bed, bored out of my mind. Time moved so slowly, I just wish there was some kind of way to make it go faster.
However, as I rolled onto my side, something outside my window caught my attention. There was a bright white light that looked like some kind of magic circle.
Walking up to my window, I squinted my eyes to see what might be causing it.
"Freja??" I spotted a ck figure in the distance, leaving a mana trail behind them. The figure had a blonde tail and hair, which made me instantly think of Freja.
"She made a deal with the Pope? Is she crazy?!?! Never mind that, get the teleporter ready." Suddenly, my Mother''s voice came from outside, but I didn''t quiteprehend what she said.
"Shaman! We need to leave." My Mother mmed the door open and ran to me. Grabbing my hand, she pulled me out of my room, and I couldn''t help but ask why.
"What''s happening?" I assumed it had to do with what was going on outside, but I didn''t know what it meant.
"Too hard to exin, sweetie, right now I need to get you to safety." We rushed down the hall towards my Father''s office, which seemed odd. Speaking of which...
"Where is Father?"
"He is currently trying to deal with the problem. He will be fine, so don''t worry." We entered his office, and inside there were servants trying to maintain a magic circle in the middle of the room.
"Okay sweetie, I need you to be strong. I will send you through this teleporter with some supplies, and I need you to survive while me and your Father sort out this problem. It may be difficult, but promise me you will try your best." My Mother held me by the shoulders, looking deep into my eyes.
I didn''t know what to make of it, but clearly it was urgent. I had so many questions I wanted to ask, however, I trusted my Mother.
"I understand." I nodded my head, bracing myself, everything was moving so fast that I didn''t even have time to really think.
"Good, now take this and only open it when you are tier 10. I can''t tell you what''s inside, but if things don''t go well here, this will help you once you are ready and is my birthday present to you."
"Wait, what?" My Mother''s words caused a bit of panic as she insinuated that I might not be seeing her again. However, before I could get her to borate, the pce suddenly shook, causing some concrete to fall.
"Farwell, Shaman, I love you." I felt myself get pushed into the magic circle and teleported away. Although there was a brief moment when I could still hear and see,
"CECILIA! GIVE ME YOUR DAUGHTER NOW!!" Freja''s voice screamed through the walls, causing everything to shake, but before I saw or heard anything more, my vision turned ck.
**
"It looks like Freja really is a traitor or is at least working with the gods as well as the Pope." Hearing the offhandment that apparently she made a deal with the Pope, I spected that he may have supplied the spell that needed to be cast to seal my parents.
"Tch, there is still so much I''m uncertain of, but at least now I can confirm Freja was responsible for the sealing of my parents." I had all the evidence I needed to confirm it, but whether she is truly a spy for the Pope and the gods, or a double agent with her own priorities has yet to be proven beyond a shadow of a doubt.
Chapter 285 Moving On And Elysia’s Training
?
I looked through a few more memories where Freja was involved, but nothing came of it. A lot of them were just me getting teased and not worth taking note of. However, I still got to learn and experience what it was like to be with my mother.
Even though I didn''t grow up in this world, I really felt like I lived through these moments. They felt extremely nostalgic, bringing me close to tears at some points. Even my father, whom I hadn''t seen too much, felt dear to me after exploring some of our shared past.
Initially, he was the one personally training me how to fight and use mana. However, he seemed to get busier with running the Fox realm, leaving me to be tutored by others. I also learned that my mother was actually the face of the country, while my father did a lot of the behind-the-scenes work.
It exined why Mother was much more present in my life than he was, and Imend him for it. It would have been nice if I spent more time with him, but I was grateful he wasn''tpletely absent and still tried to hang out.
Exploring all these memories, I expected it to be the middle of the night by now. Still, as I opened my eyes, Elysia was still there, wide awake.
"Huh?" Sitting up from myp, it looked like no time had passed at all.
"Oh, you''re awake, that was quick." Elysia jumped at my sudden rise, not expecting to see me awake so soon.
"It''s only been 30 minutes, I expected you to be out for the rest of the evening." ra was still scrolling through the system, but instead of a blue screen, it was now ck with a purple outline.
"Really? I looked through so many memories this time." I wondered if I lost my sense of time, or did it have anything to do with the memories this time being far less intense?
"Well, hey, more time to spend with us." Elysia smirked and gave me a couple of nudges.
"Not wrong, but first I should tell you that yes, Freja is 100% involved. On the day that I was teleported away from the Fox Realm, Freja was there setting up the barrier." Thinking back to that memory caused my anger to resurface. I would love to pay a visit back to the Freya forest, but that would be suicide.
"That''s annoying, good thing we are going through training then." ra saw the benefit of having Freja as an ally, but now that it looks like she is a traitor, it just means more people that we might have to fight.
Elysia, on the other hand, smiled without saying a word. While I''m sure I hurt her impression of Freja, thetter had helped Elysia a lot, so I expected more of a shocked reaction.
"Indeed, and that''s what we need to focus on. Speaking of which, how has your guys'' training been going so far?" I hadn''t seen any obvious changes, so I wondered what they had done for thest two days.
"Ah, I think I will let Elysia go first, as she actually has something to say about it." ra''s face suddenly turned slightly pale, which was concerning. My first thoughts were that Elysia killed her mentor, but then again I doubted she would still be here in that case.
"..." I stared at Elysia, waiting for her to speak up, but judging by how her face turned dark, it wasn''t good news.
"My mentor knows where the rest of my extended family are, and for my training, she wants me to kill them all." Elysia dropped such a bombshell that I didn''t even know how to process it. I thought Elysia would be happy to take on such a task, but it seemed to be the opposite.
"Yeah? Isn''t that great?" I hoped my question wasn''t insensitive, as it looked like she wasn''t happy.
"Shaman, don''t misinterpret her face, look at her hands." ra, without my noticing, was all of a sudden standing at the other end of the room. I heard her words and looked down at Elysia''s hands to see them shaking like crazy.
"Oh, I se-"
"IT''S FUCKING AMAZING! I FINALLY GET TO AVENGE MY PARENTS AND PAY THEM BACK 10 TIMES OVER!" Elysia burst out into excitement with a manic smile. Her heightened emotions set her mes zing uncontrobly, which exined why ra moved away in advance.
I didn''t want me or the room to get burned, so I quickly conjured up some water and doused the mes that were manifesting.
"Elysia, calm down!" ra saw that I was able to keep the mes at bay, so she quickly ran up behind Elysia and smacked the back of her head.
"Ow!... Sorry, got a little too excited." Elysia came back to her senses and got her mes under control.
"It''s fine, but save it for when you actually face them." There was a part of me that knew Elysia''s crazy side was still there, but it really showed itself then and there.
"Y-yes." Elysia looked away, clearly embarrassed to put on such a disy. It was honestly expected at this point, but it had been a while since she lost herself.
"Ahem, now isn''t there something else you need to say?" ra gave Elysia a nudge, indicating there was more than just revenge at y.
"Ah yes, you see, I will actually be leaving soon with Vania, my mentor, to go visit my family. Despite wanting revenge, in order to learn more about my mes, I am going to have to pretend to join them." Elysia borated on what her actual training is all about, and it made me raise an eyebrow. I wondered if Elysia was even capable of containing herself long enough.
"Interesting, but what about your weapon training? I thought that would be a major focus." I was also worried that Elysia would miss out on some key training from Vania.
"Don''t worry, Vania won''t let me leave until she is happy with my skill, but the reason I say soon is because she already thinks I''m ready to go." Elysia pushed the tips of her fingers together, nervous at the kind of reaction she would get.
"Why did I expect anything less?" I rubbed my forehead, wondering why I even questioned that Elysia might not be ready. She was an exceptional student with skills that made it even easier for her to improve, so I really shouldn''t be surprised.
"Haha, it''s okay, I get surprised by myself too. Anyways, what I was getting at is that I will probably be gone for a while. Vania said about a year or two, which should line up with your guys training as well." Elysia''s face saddened, as she wouldn''t be able to see any of us, and that alone is a challenge.
"I''m sure you will be fine. Plus, we have full control over the messaging system now, so we can still chat. I might be able to figure out a calling function, but I haven''t found that yet. There are like 100 pages of settings, so it might take a while." ra gave her reassurance while walking back to the bed and giving Elysia a hug from behind.
"I think it''s a great opportunity that you shouldn''t miss. I would love to be there and help you enact your revenge, but it''s for you toplete. If you need help, by all means, call out to us, we do have lovers calls, so worst case scenario, you teleport to us or we teleport to you." There was always the assurance of our shared skill, so hopefully that put Elysia at ease.
"Mhm, you are right, it will suck not seeing you all, but it isn''t like we''ll bepletely cut off." Elysia affirmed in her head the things she still could do, making the decision to leave a bit easier.
"Onest thing, though: how the hell does Vania know the location? Are they not some kind of hidden n?" One detail stuck out to me, and that was how? Vania was a demon elf, so what is her connection to the vampiric Kitsune?
"It''s actually rather simple, she escaped from them when she was young, which led her into the Demonnds. Believe it or not, they are located on the border of the Fox Realm, using the fact that no onees near there to hide."
"That makes some sense, but to even escape the wilderness and make it out alive goes to show how strong Vania must be." ra''s eyes widened when she heard about Vania running into the Demon Lands, as the ce had plenty of monsters to go around, not to mention the extreme weather conditions making it almost impossible to survive.
"I don''t know her enough to reallyment about her strength, but enough about that... I think I deserve some attention before I have to leave." Elysia became much more assertive and crawled towards me until she was inches away from my face.
"Of course, we have to make up for the few years we won''t be seeing each other." It was the least I could do for Elysia, and it helped me too, as I will also be suffering from not seeing her.
"Hehe~, thank you." Elysia gestured for ra toe onto the bed, signifying the start of ourst night together for the time being.
Chapter 286 Fan Upgrade
?
Somewhere out in the uninhabited parts of the Demon Lands, nor and ina were duelling. nor was pouring everything she had into the fight, but with herck of experience, it wouldn''t be long until shepletely exhausted herself.
After all, she only recently had a massive jump in strength and had not yet put in the time to master her newfound powers. Unable to use them efficiently or, in some cases, even apply them properly, it ultimately resulted in herplete defeat, unable to leave a single scratch on ina.
*Huff, huff* "I can''t even... get... close." My entire body ached with pain, and I barely had any stamina left to take another step.
*p, p, p* "Well done! You''ve made a lot of progresspared to when you first started. Before, you were like a lost child, but now you know where you are going." ina slowly walked up to me with a pair of fans simr to mine.
"There is still a long way to go, especially when controlling your mana, but for now you need to rest." She extended a hand to me, which I dly took as my legs were close to giving out.
A bright red sh then engulfed my vision, and my first thought was that the training wasn''t really over. However, I suddenly appeared in my room, meaning that sh was ina teleporting me.
"Thank the holy tree for this bed." I copsed on top of the bed and instantly sank in, on the verge of falling asleep.
"Don''t sleep just yet, there are some things I want to talk to you about." ina''s voice echoed into my head, and I really wanted to ignore it so I could sleep, but I reluctantly rolled over.
ina hovered over me with an amused look, clearly enjoying my pain and suffering.
"Urghhhhhh, what is it?" I just wanted to sleep, so I prayed for it to be over quickly.
"First, I received a message that Elysia will be leaving for her training soon, and second, your new fans have arrived, so make sure after you wake up to y around with them." I saw ina ce down a set of fans, but I was too exhausted to even process what they looked like.
"I see, I''ll have to pay a visit then." I began to doze off mid-sentence, and before I knew it, everything turned dark.
*
"ELYSIA IS LEAVING!" I woke up, finally processing what was said to mest night.
''Wait, how long did I fall asleep for?'' Opening up my system window, I looked at the top right corner and it was currently 9:24 am.
''I''m surprised ina hasn''te to drag me outside yet.'' Usually, my routine would start with a 6 a.m. wake-up, and by 6:30 I would be duelling or doing some other kind of exercise for the entire day.
''Maybe I got the day to myself... Speaking of which, what are these fans?'' I spotted the set of fans on my bedside table, and my first thought was that these must be my newly made weapons from Jade.
"Ohhhhh! It''s so pretty!" Picking the fans up and opening them up revealed a very nature-like pattern. The outside of the fan was ck with ents of bright green and the top was sharpened to serve as a de, which was a new feature. It would solve my close-quarters problem, once I was able to effectively strike with the fans. On the inside of the fan a tree was painted, roots and all, and upon putting a tiny bit of mana into the fans, glowing leaves appeared on them.
It created a beautiful effect and made me wonder if it had anybat-significant effects other than looking cool.
''Didn''t ina say to y around with them? I''ll have to do thatter, first I need to find my group members. Thest thing I want is for them to think I''m some kind of bitch that doesn''t even say goodbye.'' Suddenly I became self-conscious, as I hadn''t properly melded with the group and still felt like an outsider.
The strength difference between us made it difficult to feel like I really belonged.
''Maybe I should find Silver first, having him around makes it easier to talk to them... AHHH! What am I saying?'' My face turned red thinking about Silver as the words of Elysia echoed in my head. She was constantly suggesting the kind of rtionship that was building, but did she have to make it so obvious?
Even though Silver doesn''t know it, he has be my anchor in this group. If he hadn''t saved me that day in Elfheim, I probably wouldn''t have had the courage to fight alongside them.
''Why did he have to be handsome all of a sudden? Now it''s hard to not see him like that.'' Taking advantage of my fans, I cooled myself off and tried to shake the thoughts.
*Knock, Knock* "nor? Are you alright? I heard some yelling." One of the demon maids spoke through my door with a concerned tone.
"I-I''m fine, don''t worry!" I responded, now even more embarrassed knowing that one of the maids heard me.
"Alright, call out if you need anything." The maid''s presence vanished, and thankfully I could no longer hear her, otherwise, I might have died of embarrassment.
''I need to clear my mind, maybe some training in the arena before finding Elysia is a good idea.'' I stood up from my bed, trying to ignore all thoughts, and quickly walked to the bathroom to wash up. I realised that I went straight to bed without cleaning up all the dirt and blood that was on me.
*
"Alright, let''s give these fans a spin." Whipping out my brand new fans, I locked onto the magical target dummy in front of me and flowed mana into my new fans. Swinging them, I unleashed roots from the ground, piercing right into the dummy and destroying itpletely.
"Wow! That was a lot stronger than usual. Jane must have put those rune things on." I looked at my fans, amazed at the boost I got. I didn''t know how it affected my magic, but I''m guessing it has to do with the glowing leaves.
"Now to try the des... I haven''t used them as a close-range weapon before, so I definitely needed to practice." The magical dummy regenerated itself back to normal, ready for another attack.
Walking up to the dummy, I did a test swing, trying out the des and how well they could cut. However, as soon as I made contact, I ended up almost breaking my wrist. When my fan hit the dummy, it folded in on itself, causing it to bend my wrist.
"Argh! Damnit!" Pulling my hand back, it was clear I didn''t have the right technique, and it backfired.
''I saw ina able to handle hers effortlessly, so she will most likely train me, hopefully.'' Remembering our duels, I wanted to mimic the kind of movements she had. They were very graceful, and there was such beauty in each move she made that it was like a dance.
*Sigh* "Let''s just practise some magic a bit longer for now." I didn''t want to keep hurting myself, so I opted to get used to the new magical buff I received from my fans. I didn''t want to end up over-exerting myself, but luckily now I didn''t need to use as much mana to conjure up holy nature.
***
< A few hourster
"Phew, I think I''ve got the hang of it now, I should be able tost the full duel without feeling like dying now."
"Wait, didn''t I need to see someone? OH RIGHT! I almost forgot Elysia would be leaving soon." I got so immersed in training that the day was already slipping away. I didn''t know if I could even find Elysia, but I assumed the servants would know.
Not wanting to waste any more time, I rushed out of the arena, but right as I rushed out of the door, I crashed into someone.
"Ahh!" Falling over with this person, I ended up on top of someone who was surprisingly muscr.
"S-sorry, I didn''t mean to run into you." I quickly sat up, getting a good look at who it was, and then I froze.
"E-nor?"
''WHY IS SILVER HERE? AHH!'' I quickly stood up and turned away as I felt my face instantly turn bright red. I couldn''t believe that the one time I identally bumped into someone, it was Silver.
"O-oh, S-s-silver, hey, howe you are here?" I tried to act naturally, but my mind was such a mess that I couldn''t help but stutter.
"I was given the day to myself since Mother Elysia will be leaving soon, but what were you doing? It seemed like you were in a hurry." Silver dusted himself off in a calm manner, which was a relief, but I didn''t know he could, especially after all the teasing from Elysia.
"I-I was on my way to Elysia as well, I just finished a bit of training."
"Sweet, well, I know where their room is, did you want to go together?" Silver offered his hand without thinking too much about it, but to me, it made my heart flutter. I wanted to say something, but at the same time, why should I decline it? It wasn''t like I minded it.
"Yes, please, lead the way." I hesitated for a moment to take his hand, but I eventually caved and took it.
Chapter 287 Wishing Goodbye
?
"Weapon delivery!" Just outside Shaman''s bedroom door, a maid carried a box full of weapons that were from Jane.
The door swung open, revealing a very dishevelled Shaman. Her clothes were on the verge of falling off, and it looked like she had barely gotten any sleep.
"Thank you." Taking the box from the maid''s hands, she then quickly vanished back into her room.
"N-no worries." The maid''s face turned red as she caught a glimpse of the inside and spotted pairs of underwear on the floor. She was aware of Shaman''s rtionships as she was assigned to them and knew exactly what must have transpiredst night.
''I need to leave before I''m caught just standing here.'' She didn''t have time to be standing around, let alone being seen as a weirdo for staring at a door. Rushing down the hall, she passed nor and Silver, who were about to arrive at Shaman''s room.
"So did you get your weapon yet, Silver?" nor was curious about the kind of upgrade he got as well as what it looked like. She quite liked the previous design, so she hoped Jane stuck to the same theme.
"Mhm, I''ll show it off once we are all together." Being only a few steps away from the shaman''s room, there was no point in showing it now.
"Fair enough." nor was hoping for some special treatment before they entered Shaman''s room, but she couldn''t fight logic.
''Jeez, why am I even thinking like that?'' It was embarrassing for her that she even wanted special treatment, however, as time went on, she more and more epted that she wanted Silver''s attention. She even grew ustomed to holding hands, which she hadpletely forgotten that they were doing right now.
Silver walked up to Shaman''s door and gave it a knock, which was followed by an audible groan.
"Who is it?" Shaman opened the door expecting it to be a maid, but she was shocked to see it was Silver and nor.
"Silver! Wait! Don''te in yet; give me a second." Shaman mmed the door shut and quickly scurried around the room, cleaning it up. No cleaning whatsoever had been done, and thest thing she wanted was her son walking in on her mess.
"Elysia! ra! Wake up! Silver and nor are here." Shaking the two of them awake, they both groaned and rolled around, refusing to respond.
"Damnit, cold water it is." Shaman conjured up some water above their heads, however, her words alone sprung Elysia and ra awake.
"Don''t! We will get up!" The two of them shouted in unisonand quickly got out of bed, not wanting to be sshed with cold water. ra and Elyisa then put on some loose clothes and helped with cleaning up the messy room.
"I swear they must be doing this every night." Silver shook his head as he heard the chaos from the outside. At this point, he was desensitised to their nightly affairs and couldn''t care less about how the room looked.
"I guess it just means they really love each other? I mean, Elysia is going to be leaving for a while, so I''m sure this is just their unique way of saying goodbye. nor tried to be optimistic about the situation, but she was quite naive when it came to this stuff, arguably even more innocent than Silver.
nor wasn''t oblivious to it, but she had no experience whatsoever, unlike Silver, who had witnessed it on a few asions.
"I don''t doubt that, but I think they''re addicted to it." Silver wasn''t concerned that they were doing it, his worries actually lied about whether it was healthy or not.
"Oh, I wouldn''t think so, but I guess they are quite excessive." nor tilted her head, trying to make some sense of it, but herck of experience made it hard to judge.
*BAM!*
"Okay, everything is fine now." An out-of-breath Shaman suddenly mmed the door open, weing them in.
"Mother, you know that I''m used to it, right? No need to try to hide it." Silver figured he might as well try to convince his mother that he wasn''t so innocent anymore and she didn''t need to put in so much effort into hiding it.
"P-please let me live in my delusions a bit longer, I''m fully aware that you are. Shaman raised her hand, knowing that Silver wasn''t a child anymore, but deep inside she wanted to believe that he was.
"F-Fine." Silver let out a defeated sigh, hoping that it wouldn''tst too much longer.
As they talked at the door, Elysia and ra poked their heads from behind Shaman. They both instantly spotted that Silver was holding hands with nor, and they couldn''t believe it. Elysia and ra looked at each other with a smirk, as this was the perfect opportunity to tease them.
"Oooo Silver, we''re holding hands with the dear princess now, aren''t we?" Elysia gave a smug look at the two of them, excited for their reaction.
"Hehe, it looks like some things may have changed over thest few days." ra covered her mouth with her hand while letting out a cheeky giggle.
"It isn''t like that!" Silver''s face instantly turned bright red, and he quickly pulled away his hand. nor had a simr reaction as she looked down at the ground while her face turned extremely hot to the point of almost emitting steam.
"Okay, you two, no need to tease them unless you want me to begin describing what we did." Shaman gave the two perpetrators a side-eye, knowing she could expose in great detail what they didst night.
''Although I doubt Elyia would care if I described it, she gets more and more shameless every time.'' Shaman could only hope that because it was Silver and nor, Elysia would show a little shame.
Elysia rolled her eyes, as she would rather not have their entire night exined, especially in front of nor. Even if she was fond of the idea of nor being with Silver, Elysia was still proactive about keeping her away from Shaman.
Unlike Elysia, ra''s face turned bright red thinking aboutst night, and since she does know shame, there was no way she would let Shaman tell Silver or nor about it.
"Good, you cane in now." Shaman had a smug smile, d that her threat worked.
Silver and nor then walked into the bedroom and took a seat on the couch that was in the corner of the room. Even though their rooms were technically bedrooms, they were furnished more like a miniature house, which was handy, especially if you didn''t want to travel across the demon castle just to find the kitchen.
"Anyway, what brings you two here?" Elysia walked up behind Silver and gave him a hug, curious about their sudden appearance.
"Actually, we came to see you, mother. We heard that you will be leaving us for a while and wanted to say goodbye before we get back into training." Silver tilted his head back to look at Elysia; however, instead of seeing a face, it was her chest that greeted him.
nor gave him a quick kick as she realised the kind of view he was getting and that it was disrespectful to his mother. She totally didn''t do it because she was jealous.
"Heh." Elyisa really wanted to tease the two of them, but she held back as Shaman''s threat lingered in her head.
"Well, I really appreciate youing to see me, although I won''t be leaving for at least a week, so there is still time." Elysia gave Silver a tight squeeze, as she didn''t expect them toe so soon after hearing the news. It was touching for her to hear that they even cared and only affirmed her feelings to treat Silver like a son.
She could also appreciate nor a bit more, as it was quite unexpected for her toe so soon.
"We weren''t told when, and thest thing I want is to find out I missed my chance to see you before you left." Silver nuzzled into Elysia''s arms, feeling loved, as it was the exact thing he wanted to do before she left.
"Yeah, I woke up in a panic, thinking I missed my chance, haha." nor nervouslyughed when she thought back to how she woke up.
"Funny enough, considering we did not even get out of bed until you two came, there was definitely no need to rush." ra spoke up from bed. She was alreadyying down once she figured the conversation wasn''t about her.
"It looks like one still is Since you are doing nothing, why don''t you check out your new weapon while they talk?" Shaman was still over by the door, grabbing her newly upgraded sword from the box.
"Ooo, I wonder what Jane did for me." ra was quick to jump and run over to the box to im her weapons.
"So where are you going, Elysia?" nor brought her attention back, now curious about what Elysia was actually going to do.
"Ah, I will be paying a visit to my family. The rough n is to train under them to learn more about my unique element and then kill them after I learn everything." Elysia gave an innocent smile that was filled with malice.
Chapter 288 Shifting Responsibility
Chapter 288 Shifting Responsibility
Upon hearing where Elysia was going, nor still didn''t understand why theter exuded such hostility. Silver already knew the story about Elysia''s parents, but nor had yet to learn of the details.
Elysia quickly realised from the mortified look on nor''s face that she had no idea. Elyisa panicked for a moment and quickly exined the situation to nor.
"Okay, that makes more sense now, I didn''t realise you were part of the vampiric Kitsune family." nor sighed in relief, now understanding the situation a bit more. However, what she said caught Elysia''s attention. This was the first time she heard it actually referred to as vampiric.
She knew her mes were vampiric, but as far as she knew, her family was only known for its fire.
"Wait, how much do you know about them?" Elysia thought it wouldn''t hurt to ask, but she doubted nor knew much since she had been exiled for quite some time.
"Well, we elves live for a long time, so we have umted a lot of historical records that others considered lost to time. That being said, I don''t know much other than that it was a kitsune race that has vampire blood." nor squirmed in her seat, as she didn''t mean to get Elysia''s hopes up. The information she knew was from the brief fragments of knowledge she had memorised when being home-schooled about history.
Elysia sat there pondering for a moment, as she didn''t realise she was part vampire. It made sense that she would be with how her mes worked. However, why then does she not have the urge to suck blood?
''Maybe I should ask Shaman if I can have a sip?'' Elysia shot a nce at Shaman''s neck, and despite not having the urge to suck, another desire red up in her again.
A shiver travelled down Shaman''s spine, and she quickly looked behind her to see Elysia staring at her with hungry eyes.
"You''re not thinking of sucking my blood, are you?" Shaman was fully aware of the conversation, and the image of Elysia biting her somehow sounded appealing.
''Damnit, please don''t revive my teenage vampire fantasies.'' A core memory of Shaman''s dark history reyed in her mind. It was something she hoped would remain forever forgotten, but the sudden chance to live out old fantasies has helped dredge up those crazy ideas.
"Please?" Elysia tilted her head while giving an innocent smile, a tiny part of her fang poking out.
''Shit, I thought I wasn''t into it anymore, but I guess I can''t run away from my immature desires.'' Shaman quickly turned her head away as her face was turning bright red.
"L-lter."
"Hehe~, thank you." Elysia licked her lips, thinking about it.
"Ahem." nor cleared her throat, as she really didn''t want to be thinking about what they got up to in their free time.
*Sigh* "Good thing I''m no longer in my wolf form." Silver could imagine that if he hadn''t gotten a human form, right now they would be going at it without a care in the world.
This prompted nor to look at him with shock, as there was no way they would have done something like that in front of him.
Silver nodded in response, knowing the exact thoughts that were running through her head.
"Oh, you poor thing." Out of instinct, nor hugged Silver like she was protecting him, but that was probably the worst move.
"Ooo, someone is so very protective, maybe you should look after Silver for us~." Elysia, with a smirk, spoke right into nor''s ear, which made her realise what she was doing to him.
"I agree, we will be busy with training, and it seems like you two are housed close to each other." Although ra wasn''t involved much with Silver, she still looked after him like a watchful angel, despite being a demon.
"I-it isn''t like that, why does it sound like you are abandoning him?" nor pushed Silver with all her strength, causing him to fall right off the couch. However, due to her embarrassment, she didn''t even realise what she had done to him.
"Hmm, well, I will be gone for a year." Elysia had a valid excuse, as she literally wouldn''t be here, so that made sense.
"As you know, ina is my half-sister, and I''ve already been notified that I will be going through the same training she did." ra didn''t have the full details yet, but from what she was told by her mentor, her free time is scheduled to end once Elysia departs.
"I-I see, but what about you, Shaman?" nor was grasping at straws now, looking at Shaman, who was still daydreaming about vampires.
"Huh?" Snapping out of her fantasy, she looked over, wondering what had happened.
"Do you think nor should look after Silver while we are busy training?" Elysia asked the question, hoping that Shaman wouldn''t think too much about it.
"I don''t see why not, but isn''t she also busy with training? Also, Silver is grown up now, so it''s up to him." Shaman swallowed her delusions and decided not to go against it. If Silver was still a child, the answer would be no, but she didn''t want to take away his freedom.
''Why does Elysia have to put me in the spotlight? She knows full well that I''m the typical overprotective mother who is struggling with seeing her son be independent.''
"Oi, I''m still here, you know." Silver poked his head from behind the couch, pouting.
"What do you say about nor taking care of you?" ra then proposed the question to Silver, sure that it would make him flustered.
"We were just here to say goodbye, but if I have to answer, then I don''t mind... Seriously, I can look after myself now." Silver spoke quietly, as it was embarrassing to discuss ''being taken care off''. Even nor ended up blushing a little.
"Hehe~, we''re just teasing you. I won''t be around for a while, so I have to get some in while I still can." Elysia finally dropped her mischievous act, as did ra.
"I doubt you would actually stop since you can just message him whenever you want." Shaman knew Elysia wouldn''t stop, especially since she could contact them anyway.
"But it''s different from doing it in person. I won''t be able to squeeze his cute cheeks or sneak up on him."
"Oh well, not much you can do about that. Now moving on, Elysia, you should go grab your new weapons." ra didn''t want Elysia to forget them somehow by ident, so she wanted to make sure Elysia grabbed them.
"That''s right Weren''t you going to show off your new scythe once we were inside, Silver?" nor''s eyes shone brightly, as she was really eager to see it.
"Yes, I did, why don''t we all head to a training arena and show off our new weapons?"
**
CFreja POVC
"Rea has lost contact with Shaman and is currently unable to monitor her position." A strange voice echoed in an almost pitch-ck room, with the only source of light being a cigarette.
"Oho~, has she now, and I thought she was one of the best system handlers there was? What happened... Lucifer?" I smirked while taking a puff of my cigarette as the situation suddenly got interesting.
"She managed to merge with the conduit earlier than expected, and conveniently, the person it used to belong to escaped their seal."
"Seems like the heavens are in shambles right now, but I''m guessing they still want me to do some of their dirty work." It was infuriating that I was just a pawn they used, but unless I wanted this entire to be destroyed, I had no other choice.
"Yes, they want you to investigate her current state and possibly establish a connection. I also came to warn you that Shaman may have fully recovered her memories and may know of your involvement." The voice was cautious, and it took me a second to register what he meant, but I then realised
"WHAT!? HOW!? Wasn''t her other self meant to be gone? How the fuck did this happen? I was told she would never be able to know who was responsible." The checking up on her part was easy, but having her memories regained is a massive problem.
"I''m afraid they lied to you, the conduit is actually her other self, so when she merged with it, so did all the memories we locked away on purpose."
"BASTARDS!" I mmed my fist onto the bed I was sitting on, splitting it in half.
"Now onto more immediate matters: the goddess that has escaped her seal is reported to be making a visit to the mortal realm specifically to you." Lucifer sounded hesitant, which was a first, as he was always cold and monotone.
"How? Won''t she destroy the world if that happens?" It was a dumb thing to even think about, as it should be impossible for gods.
"I don''t know, but I must leave now as us'' mistress is waking up. Good luck, and don''t piss Akrone off." Suddenly, the connection was cut, as if he was purposefully avoiding the question.
"That fucking devil bastardif us didn''t make her ascend, we wouldn''t be having half of these issues." I clenched my fist, having the urge to destroy something. First, he tells me that a god will somehow enter this world, then he immediately leaves me without any further exnation.
''For someone who is making me his sessor, he does a shitjob at exining.'' I was busyining in my thoughts when, in the blink of an eye, I suddenly found myself in a different space. I didn''t know what happened at that moment, but as my eyes adjusted to the sudden change of scenery, a Kitsune started to approach me.
"Hope your chat with dear Luci went well, Frejaaa~."
Chapter 289 New Weapons
Chapter 289 New Weapons
Shaman and the rest of the party all gathered in one of the free training rooms with their new or upgraded weapons in hand.
"I''ll go first since I had the least change." Shaman held out Kotetsu, which did not change much in looks, but there were now a considerable amount of new runes imprinted on the handle. The white handle wrap that used to cover the hilt was no longer there, revealing the engravings.
It still feltfortable to handle, but when she channeled her mana through the sword it flowed far more freely. There seemed to be a better connection between Kotatsu and her, as if the sword had its own will.
"Good thing we only resume training tomorrow, going to need to figure out what all these runes do." Shaman was eager to finally get a start on her training, as she had yet to really do anything. She had made great progress with herself, but she had still a lot to learn about wielding a sword.
"Why don''t you show off now~?" Since they had not engaged inbat in a while, Elysia was eager to witness Shaman in action.
"I think I will keep you waiting until we are all done with the training, that way it will feel more special." While sheathing Kotetsu, Shaman stuck her tongue out at Elysia, hoping to keep her on the edge of her seat as the next year or so went by.
"Damn you, doing this knowing I won''t be able to see you for ages." Elysia pouted, thinking it was unfair Shaman won''t show it off now.
"Hehe, patience, dear." Shaman walked up to Elysia and nudged her to show off her own weapons.
"Well, just like you, I won''t show anything off." Elysia pulled out her bow and spear, which have had aplete overhaul.
Her bow was pitch-ck with red feathers on either end. Whenever she put a bit of mana into the bow, red mes burst out of the feathers. There were also glowing red runes etched onto the body of the bow, truly tempting Elysia to check what kind of effects they have.
The string also turned bright red, which fit the theme. After tinkering with her mana, Elysia found she could make both glow and mes stop at will. It seemed one of the runes on the bow dimmed when she did, so Elysia figured it was meant for when she wanted to be more subtle with her bow, but that was a highly unlikely scenario.
"They must be phoenix feathers!" ra recognised what they were and why they could produce mes.
"Where the hell did Jane get phoenix feathers from?" Silver wondered how Jane would have ess to such materials since her old forge should have been in Elysium.
"Isn''t Himeko part phoenix? She looks human, but since she is from the Phoenix family, she should be able to temporarily turn into one." nor didn''t know the specifics, but it was quitemon knowledge how powerful Himeko''s family was.Unfortunately, she was in a party with what must be some of the most sheltered people on the continent.
"I''ve never seen that happen before, but I guess there hasn''t been a reason to use it." Even ra was confused, as she never knew that Himeko could turn into one, and they lived together for years.
"It might take a lot of mana to activate, so it might be ast-resort thing if she is desperate." Shaman didn''t think too much of it, as it was most likely an inconvenience to transform.
"Anyway, the interesting thing about the bow is that the system has given it a name, and it''s called Himeko''s wing." Elysia didn''t know how to feel about having her weapon called Himeko''s wing, as it sounded like Jane chopped it off in order to make the bow.
"That certainly is interesting, we can always checkter to make sure she isn''t missing an arm." ra prayed that wasn''t the case, as she would rather not walk in and see Himeko be an amputee.
"Indeed, but enough about that. Spear time!" Elysia put her bow back into the inventory and pulled out her brand-new spear.
Just like her bow, it followed the red and ck theme. At the base of the de a faintly glowing blood red gem was embedded, and from it a red streak extended all the way to the base of the spear. However, that streak didn''t glow like the gem, which made Elysia wonder if it was some kind of gauge.
A detail she also picked up on was the name of the gem that was in her spear.
[Blood gem]
umtes the blood of any prey the spear consumes.
It was rather ominous, but it was perfect for Elysia and made her more excited to use it in battle.
"Pretty cool, it''s a shame that we will be separated for a while." Shaman slightly regretted teasing Elysia about not showing off her weapon upgrades, but she was too prideful to back down now.
"Indeed, but like you said, it will be more special once I return~." Elysia reused Shaman''s words against her, which was a critical hit, but Shaman did not falter.
"Urghhh, screw you." Shaman was now the one pouting, and Elysia''s smug grin only rubbed it in more.
"Enough teasing, my turn." ra decided to save the day and interrupted them by Jumping forward, gently pushing Elysia out of the way. Once she was out of the way, ra pulled out her brand-new whip des.
They were the same in design, having des in the shape of a scale, allowing them to nicely connect together. The des were ck in colour, and when mana was applied to the des a purple glow emanated from them. Whenever the des were detracted, the glow would then spread through the peculiar rope connecting the des.
"The hell, my weapon is called the subus tail." ra had to blink a few times to make sure she was reading the description correctly, but there was no mistake. It would also exin the rubbery feel the rope had in between the des, which ra carefully examined after reading the name.
"Hmm, we never did find out what kind of demon you are." Elysia raised an eyebrow, as it was quite a suspicious choice of name and material. So far, the weapons have followed a theme that resembles each of them in some way.
Elysia with the fire of a phoenix, and the vampiric nature of the bloodstone. Now we had ra with her purple light representing her lightning and the subus tail, which suggests her demon side.
"ina is a subus, and you two are sisters, so I''d say it isn''t a stretch." Shaman had a look at ina''s status once the system started ssifying her as friendly. For some reason, once you are on good terms with someone who doesn''t have a system, you can see all their information. It was limited to a degree, but she was easily able to see what race ina was.
"Y-you''re not wrong, but doesn''t the system say I''m just a demon?" ra took a look at her system, and it indeed said demon, but there was still the mystery of herst name blocked out.
"Can we really trust the system now anyway? It would be better to just ask ina your true race." Elysia understood it was pointless to worry about the specifics of the system, but with their trust in Rea gone and them inplete control, They could not dismiss the possibility of Rea deliberately concealing information from them.
"I guess so, but I feel like I would have found out I was a subus much earlier." ra scratched her head, as surely with all the sexual acts she had done, there would have been some kind of activation.
"Who knows, maybe ina will have the answer." Shaman didn''t show much interest, but on the inside, she was once again letting her imagination go wild. Just like vampires being a guilty pleasure, subus also falls into this category of something to experience.
"You''re right, anyway, it''s your turn Silver. I''ll follow suit with the other two in not showing off." ra retracted her whip des and put them away. She wanted to get answers now, but she had to wait for a chance to speak with ina again.
"Okayyy." Silver had been calmly watching the entire time, waiting for his chance to show off his new scythe.
Stepping up, he pulled out his brand-new weapon. The new scythe had quite a simplistic design that really pushed the whole ''death'' aspect of the weapon. The handle was thin, making it feel really lightweight. Still, breaking from that simplistic design, at the top of the shaft was a skull with ck gems for eyes. There were also spikes that protruded out, which could also be used to kill someone.
Its colours were quite dark and subdued, which made sense as Silver''s main element was shadows. Still, as unassuming as it was, one would still get a chilling feeling when looking at the scythe directly.
The de itself was pure ck, with a grey spiky pattern drawn along its inner side.
"You''re really going the grim reaper route with this one." Shaman was impressed with this one, as Silver was bing a kind of assassin, so there was no need for any shy colours. There was enough detail to show who he was without ruining functionality. Consequently, his scythe would be named Death''s Scythe, fitting the theme even more.
Elysia and ra nodded together, thinking that it was indeed the perfect weapon for him.
"It''s so cool!" nor, on the other hand, was almost entranced by the design. She hadn''t quite realised it yet, but she was a huge fan of gothic-style things, and Silver''s new weapon embodied that for her.
"Hehe, thank you." Silver blushed a little as he was worried after seeing everyone else''s weapons that his would fail to impress.
Silver didn''t have much to say, and now it was nor''s turn. She didn''t have much to say either, as her fans could only change so much. It was fascinating to see the des, but since they were not showing themselves inbat, the real show for nor wouldeter.
Chapter 290 Resuming Training
Chapter 290 Resuming Training
After everyone had shown off the new looks of their weapons, they decided to hang out for the rest of the day. That mainly consisted of Elysia and ra trying to tease nor or Silver, but they did manage to learn more about nor in the process.
They found out that early on in her exile she lived in the slums of Elfheim. Simr to Elyisa, they both had to steal from shops and were constantly on the run from the people they pissed off. However, instead of being kidnapped like Elysia who was captured by the cult, nor managed to get a job as a waitress, which allowed her to just barely make a living.
For nor, it felt good to finally be able to talk about her life with others, especially with friends who were so understanding. She also did not anticipate getting along so well with Elysia because she was unaware that their circumstances were so simr.
However, before long the hour turnedte, and so they all decided to return to their rooms for the night.
***
I was once again in the training room with my tutor, Kano. I didn''t know what kind of style she was proficient in, but as Shaman put it, Kano was the embodiment of old Western cowgirl culture. I had no idea what that was, hence I had no reason to disagree.
"You need to stop thinking so much, sweetie. Block, counter, and strike with your body. Get rid of any thoughts that are dragging you down." Kano struck downward with his whip, aiming for my arm. Now that my weapons had finally been returned to me, my training sessions suddenly got much harder.
I tried to counter it with one of my whip des trying to deflect Kano''s whip by catching it in between the des. However, right as I hooked it, I felt myself getting pulled forward. Somehow Kanopletely overpowered me, pulling back his whip with enough force tounch me into the air.
''Bloody hell!'' It was beginning to frustrate me, as I had been going at this for a couple of hours, constantly losing. I had been thrown into the air a few times, which resulted in me being defeated, but I wanted to change that. The only rule was that no mana was allowed to be used except to power our weapons.
I still hadn''t quite figured out the features of my new whip des, but one thing for sure was that they were more durable. As I was flung up into the hair, I let go of my opponent''s whip and struck the ground using one of mine, managing to lodge its tip into the floor. I then poured my mana into the whip, turning it solidly stiff.
It was as if I had an extremely long pole lifting me up above the ground, killing off my momentum and keeping me stable in the air. I hung off the handle, looking at Kano, wondering what she was going to do next.
"Training hasn''t finished, gal." Kano wasn''t going to stop, which was fair, but I had no idea what to do. I was stuck, hanging on for my life, and Kano was just about to swing his whip at me.
''Hang on, why don''t I deactivate it.'' Retracting the mana from my whip de, suddenly it became flexible again, leaving me to drop to the ground,pletely avoiding Kano''s attack.
Kano''s eyes widened in surprise, a surprise that I instantly capitalised on, thinking I had the upper hand. She was in the process of pulling back her whip, giving me that slight opening.
Pushing off my feet while retracting my whips into swords, I closed the distance between us to make it harder for her to attack. There was one thing I had over Kano, and it was the ability to adjust the length of my whips, making closebat much easier.
I closed up the distance, making it impossible for her to counterattack, to which she responded by trying to move away. I quickly swung one of my whip des and wrapped it around her ankle, causing her to trip.
Now that she was on the ground, I stood over her with my other whip de in sword form up against her neck.
"I win this time." Even though it was just a training bout without any mana allowed, I felt proud that I had defeated her at least once.
"Think again, partner." The face of exhaustion suddenly turned into a smirk, and a blunt object hit me in the back of the head. I instantly face-nted into the ground, not knowing what the hell attacked me.
"Hahaha, you almost had me there garl, but I''m afraid you need to be aware of your surroundings even if the battle seems to be over. Just because I can''t use my whip at close range doesn''t mean I don''t have a trick up my sleeve, otherwise I wouldn''t be part of the elite guard here." Kano patted my back, reassuring me. But honestly? I felt too defeated to be reassured. My win was crushed but a moment ago, which demotivated me slightly.
"Don''t go drowning in negativity there, ra. I''m sure one day you''ll surpass me, but like all things it takes time. We will take a rest for now, but know that you did well." Kano picked up that I was feeling depressed, and her words helped me clear the thoughts that clouded my mind.
She was right, there was no way I could win against one of the demons'' top soldiers, I just needed to keep learning and practising.
***
After four days of not being able to do any training, Tyso was quick to put the pressure on.
"To make up for the days you have missed, you will be duelling me with all your strength without the use of mana. I know how strong your elements are, and frankly, I don''t know if I''d even be able to beat you if you fully utilised it. However, do not get me wrong! I fully intend to put your true power to the testter on. For now though we will work on the basics." Tyso wasn''t afraid to admit that Shaman''s magic was something beyond him. However, the main reason for her training was to get better at generalbat, not the use of magic.
"Hehe, it makes me happy to hear you praise me, but are you sure about this duel?" I could already feel the soreness that woulde after fighting for hours on end, and I tried to see if I could weasel my way out of it.
"I''m afraid I''m not that kind, so be prepared to push yourself till you can''t stand." Prepared to start at a moment''s notice, Tyso took hold of the handle of his katana, ready to draw.
''Looks like I can-.'' Tyso turned to mist just as I was getting mentally ready, and a wave of bloodlust came from behind me.
In an effort to block whatever wasing from behind, I turned my body as quickly as I could while pulling Kotetsu out. I shed swords with Tyso''s bright red de, which emitted this crushing pressure of death.
''He wasn''t kidding about collecting souls, they must be what is causing this pressure.'' I couldn''t imagine bearing something like this, as surely Tyso is constantly under its effects.
"Not too bad, but this is only the beginning, and I should warn you: I will be using mana." Once again, he disappeared into some kind of mist, leaving me guessing where he woulde from next.
The deathly presence then came from above, and I promptly tried to block it, but nothing was there. Suddenly, ghostly hands from all over the surrounding field grabbed hold of my ankles, and as they held onto me, I was ovee with piercing screams that made it difficult to focus.
"You lose round 1." When Tyso called out to me from behind, his de was already pressed against my neck. I was not even able to perceive it, which made me ponder whether Tyso had the power to direct the souls contained within the de.
The first round was over so fast that I did not even realise the arena had gotten so dark. Only when Tyso sheathed his sworddid the area be suddenly brighter. The hands that had covered the ground vanished, along with a weight I didn''t even realise was weighing on me till now.
"What was that?" I exhaled heavily, unsure of what had happened to me from these strange abilities he possessed. I knew it involved souls, but I never realised it could be used in such a way.
"I gave you a small dose of what you need to beat. Once you can, then we will enter the dungeon and perhaps have a duel with no rules attached." Tyso stood back in the same position, seemingly waiting for me to recuperate.
"I have no idea how I will be able to beat that, but if you believe I can, then I have no choice but to try." I stood up straight, this time more ready for what was toe.
Chapter 291 Elysia’s preparation
Chapter 291 Elysias preparation
"Hey Vania, what makes you so confident that I can return to my family without any issues? It seems very convenient that you know where they are located." I was in the arena, talking casually to Vania as we traded light blows with our spears.
"Hmm, I don''t me you for being suspicious. However, I can assure you that you will be fine, as they are actually looking for you so you can take over."
"As for how I know, when I was visiting the Fox Realm, me and my parents were kidnapped to be kept as livestock. I do not know the full details about your true race, but I know they inherit the characteristics of a vampire in that they need blood."
"We were trapped for a few years when apparently the heir to the family ran away with their daughter. Many of the guards who were stationed to keep us from running away left, so it gave us the chance to get away. Unfortunately my parents died, but they gave me the chance to live and escape into the demonnds."
Vania gave more context on how she knew where my family were, which was quite a grim story, but I was d that she managed to get out albeit having lost her parents.
"Don''t you resent me then? I hail from that n, don''t you want to eradicate all of them?" It was a peculiar situation that made me wonder if she had any ulterior motives. Was it possible she was actually working with them to get me killed?
"I have nothing against you. If you hadn''t escaped I would have still been rotting in a cage, having my blood drawn every day. However, I can''t deny that being around you makes me angry, as the memories of seeing my parents die doe back." Vania got riled up for a brief moment, which was reflected in the strength of her strikes, but she managed to quickly calm herself.
"As for the eradicating part, I''m just not strong enough. As you will find out, that grandpa of yours is someone who is on par with ina. Killing him is a task not worth the resources right now, and since they are not causing any trouble demonkind won''t intervene."
"Trust me, I would love to go there and kill them, but now isn''t the time." There was a disappointed look in her eyes, which made me feel bad for her, but she wouldn''t have to wait for long.
"I see, so what makes you think that I will be able to kill them?" That was another question that gued me. I loved the idea, but it sounded more like a death wish than a usible mission.
"I-I''m not sure, this is when I tell you that this is your chance to reject the offer. I do not know if you will be able to return after joining them, but I promise you this: If you ever need help, I wille to your aid." In order to demonstrate that she was truly serious about what she was saying, Vania halted our brief fight and made eye contact with me.
"Sorry that I made it seem like I had it all nned out. Truth is I''m just using you to get revenge." Vania came clean, emphasizing that thest thing she wanted was to get me killed. I appreciated her being so considerate, but there was no need for self deprecation. We had a shared goal, and if anything, I''m the only one who can infiltrate without being kept as livestock.
"No need to apologise, you have finally given me a chance to pay back what they did to my parents. Even if you hadn''t told me, I would have eventually found them myself." I couldn''t be mad at Vania. Even if things don''t go exactly as nned, it''s an opportunity I can''t miss.
"I''m d that is the case, now I don''t feel as bad letting you go right into enemy territory." Vania then reached into her pocket, pulling out some kind of talisman.
"Take this, it''s something that will allow you to contact me in case of an emergency. I hope it neveres to it, but if it does, tear it in half, and it will send me an alert. I''ll try to get ina involved, as there is only so much I can do. Just be aware it isn''t a get-out-of-jail-free card." The talisman had some kind of elvennguage written on it, and a quick inspection of the system verified it indeed was amunication talisman.
"Thank you. If what you say is true, then they won''ty a hand on me." I took the talisman and ced it in my inventory. I also came to realise that I had quite an advantage, as the inventory is something that no one else can ess. I would be able to smuggle pretty much anything without getting caught.
"I can only hope that is the case. Their motives may have changed since then, but as far as I know, they want to capture you since technically you are the rightful heir to the family." Vania was going off at least 10-year-old information, but it''s still worth a shot since kitsune do live for a long time, meaning they won''t give up that easily.
''I''m able to use Lover''s Call even if they try to kill me, but I am not sure if its range is limited. ording to the description, I can teleport to my partner, so I suppose I can... Just in case, I should not count on that as my escape.'' As much as having a safety is handy, I need to proceed as if it isn''t there, as I may find myself in a position where it''s unusable.
"Well, nothing to do but give it my all." The only thing left to do was to approach them, and only then will I know if this n will be sessful. It will be hard to control myself, but thinking about how satisfying it would be to see the desperate and betrayed faces of my family was enough to keep me satisfied.
"Indeed, but before then, I need to make sure that you are adequately trained. We will aim for you to be ready in 2 weeks, so prepare for some looong, painful days." Vania smirked and readied her spear to continue their duel.
"Bring it!" The light sparring was over, and now it was time to fight a bit more seriously.
***
A young-looking Kitsune sat behind a desk in a room lit by blood-red mes. The room itself seemed to be a personal study, with books covering the walls and a firece that was directly behind the Kitsune.
Their ck hair was slicked back with red tips, but the roots were grey, showing that he was older than he looked. He was in a red suit, leaning on one of the arms of his chair, looking at a kitsune servant kneeling before him.
"Have we found where Elysia teleported to?" His piercing red eyes stared down at the servant, awaiting his report.
"We are yet to locate her, but we are under the impression she is in the Demon Lands. Unfortunately we do not have any agents in that territory. Still, if she is indeed no longer in the Fox Realm then it would make the most sense for her to go there." The servant kept his head down, not daring to make any eye contact, afraid that the Kitsune in front of him wouldsh out.
"Hmm, I see." The kitsune reached out with his other arm, grabbing a wine ss filled with a red liquid. In the dim lighting of the room one might think that it was just wine, but in reality the liquid inside the ss was of course blood.
Hearing his master sip on his nectar, the servant stayed kneeling, feeling the pressure build as he waited for some kind of instruction.
"Station some people along the border. I do not want to waste the limited men we have searching the Demon Lands. Have them carry alert stones, and order them to shatter the stone if they see Elysia. I will personally go get her if she is spotted."
"As you order, Sir Teivel." The servant vanished from the room as soon as the order was given, not wanting to overstay his wee.
"Finally, you appear after so many years, and to think you were in human territory just outside of our reach for so long. I hope your mind isn''t so poisoned by the outside world that you refuse toe back." Teivel tapped his fingers on his ss, feeling the anticipation of meeting his granddaughter.
It had been many years without a sign of his granddaughter, until suddenly they were seen entering the Fox Realm. Of course, they had to enter the Freya forest, the only area in which he couldn''t act, but he had already been waiting years for this moment, so there was no need to rush.
"It''s only a matter of time before we catch you, Elysia Dahlia."
*
Sitting in a cell, two barely alive Kitsune sat together, unable to function. Their bodies were hooked up to some kind of tube, having their blood slowly sucked out. Just outside the cell was a namete that read.
[Dahlia]
Chapter 292 Leaving
Chapter 292 Leaving
<3 weekster>
After constantly training under Vania, she finally deemed me worthy of going. During that time I had barely spoken to Shaman and ra, as I would pass out as soon as I touched the bed.
I also can''t deny that it was a little awkward, as everyone made a big deal about me leaving, yet three weeks had gone by and I hadn''t left yet. However, nor and Silver were right about not being able to see us, as they had been under a strict routine ever since they said goodbye.
Right now, I was just outside the castle, about to depart for my family''s hidden base. Luckily, Shaman and ra were able to see me off as Vania nned to leave very early in the morning, allowing them to see me off before their training.
Unfortunately for nor and Silver, there was no way to reach them. Even Vania couldn''t get ina or Shino to budge, but it wasn''t too much of a big deal. I got to see my girlfriends, and we all got to say our goodbyes, which was enough for me.
"I''ll miss you, Elysia." Shaman smothered herself in my chest, which filled my heart with warmth. A warmth that I am going to miss very much, but it will motivate me to keep going and give me something to look forward to when I return.
"Me too." Being in this position, I did not want to let go of Shaman, so I hugged her tightly. However, all good thingse to an end, and I felt Shaman''s hold loosen.
"Be safe, and don''t forget to message me, okay?" Shaman looked directly into my eyes, showing a hint of sadness.
"Of course, I''d go insane otherwise." I couldn''t bear the thought of being cut-off from Shaman for possibly more than a year. If it weren''t for the message function, I probably wouldn''t even bother to return to my family until I could take everyone with me.
"Don''t get too crazy, you are there to learn before you go on your rampage." Shaman moved her hands up to cup my cheeks, which was quite embarrassing, but I liked it.
"No promises, but I''ll try my best." There was telling what could set me off over there, but for the sake of everyone, I needed to try to keep in control and not ruin this chance.
"Good." Shaman stared into my eyes for a moment, and I couldn''t help but give her a kiss. This will be ourst one for a while, and I wanted to savour it before I left.
"Ah jeez, you''re going to make me cry, Ely." Shaman pulled away, wiping away her emerging tears as it was finally setting in for her that I would be going for quite some time.
"Hehe~ sorry." I let go of Shaman, worried that at this rate we won''t ever let go of each other and just stay glued together for the rest of time.
"Now, I can''t forget you, ra." I saw ra quietly standing in the back, fidgeting, clearly wanting to join in. Still she held back, probably worried about ruining the moment between me and Shaman.
Calling out her name caused her to jump slightly as well as blush, which was adorable.
"Come here." I opened up my arms to give her a hug, as despite my distaste for her in the past, I''vee to ept her in our three-way rtionship.
"I was worried I wouldn''t get mine." ra jumped into my embrace while confessing that she was indeed anxious, but luckily none of her worries came true.
"I can''t deny that Shaman is still my number one, but you are also precious to me now. I''m going to miss grabbing those horns of yours, but it will be worth the wait once I return." I pulled away slightly and cupped ra''s chin, making sure I got my dose of teasing before I left.
It was always fun to be a bit more assertive with ra, as she is actually quite shy. She shows a strong cold front, but on the inside she is a nervous wreck, which is always fun to y around with.
"D-damn you, you can''t be saying that right before you leave." ra lightly smacked my shoulders as her face turned bright red.
"Make sure you keep Shaman busy, okay? I''ll give you permission to have her all to yourself while I''m away." I then pulled ra in for a quick kiss, not allowing her to protest, even though I doubted she would.
''Don''t get angry, don''t get angry.'' As I kissed ra, I felt my rage grow again, telling me to strangle her while I had the chance. It was the same feeling that took control whenever I saw Shaman near any other woman or man.
My brain would just think of every possible way to murder them, which was far from how I actually felt. Honestly, early on I used to give in to this feeling, fearing that if I don''t fight for her I would lose her, but now it has be nothing but a hindrance.
"Thank you Elysia, I''ll try not to disappoint you." ra pulled away as she was running out of breath.
"Good, now I better be off before your mentors drag you back to training." I stepped back next to Vania, who was clearly grumpy about something, but I had no clue why.
Lucky, you have two women you can love." Vania muttered something under her breath that I couldn''t quite hear, but I suspected she was jealous.
*Sigh* "You ready to go, Elysia? I assume you have some kind of dimensional storage with your belongings?"
"Yep." I had gone over my inventory at least five times beforeing here, so if I missed something, I would get very pissed off. The only saving grace is that Shaman should be able to send me items since our inventory is shared. That is, if there is no range limit on it, which would suck.
"Alright, no more stalling. Thank you two for waking up so early to see her off." Vania did a small bow, showing her gratitude.
"It''s no problem, we all sleep in the same bed anyway, so if anything, we would have been woken up anyway." Shaman casually dropped that we all slept together, and for a moment I thought I saw a vein pop on Vania''s head.
*INHALE* "I see, well, let''s get going Elysia." In an effort to control her jealousy, Vania closed her eyes and turned around. I would have jumped in and teased Vania, but I feel like that is asking for an early grave.
"Yes, see youter, Shaman and ra." I waved while trying to hold back the tears that suddenly started to build. Now that I''ve taken the first step towards leaving, the pain of having to part started settling in.
"Mhm, Cya Ely."
"Bye, bye, Elysia."
Both Shaman and ra waved as they watched me walk away with Vania. As I was walking away, I wanted to turn around and look at their faces, but I could already hear Shaman crying, and I knew that if I turned around and saw her face I would end up running back straight into her arms.
"Take my hand, I will transport us by using my wind." Vania held out her hand as we walked together, waiting for me to take it.
I took her hand out of necessity, and all of a sudden the wind started to lift us off the ground. We then started to float through the sky, and no longer could I hear Shaman or ra.
Doubts started to fill my head, and I wondered if I really should be doing this or if it was even worth the time. This would be the first time I''d been properly separated from Shaman, and it was scary. Thest time it happened, I was in a full-on frenzy, unable to control myself.
''It''s fine, we can still contact each other. I''m doing this for myself and for Shaman so I can stand by her as an equal.'' Pep talking myself helped calm the nerves and drown out the doubts, but there definitely was an unsettling feeling deep within my heart.
I knew this was the other obsessed me that did not approve of this, and I can only hope that it stays as it is now.
**
<2 hourster>
It became extremely apparent that there was a divide between the Demon Lands and the Fox Realm, as they were twopletely different biomes. One was a lush forest, while the other was a barren wastnd devoid of nature.
"We are close." Finally, after flying over the Demon Lands for what felt like forever we were close to arriving. Hearing those words, though, did cause a pit to form in my stomach. I was really about to meet the family that killed my parents.
"I hope things go well." I gripped Vania''s hand a bit tighter, as she was the only bit offort I had right now.
"Don''t worry too much, I will be nearby if anything goes wrong." Vania tried to reassure me, which helped, but the doubts still lingered in the back of my mind.
*
After a couple minutes of flying, Vania finallynded near a mountain that sat in between the forest and the wastnd. We positioned ourselves by some loose rocks that provided good cover from most directions.
"Now this is where you have to walk alone. I escaped from the direction of that forest by this mountain. As long as you walk in that direction, there is no doubt they will find you." Vania gave me a straightforward exnation about how to make contact, but I couldn''t help being skeptical whether it would be all that simple.
"I understand." I peeked around the rock, looking at the forest I would be entering. It was daunting to think about, but there was no turning back now.
Chapter 293 Welcome “Home”
Chapter 293 Wee Home
It was time to expose myself, this would be myst real chance to back out, but I felt like I was in too deep to turn back now. I hade this far, and most of all, I didn''t want to be seen as a coward, especially after leaving so confidently.
"Farewell Vania. Despite our training being fairly short, I thank you for teaching me and refining my style." I would miss Vania, as she was a great teacher and someone who I managed to get along with surprisingly well. I half expected her to detest me, but because of our shared goal, we were able to connect.
"I wish I could keep teaching you more, as there is so much still left, but I hope that taking in your family''s teachings will outweigh the value of what I can give to you." It certainly was a gamble that my family would teach me, but there was no better way to learn about my abilities than from them.
I nodded my head and took the first step towards the forest. I had to cross a t rock field and pray that they were here. Vania didn''t know the exact location, but she remembered the exactndmark she saw when running into the Demon Lands.
Vania stayed behind, watching, ready to jump in if anything went wrong since they might try to kill me. I am still a runaway after all.
*
I got further and further away from Vania, about halfway across the field, until finally reaching the forest. It was absolutely nerve-wracking to take each step without knowing if someone was watching.
''It would be a shame if no one appeared, then all these nerves would be for nothing.'' I chuckled a little at the thought of what would happen if there was no one there. My family could have moved locations or gone extinct for all I know.
However, any doubts I had would soon vanish as I then saw movement in the forest. Though I was unable to discern what it was, I immediately believed that I had been found. Sure, it might have just been a wild animal making noise, but with how dead silent the ce was, I didn''t think there were any animals nearby.
I continued my walk, but more cautiously of whatever might jump out.
"To think you would walk right back into our hands, dear granddaughter." Suddenly, a voice that sounded very familiar to me echoed from the forest. Memories shed back to when my parents sacrificed themselves. It was his voice that I heard yelling from behind, shortly followed by screams.
''Stay calm, I need to at least pretend I want toe back.'' Rage. It was the only thing I could feel right now. However, this wasn''t the time and ce for it, I needed to get stronger and only then can I act on these feelings.
"Grandfather." I didn''t know if I needed to prepare for battle or not, but if what Vania said was true and he was as strong as ina, then I had already lost.
"I see you still recognise me, that''s good to hear." Emerging from the forest, a Kitsune in a full red suit came walking out. It shocked me to see, but my grandfather looked extremely young for someone who should be old. There was also no doubt he was part of my family, as he shared the same traits of red-tipped hair.
He had a face that I could only describe as evil and the demeanor of an asshole. The look in his eyes did not feel like that of a loving grandpa but more like that of someone looking at their prey.
"I thought you all had gone extinct thanks to the Shiroi royal family." I was ying with fire, but I wanted to gauge his reaction to Shaman''s family.
"Tch, those Kitsune from the stars always loved to manipte the truth. You better not be thinking of them as your saviours." I could feel the agitation in his eyes, and depending on my answer, I may no longer have a body.
''Sorry Shaman.''
"No, I don''t." It was difficult to say, as Shaman is literally my saviour in addition to my own personal goddess, but I would rather see her again than die right now.
"That''s a relief, then does that mean you are willing toe home then?" The big question finally hit when he calmly offered me toe with him. I would have loved to smack down his proposal and give him a piece of my mind, but unfortunately I needed to pick a dialogue option that doesn''t end in disaster.
"Yes, I am." I felt my anxiety build up, as wouldn''t this whole situation be suspicious? I just randomly appeared conveniently close to their base, and he hadn''t questioned it.
"Hmm, good. I won''t ask how you got here out of respect, but I hope you don''t have any ulterior motives. Now let me confirm whether you are the Elysia I''ve been looking for." In a blink of an eye, Grandfather appeared right in front of meing out of a burst of mes. He stared deeply into my eyes and used his hand to push my cheek back, revealing my fang.
"That''s odd You have sunken your teeth into someone, yet you have not consumed their blood." My face turned bright red hearing thatment, as I knew exactly what I did, but how would he know?
''Shit, I knew I shouldn''t have bit Shaman.'' The memory of what happened just after we finished showing off our weapons shed through my mind. Iid Shaman on the bed and, using my fangs, I bit into her neck, but I didn''t drink any blood out of fear I would activate something.
However, what was more embarrassing was that Shaman moaned through the entire thing, and from there, things got umm yeah.
''THIS ISN''T THE TIME TO BE THINKING ABOUT THAT!!'' I needed to halt my thoughts before I got too turned on, as right now I am still in front of my grandfather.
"You''ve indulged in quite a few pleasures during your time away, that would exin the partial transformation. Your body craves blood, yet you do not feel it Interesting." My grandfather backed away, inferring from my blush the kind of things I had done. Even though I consider myself pretty shameless, this was definitely something I didn''t want him to know about.
"A-ahem, what do you mean by that?" Trying to bring things to a more normal topic, I tried feigning ignorance about what he meant. I was already confirmed to be a vampire, but this way it might be easier to be epted.
"No matter, you are indeed one of us. Come, you will return to where you belong and pick up where your parents left off." Grandfather held out his hand, waiting for me to take it.
''Yes! Some progress.'' I didn''t like thement about my parents, but nheless, this was a good sign that I had sessfully infiltrated. Still, I couldn''t let my guard down. From this point on I was all by myself and could no longer rely on Vania''s support.
"A-alright." I took his hand, finally sealing my fate for the next year at the very least.
I looked back to where Vania was watching, but I was unable to see her. I figured she concealed herself as soon as my grandfather appeared so that she wouldn''t get caught. I could imagine the fear that ran through her when he emerged, and I wouldn''t me her if she ran away.
''I hope she is safe.'' Shaman would be able to let me know if she returned safely, but for now, I needed to concentrate on being on my grandfather''s good side if he even has one.
We were then engulfed in blood-red mes for a brief moment, and what they unveiled was an underground city. We stood atop a cliff that oversaw the entire city, which was full of life. The buildings didn''t look too advanced as they were made out of stone, but aside from that the technology was no different from the world above.
However, there was one detail I noticed when looking at the people roaming the streets.
''They all have hair like mine.'' Everyone had the same ck hair with red tips, adding more to my bank of questions about where Ie from.
"This is where we will be living from now on. This town isprised of all the races that have been cross-bred with vampires, which is what you are. The most powerful race to ever be created." I felt the egoing through in his voice, but now I had more clues about our origin.
"Vampire? I guess that makes sense." I continued the dumb act, but not too much so as not to raise suspicion.
"Yes, you have probably already noticed that your mes are the colour of blood, and with every kill, energy returns to you. This is the gift of being partly vampire, allowing us to keep fighting until our opponent no longer has any life force left." The pride was really showing now, as if he were telling a story to a kid.
''I guess he really is a grandpa despite his looks. I could definitely take advantage of this.'' If I really tried, I would probably be able to get anything I wanted. It may look like he will slit my throat, but in reality, he wants to spoil me now that I am here.
"I see, my mes are like that, but how did wee to be? There is a lot of history I am missing." I figured I should directly ask, as why would I know? I was a runaway child who wasn''t "educated".
"Ah yes, you wouldn''t know of our origins. First, let us get you settled into a room, there are many things you need to catch up on."
Chapter 294 Settling in
Chapter 294 Settling in
Once again, my Grandfather transported us with his mes, but instead of a cliff I was now in front of a mansion. It didn''t look especially fancy, but with how the rocks were carved, it clearly served as the home of a noble.
All in all, the entire ce felt like an ancient ruin of a modern civilization.
Turning around to see where we were located in the city, I noticed we stood once more near the edge of a cliff. We had teleported to the opposite end of this underground city, overlooking it once again. It went to show that my Grandfather was the ruler of this ce, and it''s this same ce that I would be expected to take over.
"Now, let''s get you inside and acquainted with the ce. I''ve been waiting for years to finally have this chance to take you back. Now I hope you won''t be as foolish as your parents and run away from responsibility." There was a murderous glint in his eyes as he looked at me, seemingly trying to see how I would react to my parents.
"I''ve been wanting to find out who I am, as I don''t have much memory of what happened back then, so only time will tell what I decide." I restrained my real feelings the best I could, but I couldn''t help myself and tried to show some bite back. If I tried to bottle things up too much, I felt an impending explosion would happen before I could even defeat my Grandfather.
He stared at me for a moment, seemingly shocked at my little deration. However, it seemed to have worked in my favour, as he began to smile.
"The blood runs strong within you, I can''t wait to see what kind of mistress you will develop into." He chuckled while opening the door to the mansion and leading me inside. Maids in red dresses and varying kinds of hair colours all bowed in perfect sync. Compared to the people I saw outside who seemed native to this ce, my guess was that those in the manor were regr people who were kidnapped and were unrted to this vampiric race.
"Wee back, Master Teivel and our missing princess Elysia." Their voices were in perfect harmony as they greeted us, but they also spoke my Grandfather''s name, which I had yet to hear.
"Prepare one of the guest rooms for Elysia to stay in. You have 10 minutes, otherwise you''ll be my next meal!" Fear filled the maid''s faces, prompting them to instantly rush up a set of stairs, where presumably my room would be.
''That''s one way to say they will be killed. It can''t be pleasant to get your blood sucked... Although I feel like Shaman would say otherwise.'' I felt bad for the maids, as they were being forced to work here with the expectation of perfection. I could guess that if one of them made a single mistake, Teivel would instantly murder them.
"Feel free tomand the maids to do whatever you like. I wouldn''t stoop as low as to have sex with them, but if you truly desire to use their body to satiate that feeling, go right ahead. If they displease you in any way, kill them if you wish." Teivel was clearly aware of the kind of person I was, but it pissed me off to think he would assume I would just fuck any random girl.
However, being given power over the maids worked in my favour, as it allowed me to show the cruel side of me. There was no doubt that Teivel was looking for it, and there was no better way than to act disgusted at "lowly" beings. Sorry maids!
"Tch, I wouldn''ty my hands on some lowly peasants." Despite taking on a cruel persona, these were close to my real feelings about the situation. I didn''t like talking about them as if they were bugs, so I tried to walk a fine line using social status as an excuse.
A smirk appeared on Teivel''s face, satisfied with my response.
"Follow me, I''ll give you some things to read about our past and let you settle in for today." Teivel then started to walk, and I followed him up the stairs.
Right at the top, there were hallways going either way, and where they mety a double door that screamed of its importance.
"Behind this door is my office, where you will find me the majority of the time." Teivel opened the doors and entered, prompting me to go inside as well. The room was lined with many weapons with ques under them.
After a quick nce, I noticed they all had the samest name, Dahlia, which made me think that these were my ancestors'' weapons.
"To quickly answer, these weapons are made of your ancestors'' bodies. They were specifically crafted after their weapon of choice and are forbidden to be wielded." Teivel took a seat at the desk and pulled out a journal of some kind.
"I see." I didn''t care too much about my ancestors, and without knowing the names of my parents, there was no way to see if one of them was theirs. I also doubted traitors would be turned into weapons, as it seems this is how we preserve the history of older generations.
"Now take this journal and read through it tonight. It has about 1,000 years worth of entries, but I revised it to be more condensed and readable." He threw the thick journal towards me, and I tried to catch it, but the weight of the book caused me to trip back. Despite looking small, it had a tonne of weight behind it.
cing the book in my inventory as there was no way I was carrying it, I got off the ground and dusted myself off.
"This all feels a little too fast, howe you are epting me back so easily?" It had been a thought in the back of my mind, but everything was going too smoothly. I know I came back willingly, but to be handed something that most likely contained secrets about our race felt surreal.
*Sigh* "It looks like your intuition is sharp. Let me assure you, I do not intend to treat you like my real granddaughter until you''ve proven yourself. I am gracing you with hospitality because of how you came with little to no resistance, but don''t think for a second you''re not being watched." Teivel''s face turned dark, and his red eyes glowed, increasing the pressure in the room.
It became hard to breathe, although not enough to straight up suffocate me. It seems the "warm" wee I was getting wasn''t really him epting me, just a courtesy for not being a pain.
''Looks like I still need to earn his trust, but I guess I need to learn about my past before I can do that.'' I began to feel the weight of responsibility that was being put on me, added on top of having to put up an act. I needed to be the model granddaughter that Teilvel desires in order to stay here.
"I understand. I''m guessing this book contains information I need to know in order to be the granddaughter you want?"
''Cruel viiness route it is.''
"You catch on quick, if you can prove your worth, then I might give you the slightest amount of attention to prepare you to inherit my position." A smile that I could only describe as insanity appeared on Teivel''s face. I thought there was a semnce of humanity in him when we first met, but it''s obvious now that it was all just an act.
Everything he has done has been calcted and curated to get things going his way. There was no doubt that he ounted for this situation, and it was yet to be decided who was really ying whom.
"Now, go on, little one. Grandfather needs you to do a bit of catching up." pping his hands, one of the maids opened the door and bowed.
"Please follow me to your room Miss Elysia." The maid did not dare make eye contact with anyone, her eyes trained on the ground as if she feared getting punished for the slightest of mistakes.
"I''m sure you won''t be saying little one for long, Grandfather." I returned the smile with my own crazed stare while I walked out of the room with the maid. If we were going to y, then I had better do it right.
''Must run through the family.'' I didn''t know if it was something I should be proud of, but being crazy was something that naturally came to me.
I heard Teivel chuckling as I took my leave, up until therge doors shut behind me. I followed the maid down the hall and came to a room where nine maids were awaiting my arrival.
"Please enjoy your stay. Yumi will be your personal maid, so if you need anything she will do everything in her power to grant it." One of the girls, whom I assumed was the head maid thanks to her slightly moreplex maid dress, introduced Yumi, a petite girl.
She had mossy green hair, which was quite messy, and right off the bat I could tell she was shy. Her hands were slightly shaking as she stared at me, showing just how afraid she was.
"Please excuse her, Yumi is a new maid, so if she isn''t to your liking, we can exchange her." The head maid began to sweat as she noticed Yumi seemingly wasn''t following proper etiquette.
''Fucking hell, how high is the standard here.'' I couldn''t believe it, just from her slight shakes and staring, she was already considered to be reced.
"It''s okay, I find her cute, so I''ll excuse it." I patted Yumi''s head, trying to provide reassurance, but I also made sure my words sounded like I wanted Yumi for my own pleasure, as no doubt Teivel was watching.
''Let''s hope I can keep this up, thest thing I want is to be Teilvel''s puppet.''
Chapter 295 Vampiric Calling
?
Yumi''s eyes lit up with surprise, but she still kept her mouth shut, still unsure of my intentions. Despite my tone being quite menacing, my touch was gentle which confused her.
"Thank you, Miss. We will be on our way then." The head maid visibly looked relieved, but she made sure to not make it too obvious. The other maids all bowed and quickly left, leaving Yumi with me.
"Alright Yumi,e inside." I opened the door inside revealing a rather standard noble bedroom with a colour scheme of red and ck. I quickly did a scan of the room to see if there was any magic at y and to check if my grandfather had the decency to not watch me in my room.
''If anything, that is what the maid is for, but seeing as she is new and timid, I can easily win her over. Still, he might have nted something inside that allows him to see the truth.'' I grabbed a chair from the nearby desk and spun it around before sitting down to stare at Yumi.
''Tch, how troublesome, I''ll need to be careful at least for a while until I''m certain that he isn''t constantly watching.'' Without realising it, my face contorted making it look like I was angry at Yumi. She stood by the door trembling, probably thinking that this was the end of her.
"Tell me Yumi, how much does my Grandfather see, and do you maids tell him everything?" Leaning onto the arm of the chair and crossing my legs, I wanted to give off a ''bossy girl'' energy towards Yumi. I hoped she would crack under the pressure and tell me everything she knew.
''A lie-detection skill would be handy right about now.'' I couldn''t believe I never tried to get one before with how overprotective I was over Shaman, but I didn''t think it existed as my perception of skills was purely battle-rted.
"W-we maids are not privy to any information, we are just tools to follow your orders. The Master of this ce does not care for us, let alone get close to anything he doesn''t deem important." Yumi gripped the apron on the front of her dress, hoping her answer satisfied me.
*Sigh* ''I know I said I will be a viiness, but I don''t want this poor girl to go through any more torment.'' An internal battle raged on within me about whether I should be benevolent or ruthless.
''Why don''t you let me take control for once and stop repressing your true feelings.''
''Why now! The damn whispers are back, there has to be something in this journal about them.'' It was rare, but at times when my emotions were quite vtile, the whispers were like the devil in my ear, edging me to go down the most destructive path.
I did sometimes listen to the whispers, but ever since I got more control over my emotions the whispers stopped. Nowadays they were barely a nuisance at worst.
''Just ept it already, if you let me take control of you, then everything will be easier.''
''Never, I don''t want you whispering in my ear again.'' Covering my eyes with my hand, I tried to avoid looking at Yumi as I felt a murderous urge build up. I clearly knew the intentions of the whispers, so attempting to block Yumi out of my vision was my best bet.
However, that didn''t work at all, and the urge to kill Yumi grew. I didn''t know the purpose of killing her, but my guess was that the whispertched on to my anxiety about her being a spy for Teivel.
''You''re not going to question why I can talk to you so easily now?''
The whisper is right, this was the first time I heard them so clearly, and it was like I was talking to a real person instead of just having some intrusive thoughts.
''Then kindly enlighten me. What are you?'' My first thought was that this might be some kind of soul problem like Shaman''s, where she had two souls. However, as far as I know I didn''t randomly get transported into this body.
''Fine, maybe then you will finally agree. Now tell me, as you know you are only a partially transformed vampiric kitsune. What do you think my role is, considering you''ve so valiantly resisted me till now?''
''So you must be my vampire side, and if I were to ept you, then I willplete the transformation?'' I still had no urge to suck blood, so I wasn''t confident in my answer, but it was the only exnation I could think of.
"Fufu~, close enough. You may call me the Dark urge and the feeling you see as your murderous impulses is the desire to drink blood. It is the final step to transformation, and it was such a shame to see you go for a bite but not take any blood.''
''Okay Dark urge, then why do you exist? To me, it sounds like you are a real personmunicating with me from a distance, and only now can you speak clearly. Is your only purpose to coax people into transforming, or is there something else you want? Who are you really?'' I instantly knew something was wrong, there was no way that this whisper wasing from within my body.
It finally clicked in my head. The most likely reason why the whispers were weak previously was due to me being in human territory, which was quite far from its base of operation. It leads me to believe that the origin of this vampiric power might be less natural than I initially thought.
If Shaman taught me anything about vampires from her world, it was that underlings were connected to some kind of elder vampire, a connection which can span across generations.
''Such a cunning fox, just like Teivel. I shouldn''t have pushed my luck converting you. Still, Don''t think you can hide your true feelings from me. Your mind is like an open book, and I can tell deep inside you want to have a taste of your true potential!.''
I had struck gold with my deductions, but now a new problem emerged. What do I do with this information, and did I poke a slumbering bear too much?
''We have much to discuss, Elysia Dahlia, but read that journal first, then we will talk more.'' The dark urge vanished, along with the desire to drink blood. Finally, I was able to look at Yumi, who had been awkwardly standing there the entire time. She wasn''t sure if something was wrong, but she also didn''t dare approach.
''Finally, some answers, but what do I do with this information? Every conversation felt littered with traps to coax me in. To think this entire time the little devil on my shoulder was actually a person well probably.''
''If I''m right about there being a limitedmunication range, then it would exin why it has been so faint up until now, but does that also mean Teivel hears this Dark urge as well?'' I turned to the desk, letting the journal out of my inventory, and gave the cover a read.
[The origin of Dahlia]
''Even the Dark urge told me to read this, so it must have clues on who this being might be.''
"Yumi, get me coffee." Yumi, hearing themand, quickly carried herself out of the room without speaking. It probably came as a relief that she received orders, let alone ones that got her away from me.
''Maybe it is worth letting this Dark urge have its way. That way, I can obtain the power of a true vampire, but will thate at the cost of losing thest bit of empathy I have?''
''Oh well, let''s just absorb all this book''s information and be done with it.'' I ced my hand on the thick journal and activated one of the system''s most handy features.
The book slightly glowed, and suddenly a rush of words filled my head. All that the book held suddenly becamemon knowledge to me, and any hidden details were now obvious.
''Interesting So that''s who you are, Dark Urge.'' I smiled, as I now had a good guess as to who was behind the voice and possibly the entire reason why our Kitsune n are vampires.
***
"That bitch still refuses to embrace her true potential even after gracing her with my presence."
In a room where a massive glowing red magical circle was drawn on the ground, a blood-red-haired woman with red eyes sat in the middle. Magical red chains came out of the ground, restraining any movement and cutting off nearly all mana usage.
Her clothes were ragged to the point where they left her almost naked, showing just how long she had been restrained. There was no visible age on her face, but it was safe to assume she was over 1000 years old.
"Once she reads that journal from that good-for-nothing descendant, then surely she wille around. Now that she''s back to her birthce, there is no way she could hold me back any longer. It is just a matter of time until she learns the truth."
"Oh, to have a chance to be free of these restraints after being locked up for so long. That bastard has a lot to pay for using me to fuel that foolish, evil god''s deeds. How much longer does he n to take to summon the cmity?" Annoyance ran thickly through her voice as memories of how she got restrained shed in her mind. Even the chains and the ground around The Dark urge rumbled as she felt the excitement of possibly escaping this ce.
Chapter 296 Understanding My Origin
?
Yumi returned with a coffee and gently ced it next to me. I gave her a pat on the head and a smile. I wanted to show some gratitude as well as make sure she wasn''t too scared of me.
''I hope she understands that I cannot show her too much kindness in this ce, not until I know I am safe.'' Looking at Yumi''s face, I saw her blush and rx a little, which was a good sign. However, I didn''t want her to identally get killed because she got toofortable, so I red at her to move away.
She quickly tensed up and walked back to the door, but this time she didn''t tremble. Perhaps she understood what my intentions were, but only time will tell. I haven''t even spent a day in here, so I have no idea how things operate behind the scenes.
''Let''s go through what I learned from the journal.'' I thought about the contents and tried to exin to myself the history of my family.
**
It all began 2,000 years ago when a rtively high-ranking young vampire got together with a kitsune. It so happens that this Kitsune was part of the Dahlia family, who at the time ruled over the Fox realm. It was a time when territories were not as clearly defined as they are now, but the Fox Realm was already big enough to be recognized by the forces that be.
There was nothing inherently wrong with a vampire interloping with other races, other than the torment of losing said partner due to age. It could be said that dating a kitsune was the worst choice, as our life spans are long. The longer you have with your beloved, the harder it is to lose them.
Another reason why it wasn''t ideal was due to their ipatibility to be vampires. Most half-beasts actually cannot be converted, leaving only humans as the main target for vampires. Conceiving a child was also impossible unless the vampire in question had a pure bloodline, but those were rare, only appearing every few thousand years.
However, the vampire decided to bear the consequences regardless of lifelong partnership being impossible with a kitsune.
The vampire in question was named Alice, a rather simple name, but she was determined that everything would be okay. Time continued to progress and life would go on like normal, but as the kitsune began to age, reality was finally sinking in for Alice.
She was yet to age by a single day, yet her partner was progressively getting older. It drove Alice to depression, being forced to ept that one day her loved one would leave while everyone else in her family would simply move on.
Soon her depression turned into an obsession with trying to find a way to preserve her partner. She had to do this behind everyone''s backs, but it was the only thing that kept her sane.
More time passed without much progress, and her partner was in their final years. Left with no choice, it was now that Alice took drastic measures to achieve her goal. She first tried forcing her blood into her partner, and even tried finding a different way to produce a child, but it was when all else failed that she truly fell into insanity, no longer paying morals any concern.
She kidnapped a Kitsune woman and forced her to bear a child. Then, partway through the process, Alice tried to turn the undeveloped child into a vampire. Once the child was born, the moment of truth finally came, and her experiment worked. She sessfully created a vampire kitsune.
Her partner as well as the woman she kidnapped passed away soon after, but Alice didn''t care anymore. She had a child who had her partner''s DNA in them, and that''s all she cared about. She finally created something she could love forever.
Another couple hundred years go by, and Alice raises the child, even bing his lover once they are old enough. She also raised him to continue ruling over the Fox Realm, as technically he was the son of the previous ruler.
Unfortunately, the child she raised, even though he''d be a fully-fledged vampire, still aged like a normal kitsune, continuing to age even when normal vampires should stop growing.
This set Alice down a spiral, but there was still onest thing that she could do to preserve the bloodline. Even though the crossbreed she created still ages, he is still able to produce offspring.
Through some more unorthodox experiments, the family reached the point where every child would inherit the vampiric bloodline,ing out with ck hair with a slight red highlight. So thus began the Dahlia bloodline, all because of a love-obsessed vampire.
**
''What the actual fuck did I just read.'' There was a feeling of disgust in the pits of my stomach. To think Alice went so far just to keep her partner and even be the lover of her child just because they shared the same DNA.
There was still so much more to go through, but I honestly didn''t want to keep reading.
''To think we started as a result of an experiment. Technically, we were an actual bloodline, but it transformed into this.'' I looked at my hands, feeling like there was some kind of dirt on them. It wasn''t pleasant to think about, but now I had an idea who the Dark urge might be.
''Alice, she must be still alive I know vampires are immortal when ites to their lifespan, so there''s still a chance she hasn''t been killed.'' It was a likely possibility, and she might be seen as our god, the one who gave us life and power.
''This is actually so fucked up. They must be raising us to treat Alice like a god and embrace our vampiric nature to honour her. No wonder she has been trying to make me transform into one she is the voice of God to the people of this underground city.''
''I need to message Shaman, I needed to anyway, but she needs to know my family is just a fucking cult of some kind.'' I quickly opened up the system and began writing a message to Shaman, informing her of what I found out. At first, I thought we were some kind of lost noble family, but now it''s turning into some blood-crazed cult wanting to return to power like it did 2,000 years ago.
''Alright, with that sent, I should skim through the rest, surely it isn''t as bad.'' I had gotten through a big chunk of the journal already, so my assumption was that we lived on and eventually Shaman''s family took over.
However, I remember thement my father made about them being from the stars, so there might be some interesting information that Shaman doesn''t know about.
''Okay, let''s get this over with quickly.'' I began to skim through the book''s contents in my mind, and just like I guessed, things went smoothly after Alice figured out the thing she created could reproduce.
Once there were enough offspring, Alice took to the shadows, watching from afar. Since every offspring had her blood, she now had a permanent connection to our family. This basically confirmed who the Dark Urge was, but why hasn''t she made a physical appearance? For such an old vampire to still be around, wouldn''t they be extremely strong?
''There are too many questions for now. Hopefully I can get some answers whenever she decides toe back.'' I wanted to interrogate Alice, as there was still that slight uncertainty in my mind, but I had no way of drawing her out.
I doubted my heightened emotions were even the reason she spoke to me in the first ce. It must have just been her attempt to manipte me when I was unsure of what to do.
''Anyway, let''s continue.'' Picking up from where I left off, Dahlia managed the Fox Realm with Alice pulling the strings from behind the scenes until the Shiroi family came by to wipe them out. It is said that our goddess Alice ordered that they be put to death because they were not of this world, but in the end, they proved to be too powerful for us to handle.
''That exins what Teivel said about them, I mean, Shaman literallyes from a different world, but I doubt her parents did. Shaman''s element is also rted to space, so maybe the power is not hereditary.''
I tried getting to the bottom of things, but it was all just pure spection on my part. In the end I wasn''t going to make any progress until I found more clues.
''Bloody hell, that was a ride.'' There wasn''t much after the Shiroi takeover that caught my attention, as it was history I already knew. However, a slight detail I did notice was the order to capture or kill my parents.
It gave me a little hope that they might still be alive, but with how much resistance they put up, I believed they were most likely killed.
''Well, well, look who is finished going through the journal. What did you think?'' Out of nowhere, a voice echoed in my head.
"Alice"
Chapter 297 Striking a Deal
Chapter 297 Striking a Deal
''Looks like someone did their homework.'' Alice giggled, which infuriated me. Something about her tone made it sound like she was the one in control.
''You better have an exnation, you sick vampire.'' Knowing the truth, I didn''t know how this was supposed to convince me. If anything, it made me want to reject this side of me knowing it came about through such disgusting methods.
''It is indeed a dark history that people like you with an intact moralpass would look down upon, but that is why I am talking to you. For reference, I don''t talk to your gramps. The fool is not even aware that I am alive.'' Alice caught my attention, but how can I even trust her? She has tried so many times to turn me into a vampire, yet now she wants to negotiate.
''Fufu~, remember, I know what you are thinking, and yes you can trust me, although my words are not enough to convince you I''m sure. Still, I''ve decided that you are the one to inherit my powers. The reason why is because you are the first person to ever resist my control, even when you are so close to me.'' Before I could even speak, she had already answered my questions, further proving that she could indeed read my mind.
''I see, but what''s in it for me? As far as I know, thest thing I want to do is be associated with you. What makes you think after reading the journal that I will be on your side?'' I found it ridiculous, but I was willing to hear out her offer before deciding topletely ignore her. I wasn''t about to turn down power that I could get for free, which may help me kill Teivel.
''I like how you think, hehe~. Personally, I want you to hate me, that''s why I encouraged you to read. Because in order to take my power, I need you to kill me and rid me of this world.'' I raised an eyebrow, now actually considering whatever deal Alice had.
''Interesting, what happened to preserving the Dahlia bloodline? I would think that after going to such lengths, your love for us Dahlias wouldn''t die, but it seems things have changed.''
''Like I''d care after 2000 years. There is a bit of history that the journal kept out, and it''s the fact that your family has betrayed me.''
''Go on.'' I was fully intrigued by what Alice had to say since perhaps our goals are actually simr. Slowly, I was bing convinced that Alice would indeed help me. It might be a risk to believe every word thates out her mouth, but taking that leap could be key to exterminating this traitorous family of mine.
''Fufu~ of course. So about 100 years ago I decided that I wanted to die. It''s normal for us vampires to entomb ourselves after we''ve had enough of life, but the gods had a different n. A person named us showed up needing me to turn him into a vampire.''
''The Pope?''
''Yes, that bastard. I, of course refused because human blood is disgusting and I didn''t like his face. It screamed issues, and I wasn''t about to get involved. But who knew that the gods favoured him, leading me to lose the battle!'' By the tone of her voice, Alice was clearly frustrated that she had lost, but there wasn''t much she could do. us was blessed with divine powers, which happened to be a major weakness for vampires.
''And guess what!? Your damn great-grandfather took that chance to seal me with my own magic! The seal prevented me from taking my own life and forced me to feed mana to us whenever he fucking needs it. All in the name of his stupid experiments to try and bring back his lover, who didn''t evene from this world! How fucked up is that!?'' Alice shared a bit of information regarding us''s goal, but I believe Freja or ina have already informed us that he was trying to resurrect someone.
''I certainly agree it was scummy of them, butpared to what you did, it''s kind of tame.'' Even though Alice''s actions urred 2,000 years ago, I was not going to allow myself to forget them.
''Of fuck off, you''re just as crazy as me over that silver-haired kitsune.'' It urred to me briefly that if I fully embraced my craziness, I would have probably gone to such lengths like Alice. However, unlike her, I never crossed that line and kept myself in check.
''Whatever, Can you tell me more about us'' ns?'' I wasn''t going to bite back anymore, as so far Alice has been honest with everything she told me at least from what I could tell.
''Sure~, he ns to summon a tier 10 demon and sacrifice the entire continent in order to revive his mistress.'' Alice casually dropped us'' n, leaving me dumbfounded.
''That would exin the summoning circle I was almost sacrificed for. How long do we even have before then?'' It was a lot to digest as us was literally going to bring the end of the world for love, which was more insane than me and Alicebined.
''If you kill me, it will be a major setback to his n~.'' Alice was fully aware of the overall n for why I came here and I couldn''t deny that killing her was appealing. The only issue I had was what would happen to me if I did inherit Alice''s power.
''Give me more details about this summoning.'' I wasn''t going to ept taking her power until I got all the details. It''s easy to just say the big bad viin wants to end the world, so I needed to make sure she wasn''t making it all up as she goes.
*Sigh* ''Do I have to tell you everything~?'' Alice began to get yful, which I assumed was her attempt to make me ept killing her for the information.
''Then I won''t kill you and our conversation ends here.'' I retorted back with a threat hoping it had enough leverage. Alice was a variable that I never expected, so it isn''t like my original n will be affected.
''Urgh, fine, that summoning circle is one of hundreds that are littered throughout the continent. As we speak, I am being used to power one of the major summoning circles that connects all of the circles in the Fox Realm. Once all the continent is connected and us flips the switch, it will summon a being akin to a demi-god which will destroy everything in its path.''
''I have no idea how he got that spell, all I know is that gods are real and they are helping him. This is everything I know, so what do you say? Will you be my little vampire princess and inherit my powers?'' Alice gave out thest piece of invaluable information she had. If everything she said was correct, then I might have no choice but to trust Alice considering the severity of the situation.
''You''re going to have to tell me what will happen after I inherit your powers. Also, you''ll have to wait a few days. I want to confirm that the other summoning circles exist and only then will I trust you.'' I figured I could let Shaman know what I''ve learned and have her report back to me if Alice''s information is true.
It will also be a good chance to speak to Shaman, as I already miss her and need to have my dose before going to bed.
''Such a picky girl, but I like it~. I''ll tell you once you trust me, but for now I''ll leave you alone. I''m running out of the very little mana I have left so after all those questions of yours I need to recharge for a bit.''
''See you in a day or two then.'' I said my goodbyes, which felt odd as not too long ago I was on the verge of despising Alice, but now she has be a great source of information and possibly even power.
''Bye-bye, my soon-to-be princess vampire~. Also, as a bonus for being such a good girl and listening I''ll inform you, your grandpa isn''t actually watching you, neither do the maids report to him. '' Alice finally vanished with her yful attitude, and I was brought back to reality.
I didn''t realise it, but when talking to Alice Ipletely zoned out.
''She really is trying to win me over.'' I smiled and turned to Yumi who hadn''t moved an inch from the door.
''I guess I''ll take this first risk and test if Alice was lying.'' Treating the maids nicely was something I could easily be reprimanded, or maybe even ''re-education''. Still, worst-case scenario I''ll just revert back to being a bitch.
"Yumi, sorry if I scared you." I wanted to apologise first since she is quite the timid type, and I couldn''t imagine how terrified she was.
"W-what? Why are you apologising, Mistress?" I almost choked at the words Mistress, but it surprisingly had a nice ring to it.
''I wonder how Shaman will sound calling me Mistress.'' I blushed at the thought, but I needed to bring my attention back to Yumi.
"Because I can, but please rx around me Yumi, you won''t be punished for it." I watched as Yumi looked at me with confusion, wondering if this was some kind of prank.
"R-really?"
"Yes really, why don''t you have a seat?"
Chapter 298 So Adorable
?
Moving to the end of my bed, I let Yumi take the seat which she hesitantly sat down on. I could imagine she felt like this was some kind of trap to tease or bully her, but that was far from the truth.
"No need to be so tense. You can call me Elysia when it''s just the two of us." Despite wanting her to rx, my words had the opposite effect.
*Sigh* ''I don''t want to resort to physical affection to show my sincerity, but I might have to.'' Even with Alice''s influence gone for now, I still had this natural anger towards other women and men. Though, I had gotten a lot better at notshing out and was evening to understand that not everyone has ulterior motives.
''Just think, Shaman would be happy to see that I am finally able to interact with others with no risk of me exploding. Although, If it was Shaman doing it well I could make no promises. Still the takeaway here is that I am now safe to interact with.'' I tried convincing myself that it was for the greater good and that I should give Yumi a hug, but old habits die hard.
''Ah fuck it, things will just get awkward if I''m not assertive.'' Swallowing whatever pride was holding me back, I stood up and walked up to Yumi. She stared at me with fear, but there was also a tiny bit of hope behind her eyes. Seeing me approaching she stood back up in response, expecting some kind of punishment.
Instead, I slipped my hands behind Yumi''s head and pulled her into my chest. I felt the urge to strangle Yumi with every fibre of my being, but I kept in control and hugged her. To try to ease myself into it, I even started to pat her head as if she were some kind of dog, which somehow worked.
"Mis- I-I mean Elysia, W-why?" Yumi sounded like she was on the verge of tears, unable toprehend what was happening.
"Because to me, you are just a person. Not some ve for this bastard of a family. I havee here with different intentions, and I want to let you know that you''re safe with me." I wasn''t going to disclose my ns, but I''d rather be myself when I''m in my room, otherwise I will really go insane.
"I-I, thank you." Yumi burst into a sob, wrapping her hands around me tightly. It was the first time she had probably ever heard these words, so I understood the strong emotional response.
''Despite crying, she is kind of adorable.'' I hadn''t paid much attention to it, but Yumi was quite short. If I straightened myself out, she would sit right below my chest.
''Huh, she is kind of like a little sister if anything.'' With this revtion, any ill intentions that I felt inside me vanished. Although it was a very flimsy connection, I wondered what it would be like to have a sibling.
''Since she is my maid, I doubt I can get a proper sibling experience, but I can at least pamper her a bit. I never got the chance to do it with Silver since he grew up too quickly, and we have constantly been on the move.'' I once again returned to those old fantasies that I would have with Shaman about having our own child. I loved the idea of spoiling our kids just to see them smile.
It was the same feeling I had when looking at Yumi, she is a child who drew the short straw in life and ended up here. She somewhat resembled my past self in a way, being stuck in a situation she wishes she could get out of
If I could lighten her burden a bit and maybe even get her out of here, then she wouldn''t have to go through so much suffering like I did.
''Then it''s settled, I dere Yumi as my impromptu little sister.'' Dering it my mind, I hugged Yumi a little tighter, drowning out her sobs.
"But remember Yumi, you still have a job to uphold, so make sure you do your best to live." I pulled away slightly so I could look her in the eyes.
*Hic* "I understand, b-but I don''t get it. W-won''t you get in trouble?" Yumi pulled away so she could wipe away the tears and try topose herself.
"Do not worry about me. When we are in this room, Teivel cannot see us, so as long as outside this room you call me mistress and act ordingly, everything will be fine." Once again, I patted her head, solidifying her image in my mind as my cute puppy-sister.
"O-okay."
***
''I-I can''t believe she is patting my head again, oh my god.'' I didn''t want to show how I was obviously enjoying it, but it made me really happy. I''ve never experienced such affection before in my life, so to be suddenly showered in it made my heart race.
''It was hard to understand why someone from the Dahlia family was so nice to me since all of them were known to be ruthless and unforgiving Yet Elysia was different. There was no doubt she was part of the family, but she was the first person to treat me normally.''
"Now, let''s get talking, I want to know more about you." Elysia suddenly backed away and sat down on the bed however, she patted the spot next to her.
''D-does she want me to sit next to her!?'' Even if Elysia was nice, it was still hard to go against all the training I''d been through. Right now I should be standing by the door silently awaiting orders, yet I''m about to sit next to nobility and have a normal conversation.
"Don''t be shy, this will be your chance to wind down." Elysia smiled, which before looked menacing, but now it felt gentle and caring.
"A-alright." I was reluctant, but after letting me sob my eyes out into her arms, I doubt this is some kind of sick trick.
At the thought that this may be some kind of trick, the head maid''s words echoed in my mind.
''Don''t trust them, they are cunning beings that will use you for their entertainment using any method they could think of. However, do not reject their orders, as that will lead you to certain death. It is a paradox to be a maid for these damn vampires, but it''s a risk we are forced to take.''
These words were the only bit of advice I had gotten. Even if it was a statement that contradicted itself, it at least prepared me for the worst. So I took a step forward and sat down next to Elysia. It wasn''t like I had a choice anyway, but I wanted to believe Elysia was different.
"If you don''t want to talk about your past that is fine, but how about an informal introduction? Who are you besides the maid Yumi?" Hearing Elysia''s words made me want to cry, as once again I was being treated like a person. However, the advice resounded in my head once more, warning me not to trust them. What if this was some borate n to get my hopes up only to crush them?
I clenched my fists, gripping my dress trying to figure out the best course of action, but I had no choice other than toply.
"M-my name is Yumi G-Garvor. I''m a human girl who was captured alongside my parents by the master of this ce." I disclosed only a little bit of my past as Elysia allowed me to, so I tried to use it as a way to gauge her reaction.
"And what happened to your parents?" Elysia seemed to be restraining herself as she spoke. I didn''t know if she was going to get angry at me or the master.
''J-just take the chance Yumi, my parents wanted me to live and find a way out.''
"T-they were killed in exchange for me to live on as a maid." I felt my throat tighten at what I said, making me almost want to throw up, but I tried to keep it together.
"Tch, that fucking bastard. If only I could ki- ahem I''m sorry to hear that... I know what it''s like to lose your parents so please. I''m sure it was their wish to have you live on so don''t let their deaths stop you, but instead push you forward." Elsyia interrupted herself, which sounded like she wanted to kill the Master, but that would be absurd.
However, what confused me more was that her parents were killed. Wouldn''t they be part of the family?
"I know what you''re thinking. Yes, they were both killed. I am actually the runaway child of this family." It started to make more sense now, I heard from the other maids that there was a runaway branch of the family, but it had been years since they had escaped. To think that they had finally returned
"H-Howe you came back?" Without thinking I asked such a personal question and quickly covered my mouth, but Elysia showed no reaction.
"Like I said, I''m here for other reasons, so make sure you don''t tell anyone, my dear little sis- maid." It shocked me, but Elysia might just be myst hope to ever get out of here.
''M-maybe I can finally live a normal life.''
Chapter 299 Common Folk
Chapter 299 Common Folk
?
"O-Of course Elysia." Yumi''s face turned bright red from me identally calling her little sis. I didn''t want to say it out loud, but because I kept thinking of her as such, I ended up saying it unintentionally.
''At least she doesn''t seem to hate it.'' I was worried Yumi would feel ufortable, but it seemed to be the opposite.
"Is there anything you can tell me about your life before you got captured?" Curiosity was getting the better of me. Looking at Yumi, she didn''t seem any older than 15, so she must have only been kidnapped recently.
"I-I was attending school in our little vige, b-but it all came to an end when it was attacked." Yumi ended up circling back to how she ended up in this situation, and I couldn''t help but feel bad. Just by the look on her face, every memory she tried to recall was filled with a pang of sadness.
On another note, it made me realise that Shaman and I never sent Silver to school,pletely depriving him of that kind of experience.
''I can''t believe it, can we really call ourselves mothers at this point I guess we really need to have a regr child.'' Silver was a great way to skip all the annoying parts about raising kids, but he was too good, meaning we barely got to experience actually trying to raise him.
''I should include that we need to have a child in my message to Shamanter Actually, it might be too soon.'' I was getting ahead of myself and got sidetracked fromforting Yumi, so I pushed those thoughts away for the time being.
"It''s okay Yumi, Once we are out of here I''ll find you a safe ce where you''ll never have to worry again." Once again I hugged Yumi, trying to distract her from tragedies that no child should have to go through.
*Sniff* "T-thank you." Yumi almost started to cry, but she tried her best to hold it in. I would have told her to just let it all out, but unfortunately, she needed to be strong, especially if she was going to survive this ce.
"Let''s ask a bit of a lighter question. How old are you Yumi?"
"13."
"...." My brain took a moment to process her age, but one thing was undeniable. My rage was beginning to get out of hand.
"I am seriously going to murder someone out of rage at this point. To kidnap a child and have her go through such horrible things at such a young age." I strained my voice and tightened my fists to the point of bleeding in an attempt to calm myself.
"E-Eliysia! Your hand!" However, Yumi realised what I was doing to myself as she saw blood seep out of my hand.
"Sorry." Hearing Yumi yell out, snapped me back to reality and loosened my grip.
"W-we need to treat it right away!" She quickly pulled away from the hug and headed for the door, but there was no need.
"Yumi, it''s okay. See?" I lifted my hands and let my mes heal the small cuts showing it was okay.
"They''re b-burning!" However, Yumipletely misinterpreted the mes, which made me believe she hadn''t been told a thing about my family''s abilities at all.
"Calm down Yumi, These are my mes and they are able to heal wounds." Dispelling the mes on my hand, the cuts were no longer there.
"Phew, I didn''t realise you had that kind of ability." Yumi copsed to her knees relieved that I wasn''t hurt, but the shock of seeing me on fire must have scared her.
"You must have not seen magic often. Fire doesn''t randomly appear for no reason dummy." Getting up from the bed, I walked to Yumi and picked her up from the ground in a princess carry. She was surprisingly light as if I were picking up a feather.
"Eeek!" Letting out a tiny squeal as she was lifted off the ground, Yumi was quick to wrap her arms around me for safety.
"Cute~."
"E-ehh?!" Yumi blushed again while staring at me as if to ask what the hell is cute about this.
"You''ll understand one day, but for now it''s gettingte and I should head to bed." I ced Yumi in the chair and took a few steps back before clicking my fingers. My clothes glowed for a moment before transforming into an oversized shirt that covered my shorts, making it look like I had nothing underneath.
I usually wear my lingerie, but Shaman isn''t here so I opted for my more casual sleepwear.
"Woah Am I able to do that?" Seeing Yumi curious about the magic I was doing, she really must havee from a rural town that didn''t rely much on mana. It was strange to think that there were still some areas where magic wasn''t used.
''Although most people use mana passively, it would seem that most of the poption doesn''t actually use higher grade magic.'' Even if most of the people we encountered so far did use magic,pared to the number of people that live in this world, it is a very small amount.
Magic usually requires study, so unless you put in the effort or are some kind of genius, you''re gonna be as oblivious to it as the average person.
Surprisingly, I ended up gaining a perspective I never really thought about, but it made a lot of sense.
"If you study hard once we leave, then I am sure you can use all kinds of magic." I didn''t want to discourage Yumi at all from trying, but before then, I needed to finish my business here.
''Hmm, maybe I shouldn''t take my powers for granted. Since I''ve been blessed by Shaman with this system that makes everything so much easier, it seems I forgot the astronomical amount of effort needed in order to use magic.''
"Mhm, I will do my best!" A look of admiration sparked from Yumi''s eyes, which hit my heartstrings and made me want to squish those cheeks of hers.
"Are you able to walk? If not, you can sleep next to me." It was a big ask for Yumi to stay in the same bed, but I didn''t want the poor girl to sleep on a chair.
"Y-yep I should be okay." Yumi tried to stand up from the chair, but she instantly fell back down causing her face to redden in embarrassment.
"Haha, don''t stress, plus my damn grandfather expects me to mess around, so it''s okay." Although it wasn''t a pleasant thought that it might be misconstrued as me taking advantage of a 13-year-old, I doubted the moral standards of this ce were very high.
''Ugh! The thought alone disgusts me, but it might work in my favour as it will show to Teivel that I don''t ''care'' for keeping a moralpass.''
"Then i-if I may, I''ll stay here tonight." Yumi seemed reluctant, which is expected since she has an image to uphold with the other maids. Although the one who''ll be getting judging stares would probably be me.
"Alright, let''s getfortable." Lifting Yumi from the chair, we made our way under the covers of the bed. It was big enough for us to each have our own side, so if need be Yumi had plenty of space.
"Goodnight Yumi, and make sure you sleep well. Tomorrow it''s back to normal duty." Using a little bit of magic, I turned off the light, enveloping the room in darkness.
"Yes Mistress." As if the bed had a sleeping spell on it, Yumi had already begun drifting off to sleep, showing how tired she truly is.
''What kind of shit does this house put them through? There must have been countless maids beforehand, all sucked dry and it''s only a matter of time before someone finds a reason to kill them. Well, a small mistake is hardly a reason, but I suspect any excuse is more than enough here anyway.''
I looked at Yumi, hoping she would be able to survive on her own long enough. She is a 13-year-old girl being forced to be a perfectly trained maid, which is much too unreasonable.
''What a mess I''ve gotten myself into.'' I hadn''t expected to get involved with anyone else here, but it seems I''ve developed a soft spot for struggling children. Having gone through my own personal hell, I wanted to be the light that guided Yumi out of hers.
''I should write that message before I fall asleep.'' Opening up the system menu and the chat function, it seems ra has made some significant progress.
The screen was like a window with a small prompt to type my message. There was also this weird thing with letters on it, but I could use my mind, which was much more efficient.
**
<10 minutester>
''Done!'' After sending the message, I saw it pop up in the window, allowing me to read back on what I said. A little icon also appeared under the text saying that it was sessfully sent, which was handy.
*Sigh* ''Finally, some time to rest.''
***
*Ding!*
"Hmm?"
Chapter 300 Chat system
Chapter 300 Chat system
Right as I shed swords with Tyso, a loud ding echoed in my head, followed by a system window appearing. In the brief moment that I was distracted, the hilt of a sword hit me directly on the forehead, knocking me back.
I slid across the ground for a solid few seconds until I finally came to a stop.
"What happened?" Tyso appeared just in front of me with his hand out, reaching to help me up.
"Sorry, I got a message from Elysia." Taking his hand while holding my forehead, I felt my head spin as I struggled not to fall over while getting up. Fortunately, Tyso was able to catch me and stabilise my footing.
"Don''t be sorry, I should be the one to apologise since I hit you so hard. I wasn''t expecting you to lose concentration so suddenly." Tyso quickly ced his hand on my head and suddenly the pain vanished.
"Thanks, is it alright if I check the message? It might be urgent." It was half a lie admittedly. If it was truly an emergency, Elysia would have used Lover''s call.
"Go ahead, we''ll take a 10-minute break before continuing." Tyso gave his go-ahead and sat down on a rock at the edge of the arena.
Now that I was free, I clicked on the pop-up and a screen I was very familiar with appeared.
''Since when did the system gain proper text messaging software?'' I instantly began to explore this new interface, which was a one-to-one replica of the one I used all the time back on earth. It even had emotes!
''I can also have a profile? Feels like the system is just some kind of social media tform now.'' I didn''t know if this was ra''s doing, but this new chat UI is definitely an upgrade.
''Maybe ra activated it, but didn''t test it out? Surely she would havee to me to consult about it. I can imagine her being extremely confused by all the different features this has.'' After looking through everything the chat window had to offer, I got to reading Elysia''s message.
[Shamannnnn~ I made it safely to this underground city in which the entire poption consists of Kitsune vampires. I do not know the extent of the city''s military forces, but it seems my family is the only real threat here. However, from what I''ve learned, my interpretation of the whole thing is that this entire ce is one massive sick cult. Anyway, on a more positive note, there is this really cute 13-year-old young maid here who I have officially adopted as my little sister.]
[Her name is Yumi, a regr human who was kidnapped and had her parents killed in exchange for her life it reminded me of my younger self, so I hope to get her out and introduce her to a better life.]
''Despite being a crazy obsessed girlfriend, you are surprisingly sweet.'' It made me smile to read that Elysia was caring for others. It was a step in the right direction and I can only hope she continues to help others.
[With that out of the way, I have very important knowledge regarding us the Pope. As you know Shaman, you found me just before I was sacrificed, and it turns out that was just one small piece of the puzzle. There are apparently more scattered around the continent and all of them together are meant to summon a tier 10 demon of some kind.]
[I''m assuming this demon is not an ordinary one like ra, but more of a killing machine meant to kill everyone in order to somehow revive his dead mistress. Wonder how I got this information? Plied it from the vampire that created my entire bloodline. Apparently she is currently entrapped by one of these circles which uses her as a power source.]
''What the hell? This is huge I''m going to have to tell ina right away about this.'' There was no telling if this vampire was telling the truth, but since it is casually disclosing what might be the end of the world, it''s at least worth looking into. Plus, this was us who I can absolutely see going on a killing spree to achieve his goal.
[That''s all for now, but I have a question. The vampire proposed that I take her power by killing her, thereby also disrupting the Pope''s ns, but I am not sure if I can trust her. She is definitely the one who created us Kitsune vampires and the power boost sounds tantalising, but I can''t bring myself to do it. So I was wondering what you think I should do? I want to say yes, but I feel the consequences will be too great. Other than that, I love you Shaman~ please message me back soon (>w0)b]
I chuckled at the little text emote Elysia put at the end, but it made me wonder if she knew that there is a whole selection she can just choose from.
''It''s cuter though... Maybe I should start doing the same as well.'' Looking at it again, it was much more unique than just regr faces, so why not adopt it as well?
''This vampire does sound interesting, though. It is definitely hard to trust them. Then again for vampires who can live for an eternity, surely at some point there''s little meaning left in life. She is also being kept imprisoned against her will, and it''s not like that''s a life worth living.''
It was a tricky situation. Could they take a vampire''s word at face value, or was it all some kind of borate trap to take over Elysia''s body.
''I''ll need more information about the process before I can make a real judgement, but for now it doesn''t seem she''s in any immediate danger. What I''m most concerned about is the magic circle that contains the vampire. Need to make sure it isn''t some kind of bait and switch.''
''For now, let''s just tell Tyso the news, he will be able to tell ina quicker than I could.''
"Hey Tyso!" I walked over to the edge of the arena, where he sat peacefully meditating.
"Coming to cut your break short?" Tyso slightly lifted up his hat to make eye contact with me as well as grabbing his sword, ready to continue the training.
"No I have just received word from Elysia about us and some of his ns." This instantly piqued Tyso''s interest, causing him to stand up and wait for what I had to say.
"Apparently, he ns to summon a tier 10 demon on this continent by spreading a whole bunch of summoning circles all across the continent. I do not know their locations, but I can confirm they exist. I actually encountered one in the city of Victoria which is where I met Elysia." Dropping the news, Tyso fell into deep thought before speaking up.
"Hmm, this is deeply concerning. If he ns to summon a demon from the depths of hell then there are very few to pick from, and they are all world-ending beings." I can imagine it is a lot to take in, but I was just d that he didn''t question the validity of the news.
"I do not know too much more other than that he ns to use this as a way to revive his dead mistress."
"Thank you, I will pass this on to ina right away and we will most likely investigate the one you saw in Victoria." Tyso held a couple of fingers to his head, seemingly sending a telepathic message.
"Alright, ina said toe with me, she wants to talk about it in more detail." Tyso held out his hand so he could take us to her and so I grabbed it, vanishing on the spot.
***
In avish bedroom that resided in the tallest building of the capital, us was lying in bed convulsing in pain. He squirmed and shook back and forth, trying to bear the consequences of letting a god take over his body.
The fight with ina and Freja caused severe repercussions for his body, leaving him bedridden for at least a few months.
"That bitch Freja! She had to ruin my n to kill the demon queen just so she could prove to the other leaders that she was against me. I can''t deny she has been useful, but damn is she irritating!" us seethed with rage, as expected from someone who always gets his way. Even his admiral scheme ended up as a flop. All those who were not aligned with him were meant to die, yet some still escaped.
The fight was a total bust, Still, at least Freja knew not to go too far. If she didn''t miss thatst attack, us wouldn''t have made it out alive.
"Sounds like you are enjoying yourself." Lucifer''s voice echoed inside of us'' head with an amused mocking tone.
"Shut up, you useless god! How much longer do I need to wait before I can release Lilith!" Hearing the same oldints once again Lucifer let out a long exasperated sigh.
"She will be released soon, but only when you are able to summon the cmity Apollyon onto this damn world." Lucifer''s voice was filled with a hint of frustration, as there had been many dys.
"You know I am close, but I''m still missing the demon queen''s blo- Arghh Fuck!!." us curled up in pain as it felt like his veins were on fire.
"Tch, well hurry. The biggest threat to your n is steadily working to reach their full potential. There is no telling when she will reach tier 10. Zeus lost connection with the subject so we can no longer monitor her progress." Lucifer informed us of the news which he couldn''t care less about.
"Whatever, I can handle it." us still tried to act tough despite looking like aplete mess.
"I''ll send Persephone to heal you, so you better not disappoint me again, us." Lucifer''s presence vanished, leaving us in excruciating pain.
"I swear, once Litith is back, I will hunt every single god down for daring to ever look down on me!"
Chapter 301 Accepting the deal… for now
Chapter 301 epting the deal for now
Once the message was sent, I decided to fall asleep hoping Shaman would get back to me by the time I woke up.
''Wonder what Teivel will have in store for me, I''m yet to fully transition so surely he will try to make me suck blood.'' If what Alice said is true, then my guess is that one of the maids will be used to fulfil my vampiric ceremony, but it also seems Alice has different ns for me.
''Just have to wait for tomorrow.'' I wasn''t told what I would be doing next. I might even get an extra day off since Teivel probably doesn''t expect me to read the whole journal in a few hours.
''Oh well.'' I shrugged it off and turned to Yumi who was fast asleep. It then urred to me that she was still in her maid''s uniform.
''Do they not have spare clothes?'' I wouldn''t put it past Teivel to treat them with the bare minimum of care, but to leave them with only a single pair of clothes is taking it too far.
''Perhaps the system can change her clothes for me now that I have proper control of it.'' I had some leftover clothes that had just been sitting in my inventory, so it wasn''t a big deal if Yumi changed into them.
Thankfully, due to Yumi being extremely weak in the eyes of the system, I was able to open up her stat window.
''Kind of creepy that I can see almost everything about her just because I am stronger than her.'' The system provided information that I didn''t need to know, like her measurements. I felt like I was breaking a bunch of privacyws at once.
Ignoring the unnecessary information dump, I turned my attention to her inventory, which allowed me to easily take her things and put them in my inventory. Truly it was a pickpocket''s dream, tempting me to try it out the next time I walk down the street.
''Some conditions might have to be met before I can do that, but I can still try.'' I doubt it would be that easy to just walk by someone and take all their belongings without lifting a finger.
''Anyway, let''s swap her maid dress with some clothes that are 100% wayyy too big for her.'' Swapping out the dress, I noticed a faint glow covering Yumi before disappearing to reveal her sporting that old red button-up shirt I used to wear.
''There, now that should be much morefortable.'' I took out the maid''s dress from my inventory and leaned over Yumi, cing it on the table beside her. Thest thing I want is for her to freak out because her clothes are gone.
With that sorted, I shifted to lying on my back and got some much-needed beauty sleep.
***
Considering theck of sunlight in this underground city, there was no real way to tell how much time had passed. That''s why as I woke up the only thing I was sure of was that there was someone clinging to my arm.
Opening my eyes, I turned my head to see that Yumi somehow managed to scoot her way over to my side and hug my arm. Her sleeping face was kind of adorable, especially with her cheek pushed up against me. It reminded me that she really was a kid on the inside.
''Doesn''t the system have a clock?'' Quickly opening my inventory, I looked in the corner and saw that it was 6:23 in the morning. I had gotten a decent amount of sleep, but I could squeeze in an extra hour of sleep. Plus, with this rascal clinging to my arm, I couldn''t bring myself to disturb her rest. It was probably the first time she had gotten a full night''s sleep in a while.
*
<1 hourter>
"Shit! Shit! I''mte." Rising from my bed, I saw a half-dressed Yumi frantically running around my room, seemingly doing room service while getting changed.
*Yawn* "Morning." Making Yumi aware that I was awake caused her to freeze.
"M-mistress Elysia, I''m s-sorry, I slept in and I-"
"Calm down Yumi, take your time. I am not about to punish you just because you slept in." I dragged myself out of bed and, with a few clicks of the system, changed into a towel that came out already wrapped around my body, intending to go wash up.
"T-thank you, the other maids will be here soon." Yumi blushed slightly at my disy, but now that she was calm, it allowed her to collect herself.
"No worries, I''m going to take a dip in the bathtub." Walking to the personal bathroom, which was just through a door opposite the bed, I got my first glimpse at what luxury looks like. The bathroom was almost as big as the bedroom, with half of it being a bath for me to enjoy.
I didn''t hesitate to activate the magic circles, which generated instant hot water. Once it was filled, I dropped the towel and stepped inside.
"Ahh~, that hits the spot. Should check if Shaman responded." Laying back into the bath, basking in the heat, I opened the chat window and saw that Shaman did indeed respond.
[Hey Elysiaaaa~, thank you for messaging me to let me know that you''re safe. To get the boring stuff out of the way, yes, I''ve reported your findings about the summoning circles. Tyso took me to see ina and right now she has sent some people to investigate the one in Victoria. I doubt there will be anything there, but if there is, it will be a great help to know what us is summoning.]
[As for your question regarding this vampire, personally I need to know more, but I think you should follow along for now. If I were to follow the typical vampire stereotypes, they are very selfish and want to be the ones in control. So, just be cautious of her trying to bait you into taking over her position.Still, I would like to believe she wouldn''t hurt her own kin and would rather help you.]
''Shaman does make a good point, I guess I''ll y along for the time being.''
[Onto some more fun stuff, this chat window is something reminiscent of my old world, so make sure you have fun prettying up your profile. It''s no fun talking to a nk Icon so if you need a hand figuring out how it all works, message me and I can guide you.]
[Love from your dearest Shamanţ3Ũq??]
"Hehe~ looks like there is more than meets the eye with this new chatting thing." I felt my heart flutter seeing the text face she sent, which made me want to message her back right away, but I wanted to y around first with the customization.
I already saw that Shaman had changed her icon thing to a picture of herself, which made me wonder since when did the system also have a camera function?
''I guess Rea was always watching us so it shouldn''t be that surprising.'' But before any of that, I wanted to talk to Alice before meeting with Teivel.
*Sigh* "Alice!" Yelling out her name, I hoped she would just appear, but instead I was met with silence.
''Shees often when I go through strong emotions Maybe I can take a picture of myself in the bath and send it to Shaman. That will definitely cause a surge of emotions, even thinking about it gets me riled up.''
''WAIIIIT! Stop! I heard you the first time!'' Alice suddenly came screaming in my head, killing my mood instantly.
''Jeez, no need to be so loud.'' I covered my ears out of instinct, but realistically that wouldn''t have done anything.
''Urgh, do you understand how much I hate feeling other people''s disgusting lust? It makes me want to vomit. If you''re gonna keep trying to grab my attention by getting all horny I''ll be taking back my offer.'' Alice threatened the very thing I was preparing to ept so I instantly straightened up and cleared my head.
''Good. It would seem you are still cautious of me, but honestly that''s good enough. Since you''re willing to listen then now I''ll tell you what you gain from killing me.''
''Alright, I''m listening.'' Rxing back down into the bath, I keenly waited for what Alice had to say.
''First off, you don''t actually need to kill me, I just want to die. However, consuming my blood will allow you to inherit my blood abilities as well as enhance those mes of yours. I do not know what will happen if you suck me dry, but I''m willing to experiment. It sounds like a poetic way to go out and mighte with some benefits for you.''
''As for the magic circle that restrains me, if you can trante the runes on it, you will see that it is specifically designed for me, which is what makes it so powerful. You can try releasing me first if you''re that scared of being trapped, but do you really want to risk setting me free? Fufu~ just kidding.''
''I see, I''m not seeing any downsides, but how will I get to you?'' I would be a fool not to ept the offer, ites with no downsides. I gain the ability to use blood as an element and enhance my own mes. The only remaining concern was the one Shaman expressed, can I really trust the process?
''You will see very soon. I will guide you when the timees.'' She was being vague again, but I feel it has something to do with Teivel.
"Alright, I ept to be your vampire princess, but as soon as there is any danger I am backing out." I caved in, willing to take the risk, but I made it clear that I would back out at the first sight of things going south. Not that I needed to tell her since she can read these very thoughts, but I wanted to verbally dere it.
''Good~ I can''t wait, my princess. I''ll see you soon~.''
Chapter 302 Dahlia’s dungeon
Chapter 302 Dahlia''s dungeon
Alice giggled her way out of my head and I continued my nice rxing bath. I took the opportunity to explore the chat window and do a bit of customising. It wasn''t too hard to understand and thankfully there were no words that were unfamiliar to me.
''Oh, here I can take a picture I am in the bath, but as long as I only do my shoulders up'' I found the profile picture option and it allowed me to take a photo. Pressing the button, a new screen came up and it was as if there was a mirror in front of me.
At the bottom was a button that I could press, which I assumed would take the photo.
''Hmmm, how should I pose.'' I moved around trying to see what looked good, but I ended up doing lewd poses most of the time.
''Silver will probably also see this, so I need not go overboard.'' Considering who will be seeing it, I opted for a rather tame picture. It still showed my craziness, but showed only enough lewdness for ra and Shaman to get the hint.
With that in mind, I put one hand over my breasts pushing them up slightly while giving my crazy eyes. With my other hand I slightly covered my mouth and showed off my fangs. I took the picture which then became my profile pic.
''Hehe~ I wonder how they will react.''
**
Stepping out of the bathroom dressed in my gothic clothes, I found Yumi and some other maids standing by the door.
"Miss Elysia, the Master wishes to speak with you." The middle maid spoke while doing a small bow.
"I see, well I''m ready, so take me to him." I didn''t really have much of a choice and I already spent way too much time in the bath, so I better not keep Teivel waiting.
"Follow me then, Madam." The other maids held open the door for me and my guiding maid. As I walked through, I gave Yumi a quick wink, hoping it would encourage her.
Just as the door closed behind me, I saw Yumi smile which was a relief to see.
Following the guide maid down the hall made me wonder if I should befriend the other maids. The only issue I found was that all of them were quite older than Yumi and I was concerned that they might turn on me for the slightest chance at freedom.
I know Alice said they don''t report to Teivel, but it doesn''t mean they can''t betray me. Even so, trusting Yumi was a risk, but at least I knew she wouldn''t betray me. Without her parents around, I expect her totch onto me. Thest thing she wants is to lose another guardian.
''Jeez, my thoughts can be cruel.'' I was almost thankful that Yumi''s parents had died. I didn''t believe it was a good thing, but their sacrifice will not be in vain.
"We''re here." The maid stopped just outside Teivel''s office, which I could have easily walked to by myself, but I guess that''s the etiquette here.
"Thank you." I opened the door and walked inside to see Teivel standing by the wall examining one of the weapons.
"Wee. I hope you have read the journal, my dear granddaughter." Turning his attention to me, he walked in front of his desk and faced me. His gaze was as piercing as ever, analysing every movement I made. He also wore the same red suit and looked just as evil as when I first met him.
"I did and I have to say it is quite an origin we have." I did a curtsey which made me want to vomit, but I''m trying to gain favour here.
"Indeed it is, but it is our duty to safeguard it. This history has been forgotten by the citizens of this city and only we Dahilia''s still know about it." Teivel shut his eyes as if he were thinking back on some kind of fond memory.
''The fuck, I didn''t think he would have anything to look back on.'' I found it odd, why does bringing up our disappearing history bring back memories? I felt he would be one to idolize the past and ensure it is well remembered, but it seemed the opposite was true.
"What now?" I was hoping for some training of some kind, as I don''t want to fall behind Shaman and the others.
"So eager. Well, if you''re so keen, then there is something I need to show you. It''s something akin to an entry test. As of right now you are here because you''re my granddaughter. However, that privilege won''tst long and you will need to enter a dungeon to earn your stay." A smile appeared on Teivel''s face and it reeked of insanity.
He probably doubts I wille out alive, but this is where I prove myself to him.
"Sounds reasonable enough." This dungeon certainly caught my attention, especially if it''s underground. I doubt it was open to the public, meaning it was rarely explored. Perhaps there might still be some secrets to find.
''Maybe Alice is inside the dungeon.'' It would make for a great way to hide the imprisonment of a very powerful being.
"Take my hand. We will go right away." Being offered his hand, I didn''t hesitate to take it which then teleported us to this dungeon.
We appeared in front of a massive metal door which was firmly locked by enchanted wood and many magic circle locks. The amount of mana passively emanating from it was so intense that it was nearly visible to the naked eye. It screamed do not open, making me really think this is some kind of prison.
''I feel like I am walking into a trap.'' I wanted to turn around and say no, but I had no agency in this situation. He may ask if I want to go in, but in reality, Teivel will throw me inside even if I refuse.
''Fufu~ you are getting warmer princess. Do not worry this is the exact ce you need to be.'' Alice spoke, confirming that this was indeed her holding ce. However, before I could respond Teivel started to exin what I will be doing.
"I will leave this gate open for exactly 1 month and if you do not return by then I will shut it. If you return empty handed I will throw you back in and shut it. If you run away, escape, or lead monsters out, I will shut it. Do you understand?" Byying out some rules, it really sounded like he was trying to send me to my death.
"Yes." I reluctantly acknowledged, as I wasn''t about to fail before my training even started.
''Maybe he thinks I can find something in here he can''t.'' Alice giggled at thisment, but making me wonder if the thing he can''t find is Alice herself.
"Good, as for the main objective, I will allow you to leave if you fully awaken your vampire state or bring something back that catches my interest. If you have no questions I shall begin opening the door." Teivel gave me a re daring me to ask questions, but I simply nodded, refusing to shrink back before his threatening re.
''I will guide you through this if you are a good girl my princess~.'' Alice was truly acting out her role as the devil in my ear and it was rather tempting to believe her.
''Surely you won''t make it that easy.'' There was no way in hell that I would walk in, get her power, and walk out without some kind of struggle. This is a dungeon after all, and if it is higher than a tier 7 one then there is no telling what will be waiting inside.
''Caught me red handed, Still, it''s nothing too fancy, just a civilisation of vampires who are veryyyyy~ hungry for some blood that you''ll have to fight through.'' Getting a hint as to what I will be fighting, I already imagined some kind of mediaeval Gothic castle enclosed in darkness.
"?????????t????????????????????????" Teilvel spoke in anguage I couldn''t quiteprehend, but I understood that it meant open in trantion.
A few seconds passed before the wood keeping the door shut suddenly moved out of the way and all the magic circles began to disengage. The mana that they emitted came flowing off the door like the wind, pushing against us before calming down.
The doors then slowly creaked open and a chilling breeze blew into us.
"This is yourst chance to prepare." Teivel gave me onest warning, but I already had everything with me.
"Not like you would let me go back now to prepare. I have everything I need anyway."
"Hmph, so be it. Come back alive my dear granddaughter." Teivel scoffed at myment and disappeared into a ball of mes.
''Nowe, it''s time for you to be one of the strongest people in this world.'' With words of "encouragement"ing from both Teivel and Alice, I walked through the metal doors, entering the dungeon.
Chapter 303 [Bonus ][2nd Year Anniversary] - Inseparable [R18]
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[A/N: Yes! It has officially been 2 years since I started this novel and thank you to all who have been reading and supporting my work. If it weren''t for you readers, I wouldn''t been able tomission art, let alone create new novel ideas. I wish to keep writing forever and although we are actually around, if not past the halfway point for I''ve turned into a fox girl story, there are still many more chapters toe. The story may end, but damn do I not want to stop writing about the characters, so expect an extensive slice-of-life epilogue afterwards. Love from Author-san <3 (>-0)b. Now time for some horny time of our trio because I totally don''t miss writing R18 ahem.]
Elysia straddled Shaman and leant in, kissing her deeply. Their tongues intertwined and without any invitation, they both used their hands to explore each other''s bodies. As Elysia made her way to Shaman''s chest, she was pleasantly surprised that Shaman now had quite a sizeable chest.
Not that she didn''t mind Shaman being t, but now she understood better how much more fun it was to y with them.
"Mmm~,e on ra." Shaman looked to her side and saw ra sitting there and ying with herself rather than joining in.
"If you say so~." ra smirked and undressed herself down to just her purple lingerie before crawling closer. Shaman also took this chance to take off her kimono, revealing the nylon body suit and bright blue floral underwear.
Thankfully, if anything does get damaged, a little bit of mana will fix itself, so she wasn''t worried about ripping the body suit. If anything, it made Shaman more excited, imagining ra and Elysia ripping it off just to touch her.
As for Elysia, she was already half naked with her red underwear and stockings, which she purposely left on.
"So how are we feeling tonight Shaman~. Want us to take care of you~?" Elysia whispered into Shaman''s ear, causing shivers to go down her spine and make her squirm.
"Since you are the one leaving, I think it is only right for you to be in control tonight~." Shaman bit the bottom of her lip, hoping Elysia would take charge, especially after learning that she really was a vampire.
"Fufu~, with that cute face, I have no choice but to take charge." Elysia trembled by just looking at Shaman and how vulnerable she looked. Laying bare on the bed with a face begging to be taken, Elysia couldn''t hold back her urges.
"ra, get behind her." Elysia grabbed hold of Shaman''s shoulders and forced her to sit up. They then positioned themselves so that Shaman was on Elysia''sp and ra was sitting behind her, essentially sandwiching Shaman.
Elysia also equipped herself through the system with the strap-on making Shaman''s pussy sit right atop it, teasingly rubbing it.
"Ah~, what do you n to do~?" Shaman''s face was bright red and the look in her eyes screamed that she was ready to submit.
"Just wait and see, darling~." Elysia without warning, wrapped her tail around Shaman''s neck threatening to strangle her. Shaman gulped some saliva, never expecting to use their tails in such a way, but she wasn''t against it.
"Do you have the other one on ra?" Elysia took a nce behind Shaman and saw that ra was ready with her own strap-on.
"Mhm~." ra pushed her body up against Shaman''s back while caressing her tail. Shaman tried to control the moans, but the soft touch of ra''s hand on her tail made it impossible to contain herself.
However, that wasn''t the only thing she felt behind her. Rubbing against her ass was something that felt like a strap-on.
"Fufu~, shall we get started~?" Elysia licked her lips and began to traverse her hands down Shaman''s body. When she reached Shaman''s pussy, she gripped the body suit and ripped a hole, giving her ess.
Conveniently, before things got too intense, Shaman took the liberty of taking off her underwear through the system to avoid it getting in the way of the strap-on.
ra copied the same actions, but for her, she had ess to Shaman''s behind and it was abundantly clear what they nned to do.
"I''m ready." Shaman wasn''t sure how to feel about being prated in both holes at once, but if Elysia liked it in the back, why shouldn''t she?
"It doesn''t matter if you are or not~. I''m in control now, sweetie~." Elyisa whispered again in Shaman''s ear, serving to turn her on even more.
It was also right after this whisper that both Elysia and ra lined themselves up with each of Shaman''s entrances.
And with no warning, they both thrust as deep as they could inside of Shaman.
"ANGHHH~!!" Shaman arched her back as a wave of pain and pleasure washed over her. It was so intense that she felt her climax alreadying and they had only just started.
As Shaman grew ustomed to the two lengths inside her, ra took this chance to cup Shaman''s breasts from behind and fondle them. Elysia decided to take refuge on Shaman''s shoulder and began to give her a hickey while teasing to bite her.
Shaman felt her entire body tense up from all the different sensations, causing her walls to tighten around the lengths, adding even more pleasure. She also started to move her body up and down without realising it, as she wanted nothing more than the pleasure to keep going.
"Good girl~, bounce on both of us until you lose your mind." Elysia grabbed a hold of Shaman''s face, who waspletely lost in the pleasure. Making sure she lets go of any hesitations she may have.
A few minutes go by and Elysia also starts to thrust, alternating with ra to ensure Shaman didn''t have a break.
"Ahh~ fuck~. Please go harder~." Shaman tried to move faster as she was reaching her peak and wanted to release.
"Not so fast~." Elysia tightened her grip around Shaman''s neck, forcing her to halt any movements.
"I want you to beg for it and really show how much you want us." Elysia slowly tightened her grip adding a sense of urgency.
"P-please Elysia and ra, fuck me until I can no longer stand~. I want you to use my body as your personal toy~!" Shaman instantly caved in, sending shivers down Elysia and ra''s backs. Even ra, who was more of the shy type, couldn''t deny that having this much control over Shaman felt good.
"As you wish~." Elysia trapped Shaman''s mouth with a kiss and picked up the pace. There was not a single moment that Shaman wasn''t getting pounded and it only took her a couple minutes before cumming.
"MMMM~." Moaning inside Elysia''s mouth, Shaman thought for a brief second that they would stop, but the thrusts continued, causing her muscles to spasm. She no longer had any control over what her body did, truly getting what she asked for.
Elysia also started to get lost in the pleasure and took the chance to bite into Shaman. Moving her tail out of the way, she bit directly into Shman''s neck, drawing blood. It was a euphoric feeling for Elysia to sink her teeth into something, but it felt even better for Shaman.
"Ahh~! Fuck~, I''m cumming again~!" It being one of Shaman''s fantasies to be bitten by a vampire, it felt better than she imagined, making her cum a second time. Although Elysia didn''t consume any blood, just biting alone almost made her cum as well.
ra, who didn''t want to be left out, took to Shaman''s shoulder on the other side and gave her a bite as well. It was anotheryer that Shaman was all for, causing her climax to go on even further.
"AA-AAHH~!!" Shaman''s eyes rolled back in her head as she let out continuous moans. Her consciousness was slipping because of the overstimtion, but she didn''t care. Right now, she was living out one of her dreams, but eventually she passed out.
Slumping over Elysia, the sudden stop in moans caught her attention, prompting her to pull back.
*Huff* *huff* "Oops, looks like we went too hard." Elysia embraced Shaman in a hug and slid the strap-on out of her pussy. ra also took her strap-on out and as she did, Shaman''s body twitched, showing that Shaman was still indeed alive.
With her holes gaping open from the strap-ons, her juices flowed out of her body, making aplete mess of Elysia''s legs and the bed sheet below.
"It was fun while itsted though. I never knew Shaman could make a face like that." ra unequipped the strap-on and fell back onto the bed.
"It''s basically a repeat of your first time, but this time Shaman passed out hehe~." Elysia gently ced Shaman next to ra on the bed.
"I guess it''s your turn next~." ra expected things to go full circle next time when she and Shaman would gang up on Elysia, making her pass out.
"Hmm we''ll see about that~." Elysia with lust in her eyes, suddenly straddled ra.
"Oh? Looks like someone still has energy." ra wasn''t expecting Elysia to continue, but they had yet to properly climax themselves, so it wasn''t a surprise.
"Of course, I need to cum at least once before we sleep." Elysia took off her strap-on and ripped open a hole in her stockings. She intended to rub her and ra''s pussies together until they came.
"I''m d." ra smiled, half surprised that Elysia was giving her attention, but it only affirmed that this love triangle they were in went both ways.
Elysia lifted ra''s leg up and pushed her pussy up against ra''s. Both their bodies twitched and let out moans in unison.
"I''m going to be rough, so be ready~." Elysia adjusted herself to be morefortable, ready to go all out in a short burst.
"I wouldn''t want it any other way." ra quickly used the system to take off her panties and made sure she braced herself for Elysia''s assault.
With ra''s confirmation, Elysia began to vigorously rub her pussy against ra''s. They continued at a fast pace and started to y with their own breasts as they got closer to climaxing.
"Let''s cum together dear~." A few minutes had gone by and Elysia was on the verge of cumming. However, she wanted to do it at the same time as ra.
*Huff* "Hurry, I''m close~." ra''s moans were akin to screaming as she tried her best to hold back. She wanted to savour this moment and so she has been holding it in waiting for Elysia.
"Fuuuck~ I''m cumming~!" Elysia let out a moan, signifying she was cumming and at the same time, ra finally let go, allowing herself to cum at the same time.
As both their bodies shook, Elysia leaned forward and grabbed a hold of ra''s horns to keep herself up while also unintentionally adding to the pleasure.
"That was amazing as always." Elysia''s body trembled, struggling to stay upright.
"I think it''s time for a bit of rest you crazy bitch~." ra took deep breaths, trying to control herself as Elysia had yet to let go of the horns.
"Indeed." Elysia let herself fall,nding right between Shaman and ra.
"I''m going to miss you." ra felt a wave of relief when her horns were free, but it also made her realise that they wouldn''t be able to do this for a while.
"I''ll miss you too, but don''t worry, I''ll make sure we reserve an entire week to let out all of our pent-up frustrations especially mine." Elysia brushed her hand against ra''s cheek and gave her a quick kiss.
It was a shame that the night couldn''tst longer, but they had training to do tomorrow, so they needed to cut it rtively short.
Elysia was going to miss these moments, but when she returns, it will be all the more enjoyable after being separated.
"Hehe~ I can''t wait then." ra felt giddy hearing such a deration and as for one of theirst times sleeping together, she nuzzled into Elysia.
"Me too."
Both Elysia and ra finally drifted off to sleep in each other''s arms, enjoying each other''spany.
Chapter 304 Dead Silent
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Chapter 299 - Dead Silent
Continuing my strut down the hall, it progressively got darker and darker. Thankfully, since I was a half-fox, I had natural night vision, but it wasn''t perfect. I struggled to see anything that was at least 10 metres ahead of me clearly, but it was enough.
Nheless, after walking through this pitch-ck hallway, I finally reached the other end. I was still met with darkness, but now there was what I assumed was this dungeon''s fake moon providing a slight amount of light.
In the distance was the silhouette of a gothic-styled cathedral that expanded as far as the eye could see. There were many long, thin towers scattered along the edge of my vision, giving the impression of a city made out of towers. They were all connected by bridges and seemed to surround one main building but it was too dark to be certain.
''What am I doing, I have mes.'' I was a walking torch yet I wasn''t taking advantage of that fact.
''Don''t! If you start a fire then the inhabitants will find you.'' Alice shouted in my head just as I was about to conjure up some fire.
''Tsk.'' I wanted to argue, but it would be best to trust Alice if I wanted to get to her safely. It also made sense since a random light in the middle of nowhere would garner attention.
''Once you find me, you can do whatever you like. However, for now, unless you want to be food, listen to all my instructions.'' Alice''s yful tone shifted to being more stern and serious. I never realised it until now, but there was a certain power to her voice that made it hard to go against her.
It made me wonder if that was a by-product of her being a vampire since they are notorious for their ability to affect minds.
''So where are you?'' I needed to know what I was looking for and I hoped Alice trusted me enough to not hide anything. Although I could definitely see her withholding information just for entertainment.
''Take a couple steps to your right and look down.''
It was an odd answer, why would I have to look down? I still followed her directions and quickly realised why.
''The hell is this ce?'' It was now apparent that I wasn''t on some kind of cobblestone pathway but rather a bridge. I got on my knees and looked over the ledge, only to meet an abyss.
''You asked where I was? Well I am in that abyss.'' Alice borated further, but how the hell am I meant to get down there?!
''I will never understand how these dungeons came to be.'' I knew there was some weird dimension portal that connected our worlds, but for this to exist in the first ce was bizarre.
''Don''t sweat the details so much. You need to get moving and get to the end of this bridge.'' Alice didn''t want me to linger for too long, which was fair. I didn''t want to get caught before we even started.
''Alright.'' I got up from the floor and started to lightly jog along the bridge. The buildings in front of me were somehow not getting closer, making me wonder just how big they were. For me to not see any change, they must be massive structures.
''Correct, they are massive constructs, but you will see soon how we will get there.'' Alice read my thoughts, confirming that they were that big and that I wasn''t falling into some kind of magic trap.
*
Just as I thought there was no end to this bridge and was about toin to Alice, suddenly the path changed. I slowed down, fearing I would run right off as my vision was still limited. Thanks to the moon the lighting wasn''t too bad, but I still wanted to be safe.
''You''re close, you will soon reach a wider tform with a transport circle in the middle. Once you take it, you will be much safer.'' I was relieved to hear there was a fast travel point. Even after minutes of running, there was no indication I was getting closer to any of the buildings.
''How can they even tell I''m here?'' Considering the buildings were so far away, it seemed imusible that the monsters would notice a me from such a distance.
''You should know this, dungeon monsters be much smarter the higher the tier of a dungeon is, and so they actually monitor the entrance. If I wasn''t here, you would be swarmed by thousands of vampires in bat form. And yes, we actually turn into bats. Yes I know it''s a cliche stereotype, just let it go.'' Alice knew my thoughts before I even had them, not even giving me the chance to express my curiosity.
''I''m not used to dungeons like this. It''s the first time I''m experiencing such intelligent beings, so cut me some ck.'' I didn''t know the tier of this dungeon, but it was definitely tier 8 or above. The tier 7 dungeon I faced certainly had smart monsters, but there was still a barbaric nature to them.
It stood in stark contrast to this calmer, more methodical dungeon, where they were on guard for intruders.
''This is one of many, so get used to it. You can also stop walking now.'' Alice suddenly wanted me to stop, but I saw nothing on the ground that resembled a magic circle.
''Give it a few seconds princess.'' Right after Alice finished speaking, the moon reached its apex in the sky and its light was concentrated directly on me. The magic circle I couldn''t see up till now lit up and I was suddenly transported.
''Urghh so much teleportingtely.'' Appearing in a new location, I felt a wave of dizziness, making it impossible to tell where I was. I assumed I made it to the distant buildings, which would exin why I felt so disoriented. It was said that one of the main reasons why teleportation isn''t widely used on the continent is because of the sickness caused by teleporting either too much or too far.
''Catch your bearings quick, you need to hide.'' Alice''s voice was filled with urgency and so I tried my best to get a hold of myself.
''When you can, run towards your right.'' My vision began toe back and the buildings that were so far away were now in front of me. The size was unimaginable, but I didn''t have time to waste gawking at it.
Rushing down the bridge Alice guided me towards, I entered one of the many massive towers.
''Hide behind the door and look through the small grate, I want you to see who you will be fighting.''
Slipping inside the tower, despite it being massive I found that it was not designed for giant vampires. The door I used for example was for regr-sized people. Anyway, shutting the door, I looked through the metal mesh and stared at where I was teleported to.
My vision was poor, but that no longer mattered when a swarm of bats converged on where I was. A burst of light then covered the area and all the bats dispersed, revealing a lone figure who I assumed to be a vampire.
Their clothes were mostly ck with red ents and some white underclothing. They had piercing red eyes and long silver hair that glistened in the slight moonlight. It couldn''t get more cut and dry, these were the typical vampires you would hear about in old folklore.
"Who just used the moon circle!" His voice was deafening and echoed through the entire dungeon. It was followed by the noise of rustling bats, but no one came forth.
''Be careful not to make any eye contact, Elysia. You are fine now, but if you ever encounter him one-on-one treat him as some kind of medusa. He has control over others beyond even what I''m capable of.'' Alice gave a brief description of who this vampire was and it sounded like the dungeon boss.
''Am I going to be fighting them?'' I was doubtful I could match up to someone who even outssed Alice, whom I assumed was at least tier 10.
''I truly hope not, he is the master of this ce not even your grandfather has beaten this dungeon.
''Hang on what tier is this dungeon.'' I finally decided to ask as surely this wasn''t a tier 10 dungeon.
''...'' I was met with silence, which in itself answered my question. However, I had other ways to check. This vampire piqued my curiosity anyway so I tried to use the system to analyse them.
[System error]
[Unable to inspect monster due to the difference in power! Please proceed with caution]
''Fucking hell I can''t even see their stats Alice this is a tier 10 dungeon isn''t it?'' I felt my heart rate increase, as there was no way I could survive this. It was far beyond my skill level. The fact I was thrown into this at a measly tier 7 is insane!
"Who''s there?!" Without realising it, somehow the vampire caught onto my presence and looked directly at me.
Chapter 305 Interference
?
''What the hell did you do, Elysia?! Why is it that at random times I cannot connect with you!? Now because of that my spell protection slipped!!!'' Alice sounded furious, but I think I knew what the cause of the interference she mentioned was. It seemed to happen right as I brought up the system.
At first this didn''t make sense to me. Why would it cut our connection just because I used the system? But wait, Alice sees everything I do if she''s seeing through my eyes, would she also see the system menu? Was the system trying to stop her from learning of its existence? This never happened with anyone else but perhaps, since Alice is technically invading my privacy, she triggered some preventative measure to stop her from finding out. It would also exin why Alice hadn''t mentioned the system, wondering what it is.
''Fuck there it is again, this weird fuzziness! Whatever you''re doing stop, otherwise you will die!'' Halting my thoughts, I quickly took a peek out the door to see if the vampire was still suspicious.
''You need to hide!'' Alice''s frustration now turned into panic as the vampire was walking right towards me.
''Shit!'' I felt incredibly stupid. Who knew that bringing up the system would cause such problems.
''Just start running down the hall and enter the first room you can. I doubt he would turn this tower upside down.'' I spotted a door not far away and hurried inside after listening to Alice''s instructions. The room was some kind of storage room, as there were crates upon crates. No Idea what was in them, but I couldn''t care less right now.
*BOOM* *Rumble* A loud explosioning from the hallway caused the entire tower I was in to shake. The stacked crates that were in front of me also began to topple over and I braced myself for impact, but luckily none of them hit me. Instead, it conveniently made it easier for me to get behind them.
''Phew, if I were any closer, the crates would have crushed me.'' The crates were just mere inches away from me, but I had nowhere to run as the vampire was just outside.
Climbing on top of the fallen crates, I saw a hole in the pile, which allowed me to slip inside. It was extremely ufortable, but right now this was my best bet to stay hidden.
*Thump* *Thump* *Thump* *Thump*
The small, audible nk of the vampire''s shoes echoed through the hall, progressively getting louder. Once the sound was just outside the storage room door, they came to a halt. Then a few secondster another st urred.
It wasn''t as strong, but the door came crashing into the crates, crushing me in between them. I felt the wood dig into my body, but I tried my damn best to keep my mouth shut.
I knew that as long as I did not make a sound, I could always heal myselfter once I''m safe.
"Tch, no rat in here." The vampire left annoyed, continuing to check every room. The tower continued to shake from further explosions as the sounds got further and further away. I waited until I no longer heard any explosions, wanting to ensure he was nowhere near me.
''You are safe to move for now and judging from your thoughts, you know what is causing me to lose connection.'' Pushing the crates aside and climbing out of the pile, I used a tiny amount of mes to heal the cuts and bruises. Alice on the other hand, did not sound happy, but at least it indirectly provided confirmation that she was on my side. If she truly wasn''t then she would have let me be killed by that extremely strong vampire.
''Y-yes, I think. I don''t exactly know why, but I won''t do it again.'' There was no point in ying dumb, but I still didn''t want to give specifics.
*Sigh* ''It''s something from the gods isn''t it?'' Alice let out a defeated sigh, feeling my hesitation about the topic.
''I didn''t receive it from them, but it does indeed originate from a god.'' With Alice already aware of it, the least I could do was answer the question and hope she doesn''t dig any deeper.
''Alright, that makes a lot more sense now. Just make sure to not do it again, otherwise I will be angry at you next time.'' Alice was understanding, but she wasn''t going to tolerate it a second time, which waspletely fair.
''Thank you.'' I was d, but it also meant I had to handicap myself for however long I would be in here.
''This is going to suck. I won''t be able to message Shaman or ra at all!'' It was painful to think about, and all I could do was hope that I won''t lose my mind.
''What did I say?! You''re lucky your thoughts only make annoying white noise when mentioning this thing, but please spare me!'' Alice yelled to get me to stop, which just goes to show how strict the system is when ites to mentioning it.
''S-sorry.'' I wish at this point I could allow Alice to hear information or even see it, but right now I can''t even touch the thing without getting myself killed.
''It''s manageable, but I need to concentrate in order to protect you. Right now you are seen as a regr vampire because of my mana, but as soon as I lose connection to you, that veil vanishes.'' Exining how I was kept hidden truly made me grateful for Alice, especially after that close call with the dungeon boss.
''I-I understand, so what now?'' With the dungeon boss out and about, surely this would be a good time to make a move.
''Well firstly, before it''s toote, start running towards the main cathedral. There is no loot to be had unless you want to fight tier 9 vampires.'' Nodding my head, I exited the tower and began sprinting along the bridge. The tower still shook from periodic explosions that shot rocks from above. The good news was that by looking where they were dropping from, I could roughly judge how close he was to the top.
''Why are none of the other vampires making a fuss?'' It was oddly quiet, especially after stirring up the boss. I''d have thought there would be more of amotion.
''Because they are afraid. Until you get to the cathedral the vampires out here will not dare make a move. Of course, if you did not have my protection they would try to hunt you down, but they only see you as a reckless vampireically running around. Also, they can''t use magic, so as long as you don''t use yours they will have no reason to suspect you.''
''That''s why, when someone walks in here conjuring mes, they immediately know it''s an invader. Don''t get me wrong, they have abilities, but besides that everything else is seen as witchcraft.'' As I continued to run, Alice gave more context to this dungeon which was quite interesting. This ce was its own miniature-world which made me curious about how they lived here.
In a dungeon that seems to be rarely entered, wouldn''t they shrivel up and die from theck of blood? Or is there some human poption down here somewhere? It could be that this world is on some kind of time loop created by some divine power, but from what I know of the gods, they are a lot more cruel.
''You think of very interesting possibilities. Unfortunately, even with my 2000 years I still can''t tell you how these dungeons came to exist. When they first appeared, I tried figuring out how they worked, but I came up with nothing. The only feasible exnation is "the gods did it", so until we get an answer from them, there is no way to say whether or not these dungeons are actual ces in the universe.'' Alice, being as invasive as ever, gave her insight into the dungeons.
''What else would it be but the doing of a god? The monsters insidee back to life and act like nothing happened.'' There were many unexinable things about the dungeon, but I didn''t have the brain power to keep thinking of hypotheticals.
''True, but enough about that. You''re about to run into a door.'' Too invested in the conversation, I stopped paying attention to where I was going and, before I knew it, I was already at the cathedral.
''Could have warned me earlier!'' Sliding on my feet, I tried to stop myself but unfortunately, it was toote. I crashed right into the door, causing it to swing wide open. Having flung myself inside the cathedral, my body slid across the ground for a moment until I hit something hard.
"Ow!" Considering that Alice hasn''t bothered giving me any new warnings, I assumed it was safe, so I took the moment to get my bearings. However, when I looked around, it urred to me that it might not be as safe as I thought.
Surrounding me were a bunch of hooded figures, all with piercing red eyes.
''y along, Elysia, they see you as one of them for now.'' There was a slight cheeky tone in Alice''s voice, as if she nned this.
I desperately wanted to see the level of these vampires, but if I dared bring up the inspection window my cover would be instantly blown.
"H-hi?" With not much of a choice, I spoke up, wondering how these vampires would react.
"Why doesn''t she have her hood?"
"She might be one of the kids that has been making a ruckustely."
"How did she even get here?"
The vampires all whispered to themselves, trying to figure out how I got here. Little did they know I was the intruder, but it was a good sign that Alice''s protection was working.
"Quickly get her covered up before Alucard returns!" leaving me no say in the matter, one of the vampires grabbed me by the wrist and dragged me further in.
Chapter 306 Blending in
Chapter 306 Blending in
''What the hell am I doing!?!?!'' After being dragged into a back room and given the same hood, I was now standing in line with a bunch of vampires! The room we were in was like a small church with a statue of the vampire Alucard, the very vampire that almost caught me.
''PFFHAHAHA, I CAN''T BELIEVE IT''S ACTUALLY WORKING!'' Alice was having the time of her life,ughing at the current situation.
''I swear, when I get the chance to murder you, I will make it the most painful death ever!'' I came here to murder Alice so surely I can have a little fun before inheriting her powers.
''Fufu~, we will see about that, pfft.'' My words bounced right off Alice like some kind of yful talk, but I seriously wanted to make her suffer. I was surrounded by tier 9 beings who probably could end me with a flick of a finger.
Honestly, I''m surprised I''ve gotten this far in the first ce. To begin with, wouldn''t my kitsune ears and tail be a dead giveaway? I know I have Alice''s mana helping me, but surely they are not that dumb.
''Dear, you don''t look like a kitsune to them at all so stop worrying about being caught. I really went the extra mile to make sure you can actually walk around the ce freely. Although I will admit I had no idea if it would work or not hehe~.'' Alice finally gave an exnation, but I still wasn''t happy that I very well could have been in danger.
''Tsk, this better work.'' However, it wasn''t like I coulde up with a better n, so I might as well do my best to follow through with it.
''Good girl. If all goes well, then we might be meeting tonight.'' Oh no, she just jinxed it, now something is definitely going to go wrong.
*BANG* The door mmed open, hitting the concrete walls to its side hard enough to leave a crack. The vampires around me instantly knelt on the ground and I quickly followed suit..
''Fuck, my heart almost left my body.'' My body trembled with fear, as the vampire that entered was definitely Alucard. This was the moment of truth to see if Alice''s n will work. I knew my presence was undetected, but what if he could physically see right through Alice''s magic?
"Our Lord, you have returned. Did you find out who activated the moon circle?" One of the many hooded vampires spoke up asking about the situation. I made sure to keep my head down, not daring to make any eye contact.
"No, the culprit disappeared without a trace. They had the smell of an intruder, but for some reason I was unable to track them. There is a possibility one of our own is hiding an outsider, so prepare to interrogate every vampire." Alucard''s voice was very authoritative, making it crystal clear why he is the absolute leader here. Just being in the same room made me feel so small and insignificant.
"Yes, my Lord, I will see to it right away." One of the hooded vampires got up and left the room, while the rest of us remained kneeling. Alucard walked down the middle of all of us until he stopped in front of me.
"Hmm? There is an extra one of you. Who are they?"
''FUCK! Of course, I would be noticed.'' There weren''t many vampires here so there was no doubt that he at least knew everyone''s names and faces.
"She was a stray vampire who ran in here. Please do not mind her, our Lord." One of the hooded vampires exined the situation, which gave me some hope, but there was no telling how he would react.
"I see." Without any warning, he bent down to grab me by the face and proceeded to lift me off the ground.
''This fucking bastard dares touch me with his hands.'' Suddenly, the fear I felt from Alucard turned into anger. One of my biggest triggers was being touched by a man, and him being an arrogant vampire only added fuel to the fire.
It didn''t apply to every man, but after being kidnapped by a snobby noble and being at the mercy of human trash, most of which were males, I grew to disdain them.
''Don''t do anything stupid Elysia!'' Right as I was about to use my mes out of pure reaction to being grabbed, Alice''s words stopped me. Alucard was not hurting me and seemed to be looking for something.
That''s when I realised he grabbed my face in such a way that my fangs were on full disy. It then clicked in my head that he was checking if I was an intruder since the chances of them having fangs were "impossible".
"You haven''t eaten in a while... Despite barging in here, you show respect to me so I''ll allow you to have a meal." Having been finally released, I dropped to the ground, feeling all the built-up pressure leave my body.
"T-thank you My Lord." I really didn''t want to say it, but after getting away with deceiving the dungeon boss, I swallowed my pride and called Alucard Lord.
"You may all leave now. I shall return to my coffin for the time being. DO NOT BOTHER ME AGAIN, unless you have found the culprit!" Alucard red down at all the vampires in the room with his glowing red eyes, applying some kind of mind control. I, however, waspletely unaffected by it. Meanwhile the other vampires entered a state of trance.
I noticed at the edge of my vision a tiny bell alerting of a new system notification, which I presumed was a warning about the magic at y.
After a few seconds, all the vampires woke up from their trance-like state and started funnelling out of the room.
"Come with me, miss." One of the hooded vampires, who was a female this time, took my hand and helped me up. My first instinct was to pull away from the foreign woman, but I reminded myself I needed to blend in.
The female vampire led the way behind the small church and up a set of stairs. Finally, I was getting ess to the main body of the building. Now that I think about it, why do the vampires have a church? There was a statue of Alucard in there so I guess they treat him like a god, but to have that as the very entrance oozed of his egoistic personality.
''Urgh, I shouldn''t be thinking about this. The dungeon is its own world, so of course some cultures will be different.'' Comparing the dungeon to the outside world was pointless. If these were really separate worlds, then of course it would be strange to me.
"You okay?" The female hooded vampire turned her head to me with a concerned voice while taking off her hood.
"Y-yeah." I was stunned. I never thought I would admit such a thing, but this vampire was quite beautiful. Her hair was a pure silver that matched perfectly with her blood-red eyes. I didn''t want to imagine what the rest of her body looked like, but my curiosity was growing.
''Someone developing a crush~?'' Alice jumped in teasingly, whichpletely ruined my mood.
''I can appreciate someone''s look without wanting to fuck them, Alice!'' At no point did my heart even falter for this vampire, it was only her beauty that caught me off guard. It was hard to describe what exactly I was feeling, but if I had to name it I''d say her perfect face simply left me with a sense of admiration.
''S-sorry.'' Alice instantly got the memo to not joke about love with me, as I''m sure she felt by now my extremely violent nature. I would have thought Alice would know the kind of rtionship I was in, but this is our first time ever really talking about love, so I''ll give her the benefit of the doubt.
"Miss?" While talking to Alice, I hadpletely zoned out and didn''t realise the female vampire was talking to me.
"O-oh my bad, just lost in thought."
"All good. I would be shaken up too if Lord Alucard grabbed me like that. Putting that aside, what''s your name?" We finally finished climbing the stairs and entered some kind of hallway. One side had rooms, while the other had one extremely long window that gave full view of the hundreds of towers outside.
"Elysia, yours?"
''I really don''t want to get to know you, but I should ensure my safety.'' With no guide other than Alice, having some connections while in this dungeon will be useful. Plus, with this person, I should be able to get ess to ces without having to sneak in.
"The name is Alice, nice to meet you Elysia." The woman gave me her name, which caused my brain to malfunction. Could it really be a coincidence that of all the vampires in this dungeon I would just bump into one named Alice?
"...."
''Alice, do you have something else to tell me about this dungeon?''
Chapter 307 Dungeon Origins?
Chapter 307 Dungeon Origins?
''Later, but short answer yes.'' Alice clearly didn''t want to talk about it, but after such a reveal how can I not pester her? Unfortunately, I was being dragged by another Alice, so I couldn''t do anything until I was alone.
''Fine, I''ve put my trust in you so far, so I hope you don''t break it.'' Doubts began to sprout in my heart, but I was already too deep to run away. If I were to take the teleportation circle back, I would 100% get caught by Alucard.
"Elysia?" Alice tilted her head as I once again became distracted mid-conversation.
"A-ah umm, so where are we going? I''m not familiar with the ce at all." No matter the identity of this Alice, it didn''t change the fact that she will be a great source of information.
"Hmm, we will go to your temporary room since, with the intruder out and about, it''s best not to go out." With a ce in mind, Alice continued to walk down the hall with great haste. We took a few turns, going deeper into the cathedral? Castle? Both? At this point, it was just a maze, there was no logical sense to theyout of this building. It was as if they mashed together buildings without considering how confusing it was to navigate.
Eventually, we finally reached some kind of room with no indication as to the kind of room it was.
"You can rest in here. Since Alucard said you can have a meal, I''ll go bring one to you." Before I could even say goodbye, Alice darted off down the hall, presumingly to the kitchen.
''There is no way this Alice is you.'' Their personalities were way off. Still, this physical Alice looked very young, so despite my assertion it wasn''t out of the realm of possibility.
Upon entering the room, I was greeted with a very empty bedroom with a coffin serving as a bed. I chuckled slightly, but what else did I expect from a dungeon filled with only vampires.
Taking a seat on the wooden chair that was positioned opposite the door, I waited for Alice to speak up. Surprisingly, she didn''tment on myparison and kept her silence. I imagine she must be thinking about how to exin herself.
''Her silence is enough to confirm that the physical Alice is her, but that still begs the question of how.''
''You can stop specting.'' Alice finally broke her silence and so I keenly stayed quiet, waiting for her to speak.
*Sigh* ''First of all, I still do not know how this dungeon came to be. I was not lying when I said I knew nothing. Secondly, yes, the Alice that you are physically seeing is me, but when I was 24 years old.''
''This ce we are currently in used to be my old home, although it has been greatly distorted. That is why the building architecture is so conflicting yet everything is put together smoothly. As to where this ce is in the real world, it doesn''t exist.''
''In the early days of the world, when history was not recorded, we were the sole rulers that reigned supreme. If this ce were an urate representation, you would see the whole continent below, but now it''s just an abyss.''
''Wait, then, how are you down there?'' Alice specifically pointed out that she was in this abyss, but if there was nothing down there, then how?
''There is a secret elevator in the grand hall that is meant to descend to thend below, which is now transformed into a basement. This is where I have been sealed by the pope and your great-grandfather for thest 100 or so years. I have lost count for a few years now so it might be much more.''
''I see, so what happened in the past that caused the destruction of the vampires?'' The journal I was given dated back 2000 years, so why was there no mention of vampires? It was as if there was a ring hole in history that nobody noticed.
''Easy, I am the sole survivor. As you just thought, the journal dates back 2000 years. However, my actual age is 2400 give or take. As to why nothing from back then is recorded, it''s because this ce was destroyed in one single blow.''
''I suppose you can refer to that being as the pope''s ancestor. All I know is that he held the exact same power, and the ability to carry out the gods'' will. He crashed in battle with Alucard, our all-father, but because of his holy light he was swiftly defeated followed by everyone else.''
''I remember it like it was yesterday, I was just returning from thend below and the entire sky was filled with a bright yellow light. It shot as far as the eye could see and once it vanished, there was nothing left. The entire vampiric race was erased from existence.''
''Also before you ask, there should be no other survivors. The vampires as a rule stayed up in the sky, only those of the Archduke rank were allowed to leave. I just so happened to earn such a position and be the only one out on a scouting mission at the time. I was looking for a human vige to restock from as many of our livestock killed themselves.''
''Wait? So this person just exterminated the entire race in one blow?! Where the hell did they evene from?'' The fact that this person was like the pope meant that the gods supporting him could be the same ones from back then. If the pope has that kind of power to erase any existence, then I don''t think even reaching tier 10 will be enough.
''I don''t know. There was no human or any other being that had the ability to use that level of magic, yet this person did. Following that, there seemed to be a worldwide mass memory and it was at this point that I began to live amongst the humans.''
''I wasn''t as cruel or conniving as Alucard, so it was easy to mingle, but I needed to be on the move since my looks never changed. That is until I met your great x however many times grandfather and you know the rest.'' Alice sounded like she was on the verge of crying, which was understandable.
It exined why she was so desperate to create a new vampire child since everyone else had died. She was the only one left with no one to reproduce with, making her existence one of a kind. I still didn''t like how she went about it, but knowing the full story, I can''t me her either.
''I''m sorry, Alice.'' There was nothing I could say to make things better, and any attempt tofort her would only ring hollow. I may have had glimpses of what it was like to lose everything, but I couldn''t imagine having to endure that loneliness for so long. Granted, it was probably for the best that vampires no longer reigned supreme over this world, but I wasn''t about to be pedantic regarding something that happened so long ago.
''It''s okay Elysia, I came to terms with it many centuries ago.'' There was a slight shakiness in Alice''s voice, but she held strong.
''I see. Well, that was quite the history lesson, but now why is your old ce suddenly a dungeon?'' I didn''t want to linger on the past for Alice''s sake and I wanted to shift to the more ring fact that this ce exists.
''It is only a theory that I have no way of proving, but my belief is that this is the god''s sandbox. When the pope of 2400 years ago erased this ce, I believe the gods intervened and preserved it and all the people inside it. As to why there is a version of me here, that is unknown even to me, but time magic is a very big possibility.'' It was a scary thing to think about. It put to question many things aside from the dungeons. What if everything was purposefully ced by the gods just to act out a scenario?
''It sounds very usible and it would mean all the other dungeons are distant ces from the past or even from different worlds Shaman dide from a separate world, so it''s safe to say that not everything originates from here.'' The cogs in my brain were turning full steam. It was beginning to seem like the only exnation for these dungeons was that they were ces preserved by the gods.
Some kind of time magic is ced on these microworlds, which are now being used as dungeons for us to enhance our strength. It was disturbing to know that the "monsters" we have been killing are actual living beings. Then again, if it''s anything like Alice''s story, they were already wiped out before being sequestered away.
''d to see that you ept this so easily, I was worried you wouldn''t.'' Alice seemed to be in a better mood based on the tone of her voice.
''I''ve seen enough weird shit that shouldn''t be of this world so this isn''t that surprising. If anything, it makes the most sense so far.'' In reality, there was no other exnation that I could logically think of that would exin the dungeons. They literally just happened to appear 500 years ago.
''Hmm, you do mention this Shaman a lot and how she was transported here, so I guess it isn''t too bizarre to think about. Anyway, thank you, Elysia for being reasonable. There is a lot more detail I can give, but that will have to wait.''
''Huh? Don''t leav-.''
"I''m back Elysia~!" Alice came barging through the door with a chain in her hand that had a human attached to it.
''Shit, it''s this kind of meal. Why didn''t I see thising.''
Chapter 308 Pretend Meal
Chapter 308 Pretend Meal
"I tried to find some good quality blood, but we haven''t restocked so I hope you can forgive me." Alice looked ashamed to have brought a person who had low-quality blood, but I couldn''t even tell.
What caught my attention was the number of restraints on the human. They were gagged, blinded, and restrained in every possible way except their legs, so they could walk. There was also a convenient open spot on their neck, which was scarred by the many teeth that had sunk into him.
"I-it''s okay. I''m not picky."
''FUCK! What do I do? I don''t want to suck this random person''s blood. I really should have sucked on Shaman''s that night.'' My words and thoughts were inplete contrast with each other, which Alice was happily giggling at. It was clear she had no intention of helping, but it wasn''t like she could interfere.
"Great! Just make sure not to suck them dry. We still want them alive until the new stock arrives." Alice yanked on the chain, forcing the human to kneel in front of me. It sure was something seeing such an innocent-looking face show such extreme cruelty.
''You wouldn''t say no to such a cute face, would you? P-pffttt!'' I didn''t know if she was bragging about her looks, but right now the urge to punch the Alice in front of me was hard to ignore. They may be different beings, but I was content with beating this one while the Alice in my head watched.
''D-don''t do that! Look, you don''t have to drink his blood directly, did you forget what your mes do?'' There was a slight panic in her voice as she read what I was going to do and quickly offered a solution.
''Oh you''re right, I can coat my teeth in mes. I can''t get hurt by them so that works.'' It was a great idea that I should have thought of myself, but I never expected to run into this kind of issue.
"Thank you, Alice." Putting the n into action, I reluctantly got close to the human''s neck. To me, this would qualify as a "monster" so I didn''t feel bad for them, but it still didn''t make it any less weird.
Coating my teeth in ayer of my vampiric mes, I sunk them into the human who instantly started screaming. Even with the gag, his moans of pain were very audible.
Without taking a single drop of blood, I carefully extracted the human''s life force so as to only leave them with a couple of days left.
"You fucking weak human, shut up!" While I "sucked" Alice stomped on the human''s legs as punishment for making noise.
''Urgh, it''s going against my pride, but I should at least pretend I''m enjoying it.''
"Mmhh~ not the best, but anything is good enough when your throat is as dry as the desert." Pulling away from the human after "sucking" for about 30 seconds, I pretended to be relieved of my hunger.
"Wow, you really must have been hungry, the human is barely alive." After I had pulled away, the human passed out with barely any life left in their body.
"Haha, sorry if I went too far, I was just so hungry. However, I can think clearly now." Now that my fake hunger was cured, I decided to amp up my attitude and be more arrogant.
"You technically let them live, so I can''t really say you did anything wrong I am kind of hungry too, so maybe I will just finish this guy off." Alice looked at the human with eyes filled with hunger and, without any hesitation, took her turn.
My heart dropped for a moment, as I didn''t actually take any blood from the human. What if she notices that the human still has a lot of blood?
"Ahh~ I better not have too much." However, Alice pulled away only after a few seconds and was not suspicious at all.
''Phew, the act is still up.''
"A-ahem anyway, seeing you eat and making the food have such a reaction, I couldn''t help myself." Alice fidgeted as if she had just shown a very embarrassing side of herself.
''I guess I know where my kinkse from.'' Technically Alice is my ancestor and therefore I decided it''s indirectly her fault that I''m into the things I am now.
''Oi, gics have nothing to do with it! Besides, I guarantee what you''ve done is child''s ypared to me, hmph.'' Alice wasn''t going to take this lying down. For some reason, I wanted to prove her wrong, but this wasn''t the ce for it.
"I don''t me you Alice, but now that we are full, what now? You''ve brought me to a room, however I have nothing to do." I was curious what this Alice had in store for me. Perhaps if I get close enough to her, she might be able to bring me to this grand hall.
I didn''t know if it was off-limits, and I didn''t want to risk being caught if it was.
''Correct, it''s a ce that only a few chosen can enter, with the exception of when there is an Archduke ceremony.'' Mental Alice gave her confirmation, which will help me decide how I should go about finding her.
"Hmm, there isn''t much for us to do I''m afraid. Since you haven''t been here before, I could walk you around to see the important ces?"
''Perfect.''
"That sounds wonderful, I''ll be in your care then Alice." I gave her a warm smile and a blush spread across Alice''s face.
"Hehe~, alright, follow me. I''ll show you around. " Alice happily gripped the chain and started dragging the human to the door. I followed behind her while chuckling at the scene of a cute girl dragging a body. It was morbid, but the absurdity of it made it hrious.
''Were you always this easy?'' If I tried, there was no doubt I could seduce Alice and a part of me wanted to see what kind of reaction that would get, but the thought alone made me want to vomit.
''Bitch, no! Don''t you dare touch me!'' The more and more I got to poke at Alice, the more she started sounding like a tsundere. It was honestly rather cute, especially being able to put a face to the name.
''I swear if I wasn''t trapped, I would be rushing up there to p you.''
''It''s what you get for teasing me~.'' I skipped along happily, as it felt nice to get back at Alice, even if it onlysted a short while.
''You''re lucky I want to die.'' Running out ofebacks, Alice sighed, deciding to let me have this one.
''Well, moving on, you seem very calm to be seeing yourself in the dungeon. I know I would freak out if I suddenly saw myself in a dungeon.'' It was probably because she already knew, but surely it feels weird to see herself through my eyes.
''I guess I should be, but what point is there? If anything, you get to see me in my prime.'' Alice sounded very proud, which I honestly respected. Being able to see herself probably brought back fond memories.
''Fair enough, but is this Alice an urate representation of you? You seem way too nice and bubbly for this to be you.'' It shouldn''t be too much of a surprise, as there was a 2,000-year gap between these versions of her, but they still felt a little too far apart.
''It certainly is, though I wasn''t this nice. I was more of a lone wolf, but then again, I didn''t die in the st so maybe this is a reconstruction of how the other vampires saw me.'' Alice''s description sounded much closer to how I imagined her, but I think I like this one more. I get a free tour after all.
''Which you should be paying attention to instead of talking to me.''
''Oop yes.'' Bringing my attention back to the physical Alice, we were still making our way through the maze, also known as the damn hallways.
"Say Alice, I heard something about the grand hall, have any idea where or what it is?" Seeing as this Alice was quite nice, I may as well take advantage of it and try to find this hall that would lead me to the other Alice.
"Hmmm, that must be where we have our ceremonies. I can take you to the door, but we are not allowed inside unless Alucard allows it." Alice agreed to show me, which was a slight surprise as I half expected her suspicion levels to go up.
"That''s fine, best I know how to get there just in case." It was aplete lie, but now I had some sort of direction to go in. I just needed to not get caught sneaking in and pray there were no traps.
"Of course! We will head there first and then slowly make our way back, showing you where everything else is." Alice had plotted the route in her head already, which was nice, but I needed to remember it. Theyout of this ce is already confusing as is so I hope there will be somendmarks I can follow.
Chapter 309 Easier than expected
Chapter 309 Easier than expected
Alice finally finished her tour of the ce, which was mostly uneventful. We stopped by the grand hall door, which was located at the very back, making it rather simple to get to. As for the other ces, I couldn''t care less, but it was nice to know.
A detail I noticed after a few hours had gone by was that there was no change in the atmosphere outside, as if it were forever nighttime. The Alice in my head said they had a normal day-night cycle back then, so it must be the dungeon keeping things in a perpetual state.
"If you need anything Elysia, I''ll be in my room for a while." Physical Alice waved her goodbyes while walking into the darkness of the hallway. I waved back and entered my room to get a little rest before infiltrating the grand hall.
I may not have fought much, but I was mentally exhausted from all the running and stress of pretending to be someone I''m not.
''Don''t rest for too long, I can only keep the protection up for about a day and I rather you got here earlier thanter.'' Alice gave me a deadline, which was pretty tight, but with how easily I was able to mingle with the vampires, time shouldn''t be a worry.
''Alright, just scream in my head to wake me up after an hour. So without further ado, it''s nap time!'' Letting myself fall into the coffin bed, I got some much-needed shut-eye.
*
"She has fallen asleep. It seems she really was a lost vampire." Observing through a stone in my room, I could see that Elysia had gottenfortable in bed. After she randomly appeared out of nowhere I was worried that she would be here with ill intentions, especially after mentioning the grand hall. However, that didn''t seem to be the case.
Despite being a little bit of an airhead who loses focus from time to time, she was quite nice.
"It looks like Alucard''s suspicions were unnecessary, though she certainly arrived at poor timing." I turned away from the stone andid down in my own bed.
''Kind of wish she was, it sucks being here without much to do.'' I rolled around for a bit, bored out of my mind and disappointed that Elysia didn''t turn out to be the intruder.
I probably spent a solid hour doing nothing, before getting up and checking on Elysia onest time. It may be creepy to just watch someone, but it was better than waiting around doing nothing.
"Hmm?" However, when I checked the stone, she was nowhere to be seen in her room.
''Hang on, this might be interesting.'' I may have assumed too quickly that she wasn''t a threat, but maybe that is for the best. I wanted something to happen, but if I were to report it to Alucard, he would just instantly kill her, which isn''t what I want.
''Where could she be heading Oh the grand hall of course, she specifically asked where it was so she must know something.'' I had no idea what could be in the grand hall as there wasn''t anything valuable in there. Alucard did make it off-limits but from the few times I had been in there, I didn''t see why.
''Let''s follow her and see where it goes.''
*
''Urgh, did you have to wake me up exactly in 1 hour? I could have used an extra 5 minutes.'' I sluggishly made my way to the grand hall, still feeling half asleep.
''You said one hour so I made sure to wake you up after exactly one.''
''I am killing you as soon as I see you.'' On top of wanting some more nap time, I had an annoying pest in my head.
''Hehe~ yes please.''
*
''Looks like we made it. I thought we would encounter vampires roaming the halls, but it feels more abandoned than lived in.'' It was a smooth walk to the grand hall with zero interruptions. I haven''t even ran into a single person on the way here.
''Most of the time it is rather quiet in here due to most vampires living on the top floors of the tower. This ce is reserved for Alucard almost exclusively, so only a select group of vampires reside here, which includes myself.''
''Makes sense, but enough lore, I should get inside before my luck runs out.'' Walking up to the grand hall door, I pulled on the handle and slowly opened it up. Slipping inside, I was greeted with a vast, open room. Pirs that were 10 times my height stood tall to either side of the room, creating a walkway way down the middle.
Towards the end of the hall, there was a massive insignia on the floor, with a statue of Alucard almost the same size as the pirs standing just a few meters after it. I could see why it received the ''grand'' moniker, as this room was decorated to the teeth with gold ornaments and imagery of vampire history along the walls.
''Just as I remember. Behind the statue is a secret lever that will make the insignia in the middle descend. This should lead you directly to me and finally, you can inherit my power.'' Alice''s voice became solemn for a moment as her time alive was about toe to an end.
''Having cold feet?'' It was understandable if Alice was having second thoughts about dying, especially now that the end was close at hand. Our time together has also been surprisingly enjoyable, so perhaps I''ve identally rekindled her will to live.
''Not really, my desire to just die is strong, but I can''t deny that if I had the choice of sticking around in your head, I would. However, that is not an option. Even if I weren''t restrained, no magic I possess is capable of such a thing.'' I didn''t know how I should feel about Alice wanting to continue being my mentalpanion, but this adventure would definitely have been boring without her.
If we had spent more time together, then maybe she could have filled the role of some kind of mother.
''Hey, let''s not dwell too deep on it, otherwise I really might just lose my resolve.'' Alice knew if our bond grew too deep, it would make killing her all the more painful.
"Yeah, you''re right. Let''s hurry before it''s toote." I finally began walking down the hall and towards the back of the statue.
If there were any onlookers, it would definitely look like I was desecrating the statue by climbing on top of it.
''The button should be a brick that is slightly poking out on the base.'' Following her instructions, I crawled through the statue''s legs and looked over the base. The brick she was referring to was right in the middle and, with a light push, it activated the elevator.
Quickly jumping off, I stood on the insignia as it began to descend. As I got lower, what little light there was got dimmer and dimmer until I couldn''t even see the way back. It was only after 10 minutes that I finally saw where we were.
It was an open underground cavern that waspletely disjointed from the castle above. There was a bright red magic circle that was the width of a small field and in the middle was a person.
"Well look who it is." Alice spoke loudly from the middle of the magic circle, confirming that it was her.
**
''Who the hell is she talking to?'' I listened through the door, wondering what Elysia was doing. It sounded like she was talking to someone, but I was certain no one else would have dared step inside.
''Sounds like she is moving away from the door.'' Moving the door as slowly as I could to not make any noise, I stepped inside the room. Quickly moving to one of the pirs, I watched as Elysia climbed onto Alucard''s statue!
''What the hell is this fiend doing!?'' I couldn''t believe Elysia was casually climbing on the statue of Alucard. With this level of disregard she was undoubtedly the intruder, but how is she able to stay undetected? Alucard should be able to easily tell our fellow vampires apart, unless Elysia really is just a rebellious vampire up to causing a disturbance.
*Click*
''Huh?'' A massive click echoed from a hidden mechanism as the insignia of the vampires at the center started to descend into the ground with Elysia on top. I had no idea such a thing existed yet Elysia seemed to know exactly what was going on.
''Is she a high-ranking vampire in disguise?'' The whole situation was getting more and more confusing, but if I wanted an answer, I needed to follow her.
Approaching the hole in the ground, I could hardly see Elysia anymore as the elevator moved at quite a fast pace.
''What the hell could be down there?'' A part of me knew I should report to Alucard, but my curiosity was getting the better of me.
''Here goes nothing.'' Spreading my bat wings, I jumped into the hole and slowly floated down. I made sure to go slow so as to not identally be spotted and have this whole operation go to waste.
Chapter 310 Meeting each other
Chapter 310 Meeting each other
"At least you weren''t lying that you were sealed." Stepping off the insignia, I walked down the rocky path towards the red magic circle that illuminated the entire room. Alice sat in the middle with chains tying her to the ground, making it impossible for her to make any movements except for her head.
"Why would I? I just want to be free of these chains and the world." It felt weird to hear Alice''s voice outside of my head. It certainly proved they were the same person as dungeon Alice. Although their voices were slightly different, it was close enough for me.
"I can still read your thoughts and my protection is still in effect, so don''t do that weird thing. We may be underground, but Alucard does have ess to this room." Alice was right. I may be in a hidden ce, but I can''t getcent yet.
"I understand. Is the magic circle safe to walk on or am I going to have to kill you from here?" I stood right before the glowing circle, not daring to touch it just in case there was some kind of trap waiting for me.
"I don''t know, but I rmend not getting any closer. Plus I don''t want to ruin your impression of my beautiful self." Alice''s pride shone through, but little did she know I could see her clearly. Unlike her dungeon counterpart, Alice had blood-red hair and was much more voluptuous, which I could easily see because the clothes she had were all ripped from years of wear.
"Geh, did you have to think that? Let me stay pretty in your mind!" Alice clearly didn''t want to be seen in such a rough state, but that was toote. However, I couldn''t deny this kind of scene was hot. If Shaman was in this kind of situation I would definitely take advantage of it.
"Stop it with the lewd thoughts! I, the great Alice, will not be taken advantage of by my offspring!"
*Sigh* "I''m not interested in you Alice. My one and only is Shaman so don''t get it twisted. Also, you look great for someone who has been locked away for a hundred years so I have no idea what you''re talking about." The state of her clothes may have made her seem haggard, but a more careful look revealed she lookedpletely fine with no damage or dirt on her body.
"R-really? I haven''t seen what I looked like so I thought I was just aplete mess." Alice tried to look at herself, but her own body proportions blocked her view, not to mention the inability to turn her body wasn''t helping things.
"Yes. Can''t you see through my eyes anyway?" I''m almost certain Alice had the ability to see what I was seeing, so I don''t see why she wasn''t making use of it now.
"Oh yeah, you''re right" Alice shut her own eyes and after a few seconds, she opened them again.
"Phew, I still look the same as I did. You can keep this image of me in your mind." Relief washed over Alice''s face knowing that she was still good looking. I shook my head, finding that this vampire''s pride in her looks was way over the top.
"Ahem, now that you are here, I guess there is only one thing left to do." Alice made eye contact with me, turning the conversation back to our original goal.
"Indeed, but is there anything else you want to talk about or tell me before I do? There is no special procedure to inherit your power?" If this is going to be thest time we talk, then I should at least try to get as much information as I can.
"Still thinking ahead Unfortunately, there isn''t anything else I can tell you. I''ve told you everything that would be important to you unless you''re keen to hear my 2400-year-long story, most of which I don''t even remember anymore." Alice looked down, feeling bad for not having any more useful information. Her infatuation with her partner made her blind to many events in the past and she hardly bothered with any events unrted to the Dhalia family.
"As for passing the inheritance, once I lose all of my mana the chains'' pain negation effect will be gone as wellI think you can see why I want to die as soon as I pass on everything to you." Alice bit the bottom of her lip as she still withheld some key details, but I wasn''t going to pester her about it. I could guess from what she was implying that her death would be very painful if we didn''t do it her way.
"However, there is one thing I want to ask you."
"Oh? Go ahead." I didn''t think Alice would have any questions or requests, but the least I could do was hear her out.
"It''s a wild experiment, but once I give you my powers, I want you to see if you can bring the other Alice out of here. There is something called a blood contract that allows you to put any being under yourmand. If you die, they die, and they can be teleported to your location at any moment. Of course, it costs mana for the teleportation, but I think you see where this is going."
"At any rate, no need to worry about how to use it. Since you''re a part vampire, you will be able to instinctively do it." Even without said instincts, I had the system, so not knowing wasn''t an issue. Still, I appreciated Alice quelling any concerns I may have.
"Hmm alright, I will try. I''m curious what will happen. and it wouldn''t hurt to have a littlepanion." It didn''t hurt to try. Besides, seeing as it''s some kind of contract, I could probably manipte the details to fit my preferences.
She also proposed a very unique idea that didn''t seem possible yet might just be crazy enough to work. If I could convince the other Alice to enter said pact, then I might be able to take her outside the dungeon. Come to think of it, I don''t think I''ve ever heard of anyone bringing a living dungeon dweller outside.
Corpses were able to easily pass through, but for someone alive like Alice, there haven''t been any sessful cases.
"Thank you. Even if you fail, I''ll be happy knowing you tried." Alice smiled, showing a feeling of contentment on her face.
"You''ve provided more help than I ever expected, so I should be thanking you instead Alice." We had been stalling for long enough so I summoned my brand-new bow and loaded it with a fire arrow. My hands shook as I considered Alice a friend, but this is what I must do to free her and help the world.
I also took this chance while I prepared my shot to take a photo of the magic circle with the system, as someone back in the demonnds might be able to decode it.
"Hmph, of course, I, the great Alice, would help her own kin Now put me to rest and save the other Alice for me."
"Wait!!!" Right before I could let go of the string, a sudden yell came from the elevator. Spinning around on my feet, I pointed my bow at the source, ready to kill whoever it was. To my surprise, it was the dungeon version of Alice.
"Alice!?" Me and the restrained Alice spoke in unison, confused as to how the hell she made it down here.
"Please don''t kill her! I heard everything!" As she ran down the rocky path, she almost tripped over, but she caught herself and slid on her feet until she was right in front of me.
"What is your intention here? Answer me before I shoot an arrow into your head!" It was an empty threat, as this Alice was no doubt much stronger than I was, but I still wanted to be in control of the situation.
"T-tell me, what is going on? How is that person me? What is this dungeon thing you mentioned and what was that about taking me out of it?" Alice looked at me with confusing and pleading eyes that wanted answers.
''I can use this to my advantage. This might be my chance to convince her to leave.'' It was poor timing, but this very well could be a blessing in disguise. I hadn''t inherited Alice''s power yet, but it might make it easier to convince Alice if she speaks to her older self.
*Sigh* "I knew I should have been more careful. The one person I couldn''t sense was myself since we are technically one and the same."
"W-woah you do sound like me." Seeing the two Alices talk with each other felt awkward, as they had the same voice. If I wasn''t seeing the two versions of Alice facing each other in front of me, I would have though Alice was talking to herself.
"I''ll exin everything so sit tight, Elysia." Lowering my bow, I stepped to the side letting the younger Alice talk to her older self. I didn''t know what kind of oue woulde from this, but I hope it wasn''t a mistake for young Alice toe down here.
Chapter 311 Tiny Alice
Chapter 311 Tiny Alice
"Arghhh, this doesn''t make any sense. You are saying that you are me from the future and that this ce is some kind of dungeon? I am also most likely some creation of some kind of god forever stuck in a time loop? And you''re telling me there is a whole other world outside of this space which is where Elysiaes from?" Alice held her head, trying to make sense of everything that she was told.
It was quite the information dump so I don''t me her if she doesn''t believe everything.
"Yes, everything you said was correct. Right now, Elysia was about to kill me to inherit my powers for the sake of helping the people outside. There is no way to free me, so if I give my powers without dying, then I will be rewarded by eternal suffering courtesy of these chains." Trapped Alice twisted the story a tiny bit, but nothing she said was a lie, as her powers would be used to help defeat the Pope.
"I-I see, so what is this about getting me to leave this ''dungeon''?"
I cannot imagine the thoughts Dungeon Alice is having after being told her entire life is a lie. However, what I found interesting was that she was quite receptive to the exnations and didn''t jump to any conclusions.
Honestly I half expected her to freak out and start a fight, unable toe to terms with her new reality.
"Once Elysia takes on my powers, I want you to enter into a blood contract with her. This way, hopefully, you will be able to leave this ce and explore the world beyond the towers." Dungeon Alice knew the significance of a blood contract, just by looking at her shocked face, I could guess it was the equivalent of signing your life away.
"Hmm Will I be happier being with Elysia than in here?" Dungeon Alice thought deeply for a moment before she finally asked the question. It was a good sign that she was actually contemting leaving this ce.
"Yes. By staying in this ce, your future will nevere." Sealed Alice gave me a quick smirk as if she had closed the deal already.
"Arrg, there goes my hopes that we''re not actually the same person. That''s pretty low of you to use my parent''sst words against me. Damn it, what is this twisted situation? I don''t even know if I can rightly trust you, but now you want me to trust her as well? And with my life at that!" I could clearly see Dungeon Alice was starting to believe us, but it seemed she still needed one more push to take my hand.
''This is herself, so no doubt Alice knew exactly what words to say to get across to her other self. Now we just need to give her the courage to take that final step.'' Seeing how quickly dungeon Alice got convinced by our story, it made me wonder if I would have been able to persuade her at all.
"Haha, I understand your doubts, but please, I want you to have a better life than I did. There is so much for you to see on the outside, so many things you will never get to experience if you just hide here alone for the rest of time. So, will you enter into a contract with Elysia? I promise she is a sweet girl and someone you can be best friends with."
''This woman.'' I shook my head at her grant exaggerations. I wouldn''t say no to being friends, but it was a big leap to jump straight to best friends.
''Looks like I got my work cut out for me.'' It was going to be tough with my kind of attitude, but I owed Alice this much, so maybe I should treat this as an opportunity to fix my narrow mindset. My obsession with Shaman was never going to go away, but that doesn''t mean I should still treat everyone Ie across as a threat. So why not start by befriending this Alice? I can just take things one step at a time.
"Fine, if my future self says so, then it must be true. I have always wanted to be free of Alucard''s rule, so if being bound to Elysia for eternity is the price, I will pay it." Dungeon Alice eventually sumbed and began to express her true feelings.
"Great! I assure you that life will only get better." Sealed Alice''s smile widened, pleased that she was willing to follow through on the contract.
"It better be." Dungen Alice pouted, demonstrating that she fully maintained her future self''s tsundere side.
''Teasing her is going to be fun.'' Now that Alice is about to be under mymand, I can repay all of the teasing I have received over thest few days.
"Alright, with that sorted, I need Elysia to finish the ritual so take a few steps back." It was finally time to pick up where I had left off. Dungeon Alice moved backwards a short distance before sitting on a rock.
"Thank you for listening, Alice. Once we leave this ce, there is something I still have to do, which may take me a year or so. However, once everything is done, I''ll make sure to introduce you to my party." There was still my grandfather to deal with, so I did not want to raise any unrealistic expectations that everything would be amazing once we left.
"Okay, I understand." Dungeon Alice nodded her head. She must still have a lot of questions, but that could wait.
"Looks like my time hase. I''m ready whenever you are Elysia." Sealed Alice braced herself for the arrow and started to mubble. I assumed it would be the spell granting me the ability to inherit her abilities.
"I appreciate the time we spent together. I will make sure your younger self gets to live a better life." I loaded a fire arrow onto my bow and drew back the string, shooting straight for Alice''s heart.
"Haaa, this is really happening. finally... I can rest." I watched as Alice let go of herself and epted her impending death.
"Goodbye Alice."
"Farwell, the daughter I wished I had."
''I was not supposed to get attached to you, bitch.'' My heart ached as I heard her final words. We were nowhere near having that kind of rtionship, but knowing she saw me that way helped to fill the void left by the death of my own parents, even if only for a brief moment.
Nheless, I let go of the string, allowing the arrow to fly free through the air, straight into Alice''s heart. As soon as it pierced through her heart, there was a sudden burst of blood-red energy that shot through the cavern roof.
Alice made no noise, showing no signs of pain despite being shot through the heart. She simply smiled and made eye contact with me. It was a little disturbing to see, but I kept eye contact so as not to identally ruin the inheritance ritual.
As the energy rushed through the roof, Alice''s body slowly turned into a bloody red mist.
Once her body vanished, the magical circle that had entrapped her began to deactivate. Its bright red glow faded as there was no longer a body to sap mana from.
When Alice''s entire body turned to mist, all that energy that was just spewed out was suddenly redirected towards me. I stood strong, ready to take whateveres my way. As soon as it made contact, a surge of pain coursed through my body.
"ARGHHH!" The sharpest pain was in my fangs. It felt like they were being yanked out of my skull, which was a kind of pain I never expected to feel.
My body did its best to absorb the energy, but due to the dramatic changes taking ce inside me I could barely hold on to my consciousness.
I could not tell what was going on with my body, but my best guess was that I was bing a true vampire. Since I was still a regr Kitsune before absorbing Alice''s power, I would likely be forced to transition, otherwise who knows whether my body would even survive this infusion.
''This better be worth it.''
*
<10 minutester>
I had finally finished absorbing everything. I was, however,pletely exhausted. Of course that was but to be expected considering I had been in pure agony for ten whole minutes.
"Are you okay Elysia?" Alice, who had been observing everything from a distance, knelt down next to me.
"Yes, just give me a moment to catch my breath." Unexpectedly, my body bounced back very quickly. I was not using my vampiric mes or any sort of recovery magic, which makes me believe that I inherited an incredibly potent passive skill.
''I need to go through the systemter. For now, I should get this contract sealed and leave this ce before I''m caught.'' With Alice''s protection no longer present, it was only a matter of time before I was uncovered.
I am now a vampire, so it might buy me some time, but I did not want to take any chances. If Alucard caught wind of that sudden surge of energy, he may be on his way here right now.
"Let us get this contract over-with while it is still quiet." I wasted no time in attempting to activate the blood contract.
"O-okay." Alice was still concerned about my health, but she understood that they could not spend much time down here.
Just as I had predicted, a system pop-up asked if I wanted to offer Alice a contract. After pressing yes, there was a nicelyid out screen of conditions that I could change.
Quickly skimming through the contract, I concluded that most of the conditions were useless and only applied if Alice betrayed me.
''Let''s turn off the death condition, the range limiter annnd allow her to have free will.'' Some of these requirements almost made it a ve contract, which was not what I wanted at all. After reading it onest time, I approved all the changes to the many conditions, so that it essentially only tied Alice''s life to me.
"Mhm." Alice nodded, but her expression revealed that she was extremely nervous.
A screen appeared in front of Alice out of nowhere, frightening her because it was something she had never seen before. However, she quickly realised it was the contract.
"W-wait isn''t this way too lenient? I assumed these contracts were simr to ve contracts." Alice immediately noticed that the conditions were extremelyx.
"You were never meant to be my ve. Just because we are bound for eternity does not mean you cannot have freedom." Sitting up from the ground, I met Alice eye to eye and gave her a smile.
This way, by providing her with a reasonable contract, I would earn her trust. She may have trusted her future self, but I had to earn it now.
"T-thank you I guess she was right to put her faith in you." Gaining Alice''s trust - Mission sess! Still, this was only the beginning. I had to keep it up to make sure she did not regret apanying me.
"I ept." After reading the entire contract, she verbally epted it, and the window closed.
A small cut then appeared on both of our wrists, and a string of blood flowed from each of them. The blood streams became entwined with one another, forming a ball of some sort. It then glowed red until it became a ruby, severing the blood connection between our wrists.
Alice was unfazed by this, so I assume it was part of the procedure. Picking up the ruby and inspecting it quickly, I discovered that it was a proof of contract, and that destroying it would terminate the contract while also killing Alice.
''Well, this goes straight to inventory, where it will never be seen again.'' As I tossed it into the system inventory, I noticed Alice''s body changing right in front of my eyes.
"Ummm Elysia? What''s going on?" Alice looked around, puzzled as her body shrank. She continued to shrink for a few more seconds, reaching a height of 140 cm.
"I don''t know? Is it the contract?" I quickly opened the system to look at it, and there was nothing that suggested she would shrink. However, I received a separate notification exining everything.
[Due to Alice entering a contract, all appearance-altering magic has been removed.]
"EHHHH?!"
Chapter 312 Blood Element
Chapter 312 Blood Element
"Tell me?! Was it the contract?!" Alice looked up at me, knowing from my scream that I had figured it out.
"U-umm, Alice." I did not know what to say because the system was never wrong, and I was afraid that telling the truth would have some sort of repercussion.
"Yes?" Alice eagerly looked at me with eyes that resembled a puppy. Because I was a sucker for cute things, her new height had unintentionally given her an unfair charisma advantage.
"Are you aware that you have had appearance-altering magic cast on you?" I braced myself for Alice to scream or be enraged at me, but nothing happened. Alice remained silent as if she knew exactly what was wrong.
"THAT FUCKING BASTARD ALLUCARD!!! THAT STUPID MAGIC HE APPLIED ON ME BACK THEN WAS JUST TO MAKE ME LOOK LIKE HIS IDEAL WOMAN!! IT ALL MAKES SENSE NOW!!"
''Jeez, what kind of workce harassment has been going on all this time?'' There was no doubt that some sort of fetish y was taking ce, but I had no intention to find out. If anything, it''s good that Alice wasn''t too attached to this ce.
"Elysia! We bettere back here so I can beat Alucard''s ASS! That bastard needs to pay!" Alice abruptly turned to face me, dering our eventual return to the dungeon.
"It''s okay, I nned toe back anyway. I intend toe here once I am strong enough to take on everyone." I had already nned to return because I could not pass up some experience, but I still needed to adjust to my new vampire powers and figure out how strong I was.
''Perhaps I can test it out when we make our escape.'' I had a feeling we would run into some vampires on our way out, so it will be a good test to see if I can handle them.
"Good, now let''s get out of here."
''She''s quick to get over it. I expected her to be more upset about her height.'' Alice surprisingly calmed down quickly after discovering she was now a midget. Though perhaps her mind is simply less focused on her current predicament and more on how she would take her revenge.
''I wonder how she will act once we are out of here.'' I expected that once we were out of here, the reality of her short stature would set in and her tsundere side would emerge.
Alice rose from the ground and removed her cloak, which had be toorge for her. Fortunately, her clothes underneath shrank along with her body, which only made her even cuter than she was before.
She was dressed in a long-sleeved one-piece dress with bat wings on the hem and thigh-high stockings with bat ears on the ends.
"Yes, we''ve wasted too much time." The desire to pat Alice''s head was strong, but I had to resist until we were out of here. It is bad enough that there is potentially a bunch of vampires waiting to kill us.
"Do you have the ability to fly? I sense you are a true vampire, so you should be able to sprout some wings." Topensate for her lost height, Alice spread her wings and floated around me, staying at head level.
"Hmm, why don''t we find out?" I attempted to summon bat wings using the system, and it worked. A pair of ck and red bat wings sprouted from my back, almost whacking Alice in the face.
"Sheesh, that''s some big wings." Alice was taken aback by how big my wings were, but she could look at themter. Because this was my first flight, I needed to see if I could get the hang of them right away.
I concentrated on my wings, letting the system do the majority of the heavy lifting as I began to float effortlessly. I was not making a conscious decision to move them, but it would have to suffice for the time being because I do not have time to learn how to fly.
"Alright, I''m ready." I felt quite nervous about flying, which Alice clearly saw, so she grabbed my hand. I was about to pull away instinctively when I realised I needed a guide. Even though the system was flying for me, I still had to decide where I wanted to go.
Alice nodded and guided me through the air, which was surprisingly smooth. We gradually increased our speed until we reached the elevator shaft, where we really elerated. It felt strange to be flying through the air, but mostly it felt fun.
I was getting used to the sensation of flying, gradually taking control of my movements thanks to Alice''s assistance. I had no idea how it worked, but it felt like the system was instilling the movements directly into my mind so that they would be second nature.
"There might be some vampires outside, so I hope you are ready for a fight. Aside from Alucard, the people who live in the main building are the strongest of our kind."
"You are surprisingly quick to switch sides. Don''t you feel bad that you are going against friends and peers alike?" Even if Alice agreed to leave, surely there are people here that she would consider friends.
"Y-you see, it isn''t like I don''t have friends! But I chose not to have any. Plus, if this ce isn''t even real, then what''s the point?" Alice''s face turned red, clearly embarrassed to admit that she didn''t even have friends. I also finally understood Sealed Alice pushing the whole ''best friends'' shtick on me, as it seems like someone is yearning for any kind of friendship.
"Ohh okay, I see." I refrained from teasing for now since I''d rather not rile up Alice while mid-flight.
"G-good, now what''s the n? We are about to reach the top." Alice rxed upon hearing me ept her reasoning and moved on to a more immediate problem.
"As much as I am itching to fight, I think it''s best we try to avoid it and make our way to the teleportation circle. If we can get there, we will have nearly escaped." It went against everything I wanted, but I had to consider the risks. I may be a crazy battle-hungry kind of gal, but I also had future wives to return to.
"I like the sound of it. I do not detect any vampires, so we might be able to get away unscathed." Alice focused on the ever-approaching hole, but she couldn''t feel anything, which was a relief.
As we got closer to our exit, we slowed down and peered out the hole. My and Alice''s heads appeared side by side, searching for vampires but finding none in sight.
"Clear." As I emerged from the hole, I looked around to see if there were any windows. If we can get outside, flying to the teleportation circle will make our lives easier.
"Don''t. Alucard likes to fly high in the sky when he is out so we should make it to the front hall first." Alice knew what I was looking for and quickly yanked on my hand to get me to stop.
"Damn it, well, since you know this ce lead the way." It was a shame that we couldn''t fly through the open skies, but Alucard is thest person I want to meet right now.
"Follow me then." Alice let go of my hand and floated towards the exit of the grand hall. However, before we even got close to the door, it swung open and a bunch of hooded vampires flooded in.
"Shit!" Alice quickly flew back behind my back, frantically looking around. By the look on her face, she didn''t understand how they were found out.
"Alice, what is the meaning of this?" One of the hooded vampires spoke up while walking towards us. I slightly shifted my body, ready to make a move at any moment. I also realised that I had ess to the new blood element. I could feel the blood cirction of every being in the room as if I could take control of it.
''Interesting.'' Some gruesome ideas appeared in my head, but I wanted to see where this was going before attacking.
"What? I don''t know what you want me to say." Alice didn''t admit anything, which was fair. The vampires in this dungeon seemed extremely devout, so telling them their world is a lie will just aggravate them.
"That massive burst of energy and this strange person who has the same presence as Alucard, exin?" The hooded vampire took another step closer, making him only a couple of metres away.
"Elysia, you handle it." Alice let out a sigh as if she didn''t want to bother to exin and decided to let me do whatever I wanted.
"Hehe~ with pleasure." Looking at the vampire in front of me, I sensed the blood within them and tried to take control of it. Once I got a grasp of it, I tried to pull the blood out of their bodies.
Suddenly, the vampire''s body began to spasm as if something inside was trying to escape it.
"ARGHHH!!" A loud screech came from them and shortly after, their skin tore open. Blood spewed out towards me and into my hand, forming a small blood ball.
"HAHA! This is incredible! Who''s next!"
Chapter 313 Escaping the Lord of Vampires
Chapter 313 Escaping the Lord of Vampires
The other hooded vampires all stood back, staring at me with fear. Even Alice looked terrified of me, but she still gripped onto me from behind, not wanting to get in my way.
"Looks like I get to choose!" Using the blood ball, I formed it into a solid blood spear and threw it towards the crowd of vampires. Most jumped away in time, but one unfortunate sucker got skewered right through the chest.
The spear then burst into vampiric mes, incinerating the vampire down to his life essence. It was at this point that the vampires realised I was actually the intruder.
"Someone report to Alucard!"
"Oh no you don''t." I raised up a wall of mes as high as the roof, trapping everyone with me. Keeping this wall up took a big chunk of my mana, but as long as I keep absorbing more life essence it shouldn''t be a problem.
"Stay and y for a while!" Dashing forward, I aimed for the few vampires that tried to leave. With my bare hands, I grabbed them by the back of the head and smashed them into the ground, killing them instantly.
''I thought these guys were meant to be strong.'' I couldn''t help but feel like these guys were extremely weak. Hell, they were yet to even throw a single attack or use any of their inherent abilities.
"Die bitch!" Just as I thought they were not going to attack at all, one came swinging at me with a dagger made out of blood. Spinning on my feet while extracting the blood of the two I just killed, I formed a sword and sliced that vampire''s neck.
The rest of the vampires came charging at me with an array of weapons as some kind ofst ditch effort. Taking advantage of my firewall, I caved it in to make it fall right on top of the group of vampires to wipe them out.
"WAIT ELYSIA THIS IS BAIT, WE NEED TO LEAVE." As soon as Alice spoke, the entire grand hall began to shake until the roof sted open. My mes still engulfed the group of vampires replenishing my energy, but now there was a new threat.
"Oh, my dear Alice, what are you doing with the traitor?" Their words were cold and menacing, every word wasced with malice.
"A-Alucard." Alice''s voice trembled as she saw the very man that we wanted to avoid descend.
''We can''t be wasting time here.'' I wasn''t about to let him do his viin speech, so I grabbed Alice around the waist and began to fly through the air. I wasn''t confident at all with my flying skills, but it was the fastest form of travel right now.
Flying through the grand hall''s door, I raised a firewall behind me, hoping that it would slow down Alucard.
Swiftly going through the windy halls, I used the walls as boards to push myself off of. It wasn''t the smoothest process and I almost ended up crashing into the walls, but thankfully these halls were quite wide.
"Are you crazy Elysia? AHHH!!" Alice, whom I was carrying over my shoulder, screamed in fear every time we approached a turn. She found it insane that I was flying through the hallways, but we didn''t have much of a choice.
I could feel how powerful Alucard was just by standing in front of him and there was no way I could fight him now.
"Where do you think you''re going?" Hearing Alucard''s voice so clearly in my ear, I turned my head to see where he was, but no one was there. Just then, the wall to my left caved in and Alucard''s hand appeared right in front of my face.
Leaning back mid-air, I barely dodged Alucard''s hand and almost dropped Alice in the process.
"DON''T DROP ME!!" Alice held on for dear life so as not to beunched off. Even though she could fly herself, I didn''t want to risk being separated and there was no telling what Allucard will do to Alice if she was caught.
"I''m trying not to!!" I turned down the next closest hall, hoping to have put some distance between me and Alucard, but I couldn''t be more wrong. Instead of trying to match my path the bastard just smashed through the walls, his speedpletely unaffected.
I tried to raise firewalls behind me, but they had no effect on Alucard.
"TURN RIGHT!" Alice yelled a direction and I blindly trusted her. Taking my next right, we were suddenly met with the door to the church''s front hall. My life essence reserves wouldn''tst much longer, so I made onest gamble, covering the entire hallway with my mes, desperately hoping it would have some kind of effect.
Rushing through the door, I finally locked sight with the exit, but there was a wall of vampires blocking it.
"Shit! This is where the others were." Alice recognised the vampires this time meaning these guys were actually strong.
"Well, well, well, it looks like we caught the little rat." Alucard came walking through the mes with ease while pping his hands. It was frustrating to see him not be affected by it, but there had to be some kind of trick to it.
"Now, intruder, how about you tell us who you are and why you possess the same abilities as me?" Alucard stood tall, awaiting my answer, which I didn''t even have. I took this chance to look for any new skills I acquired from Alice, hoping she had something that would allow me to escape.
[Blood mist]
Transform the user andpanions into a blood mist, allowing you to pass through small gaps undetected. WARNING! Consecutive uses may cause unknown side effects for the user!
''Perfect.'' Pulling Alice in close in front of me, I activated the skill, turning Alcie and me into a blood mist. It was an extremely weird sensation, as I still had my full vision, but I couldn''t see my own body. I noticed that Alucard looked extremely pissed off at me. I was still visible due to the slight red haze in the air, but I was untouchable until I deactivated it.
''I should try to get as close as I can to the circle.'' Turning to the wall of vampires, I floated right through them and the door behind them. Now that I was on the sky bridges, I quickly made my way to the transportation circle. However, due to how slow this form was, Alucard instantly made his way there, ready for me.
''How the hell am I going to get past this?'' I didn''t know if it would be possible to activate the circle in this form, but a detail I noticed was that he wasn''t standing on it. I would be able to easily hover over it and deactivate blood mist, but then I needed to activate the circle.
''I just need to pray that I can activate the circle quickly enough.'' It was odd that Alucard wasn''t standing on it, so I wondered if there was some kind of barrier preventing him.
As I flew right past him, he turned to face the circle, just waiting for me toe out of my skill.
''Please, please, work.'' Mentally preparing myself, I positioned myself close to the ground hoping to activate the teleportation circle as quickly as possible.
Undoing the skill, both mine and Alice''s bodies materialised in the middle of the circle. Since I was essentially hugging Alice, that ended up with me pinning her to the ground, but there was no time to worry about how we were positioned!
"Finally!" Alucard created a solid blood rapier and tried to stab toward us, but was stopped dead in his tracts. There was a clear barrier, which when struck, gave a slight rainbow hue.
"Hurry up!" As I poured my mana into the magic circle, it glowed brightly and began the teleportation.
"NOOO!!!" Alucard continued to hit the barrier and, surprisingly, it began to crack. Bright white cracks appeared, progressively getting bigger until it finally shattered, but it was toote.
The circle activated, teleporting me and Alice to the entrance of the dungeon.
"Thank fuck for whatever divine being decided to put a barrier around the teleporter to stop dungeon beings from escaping." It was the only logical reason I could think of as to why that barrier was there. There were zero cases of monsters breaking out of the dungeons, so there must be conditions in ce to prevent monsters from leaving.
"Shouldn''t we move? Didn''t he break the barrier?"
"Ah shit! You''re right!" I was so focused on trying to get the teleportation circle to activate that I didn''t realise Alucard had broken the barrier.
Standing up from the ground, I helped Alice up and we sprinted for the exit. I was a little worried that Alice would not be able to go through the exit, but I kept optimistic since she already made it through the first barrier.
As we reached the dungeon entrance, a bright red light emanated from behind us, meaning the circle was activated again. Neither me nor Alice dared to turn around as we ran through the dungeon doors. I braced myself to see Alice bepletely rejected, but to my relief, she came up the stairs with no issues.
A few momentster Alucard smashed right into the dungeon doors but waspletely halted by the same barrier. This time however, he had little chance to break out as the doors began to close on their own, perhaps as some kind of self-defence mechanism.
"You will pay for this intruder! You and the traitor will face a fate worse than death!" Alucard yelled at the top of his lungs with rage as the doors closed behind us. If stares could kill we would both already be six feet under.
With a final click, the doors shut close and we were officially safe and out of the dungeon.
Chapter 314 Surprises
Chapter 314 Surprises
"Are we safe?" Aliceid t on the floor, hoping that we were out of danger.
"Yes, this hallway connects my world to the dungeon, so it should be safe." Unless Alucard can force those doors open, then it is safe to say we escaped.
"I see" With Alice only being a couple-minute walk away from my world, I could see on her face that reality was finally sinking in. She actually left her home to go somewhere unknown with a stranger.
"Don''t worry, you will be seen as a god of some sort." It also urred to me that Alice is seen as the god from which we originated, so I wondered if I should introduce Alice to my grandpa as herself or under a different name.
"Really?'' Alice turned to me with a look of disbelief, which made me realise that sealed Alice didn''t bother to exin that I''m her descendant.
''Urgh fuck, this is going to be a headache.'' There was no telling how she would react, especially if I gave Alice the journal. I didn''t want her to resent herself or think I had some kind of agenda to bring our almighty vampire of origin back.
''I''ll at least tell her that she is technically my ancestor.'' It was going to be unavoidable, so better catch her up to speed about where I was.
"Yes, technically, you are my ancestor and the ce we will be going is the home of all your descendants. Now don''t go thinking this is a good thing, they are basically a cult with crazy views who killed my parents because they didn''t want to follow their doctrine." I wasn''t going to paint a pretty picture, especially with me nning to kill everyone. This meant I had to make sure Alice was okay with me killing basically all of her great grandkids.
"What the fuck? How did my future self end up with a following like that?" Now here was the big question, should I disclose what Alice did by giving her the journal or just dance around the issue?
"I-it''s a long story, but know that my family are disgusting beings that I want to kill, although that''s not because of you. Over time, my family became like this, but I don''t exactly know why." In the end, I decided to dance around the issue, wanting to show her what they are like before revealing everything.
"Oh okay, sooo are we killing them when we get there or what?" Alice sat up from the ground and began to stretch, seemingly getting ready for round 2 of chaos.
"No, no not yet. Currently, I am pretending to be on their side until I get strong enough to take over the entire ce and massacre them, hence why I said it will take a year before we meet my friends." Using Alice''splete trust in me, I hoped that she would stick with me through this n.
"Hmm okay It isn''t like they are really connected to me since this is all my future self''s doing, so I will trust you that they deserve to be killed." Thankfully, Alice came to a reasonable conclusion, which came as a relief.
"Cool, thank you Alice. It''s a veryplicated situation and there are more things to tell you, but for now, I think it''s better for you to see what kind of people they are for yourself. And now that I think about it my grandfather is alot like Alucard, so I hope you can see why it is I''m trying to do away with them." It was the perfectparison and, although Alcurad was probably more extreme, at least Alice could understand the kind of person I was dealing with.
"Ah, that makes a lot of sense. Alright, I''ll try my best to y along." Alice nodded her head, realising the importance of what I was going through.
"Sweet, there is one more thing, but let''s get moving. I don''t know how I feel about talking when Alucard is right on the other side of the door." Seeing that me and Alice have mostly recovered we probably should make our way out.
''Mhm." Alice nodded and floated up from the ground to be the same height as me again.
''She really must not like her height change.'' I found it endearing that Alice used her floating ability to keep the same height, but I can imagine it will be a very sensitive topic from now on.
''Reminds me of when Shaman was short hehe~.'' I missed those days of having a cuddled-sized Shaman, but her current form is so much more Delicious. Ahem, anyway!
As me and Alice walked down the hallIt was time to decide whether we should change Alice''s name, which I wanted to get done before we reached our destination.
"So Alice, since you are seen as someone very special, should we change your name? Granted, it is kind ofmon, but I feel like it will be less of a hassle if we use something else." No doubt we could pass her off as Alice, but me bringing back a vampire named Alice to a cult who idolises a vampire by the same name Yea, I''d rather not deal with that.
"What about myst name? Is thatmon knowledge?"
"Unless it''s Dahlia then no? I never read or heard what yourst name was." Alice brought up a great idea, as herst name wasn''t in the journal.
"Oh, it''s Nove, Alice Nove." It was ast name I didn''t expect, but this could work.
"Hmm, Nove I like it." It rolled off the tongue nicely, so now it was just a matter of whether my grandpa would recognise the name or not.
"Nove it is then." Alice smiled, d that her idea worked. I could imagine it would be awkward adapting to an entirely different name so using herst name is probably the best choice for Alice''s sake.
*
"We''re almost there." Once Elysia pointed out the exit ahead of us I started getting nervous. It was likely we would soon meet Elysia''s grandfather, who is supposed to be like Alucard, making it all the more scary.
''It''s fine, they consider Elysia on their side just like I was with the vampires.'' It was almost aplete reverse of our previous situation, but instead of finding a hidden underground cavern, Only this time we were walking directly into the tiger''sir rather than escaping it.
A gruesome tasky ahead of us, but from what I''ve been told so far it seems well deserved. If I were close to my parents, no matter who dared to kill them, I would have gotten revenge.
"H-how should I act? Is it best I hide my wings?" Questions ran through my mind about what would be the ideal scenario as we got closer to the exit. I didn''t want to give up my wings, but by openly showing I am a vampire I might be getting us into trouble.
"You can keep the wings. I will simply say you are a familiar of mine. You being a vampire works out just fine. Since my entire race is half vampire, it will be easier for you to blend in." I was relieved to hear that I didn''t have to do much, but I still felt this anxiety that it wouldn''t be as simple.
*
"You ready?" We were only a few steps away from exiting the dungeon and I didn''t know if I was mentally ready. I will be officially entering a world that I have never seen before and experiencing things that even my future self may never have done.
I was curious what her life was like for her to tell me to live a better life. Elysia seemed to know something, but I wasn''t going to press for answers yet. We were hardly in a position to have a long conversation.
"Hopefully." Even if I wasn''t fully prepared, it wasn''t like I had a choice. If I go back to the dungeon now, Alucard will execute me for betrayal.
Elysia took the first step out and I floated behind her, using Elysia''s shoulder as a shield.
''Even though I don''t like being small, it sure is a convenient size to hide behind things.'' I still couldn''t ept my new height, but it wasing in handy more than it was an annoyance. Still, if I weren''t floating, it would be like I was a child hiding behind Elysia for protection Wait, does it already look like that even though I am floating?
I suddenly became self-conscious, but my attention was instantly grabbed by the sudden ming ball in front of us.
''What the hell?'' I wanted to yell, but Elysia'' wasn''t phased by it so I stayed quiet.
The mes dispersed and suddenly a really handsome kitsune in a red suit appeared before us.
"Hello, Grandfather Teivel." Elysia performed a small curtsey, greeting this man. Wait, did she just say grandfather?
''THIS IS HER GRANDFATHER!! HOW IS HE THIS HOT!?'' I screamed in my mind at this revtion, as this guy didn''t look a day over 30!
"Wee back, You''vee back much earlier than expected However, you have certainly gotten much stronger and even made a new friend I see." Teivel''s piercing gaze scanned over me and my heart rate increased. I could feel the murder in his eyes, which were almost identical to Alucard''s.
"Yes, I have had quite the improvement and gained myself a familiar. Her name is Nove." Elysia introduced me and turned her head to me, wanting me to say something. However, my voice got caught in my throat.
''Oh no, I''m too nervous to speak.''
Chapter 315 Pride shattered
Chapter 315 Pride shattered
"N-n-nice to meet you, Teivel. A-as Miss Elysia said, I am N-Nove." I forced myself to speak after staying silent for a solid 10 seconds, unable to speak.
"I''m d to see she is a vampire. However, she seems quite aware." Teivel got extremely close to me, examining every part of my body with his eyes, which caused me to blush.
"Aside from being my familiar, she is just a regr vampire, so I wish to treat her like a person rather than a being only meant to be used." My blush disappeared quickly as Elysia''s statement made me realise that Teivel probably only saw me as an object. Something for Elysia to use that only exists for her benefit, which isn''t the kind of bond I signed up for.
''He really is a rotten guy.'' Any attraction I may have had towards Elysia''s grandfather disappeared, making me want to hide behind Elysia to avoid his gaze.
"Hmm, kindness can only get you so far, so I hope it does not impede your control over it." Teivel finally shifted his gaze off me, but wait, did he just call me it?
''I''m a fucking person!'' I wanted to kill him right then and there, but for Elysia''s sake, I needed to y along. It started to make more sense why she wanted to get revenge and, honestly, I was all for this massacre.
''If this is the kind of toxic, self-centered attitude spread across this'' I quickly looked around to see where we were.
''Underground city, then hell yeah, they should be eradicated.''
"It isn''t just kindness, there''s also a contract in y so do not worry." I noticed Elysia''s hand was curled to a fist, its light trembling the only evidence of her growing rage. It was good to see that she felt the same way as I did, but damn, it must be hard not tosh out.
"Seems like you do havemon sense... Very well, do what you wish. Let us go home for now. Tomorrow we''ll begin training you on how to be a sessful ruler of our people." Teivel offered his hand for Elysia, who without much hesitation grabbed onto mine, then Teivel''s.
Suddenly we were engulfed in mes. For a second, I thought they''d burn me, but thankfully they proved to be of no harm.
*
We then appeared in some kind of office with weapons hung up all around the room.
"You have the rest of the day to yourself, so go wash up and get some rest while you can." Teivel spared no time letting go of Elysia''s hand and sat down behind his desk.
Elysia nodded her head and exited the room while dragging me through the air. A convenient feature of floating in the air is that I can easily be dragged around without much force.
We then went down a luxurious hallway, which was in stark contrast to the cold brick walls of Alucard''s home. There were also maids in the hallway dusting off everything, making sure there was not even a speck of dust.
''They are all regr people. I can sense the immense amount of vampires outside, but these maids are just your run of the mill tasty mortals.'' It was abundantly clear that there were many vampires outside, as I was sensitive to the presence of my own kin, which also inversely let me know who wasn''t one.
''I guess I can''t really talk. It''s still hard thinking of mortals as anything but livestock and ves.'' The situation here was very simr to how we treated our food. It''s not like I was married to very as an idea, but there was certainly some fun to be had in ying with your food.
''Maybe I should ask Elysia how she treats her prey first. I saw her eating once, but she was hardly showing me her true self back then.'' I was open to hearing a new perspective on mortals. Can I still use them as livestock? Do they have other uses aside from their blood?
"Another thing Nove, I have a personal maid named Yumi. Please try not to scare her, she is just a little girl." As we approached a room, Elysia mentioned her personal servant, who was a child?!
''Okay, I know we didn''t shy from very but we never aimed for kids.'' There were some morals when it came to picking livestock and we were always fair with who we picked.
''Hang on, we mainly took in human criminals as well as those who opposed us, but could all these people here be innocent?'' Hearing of a child being forced to be a servant made me realise that these maids I was seeing were most likely regr people who were captured.
"You alright, Nove?" Elysia turned to see me deep in thought as I was processing everything about this ce.
"I am, but just to confirm, all these maids are innocent right?" It didn''t hurt to ask. Hell, maybe this child is a serial murderer for all I know.
Elysia looked confused by my question, but she shook her head, confirming the maids were innocent.
''Okay, the picture is bing more clear now.'' It pissed me off knowing that these people were just being used for no fault of their own. Alucard may have been a bastard of a ruler and a psychotic vampire, but he at least had a bottom line.
As long as they offered people to be used as food then they could live peacefully under his rule. It was the easiest way to get livestock as well as incentivize cracking down on criminals.
Hell, I hear some would even give themselves willingly for the sake of their town. It was a good system that provided a middle ground. However, as time went on, human greed for power grew and many groups wanted to overthrow us.
''This is going to be a long year.'' After walking a long way down the hall, we finally reached a door that seemed to be Elysia''s room.
Entering, I was greeted with a very gothic room all red and ck, making Elysia blend in perfectly with the environment. On the other side of the room was a small maid in a red dress, dusting off a drawer.
"Elysia!"
*
Yumi shouted my name and instantly sprinted towards me. She jumped into my chest, ted to see me return, which was a feeling I never thought I would enjoy. Something abouting back home and being greeted like this was the kind of sweetness I liked.
"Hello Yumi, good to see you are alive and well." Even if I had only been gone for a day at most, it was clear Yumi had already missed my presence. With such a strict regime for the maids here, it muste as a relief to see me since she knows she can rx.
"Mhm!" Yumi stayed in my embrace and I couldn''t help but pat her head.
However, when Yumi turned her head she noticed a very curious floating vampire next to me.
"W-wait w-who is she?" Yumi quickly moved to my side and hid away from Alice.
"Don''t worry, she is a friend of mine that I made while I was out. Her name is Nove." I debated if I should introduce her as Alice, but to make things lessplicated, the fewer people knew her real name the better it is. Better to avoid any idental slip ups outside of this room.
"I-I see." Yumi still hid behind me, cautious about the new person in the room.
"We are in a contract, so if she betrays me, she will be punished, not that it would ever happen." I gave Yumi a wink, hoping that saying we were in a contract was enough for her to trust Alice.
"Hey Yumi." Alice floated down to the ground, only to find out she was actually shorter than Yumi. I instantly saw Alice''s pride shattered, which made it hard not tough, but I didn''t want to crush the shattered pieces into dust.
"H-hey Nove." Yumi came out from hiding behind me and stood in front of Alice. Their simr height made it moreforting for Yumi, but certainly not Alice.
"Good, I have a few things to discuss with Nove now, so you can continue to clean or just rx, Yumi." Now that they were acquainted, I wanted to really sit down with Alice and exin everything. It also seemed like she had a lot of questions for me already, so no better time than now to ask them.
"Okay." Yumi nodded, still nervous about Nove, but it would only be a matter of time until Yumi gotfortable.
"Alright Nove, take a seat. There are a looooot of things I need to tell you. This world ispletely different from yours, so I''ll need to make sure you are caught up to speed." Besides my n to kill everyone, I also needed to get Alice ustomed to this world''smon knowledge and customs.
"I understand." Alice looked worried, which was fair. I was about to dump the entire world''s lore, so it will be quite daunting to remember.
"Don''t worry about remembering everything since even I struggle to do so, but there are some key things you need to know." I wanted to reassure her so she could listen to me calmly rather than staying tensed up as if there''ll be a quiz at the end.
"Phew, thank you." Alice looked relieved, but there was a determined look in her eyes like she wanted to remember everything.
"Enough wasting our time, let me begin with where we are."
Chapter 316 Understanding the world
Chapter 316 Understanding the world
<1 hourter>
We had a lengthy talk about how my current world works and the kinds of things Alice should be aware of. Most things Alice managed to understand, but there were a couple of concepts that just baffled her.
She found it hard to believe that everyone could use witchcraft, which is how she called her abilities. That led me to exin how we refer to it as magic and that everyone has an innate affinity for it. It also surprised her to learn that there isn''t really much of a racial hierarchy anymore and that generally all races are considered equal.
I also noticed her feelings towards other beings were mostly summed up by whether they seem tasty or not. ording to what Alice exined about her world, people would give themselves to maintain peace. It was an interesting idea, but that still doesn''t make their system right. Even if, say, it was only the elderly who gave themselves up, they were still tearing families apart. At any rate, if I want to convince her that not everyone is food I''ll need to help her get close to others so that she could see for herself how they''re not so different from her.
"With you mostly caught up, are there any questions?" Opening it up to Alice to ask anything, I expected at least another hour of back and forth before we are done.
"How should I treat people now? If we vampires are no longer the supreme beings, how am I meant to act?" Alice scratched her head. None of her experiences so far prepared her for this day.
"Just act like you are with me. You don''t have to treat everyone with respect or care. As long as you don''t bother them, they won''t bother you. There are a lot of unspoken rules between beings when ites tomunication, but that will take time to learn."
"The main thing I want you to realise is that people are not going to be afraid of you, neither will they ept your authority." It will be a big adjustment to her world view, but as long as she stays with me, I''m sure Alice will learn quickly how to fit in.
"Arghh, why didn''t my future self say anything about this?" Alice let herself fall back into the chair and looked up at the ceiling. It was probably an information overload, so maybe it''s best we stop for the time being.
"Just think, your future self was able to adjust to this world, so who says you can''t?" It felt cheap to use her future self as a way to justify everything, but I wasn''t wrong. She managed to live for 2000+ years without causing any major problems, so surely Alice can achieve the same.
"That also means I will eventually get a body like hers" While it''s possible her appearance was altered when we found her sealed, if it was all-natural then Alice indeed has a few growth spurts ahead of her.
"Anyway, feel free to ask questions anytime, but for now we should get some sleep." I looked at the time through the system and it was getting veryte.
"You know that, as a vampire, you just need to drink some blood and you can keep going." Alice looked at me confused as to why I was suggesting we sleep.
"Hang on, if that''s the case, when was thest time you slept?" I couldn''t believe what I was hearing. If just a bit of blood is enough to keep going then
''NO! I can''t be getting horny right now.''
"It''s been about a year now since I''vest slept. The beds were neverfortable, plus with how big the ce was there were plenty of chores to take care of... so I kept busy" Alice shrugged, feeling nothing wrong about staying awake for an entire year.
"That''s amazing that you don''t need to sleep, but honestly, you are missing out. Tonight you are sleeping in this bed and you will see what you have been missing out on." While on the surface I was parroting the advantages of sleep, another part of my mind was excitedly reviewing all the other benefits of being able to replenish my stamina on demand.
''I guess the only issue is having a supply of blood. I do have Shaman and ra, but taking too much blood will cause problems for them.
"O-oh okay, I guess I can try." Alice looked nervous, as there was only one bed and she didn''t expect to be sleeping, let alone sharing a bed.
"Trust me, you won''t regret it, plus there is nothing to do for like 6 hours unless you want me to stuff your head with more information." Alice seemed to be good at finding things to keep herself busy, but I was tired enough and had no intention to go in search of more work.
"T-true, I guess it would be boring to sit here and do nothing." Alice was unable to refute anything, plus there was no reason to decline.
"Well, I''m going to wash up first and, umm unwind before we get in bed." Having somehow gotten myself aroused, there was no better way to take care of it than some alone time in the bath.
"Want to hear another benefit? Drinking blood also has detoxifying capabilities." Once again, another great thing about being a vampire, and yet another demonstration that the only thing that interests Alice is blood
"That''s great and all Nove, but I swear, there are more things to enjoy in life than just sucking people''s blood. I am going to show you every leisure activity there is, just so you can see how far technology hase." If I was to rehabilitate Alice, I''m gonna have to change her mindset, and her obsession with blood will definitely only make things difficult down the line.
"I''ll believe you if this bed is the best thing I''ve ever slept in." Alice was still highly sceptical of these ims, but I couldn''t wait to see her reaction after she realised how right I was.
"We''ll see about that." I got up from the bed, making my way to the bathroom to have some alone time. It was also a great chance to message Shaman and update her on my progress.
''I can imagine she is worried about me.'' Once I was in the bathroom, I let the bath fill with hot water while I drafted up a message to send. However, when I opened up the chat system, I was bombarded with notifications.
[ELYSIA, WHY DID YOU SET YOUR PICTURE LIKE THAT!? YOU KNOW SILVER AND ELANOR CAN SEE IT TOO?]
[ALSO IT MAKES IT ALL THE MORE AGONISING, KNOWING THAT I CAN SEE THEM BUT CAN''T TOUCH THEM!!!!!!]
[10+ messages]
[Elysia, for the sake of me and Shaman, please change to a more appropriate profile picture. Silver also wanted me to tell you this: "I don''t like seeing my mother''s massive cleavage every time I want to message her." So um, please change it. Kindly ra]
"..."
''I didn''t think it was that bad.'' Looking at my profile again, maybe it was a little too raunchy.
''I guess I''ll take a new photo before I undress.'' Deciding to listen to them so they''d stop bombarding me with messages, I went through the process of taking a photo again. This time it was just a photo of my face with my fangs poking out and my typical crazy smile.
''There, surely they can''t yell at me now.'' With a safer picture now set and bath at the ready, it was time to rx
**
"How did she survive in the dungeon?" mming my fist onto the desk, I was infuriated to see that my granddaughter hade out of a dungeon in only a day,pletely unscathed. Elysia even suddenly gained the demeanor of a vampire queen.
"I-it was as if she knew theyout of the ce already. She sessfully avoided Alucard three times and dealt with regr vampires like they were nothing." The cloaked figure in front of me reported what he saw, but I simply couldn''t believe it. My granddaughter sessfully evaded one of the most powerful dungeon creatures there are.
"Also, after entering Alucard''s home, she came out obtaining vampiric powers that seemed to be on par with Alucard''s, though she has yet to master them. As for the tiny vampire who came out with her, unfortunately I am unsure of their true origins."
''How!? How is this even fucking possible?! I''ve tried for so long to find our queen''s legacy yet Elysia finds it on her first day!!'' Hearing more and more of the report added fuel to my anger.
A message left behind by my father was to pass the trial of the dungeon and obtain the vampire queen''s knowledge. However, after years of fighting Alucard, I still hadn''t been able to find this knowledge.
''It should have been mine!'' There was no doubt in my mind that Elysia''s sudden transformation was rted to this secret knowledge, but it left the question of how. I tapped my desk, trying to think if there were any external factors that I have failed to predict.
There was the fact that Elysia came back willingly, so did she already know about this legacy or? did the legacy call to her on its own?
''Do I just ept it and make her the queen of the Dahlia family?'' I didn''t want to give up my position so easily, but right now Elysia has the right to it.
''I need to test her loyalty to the family.'' My pride was taking a hit, but there is nothing more disgraceful than denying tradition. If fate has made her the ruler, then all I can do is make sure she bes the most ruthless one in history.
"What are your next orders, my lord?" The cloaked figure kneeled, awaiting my orders, but I couldn''t care less what he does. I had other priorities to focus on, so the dungeon was the least of my concerns at the moment.
"Leave, figure out how she found Queen Alice''s legacy and don''t return unless you find something concrete."
Chapter 317 Test of Loyalty
Chapter 317 Test of Loyalty
The days afterward had been rather uneventful. After inheriting Alice''s power and gaining myself a newpanion, there wasn''t much for me to do. I bumped into Teivel a few times when exploring the mansion and it was clear from his expression that he wasn''t fond of me.
Meing out of the dungeon must have ruined some kind of n of his, which has resulted in me getting followed everywhere I go. I hadn''t seen who it was, but I kept catching glimpses of them, not to mention I could often vaguely sense their mana from somewhere behind me.
Even in my room, there was no longer any privacy during the day, making it hard for me to teach Alice without it being suspicious. It also made it hard for Yumi to rx since, if she was caught, it would likely mean her death.
''Maybe I should deal with them just so that they are out of the way.'' I really wanted to turn around and grab whoever it was by the neck, but then I risked angering Teivel. Something just needed to happen soon, otherwise I''ll end up doing something stupid.
"Elysia."
As I was making my way back to my room, Teivel called out my name, which was unexpected. He had stayed away from me and avoided saying a single word until now.
"Yes grandfather?" I turn around to face him, but my face meets his chest. Teivel stood ufortably close and I almost attacked him out of instinct because of it. I had even started conjuring up a me before stopping myself just a moment before it appeared, but from the twitching of his lips he clearly noticed my reaction.
"Come with me." Leaving no time to even ask a single question, he teleported us with his mes.
We appeared atop a rooftop in the underground city, getting a great view of some sort of fight that was taking ce below us. A ragged ck haired kitsune was being tackled to the ground by a few other male Kitsune. From what I could gather, it seemed like they were catching a food thief.
"I want you to deal with this criminal." Giving me only one instruction, it was clear he was testing me for something.
"Do you want me to punish him? It seems like they have it under control." I wanted more rity on what my role was, as I didn''t see a point in stepping in. The man was already captured and from the looks of things, he was about to be beaten up.
"Do what you think the Queen of the Dahlia''s should do." Teivel gave me a cold re and I took that as a warning not to ask any more questions. His answer though was enough to clue me in about the kind of response he is looking for.
''Looks like it''s time for my ruthless queen act.'' Gazing down at the people below, I quickly thought of what I wanted to say.
"Bastard! Stealing our food! It''s hard enough to bring food back for everyone and here you are stealing it for yourself!" One of the Kitsune was scolding the man for his actions, which confirmed my assumptions.
"Halt!" Wanting to get everyone''s attention, I yelled from the roof, causing everyone to look up. In my head, I envisioned myself walking down some fiery stairs, but I wasn''t sure if I could even create a solid tform out of fire.
So instead of embarrassing myself, I hopped off the roof and gracefullynded in front of the apprehended man. There were some confused looks, which I imagine was because they had no idea who I was. However, there was a clear disparity in clothing between us so they understood I was someone important.
"My name is Elysia Dahlia and I see we have a filthy crinimal here." As soon as I said my name, the people watching began to whisper in disbelief.
"The lost daughter?"
"She has returned?"
"Wasn''t she pronounced dead?"
There were many questions about my existence, which was no doubt part of the reason for this test.
"You two sit him up." I red at the two kitsune that were holding the thief to lift him up from the ground so he could make eye contact with me. They hesitated to listen to my orders at first, but it didn''t take them long to cave in. After all, if I were the real deal, then defying me meant antagonizing the Dahlia family.
Once the thief was upright, I conjured up my blood red me, causing an audible gasp from everyone around me. I assumed my mes were proof of my heritage, dispelling any doubts they may have had.
"Now tell me thief, why shouldn''t I burn you alive right here and now?" I nned to burn him to ashes regardless, but I wanted to give a sense of false hope. Teivel seemed to be the type to y with their food before getting rid of them, so this should be an enjoyable watch for him.
"B-because I was hungry I HAD NO CHOICE. YOUR DAMN FAMILY DOES NOTHING FOR US!!! WE SUFFER WHILE YOU LIVE LAVISHLY IN THAT MANSION OF YOURS!!!"
Something had clearly snapped inside of this man. Strangely enough, a quick nce tells me that people are living fine here, but I guess not everyone is as fortunate.
*Sigh* "Step away you two." Knowing what was about to happen, the kitsune shoved the thief to the ground and quickly backed off. With a click of my fingers, the thiefbusted into red mes as I absorbed his life essence.
Under normal circumstances, I would have just let the guy go, but I had no room to be nice.
Taking a quick look around, I saw many people cower in fear while others bowed down in hopes that they wouldn''t be next on the menu. While I had no intention to cause any more harm, I still held my cold stare until I was teleported away by Teivel.
''I really need to learn how he does it. There is no way our mes alone can teleport someone, there must be some trick to it.'' Being able to quickly teleport to other ces was a really handy tool, but I wouldn''t even know where to begin to learn it.
"It seems like my doubts were unfounded. Maybe it is indeed the Queen''s will that you are to take over the throne." Appearing inside Teivel''s office, he stood with his back turned to me.
"Why else would Ie back if I weren''t here to join the family?" It frustrated me that I had to y along with wanting to be part of the family, but it was a necessary act in order to avenge my parents.
"You make a good point. It was almost too good to be true, but then again, miracles can still happen." Judging from the tone, it really seemed like Teivel was convinced I''m here to stay.
''All going ording to n so far.'' If things keep up like this soon I''ll be able to inherit grandfather''s knowledge only to use it against him, as well as annihte everyone connected to my bloodline.
"So, when am I going to rule this ce? Surely that was the point of that little test back then, wasn''t it?" Taking a gamble on the forward approach, I hoped that it wouldn''t backfire.
"Ha! You sound just like your grandmother did when we inherited the throne." I hit perfectly with my gamble, now all that was left was confirmation.
"Starting tomorrow, I will teach you how I rule this ce as well as some of the magical techniques that have been passed down. However, this does not mean that you can rx. I still do not fully trust that you are here in good faith, but if you can prove me wrong and beat me, then this ce is yours tomand." Teivel faced me with a crazy smile, which served as a warning, but also showing some true eptance, finally weing me back into the family for real.
''Now I know where I get my smile from.''
"Sounds like a challenge. I''m sure it won''t be long until I take over everything." It seems continuing my bold remarks served to amuse Teivel.
"Just wait and see what kind of training I will put you through. It took me years to learn everything, so don''t think it will be handed to you on a silver tter." Little does he know I have a system that literally lets me cheat. It made me excited to see the shocked expression on his face when I master all the skills in only a matter of a few weeks.
''Fufu~ I''m going to have so much fun toying with him before I finally kill him.'' It was difficult holding back my urge to kill Teivel so far. Now though, those thoughts were easily eclipsed as I hyped myself to crush this challenge and then kill him with the very skills he taught me.
"I''ll be sure to work hard and learn as much as I can, grandfather."
Chapter 318 Stake of Souls
Chapter 318 Stake of Souls
After sessfully gaining some trust from my grandfather, the hardest part of my n was finallyplete. All I needed to do was solidify his trust until he finally passed on the family head title.
I didn''t know how long it would take, but my goal was to be finished in a year at most. There is no telling when The Pope may act again, making it feel like holding a bomb that could go off at any moment.
I also can''t forget the ordeal with Freja. Even now we still don''t know why she was working with The Pope to seal Shaman''s parents. There were a lot of moving parts, making me wonder how Shaman isn''t overwhelmed by all this pressure.
She is being pushed into the hero role because of her unique abilities, but will it even be enough? We are all trying to get to Tier 10 as quickly as we can, but surely there are others who are better positioned to handle this matter.
''This isn''t a problem I should be thinking about now. I''m sure we are not the only ones who will be fighting. Aside from the Demonnds there is also Elfheim, which has some strong fighters of its own who will likely follow nor into battle.
''For now, I''ll just focus on getting stronger and avenging my parents. I''m sure everything will be fine I hope.'' While immersed in my own thoughts, I was sitting in Teivel''s office, waiting for him to return. He said there were a few books I will need to read, as well as some tools I should get familiar with.
I didn''t know what tools could be all that useful, but perhaps they are needed for some kind of initiation process.
Speaking of Teivel, a fireball suddenly conjured up in the middle of the room right in front of me. Out of the fire came not just my grandfather, but stacks of books manifested as well, stacked so tall that they just about reached my height. It was daunting to look at, as I couldn''t imagine reading all this without the system.
It would take me weeks just to get through them and probably months to fully understand them.
"Read those at your own pace, but I highly rmend you get started quickly as some of these contain spells that will be extremely useful for you." At the mention of spells, I instantly thought of the teleportation fire that he has been using this entire time. It would make things so much easier if I was able to just relocate in an instant.
"Now, before we move on to training you, first I need to register you as a proper family member." Walking over to his desk, he took a seat and waved his hand over the desk, revealing a few items.
They consisted of a stake and a stone tablet, which had a bunch of engravings on it. I was a bit sceptical of the stake, as I''m pretty sure it''s meant to be used to kill vampires.
"And what does that entail?" Thest thing I wanted was to enter some kind of blood contract and never be able to leave this ce. I wouldn''t put it past Teivel to use some kind of method to keep me here forever.
"First, I will need to take some of your blood and, using this stake, I will engrave your name on the tablet. This is more of a tradition, but with that you will be officially recognised as the heir of the Dahlia family." Having heard the process, I couldn''t help but feel there was something off about that tablet.
''System, inspect that tablet.'' I wanted to be sure that it was just a tablet and not some kind of artifact.
[Tablet of inheritance]
[There is nothing special about the tablet itself. However, it has been inscribed by magic to bind souls.]
I quickly skimmed the system message and turned my focus to the stake, which appeared to be made of simple wood at first nce.
[Stake of souls]
[Origin unknown. An item that uses blood in order to bind souls together. Affects only those of the same bloodline. Anyone who is added will end up absorbing all the memories of the previously bound souls. However, if the original user''s blood is drawn again, it will release all the souls within the stake.]
[Disimer: Those bound would still be under these effects no matter what happens to the item and regardless of whether the souls are released.]
''Oh no.'' Not only had my fears materialised, but it also rified the source of Teivel''s deeply held beliefs. His entire persona originated from the umtion of memories from all past family members into one person.
''If I let him take my blood, I will just be him and everything will go to waste.'' I didn''t want to get too close, but I also knew that Teivel would kill me if I did not follow through.
"I assure you there are no tricks. Now give me your hand." Teivel stared at me, waiting for me to offer my hand.
''Hang on, who is the original owner?'' It urred to me that Alice either created or discovered this stake. I bet she made us inherit our ancestor''s memories as a way to allow her beloved to live on forever.
''If that''s the case, aren''t I technically the owner now? I''ve inherited her will and abilities so that only leaves an issue of whether it will recognize her through my blood. It would be a gamble to follow through, but if it recognises me as the original owner, then the effects will be void.''
"Can I look at the tablet first? I want to see the names." In case something went wrong, I needed to message Shaman, so I needed to buy myself some time. Her mentor is an expert in souls, so in the worst-case scenario, shees and saves me.
"Go ahead." Teivel narrowed his eyes, suspicious of my actions, but also epting that my request wasn''t unreasonable.
Picking it up from his desk, I instantly opened up my system window and quickly wrote a message to the group chat.
[Guys, I am about to take a gamble, which may result in my soul being corrupted. Still, as long as things work out as they should I''ll be fine probably. If I do not act like my usual self, assume the worst has happened. Love you all and pray for me.]
With my assurance set in ce, I returned the tablet and held out my hand to Teivel.
"I''m ready." This was such a stupid idea, but I''m willing to do anything for this revenge n to work.
"Let''s begin then." A wide smile appeared on Teivel''s face as he gripped the stake in his hand. There was no doubt that he knew the effects of the stake and surely he felt like he had just won.
He took hold of my hand and gave me a light stab wound, leaving a tiny pool of blood in my palm. Once the stake waspletely covered with my blood he withdrew and started writing my name on the tablet.
I saw as he wrote each letter, each one glowing a faint red, as though magic were at work.
[Warning! An entity is trying to invade the user''s mind!]
I was surprised to see that the system was reacting and appeared to be actively defending me. The system was already up in arms and that''s before my name was even fully engraved. Would it be able to resist the artefact once its magic was in full effect?.
[Warning! An entity is trying to invade the user''s mind! Do you wish to let the entity enter your mind?]
Teivel had finally finished writing down my name and it began to sink into the tablet. Along with it, the system asked me if I wanted to allow this entity to enter my consciousness. The obvious answer was no, but it still intrigued me how the system implied it could prevent the stake''s effect in its entirety.
Though I knew the system was beyond reality, I mistakenly believed it to be merely a simple application, incapable of reacting toplex situations, especially since Rea was no longer keeping an eye on us. It also made me think of the time back in Ebonscale when the skeleton knight mentally attacked Shaman.
''No.'' I turned down the request and saw Teivel staring at me as though he was waiting for something to happen. It seemed to shock him that my name was now on the tablet and nothing was happening.
Suddenly, the tablet cracked down in the middle, splitting almost in half. A bunch of light green orbs were released as it finally crumbled into pieces after a few more cracks appeared. These, I suppose, were the entities that attempted to enter my consciousness, freed from their servitude now that the tablet was broken.
"WHAT!? HOW!?" Teivel got to his feet, confused and furious, but then something clicked.
"Who are you?" I had no idea what conclusion he had reached, but since being acknowledged as the original owner was one of the requirements to free the souls, I might be able to take advantage of that.
"I am your dear granddaughter, Elysia. Who else would I be?" I intended to rile him up to see what kind of desperate face he would make, so I spoke in such a nonchnt way that there was no way in hell he''d believe me.
"No! Tell me who you really are, Elysia!?" Teivel pushed his desk so hard it crumbled to pieces and proceeded to tower over me, trying to scare me into giving an answer.
*Sigh* "Should you be treating a queen so rudely?" Knowing that I have Alice''s power, I pushed mana through my body cloaking myself in a thick red aura. My pupils resembled that of a cat, and my eyes shone a bright red light.
"N-No, this can''t be Alice?"
Chapter 319 Winning over my grandfather
Chapter 319 Winning over my grandfather
I looked down as my grandfather fell to his knees, concluding that I had be Alice. It wasn''t my intention to roley as her, but right now this was the most convenient way to force my grandfather to submit to me.
"You finally get it. I am still very much Elysia, but thanks to you sending me to my death, I got back what was mine." I didn''t want to keep the act up forever, so I tried to act as if our souls had merged, which isn''t entirely wrong.
"Y-you knew?" My grandfather''s face turned shocked upon hearing that I knew his ns. It was an educated guess, but then he went and admitted that it was his intention from the very beginning.
"Who do you think I am? Of course I knew. Who would send their granddaughter to a dungeon with monsters that are beyond her tier?" Saying it out loud, it really was obvious. Then again, he never expected me toe back alive.
"I-I am deeply sorry, please look past this transgression. It was just too good to be true for Elysia to suddenlye back to the family. I refuse to risk putting our family teachings falling to the hands of our enemies." Lowering his head to the ground, he definitely tempted me to stomp on it now and get my revenge. Still, it would have been too easy. I wanted to take away everything before crushing him.
"I suppose I will this time, as it facilitated my return, but dare going against me again and I will have your head crushed instantly." Letting my red aura re up again, I saw my grandfather quiver in fear. However, something felt off, this whole situation felt a little too easy.
"Yeah right." My intuition was on the money, as suddenly my grandfather''s tone changed. Firences appeared just above his head and headed straight towards me.
"Bastard!" Turning my body sideways, the firences just barely grazed my chest and back, but then I noticed that the attack was kind of weak. Was he holding back? Or was he just weaker than I expected?.
Nheless, I took advantage of the fact that I dodged his initial strike and covered my feet in mes. I then stomped down on his back, setting his suit aze and leaving an imprint of my heel on his back.
"Arghhh!!!" The geezer didn''t bother to move away, but that''s when I noticed his body was also changing. I saw that his slick ck hair had turned grey and that his limbs were bing thinner. He started to look his age, whatever has kept him looking young now seemingly gone.
"T-this can''t be." He looked up at me in pain with a raspy voice. Not wanting to identally kill him, I dismissed the mes around my foot.
"It seems like all that borrowed power is finally gone, and you just used thest of it." With a smug grin, I triumphed over him, as now I was inplete control.
''So, what''s going on here? Did he lose his powers because I released the souls of our ancestors and invalidated the contract? Or are the powers meant to be passed down along with the memories? His traitorous personality has remained the same so he clearly hasn''t lost those Whatever, it''s all in the past now.''
"To be reduced to such a state by a fraud." My grandfather gripped the hem of my dress in frustration, but even his grab was weak. I didn''t want his filthy hands on me, so I quickly kicked them away, almost snapping them just from the little force I applied.
"That''s no way to treat your new queen. Now, grandfather~, I need you to pass over the family''s legacy to your sweet granddaughter." Squatting down, I held a me in my hand and put it dangerously close to his face so he could feel the heat, but not close enough to burn him.
I saw the anger build in his eyes, but in his current state he couldn''t even begin to conjure up a spell. For one who killed many, he knew all too well that the worst form of death was to be burned alive.
"O-over my dead body!" To my surprise, he tried to deny me.
"I would have thought that you''d cave in, as above all else, the Dahlia family is about self-preservation. Is it not my dear grandfather?" I brought the me a tiny bit closer, causing his skin to slowly melt.
"Y-you win, get away from me!" His desperation finally gave in to fear, realizing that I was serious about killing him. He was too stubborn to die, especially with all of our ancestors whispering in his ears for hundreds of years.
"That''s what I like to hear! Now, you are going to be a good grandfather and do as I say from now on." Putting on my most sinister smile, I waited for him to fully surrender so that I could abuse the hell out of him.
"My lord!" However, bursting through the door were my grandfather''sckeys, who had caught wind of what was going on.
"You dare threaten our lord!" Drawing their swords, daggers, and rapiers, they pointed them at me, ready to attack.
*Sigh* "Looks like we need some reform around here." Standing up, I dusted off my hands and red at the men.
"Listen here, fools. I am the queen of this ce now, and you have no say in the matter. As you can see, your Lord is in no shape to lead, so I suggest you stand down." I waited for their response, but I expected the worst-case scenario where I would have to fight them.
There was hesitation on their faces when looking at the old, beaten Teivel and me. There was a low chance for them to drop their weapons, as I''m sure their loyalty runs deep. They were likely distant blood rtives, as they were all ck-haired kitsune with red eyes.
I could imagine they had been staying loyal to Teivel for many years, not to mention some in this family should still have aspirations of inheriting Teivel''s throne. So why would they bow to some self-proimed queen that came out of nowhere? Still, just as I told Teivel before, self-preservation is a big principle amongst us.
"Don''t listen to her! Kill her now!" Teivel yelled out, giving his order. It was met with hesitation, but in the end hate prevailed as they moved to follow his orders.
"I forgot there was a stubborn fool on the floor." I had anticipated this result, so might as well remind Teivel who he is dealing with by using his men as an example.
The eight men charged at me, covering every angle they could to prevent my escape.
That wouldn''t matter of course, as theming to me just saves me the time of hunting them down. It would contribute to my long-term goal of exterminating my family, so it was a small teaser for what''s toe.
Additionally, I could tell that they had very little training based on the way they were attacking. Compared to the monsters I had previously faced, particrly Alucard, their movements appeared incredibly slow.
Teivel most likely did not want anyone strong enough to start a revolt, especially considering the dire circumstances in the city. As expected from my family, instead of addressing the problem we just deal with the dissidents.
It made me feel a slight bit of pity for them, but that was all they would get from me.
With them only a couple of metres away from me, I swiftly dodged past their des. Their overly telegraphed swings were easily avoided while I picked my first target.
As I skilfully sidestepped their des, I caught the final man by the face after his swing went wide, instantly igniting his entire body. His screams echoed through the mansion, and I enjoyed every second of it. Sucking vitality out of him with my mes felt so good it was almost addicting. It quenched the long-simmering need I had for retribution.
"Who''s next?" It appeared that the previous disy was insufficient as the now horrified assants were still holding tight to their weapons. In order to truly convey how hopeless things were for them, I chose to take offence this time.
Toote it dawned on them that I was not even making use of my full potential as I took my spear from my inventory. It was the ideal opportunity for me to show off my newly acquired spear skills, as I had not had the chance to use them much.
"What are you doing!? Kill he-" Stabbing the spear into the ground right in front of Teivel''s face, I forced him to shut up. Honestly, hearing his voice while I was in this murderous mood might just push me to kill him before thinking it over.
"Prepare to die for your new queen!" It was time to taste some sweet revenge for my parents, so I charged full speed towards the group of seven.
Chapter 320 Getting My Inheritance
Chapter 320 Getting My Inheritance
As I quickly approached my seven opponents, they seemed frozen in fear as it dawned on them that they could easily die to a single touch. Adding insult to injury, I covered the de of my spear in fire, twirling it towards them as I closed the distance. That seemed to pull them out of their daze as just before we shed the 3 closest ones dived out of the way like their life depended on it, my spear missing them by a thread.
''Let''s have a little fun.'' I could have followed up immediately, but I wanted to toy with them just to show Teivel how hopeless his situation really was. He had lost all his power, yet somehow he still thinks to contain me with but a few soldiers that are barely even tier 5?
As theds got their barings back and moved to surround me, I let them do as they please, waiting for the right moment to counter-attack.
"Die!" They all dashed towards me, each one going for different vital spots. If there was one thing to give Teivel credit for, it was that his underlings were properly trained.
As I began spinning my spear, I paid careful attention to my opponent''s attacks, moving to block those from the front and side-step those from behind. Spinning my spear in front of me, I deflected the first 2 dagger strikes, my overwhelming strength literally shattering the opposing kitsune''s hands.
Their screams of agony reverberated through the room causing some of the others to hesitate. Turning to face the other five, I threw my spear, skewering two more kitsune to the wall. Extending my fire as naturally as if it was an extra limb, I pulled my spear out of the wall, releasing the now smouldering bodies.
I finally had proper control over my mes, to the point I could even pick up objects to carry around like I did with my spear. It gave me more freedom when it came to using my spear and reduced my reliance on my bow for ranged attacks.
Thest three kitsunes backed away from me, absolutely terrified. I had effortlessly taken out everyone without getting touched and now it was their turn to be massacred.
Not wanting to get into a lengthy chase, I hoped forward towards them. Once I was within range, I spun on my feet to gather momentum and swung horizontally with one hand to cut them in half. However, right as my spear was about to make contact with one of the kitsune, they fell to their knees and bowed. The other two kitsune were not so fortunate and were cut in half, instantly getting all their life force drained.
"I deeply a-apologise for my actions, my Queen." The kitsune kept his head low, not daring to move. He still shook with fear, but that didn''t matter. I never wanted their respect or loyalty, being feared was good enough in my books.
"Oh my~ what an interesting turn of events. What are you going to do now, Teivel?" I returned my attention to Teivel, who was still on his knees, staring in shock.
"H-how?" Teivel muttered, his words barelyprehensible. His ageing still hadn''t stopped and he was looking more like a corpse with every passing moment.
"Tsk, at this rate, you will bepletely useless." I didn''t know how much time I had left before he turned into a vegetable. Without his knowledge of our entire family legacy, I could spend weeks searching for everything.
"You, how much do you know about the Dahlia''s?" ring at the still-bowing Kitsune, I hoped he would have some answers, considering he and his flock seemed to hang around Teivel all the time.
"N-not much, but t-the head maid is the closest with Lo- Teivel so I can imagine she knows a lot of t-the secrets." Without showing any restraint, he shared everything he knew, proving himself to be somewhat useful. I nned to just kill him to break Teivel''s spirit even more, but he may be more useful than I initially thought.
"Fool! you dare defy me?!" Hearing the kitsune''s insubordination riled up Teivel. He tried to get closer but instead miserably fell to the floor.
"See, no one wants to follow you, so why don''t you be a good granddad and tell me where everything is?" Squatting in front of Teivel, I held up his chin with the tip of my spear, which was smeared in his underling''s blood.
"I-I should have killed you when I could." He was still refusing to budge, the hatred in his eyes only growing with each passing moment. At this point, it was better to kill him than try to convince him.
''I hope the head maid will be able to tell where everything is. If I had to guess, she is usually always by his side, with no one to vent to. He probably talks to her a lot, knowing he has full control of her life.'' It would be a gamble, but that will have to be myst resort if I really can''t extract any information.
His fast ageing certainly seemed to be affecting his mental faculties. It would not be long before he goes senile.
"I''m going to ask again. If you don''t want you and your entire bloodline to be killed by me, then tell me where everything is." Putting on my menacing smile paired with a fake threat, I hoped his self-preservation instincts would shine through.
"Ha.. haha HAHAHA, I WILL NEVER TELL YOU!!" Teivelughed hysterically, as though something had snapped inside him and he was high on something.
*Sigh* ''Nove, can youe here and tell Yumi to gather the maids?'' With my connection to Alice, I have already found out that as long as we''re in range, we canmunicate telepathically. It was a vampire-exclusive ability, and has been our only method of safemunication as ofte.
''Jeez, what is going on?'' Alice sounded worried and rightly so, considering I was yet to return and have been too busy to assure her of my safety till now. She wouldn''t admit she was worried of course as she is a bit of a tsundere.
''Teivel is basically half dead and I''m trying to get information out of him. As for what''s going to happen, I am taking over this entire underground city as its ruler right now.'' Giving a quick rundown, I had left Alice speechless, so I had to remind her to get to it.
"I hope you are ready to be humiliated to death." Pushing slightly with my spear, I caused a small slice on his neck. I was trying to push as far as I could without killing him, hoping he would give up on his pride.
However, his body looked so fragile that a gust of wind could kill him, so some restraint was needed.
"Do your worst!" Teivel smiled at me with a crazed look that told me he was too far gone. His mind must have already been driven to madness by the aftereffects of his broken contract.
''Looks like I know where I get my crazy smile from.'' This family was cruel enough to drive anyone to madness. Teivel''s insanity wasn''t new, it''s just that he finally lost whatever little sanity was keeping him together.
*Bang*
The door mmed open, revealing some maids and a floating Alice. The light illuminated the room, fully revealing the blood-covered walls and floor. And as the centrepiece to this horror show there was me, covered in blood with a spear held up to the decrepit-looking Teivel''s neck. The lone Kitsune that remained alive was still bowing, which wasmendable as the blood of hisrades had been pooling around him.
I expected hed be sitting back up by now, but he must be serious about showing me his newly developed loyalty.
"W-what?!" The maids gasped in unison, some even screaming at the sight of the few bodies that had yet to be consumed by my mes. I didn''t want to scare them, but oh well, it''s a sight they will get used to.
The head maid however, did not make a sound. Instead, she stared at me and Teivel with her usual stern face. I wanted to know what was going through her mind as I banked on her revelling in this chaos.
"Ladies, I would like to announce I have be the new ruler of this ce! This half-dried corpse before you is your old master Teivel. He has be a shrivelled-up piece of flesh on hisst legs. I offer you a chance to get your revenge on him right here right now." Standing up, I walked towards the maids to get a better look at their reactions, especially the head maid.
There was a slight change in her face as if it were about to falter or break like a mask that was about toe off.
"Did you do all this? What does that mean for us?" There was a slight raspiness in her voice when speaking.
"Yes, that was my doing. As for you all, I can assure you that your freedom will be guaranteed. I may still need you to hang around for a short while, but I can promise no more maids will be killed as long as I am here." Giving the head maid a slight bow to show my sincerity, I hoped this was enough to coax her.
"W-what about him?" The head maid sounded like she was on the verge of tears. After all that she''s been through, it all must have felt too good to be true.
"You can do whatever you want. He is useless to me now, so kill him if you want." Even if the head maid cannot tell me everything, I''m sure I will find all that I need sooner orter.
"Girls Time to do some dirty work." Still holding the tears in, rage began to take over the head maid. I didn''t know what she had nned, but I was definitely going to watch.
Chapter 321 Taking over a city
321 Taking over a city
*Crack* *Bang* *Snap*
Taking a seat on Teivel''s desk, I watched as the maids dragged Teivel to the middle of the room and began beating him to death. There were about eight of them, all attacking him without any restraint. Some were even crying joyfully as they let out all their frustrations, especially the headmaid. In fact, once she had the go-ahead she even let out a maniacalugh before swiftly moving on Teivel. The one kitsune that I kept alive watched in horror while witnessing his previous lord be humiliated by the very people they considered low lives. ''Hmm, what to do with him? Eventually I will kill him, but I still need to act like a ruler for a while so having some minions mighte in handy.'' Some tests had to be done to see if he truly would ept me as his Queen. For all I knew, it was all an borate n to kill me eventually. "W-what is it, my Queen?" When he noticed my gaze, he bowed again, cing his head on the ground. "I want you to make preparations for my big announcement. Time to let everyone know that I''d be taking over this city." I might as well make use of him for now, so I assigned him some tasks. "A-as you wish! Do you want everyone to gather in the main square or will you broadcast your announcement city-wide?" When given the two options, the best one was probably to show myself to everyone rather than just sending a message. "Gather them all." "Right away." He quickly rose from the floor and exited the room. "Are you sure about that?" Alice floated over, licking her bloodied fingers. As soon as she walked into the room with the maids, she went straight for the bodies that were still dripping with blood. "No, but things are moving more quickly than I anticipated. I expected Teivel to teach me everything before he was killed, but instead he tried to bind my soul, which as you can see did not go well for him." I was still uneasy about the situation, but there was not much I could do about it. I had to ept it and live with the decisions I had made.
If I had it my way, I would have yed along with the soul binding, but rejecting it caused my peaceful approach to crumble. N?v(el)B\\jnn
"It shouldn''t be too much of a problem. From what I''ve seen, the people here are brainwashed, so as long as you don''t make any radical changes they will follow you." When Alice gave her opinion, I raised an eyebrow. Since when did she leave the mansion and interact with the people outside? "And how do you know this will be the case?" I did not know when she could have left considering we spend almost every waking moment together... So she must have been sneaking out at night. Not that I can tell whether it is night half the time, but it makes sense now. She does not need to sleep, so she probably uses the opportunity to explore the city to pass the time. "Ahaha, it looks like you figured it out. Trust me, I made sure to not attract any attention. I just took some blood every now and again while watching idiots fight each other." Since I was giving her an unimpressed look, Alice let out a nervousugh. "Whatever, not like it matters anymore." It was pointless to be angry, and I did not want to control her as if she were a dog on a leash. She is experiencing a new world, so it is probably for the best that she is exploring. ''There is only so much I can teach her through words.'' Focusing back on the bashing, I saw that Teivel had long died. His eyes no longer had any life in them, but the maids didn''t stop hitting him. They were determined topletely mince his body until there was nothing left. 10:50
Focusing back on the bashing, I saw that Teivel had long died. His eyes no longer had any life in them, but the maids didn''t stop hitting him. They were determined topletely mince his body until there was nothing left. "Good jobdies. He is dead so feel free to head back, but by all means keep going if you want to." I praised the maids for their efforts. However, they were just wasting time at this point. The Headmaid was the first to stop as the others still had not finished venting, which came as a surprise. I would have thought she harboured the most amount of anger yet she was the first to stop. "Headmaid Malinda is at your service." She kneeled right before me, presenting yet another unexpected development. "Are you sure? This is your chance to regain your freedom." It wasn''t that much of a hassle to release them and I''m sure that is what they are all yearning for. "I understand that you can grant us our freedom, but I''ve heard of the kindness you''ve shown Yumi and have concluded you are a kind person. So, I speak for all us maids when I say that we would like to give you a hand. At the very least, we would like to repay you for our newfound freedom." Malinda did not waver in her words and it prompted the other maids to follow suit. Despite the pools of blood on the floor, they still got on one knee and bowed to me. "Hah, today sure is full of surprises. I will dly ept your help then. Besides, I still need your assistance in locating all of Teivel''s possessions." Hearing how willing they were to help me made clear that getting information out of Malinda would be much easier than expected. "Of course, I''ll do the best I can to provide as much information as possible." "Good, If you are finished with Teivel''s corpse, then a clean-up is in order. After that, I want you to gather everything in this room rted to the Dahlias. I want books, items and anything else that may be of significance. Of course, find me if you need a hand with anything." Giving out my orders, all the maids nodded and Malinda led the charge. She delegated tasks, with some cleaning up the blood and others searching for my requested items. "At least things are going smoothly now." Alice kicked her legs in the air and floated around as if she was in space. I had no idea how her wings allowed her to defy physics, but I did not have time to investigate. "Yep, although I don''t know what I should be doing. I''ve never ruled over anything before in my life." It was bing increasingly apparent to me that I had no idea what the hell I was doing. "First, you should clean yourself up." Alice gestured to all the blood on my clothes and skin. "That is a good first step. A bath will probably do me good, and it will also give me a chance to exin the situation to Shaman." Some rxation was in order, so I hopped off the desk and made my way back to my room. "Nove, stay in the office and report to me about anything that happens." If there was anything that needed my immediate attention, Alice could let me know straight away. "Understood ma''am." Alice gave a small salute, making me question where she even learned that gesture. *
Opening the door to my room, I spotted Yumi, who was humming away while cleaning some dust. "Elysia! You''re back!" She hurried over and hugged me as soon as she saw me enter. "Yes, I am back in one piece." "What happened?" Curious about what had happened in Teivel''s office, Yumi looked up at me. Her fellow protective maids sent the young girl to hide when themotion started, and with their newly assigned workload it would seem she was left out of the loop. "I have some great news, Teivel is dead and I am now the ruler of this ce." Casually exining what happened, I saw the dumbfounded look on Yumi''s face when hearing the news. "Wait, really? You are not joking? I am free of that bastard?" I can imagine it being hard to believe at first, but there wasn''t anything more to it. "Yes really. You are free now." Reassuring her that everything I said was true, Yumi quickly burst into tears. She hadn''t been serving at the mansion for long, but the pain she had already gone through was too much for such a young girl. With her parents avenged, she could now move on with her life, knowing that monster was no longer alive. "I-I-I" Yumi was unable to form any words, but she didn''t need to. "Shhh, it''s okay." Yumi sobbed into my chest as I wrapped my arms around her. She was covered in blood from hugging me, but that was the least of her worries. "T-thank you so much." Yumi managed to get some words out through her sobs. Not that there was any need to thank me, since killing him was always part of my n all along. "There is no need to thank me. How about we go jump into the bath and calm ourselves down?" Offering to head to the bath, Yumi loosened her grip around me and looked up at me, nodding. We then both headed to the bathroom to get some much-needed rxation.
Chapter 322 Beginning of the end
322 Beginning of the end
<1 hour after Teivel''s death> After filling Yumi in on the details of what has already happened and what must now follow, it was finally time to get busy and extract everything that this ce had to offer. It would take me at least a few weeks to extract every bit of information, as I didn''t want to overload my brain. Last time I did that, it gave me a massive headache, so it''s best I take it slow. Plus, I needed to understand the information I was taking in, especially any techniques like the fire teleportation that Teivel was using. Although I could simply activate it through the system, I still wanted some practice, as to have it be actually useful in a fight I''d probably need to have it burned into my muscle memory. "Alright Yumi, you will stay my personal maid so I want you to follow me around doing maid things." There wasn''t much of a role Yumi had in any of my ns and I''d rather have a little sister follow me around than Malinda. The head maid was a little too serious for my liking, so having Yumi would be much morefortable.
"Mhm." Yumi nodded her head enthusiastically, clearly d that she still had some use. With her parents gone, even if she wanted to leave I doubt she has anywhere to go, so staying with me is her best option. It will probably be the same with the other maids, as they were ripped away from their families, who are most likely dead now. Nheless, if they wished to leave I would allow them too. ''Hey fake Alice, the dude is back and ready for you to make the announcement.'' The timely message came just as I was leaving my room. It was finally time to dere my takeover. ''Come on, I''m pretty much her since I have all her abilities now.'' Alice wasn''t wrong that I was a fake, but I still inherited the original Alice''s power. For these people who religiously worshipped that power, that was plenty enough reason to bow down to me.
That''s why I wanted to gather everyone in the city to showcase this power. If Teivel did a proper job at brainwashing them, then surely they will recognise the power I hold like he did. ''Yeah, yeah, say whatever you want. Eventually I will get them as well so enjoy it while itsts.'' Alice was hopeful that she would be as strong as her original counterpart. I too believed that she will get there eventually, but it may take years considering the original lived for several centuries. Still, now that I''ve acquired those skills, I may be able to speed up her progression. It was near the bottom of my priorities for now, but it was something that I needed to try once things calmed down. ''I will. Anyway, I''m here.'' I came up to Teivel''s office, which is now mine. There were maids still cleaning up the blood that had stained the carpet and walls. Walking inside, I saw the kitsune that I spared, kneeling on one knee, waiting to give his report. "Is everything ready?"
"Yes, my Queen. I convinced the remaining forces thanks to Teivel''s dead body and we prepared a tform in the middle of town for you. Currently, the rest of us are gathering the people to hear your speech." I was quite impressed with this kitsune''s quick thinking and effort.
''He really wants to stay alive, doesn''t he Well, too bad he is dying anyway hehe~.'' My menacing smile leaked through for a moment as I imagined the despair in his eyes once I finally killed him.
However, the kitsune seemed to have misinterpreted it and looked happy? I wasn''t too sure, but he had the look of someone proud, like they just did a good job. Well, as long as he thinks he can keep his head it all works in my favour anyways. "Thank you. I shall head out now before the people get too sceptical." I could imagine people would be quite restless at such a momentous event. If I don''t show myself quickly, then people will start questioning the validity of my rule. ''I''m probably stressing over nothing since they have no choice.'' Wanting everything to be perfect, I preferred to be safe rather than sorry. Turning back around, I made my way to the front door alongside Alice who decided to follow me.
"Yumi, I''ll have you stay in the mansion. If you are up to it, I want you to clean out Teivel''s room of his things, but keep anything that may be useful or contain information." I may as well move into the biggest room in the mansion, so I left it to Yumi to get it ready for me. "Understood." Yumi, filled with determination, quickly dashed off towards Teivel''s room. "Also Alice, didn''t I tell you to stay in the office?" "Eh, it isn''t like I have anything better to do during your speech, plus having me there will just make you look better." Alice puffed up her chest thinking she was intimidating. If anything, she just looked like a child. "Whatever you say..." It didn''t really matter if she stayed or not, buuut I wasn''t so sure about the whole making me look better part. Anyway, now outside the front of the mansion, I spread out my bat wings and flew towards the city centre. It took me a second to adjust, as it had been a while since Ist flew, but I got the hang of it really quickly. *
"I wonder who it is?" "I heard it''s Alice reincarnated."
"Really? I thought she would never be able to return." "Yeah, suddenly the Lord brought back a kitsune like us, so she might be the one." "I guess we will find out. It seems pretty sudden, though." "Who knows? If she really is Alice incarnate, then it''s possible she might have even killed the Lord." "What a dream that would be. Maybe we finally won''t be ignored." "Don''t get your hopes up. The true family has always been so selfish, so I doubt much will change for us." "We can still hope, right? We are all of the same blood after all." Whispers and rumours of what was going on quickly spread through the city as they all patiently waited for their new leader to appear. A lot were hopeful for someone better, as they had been under Teivel''s rule for a few hundred years and were just sick of him. Others were much more weary of this new leader, as it could mean change for the better or the worse. However, they were yet to jump to conclusions until they saw whoever it was. *
Watching the za from above, I saw the wooden tform that had been set-up. It didn''t look like the most stable thing, which disqualified any sort of crazynding from being an option. ''I guess elegance will do.'' I slowed down my flight until I was floating above the tform, coating my feet in mes for dramatic effect. I slowly descended as I mentally prepared myself to face all of these people. My mes caught the attention of the people below as they started to look up and point. ''So far, the reception isn''t bad.'' Considering my family''s reputation, I half expected things to go badly, but theck of any screaming or yelling implied that it was far from the case. *
"It is her!"
"She definitely has Dahlia''s me." "A single Queen as our ruler? That''s a first." "We did originate from a woman''s desires." "I guess we havee full circle." Once again, talks red up at the appearance of Elysia, all curious about what she had to say. * n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Landing on the tform softly, I finally dissipated the mes. Taking a few steps forward towards the edge, I looked across the sea of kitsune, who all shared the same blood as me. It truly disgusted me to witness this scene. I had already heard our members were not allowed to marry outside of the bloodline. As kitsune, it did not affect us much, even though ording to humanmon knowledge that was not great for our gics. Still, what really repulsed me was the very idea of sleeping with my own rtives ''How satisfying it would be to set everyone aze right now.'' My darkest thoughts surfaced as I watched over the gathered crowd. With so many gathered at one ce I could end this entire charade with one giant spell. ''I must hold back for now. Gain their trust, make them love you and only then can you crush everything.'' "SILENCE!" I decided to stop daydreaming before I end up acting on my urges. And so I raised my voice, demanding their attention. My voice echoed throughout the city za, bringing all idle chatter to a halt and surprising me at how quick they were to shut up. "As you may have heard, I will be taking over the city from now on! I have killed Teivel for his insolence and his treatment of you all! Unfortunately, some of you will still doubt my legitimacy. Words are cheap, but power doesn''t lie, so let me simply show you who I truly am!" Letting my mana run rampant, a vicious red aura surrounded me, bing visible to the naked eye. It was mingled with my me, dancing menacingly as it rose to triple my height. I also spread my bat wings to show off my inherited vampiric powers, which was reflected in my aura which sprouted its own set of wings made of me. "If you still hold doubt,e up here and fight me. If not, then kneel before me and pledge your loyalty!"
Chapter 323 No mercy
323 No mercy n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
My voice echoed throughout the city centre. I have issued my first order and the popceplied, falling to the ground like a tidal wave.
However, as I expected, there were some that refused to kneel. Many seemed too malnourished or disillusioned to care who was leading them, yet some could not hide the fury in their eyes. I did offer for them to challenge me if they dared and I hoped that some did, as it would only cement my position as their new ruler. "I see we still have some that deny my authority." Jumping off the tform into the air, I gestured them to move so I couldnd. The people below me promptly got out of the way and an empty circle was formed right in the middle of the crowd. "You fools who dare to challenge me,e!" By this point, everyone stood back up so they could witness my power in action. The people who did not ept my deration came forward, forming a group of at least 50 people. If I had to guess the poption of this small city, it was at least about 5,000~, so it was quite a sizeable group. "We will never ept your rule! You''re just a fake!" "You can''t just suddenly appear and take over our home!" "There is no way you would have been able to kill Teivel!" The group shouted their protests, which were honestly fair gripes to have with this sudden change. What shocked me more was how unaffected they were when I released my aura. It should be something that they are all familiar with, an indisputable proof of my blood. ''Ah, I think I might know what is going on.'' Taking a closer look at the kitsune that were against me, they all looked quite distraught and possibly homeless. Those must be the outcasts, the ones that are the furthest from our bloodline who are unable to recognise my power. "How can such lowlifes of our bloodline show such disrespect? If you really believe what you are saying, then stop wasting my time ande and fight me at once." This put an end to their protests, although that only gave way to the murmurs of ridicule from the crowd. "I can''t believe how arrogant they are."
"Didn''t they see the magnificent aura that she showcased?" Hearing the whispers was also indirect confirmation that I was winning over the poption. The previously mentioned anti-Elysia group that gritted their teeth in anger, hesitating to take a step forward. They knew they couldn''t win against me, and that any further disobedience would likely result in their immediate deaths. However, despite everything, some of them still stepped forward. Although it was clear from their shaking legs that they were terrified to face me. "It isn''t toote to kneel." I slowly began to walk towards the group of Kitsune hoping to entice a reaction. "Wooo! Go Queen Elysia!" Alice, who had taken a seat on the wooden tform, cheered for me. Many people turned their heads only to see a tiny girl waving her arms, excited for what''s about to happen. "No-" Before I could yell at Alice to stop, suddenly, voices started to emerge from the crowd. "Kill them, Queen Elysia!" "Make them pay!" Surprisingly, many of the kids in the crowd were cheering for me, which was quite morbid as they were wishing death upon someone else. ''Urgh, whatever.'' It was just some harmless banter, but it totally ruined the vibe I was going for. My goal was to strike fear in everyone with my presence, but now that had gone out the window. Regardless, I still walked up to the few kitsune that stepped forward to the tune of the chanting of my new cheer squad. "So what are you going to do now~? I hope you don''t n to attack me." I was only a couple metres away from them, giving them the perfect chance to attack. They breathed heavily and gritted through their teeth, trying to debate what they should do. Now so close to my overbearing aura, I could see their will slowly crumble. One by one they fell to their knees, whether they wanted to or not. However, there was one Kitsune who built up the courage to take this opportunity. "AHHHH!!!" It was a female kitsune who had pulled out a knife and started to charge towards me with desperation written all over her face. "Poor thing~." Right before she made any contact, I reached out and grabbed the woman by the face and lifted her up in the air. I then tightened my grip, almost crushing her skull in the process. She weakly let go of her knife, leaving her utterly defenceless against me. Screams echoed out in the city centre, and everyone looked in awe as the woman struggled to bear the pain. She frantically kicked her legs and arms, trying to get me to let go, but it was useless. My strength outscaled anyone here by tenfold, to the point that even if I had let her stab me with the knife, it probably would have bounced right off. My clothes doubled as a thin set of armour, so a low quality knife definitely wouldn''t have pierced them. "Now this is what we do to people like you." Funnelling mana into my hand, I instantly set the woman''s head aze. The me then spread to her entire body, turning her ash ck in a matter of seconds. "Yeah!!! Get the rest of them!" There was a loud round of apuse while I was brutally murdering one of my own kind. It was a sickening situation, but it doesn''t seem like any of them gave it a second thought. These people were pping to the death of their own kind, showing no sign of remorse. Taking a nce at these people''s faces, they almost look hollow, devoid of any real emotions. ''Their brainwashing is a lot worse than I thought.'' I have no idea what Teivel did to get such devotion out of these people, but it was working in my favour. I even checked my system to make sure there wasn''t some passive skill I was using unknowingly as a result of taking Alice''s power. However, nothing came of it. Put simply these people really were sick in the head. Granted, I am not the most mentally sane person, as Shaman would put it, but at least I can function like a normal person I think. ''Oh well, they are all going to die in the end, so why am I worrying about the details?'' Returning my attention to the anti-Elysia group, I saw that the kitsune in my hand was very much dead now.
At the very least she had stopped moving, which was good enough in my book, so I let her fall to the ground where she continued to burn silently. I licked my lips, savouring the feeling of consuming their life essence and looked at my next few meals. The kitsune that had fallen to their knees knew what was about to happen yet they didn''t move a muscle. They were paralysed, capable of nothing but stare at their approaching demise. Some even bent their heads low as if they were begging, but it was toote for them. Not wanting to bend down, I released my mes from under my feet, travelling along the ground until they were underneath each of the kitsune. *click* With a click of my finger, each of the kitsune that were on the ground suddenly burst into me, screaming in agony. All that was left were the 40 or so Kitsune that had stayed in their little group, too scared to take a single step forward. "So will you kneel for me now~?" Giving them a chance to possibly redeem themselves. They all quickly fell to their knees, understanding that if they didn''t, they would die. However, their hope was unwarranted. What they actually did was surrender themselves to their death. "Fools, you should have done this in the first ce." The kitsune looked up at me in confusion, but before they registered what had happened, their heads began to fall to the ground. Just like with the other kitsunes, I used their shock as a chance to set up my mes right below each of their heads. Then, on my signal, a de made out of mes shot up, decapitating them in an instant.
Even outside observers would have had trouble seeing anything as the fire des were extremely thin. I had concentrated a lot of mana into each one to ensure that every neck would be sliced cleanly. "Nove, clean this up." I had gotten my fill of life force, so I left the rest to Alice, who wouldn''t let up an opportunity for fresh blood. "Hehe~ thank you, my queen." Alice flew over swiftly and began to suck the bodies dry of their blood. It was as if she were some kind of vacuum, as the blood in the bodies dried up quickly. As for the crowd that watched eagerly, they all erupted in a massive cheer. Celebrating the deaths of those who denied my inheritance. It almost felt like it was too easy to win them over.
''I can''t let my guard down.'' "All hail Queen Elysia!" "Queen Elysia! "
Chapter 324: Unexplored basement
Standing atop the tform once again, I faced the crowd that was still cheering for me. I tried to search around for any mana fluctuation and even checked with the system to see if there was some kind of mind-maniption effect at y. It was hard to believe that everyone here except for that small group had already epted me.
''Maybe I''m just overthinking it.'' There was the possibility that these worries were for nothing and the people here really do just ept me.
There is no reason why they shouldn''t, as I''ve shown them the equivalent of a miracle in front of their eyes. The revival of Dahlia''s power, the very legend they''ve been worshipping this whole time.
"Silence!" As soon as my voice left my throat, the entire city centre fell silent. The sudden silence caught me off guard, as I didn''t expect it to happen so quickly.
*Ahem* "As for the rest of you. The city will continue to function as is, but if there are specific needs that are urgent, please report them to the mansion. I will see if it''s worth paying attention to.
However, if the request is something outrageous, consider your life forfeit." I didn''t really want to do anything to help them, but if I was going to try and keep them content I should at least listen to some of theirints.
"That is all for now. I shall return to the mansion and finish settling in." Finishing my speech, the entire ce once again erupted in cheers and rounds of apuse.
''Alice hurry it up, I can''t stand these cheers any longer.'' All this cheering has reached headache inducing levels, , so I called for Alice telepathically to get moving.
''Yeah, yeah, I''ll be right behind you.'' Hearing her acknowledgment, I spread my wings and flew towards the mansion, letting all that ruckus fade behind me.
''Now I need to speak to the head maid and get a start on extracting all the information from Teivel''s collection.'' Hopefully, I''ll have at least a week to myself while the citizens are on their highs. Thest thing I want is a revolution in the first month of taking over.
*
Arriving back at the mansion, I opened the door to my room. Inside, I caught Yumi frantically running around, cleaning as well as gathering things that may be of importance. Surprisingly, a big pile of books formed in the middle of the room, with an assortment of keys and other various items scattered throughout the pile.
My main interest was the books, but there were definitely ces in this mansion I needed to explore.
''I''ll have a good walk around a bitter when I''ve sorted through the mountain of books.'' I wasn''t excited to absorb all this information, as most of it would probably be useless. However, since I''vee this far, I''m squeezing everything I can out of this ce.
"How''s it going, Yumi?" She was yet to notice my presence, which is why she jumped in a panic at hearing my voice, almost dropping the stack of books she was caring for.
"O-oh Elysia, you are back. U-ummm I haven''t finished yet, sorry." Yumi looked panicked as if she was going to be punished for not being done, but I''ve never had such an expectation to begin with.
"It''s okay, calm down. You''ve done an amazing job so far." Walking around the pile of books, I kept an eye out for anything that seemed magic rted or at least special in any way.
"I''m just here to ask where the head maid is." Malinda would be key in finding the most valuable items, so she was a top priority.
"Oh, phew, umm she should be in the office making the finishing touches." Yumi quickly rxed, quickly recalling the head maid''s most likely whereabouts.
"Thanks, I''ll be backter." With a ce in mind, I quickly walked to Teivel''s office, which was just down the hall from my new room.
I saw the office doors were open, so I peaked my head around the corner. Just like Yumi said, Malinda was going around organising the room to look neat and tidy.
"Hey, Malinda, can I borrow you for a moment?" Emerging from the door, I walked in to Malinda''s surprise.
''I seem to be scaring people a lot with my sudden appearances.''
"Yes mad''am." Quicklyposing herself, she did a slight bow and awaited my words.
"Do you know the location of Teivel''s most valuable possessions? This can be books or ces that only I might be able to ess." Getting straight to the point, Malinda stayed silent for a moment before she raised her head.
"Most things in terms of knowledge are kept here in the office as well as his private chambers, but as for anything he didn''t want others getting to, it would have to be the basement. I was never allowed to go with him nor were any of the other maids except for the ones that got reced." A sad look appeared in Malinda''s eyes at the mention of the previous maids.
It seems that this basement is where prisoners or dead bodies go, but there might be more to it than just a dungeon.
''Hmm, there were some keys back in his room. Maybe I''ll take the time while Yumi gets the room organised to head down to the basement.'' With the potential of prisoners being down there, it was worth my time to check whether there are any survivors.
"Alright, I''ll head down to the basement then. If anything elsees to mind that you think is important let me know."
"Mhm, I understand If I may be so bold to ask, can Ie down with you?" Unexpectedly, Malinda asked to follow me down to the basement, to which I raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"Are you sure? You might see things that you don''t want to see." With the chances of the maids'' bodies being down there, I felt it might be too much for Malinda. She has been holding strong for so long, yet now that she has finally let down her guard I wouldn''t be surprised if seeing the remains of her past friends ends up breaking her heart.
"Yes, I''m sure. I need to give them a proper burial." Malinda took a deep breath as she pushed away the sadness from her eyes and changed back to her usual confident self. She found her resolve, but I don''t know if it will be strong enough.
"If you''re sure, then I won''t stop you." It wasn''t my ce to stop her, but at least I can say I warned her.
"Thank you. The basement entrance is underneath the main staircase. I''ll meet you there." Malinda bowed to me before exiting the office to go wait by the basement door.
''Let''s go grab those keys then.''
*
I picked up all the keys from my new room, then made my way to the basement, all the while using the system''s inventory to identify them for me. It hadbelled all the keys by their proper use, so by the time I reached the staircase I had already found the basement key.
Malinda was waiting for me at the base of the stairs, moving towards the basement door as soon as she spotted me. It was well hidden,pletely blending into its surroundings, but upon walking closer I noticed it thanks to a draft of musty air.
There was also a notable golden keyhole that was disguised as some kind of decoration.
"I do not know what is beyond this point." I was surprised that Teivel never took the head maid with him or even forced her toe down here, which could only mean there is something important down here.
"Let''s find out then." Inserting the basement key into the hole, there was a loud click after which the door began to open. Revealing a staircasepletely made from cobblestone.
''I can''t even see the bottom from here.'' Magic stones lit up the staircase, revealing how far it went down, but there was no bottom as far as I could see.
"Shall we go?" Looking over to Malinda, I could see the hesitation on her face, second guessing if this was a good idea.
"Yes." Clenching her fists, she looked back at me with a determined look.
Taking the first step onto the basement stairs, I was deep in thought regarding what might be awaiting us down there. I had expected the bodies of the maids, but there had to be more than that. I doubted he would just leave out in the open all the important texts rting to our family, and I could see the basement being the best ce to hide such things.
*
<5 minutester>
Each step was deafening as we got closer to the bottom. The bottom ground was now visible, as was the pungent smell of dposing bodies. It made me worry that there wouldn''t be anything of note down here. Surely no one in his right mind would leave something important in such a smelly ce? Then again, maybe Teivel actually enjoyed such a thing.
At the very least, he might see it as a great deterrent for people like me.
Finally, after going down a few hundred or so steps, I reached the bottom or at least the first floor. I scanned the room looking for anything of interest and my eyesnded on a cell. The light was dim, but I saw there were two older looking kitsune chained up in there.
Chapter 325: Unrecognisable
Conjuring up a me in my hand to get a better look at the basement, it made me realise that this entire room is covered in blood. The floor, walls and ceiling were coated in redpletely. Malinda gagged at the sight of all the blood and almost threw up, but she barely managed to hold it in.
Bringing my focus to the cage that was in the corner of the room, I focused the light onto the two kitsune that were chained up.
It was one female and one male who roughly looked middle aged and only had rags for clothes. I couldn''t see their full face because of their messy hair, but it looks like they have been down here for a very long time. They were malnourished and barely breathing, which made me wonder how the hell they were still alive.
However, when I looked towards the end of the cell, there was a table with meat on it.
''Don''t tell me.'' My thoughts went straight to the worst case scenario.
"AHHHHH!!!!" Malinda suddenly screamed, prompting me to quickly spin around.
"What the fuck?" Turning to see what Malinda had encountered, my eyes widened in shock. Hanging from the roof were a bunch of naked female bodies, making it crystal clear why Malinda was screaming.
"N-no, this is how you ended up." Malinda fell to her knees, sobbing at the sight of her predecessors. It sickened me to the core to see such a disy. Between all the blood, the mystery meet and the hanging bodies, the true depths of Teivels depravity were revealed before us.
He was feeding the bodies of the maids to these two kitsune in order to keep them alive. Assuming they have some vampric traits, they were likely sucking the meat dry and letting the rest rot.
I should probably help these kitsune out or at least see if they are even responsive. Depending on how long they have been down here, they are most likely mentally broken.
I approached the cage, focusing my mes to my hands and pressing them against the bars, heating them to their melting point in mere seconds.
Entering through the newly created hole, I stepped onto the cage''s blood soaked floor, sidestepping between old pieces of decayed flesh. It made me want to puke, but I knew that burning the whole thing would only make the smell worse, so I forced myself to endure it.
When I arrived at the wall where the two kitsune were chained up, I waited to see if they showed any reaction to my presence. If they had been eating people all this time, then they might just think of me as food.
"Ely.sia."
I wasn''t able to quite understand what they were saying, but at least I knew they were alive.
"Hello? My name is Elysia and I''m here to free you. Teivel is dead so there isn''t anything to worry about." Testing to see if they could hear me, I intridoduced myself, only for both of their heads to shoot up immediately.
They both hung there, nkly staring at me, which weirded me out, but at least I could see their faces now. Reaching my hand out, I moved their messy hair out of the way.
"E-E-El y-ysia!" The male kitsune called out my name in a raspy, broken voice.
"D-d-daugh-hter." Then the women spoke, and it hit me. When I looked at these two kitsune, the image of my parents shed before my eyes. It was difficult to tell, but there was no denying it... These are my parents.
"M-mum? D-dad?" My eyes welled up with tears, and panic began to set in. I had long epted their death and did not know how to respond.
''W-wait hang on, use the system.'' I quickly opened my parents'' status screens, only to confirm their identity.
[Tarvin Dahlia]
[Hanabi Dahlia]
"T-this c-c-can''t be." Seeing their names right in front of me pushed me over the edge. I kneeled down on the bloody floor, my mind reeling between shock and disbelief.
''I need to heal them quickly.'' I frantically looked through the shared inventory to see if there were any healing items that could help them. Meanwhile a thousand thoughts were rushing inside my head.
Unfortunately, there was nothing that could provide immediate help, but then I remembered the healing properties of my mes.
"Please just hang on." I quickly covered my hands in my blood-red mes, making sure to use them for healing only as I moved them closer to my parents'' bodies.
[Life force: 498/500]
When my hands made contact, I could see my stored life force ticking down, indicating that it was working as intended. As I waited for them to be fully healed, or at least to the point they would be able to speak, my heart was filled with hope.
My optimism did notst long though, as suddenly their heads dropped not long after I started healing them. My hope-filled expectations evaporated as panic filled my heart. However, I still didn''t let go of their hands, channelling my energy like my life depended on it. It felt like if I stopped healing them now, then I would truly have lost them.
*
Looking back, I saw Malinda still on her knees, sobbing for the loss of all the other maids. No doubt she recognised most of the bodies hanging there, so I''ll let her do as she wishes with the bodies.
Compared to her, though, I wasn''t any better myself. I was still crying and praying that my healing would be enough to bring my parents back. So far, they have returned to looking normal, but I have yet to get a response from them.
"Please speak, don''t leave when I only just found you!" Although they looked better, the panic I felt only got worse. I didn''t have much life force remaining. The more time went on, the more it felt like I was toote.
However, right before my reserve of life force ran out, I finally noticed some movement from my parents. My tears halted for a moment as I waited to see what was going to happen.
''Please, please, please be fine.'' I was begging inside my head that they were okay and that this wasn''t a dream. It felt surreal seeing them here in the first ce, making me wonder if this entire day wasn''t just all in my head.
"W-where are we?" My mother''s voice echoed throughout the basement, clear as day. A wave of relief washed over me after all my worries thatmy mes were proving ineffective.
"Urgh, what happened?" My father then spoke and tried to move, but was stopped by the shackles. Seeing that they were both okay, I quickly cut the shackles with my mes before there are any misunderstandings.
"M-mum, Dad?" Tears streamed down my face when I called out to them. They quickly looked up upon hearing my voice and stared at me in shock.
"Who are you?" My excitement was once more turned to fear as my parents quickly hugged each other, terrified of me.
"..."
I was left utterly speechless.
''How did they not recognise me, it hasn''t been that long since I ran away.'' I looked down at myself, scanning for any changes in my appearance. There was some blood here and there, but not to the point of leaving me unrecognisable.
"It''s me, your daughter... Elysia." I needed to know for sure whether they truly didn''t recognise me. I was jumping to conclusions way too fast and needed calm down and ascertain the situation. After all, it has been years of torture for them, so they must be in shock.
"Daughter? She died years ago, you can''t be her." My father spoke up, refusing to even give me a nce. He was doing everything in his power to shelter my mother in order to protect her.
Standing up from the flesh ridden floor, I kept staring down towards the ground, trying to hide my tear-filled face.
''Maybe now isn''t the time.'' My hands trembled as I felt my heart shatter to pieces. To not be recognised by my very own parents made me furious and my dark thoughts began to resurface.
''Kill them. Put them out of their misery. Kill everyone here already.'' It was like an echo chamber in my own mind, making it impossible to ignore.
''I need to leave before I do something stupid.'' I knew sticking around will only cause them harm. I''ll need to send a maid down here to help them, but right now I can''t face them myself.
"No matter, you are free now." I turned on my feet, but just as I made to leave, my mother spoke up.
"Elysia? Is that really you?" I froze where I stood, unsure if I should turn back around.
"M-mum." Struggling against the darkness that was trying to consume me, I finally turned towards them once more. This time however, when I made eye contact with both my parents, they no longer had a look of terror in their eyes. Instead, it was filled with tears and disbelief.
Chapter 326: Short-Lived
"Oh, by the kitsune lord, it is you, Elysia... I-I''m so sorry." My father apologised as he realised what he had just said was to his own daughter.
"It really is you, our daughter." My mother held out her hand, beckoning me toe closer. I quickly knelt down and hugged both of them.
"Mum! Dad! You''re actually alive!" I cried out, no longer holding back any of my emotions. I never thought that I would get to see my parents ever again in my life, but here they are in my very own arms.
"We can''t believe you are alive too. We had surely thought you were killed all those years ago." My father referenced the time when I had to run away from our secluded cabin, which ultimatelynded me homeless in human territory.
"No, I managed to run away." There was so much that I wanted to say and tell them. How I survived after running away, how my future wife saved me and all the crazy things we have been through.
"Thank goodness, I am so sorry we couldn''t protect you." My mother tried to tighten her hug around me, but ultimately couldn''t. Although they were physically healed, they were still very malnourished and needed rest to fully recover.
"It''s okay, I''m fine now. But first, let''s get out of this cell." It wasn''t the most pleasant reunion, hugging on top of a bunch of rotting flesh.
"I''m afraid we can hardly move." My father tried to move his legs, but his body was so weak that he couldn''t even lift it off the ground.Even holding me in their arms seemed barely within their capabilities.
"Someone ising to help, so don''t worry." Composing myself, I backed away from my parents and stood up while contacting Alice, as I will need a hand.
''Alice, I need you right now in the basement.'' I didn''t have a clue where she ended up after my show in the city centre, but I hoped she wasn''t far at the moment.
''Right away!''
"Malinda! Are you okay out there?" I called out to Malinda, who seemed to have finished her grieving and was now getting the bodies off their hooks.
"Yes, madam, do you need something?" Malinda approached the hole that I had made, her puffy red eyes making clear that she had been sobbing a lot.
"I''m fine, but feel free to call the maids down here if you need them." I wanted to make sure Malinda had all the support she needed.
"Thank you, but I would rather they not witness such a scene. They are too young to witness this kind of mess." Malinda bowed respectfully, declining my offer, though it waspletely understandable.
"Alright, feel free to ask me if you need any help." Malinda nodded and went back to tending to the bodies.
"What''s going on, Elysia?" My mother looked up at me curiously, which is to be expected. They probably have no idea where we are right now.
However, before I could answer, Alice came flying down the stairs.
"Ew! What the fuck is that smell?!" Halting in mid air Alice convulsed at the smell and let out a few coughs, almost throwing up.
"I''lll exin once we are out of here. Nove,e give me a hand carrying my parents out of here." Gesturing for Alice toe over towards the cell, she reluctantly flew over but stopped right at the hole.
"Your parents? Ummm Elysia I think you need a new pair of eyes." Alice looked at me funny, as if her impression of my parents waspletely different from mine.
"Are you messing with me? Don''t you see where I got my magnificent kitsune traits?" I was very confused about what Alice was talking about, but it nted the seeds of doubt in my mind.
"Elysia, I''m going to suggest you try using vampiric vision. I don''t know what it would be called for you, but it shouldn''t be hard for you to figure it out." Alice borated further and suddenly I had a sinking feeling in my stomach.
I didn''t want to find out what Alice was seeing, but if it has her reacting this way then it''s probably worth checking for myself.
Opening up the system and scrolling through the list of new skills I had acquired, there was one that sounded simr to what Alice was referring to.
[Vampyr''s eyes]
[See the true form of beings for what they are and discern the quality of blood and lifeforce within them]
Reading the description didn''t fill me with hope for what I was about to see, but I still activated the skill. My parents looked confused as to what was going on, but that quickly changed once the skill took effect.
"What?!" Jumping away from my parents, I failed toprehend what I was seeing. My parents suddenly transformed into this horrid creature of melted flesh, with hands reaching out from all over its body. There were also eyes littered all over it and mouths constantly biting the air, waiting for food.
"You see what I mean?"
"How can this be? I swear they were real." I felt my mind on the verge of snapping again as I was getting whished with emotions. From hope to despair over and over. My heart felt like it was in a tiny box constantly being shaken around, going through a rollercoaster of emotions.
The panic that had subsided quickly returned and I was once again back to not knowing what to do. I even deactivated the skill yet they did not change back to being my parents. Now that I know its true form, I am unable to unsee it.
"Don''t tell me this is what Allucard''s research leads to." Alice approached the creature, taking a closer look at it''s body as well as its surroundings.
"What does that mean Alice? Is this thing my parents or not?!" I needed to know if I should kill this thing or if there was a way to revert it back.
"How do I put this It used to be your parents, but from what I can gather, Teivel had experimented on them. If it''s what I think it is, then this thing is supposed to be a true vampire. One with no weakness which can take any shape it desires." Alice gave her exnation, but it wasn''t enough for me.
"H-How can you be so sure?" I wanted to deny Alice''s words, but there was nothing else that could exin what was going on.
"I''m not sure myself, as I never got to see it, but I know it was something Alucard tried to create... If your grandfather somehow found this information in the dungeon, then he might have been pursuing this path as well." Alice went on to look around the basement, and so she happened to stumble across a book that was in a smallpartment under the table.
As she skimmed through it I visibly saw her hand shake. I could see on her face that she was debating whether to speak up.
"Pass it here." Desperate for something, I snatched it out of Alice''s hand and looked at the page she was reading. Instantly epting the system message to absorb the information, my head was filled with the contents of the books.
"N-No, t-this isn''t real." Dropping the book and cradling my head in my arms. I fell to the ground and began to scream. Malinda, who was extremely confused, took this moment to leave, but I could care less right now.
"ARGHHHH!!!!!"
"Elysia, please calm down."
Alice''s voice fell on deaf ears, drowned out by my own screams. I could not hear her plea, neither did I care for it.
As for what was in the book, it described a hypothetical experiment for creating a new and stronger vampire species. It was said that by depriving vampires of blood and only feeding them the flesh of humans as well as fellow vampire kin, it will mutate their bodies to form the ultimate vampire.
However, this was just some dumb theory, followed by further notes addedter by Teivel.
''Tarvin and Hanabi have long died. Now it''s just some amalgamation of all the bodies I''ve fed it. An interesting development however is that it can take the form of all the people they have eaten. I must be getting close to this ultimate lifeform. I just need to keep feeding it more bodies.''
It was these notes that broke me. What I hugged and cried for wasn''t my parents. It was just some monster that pretended to be my parents. No wonder it didn''t recognise me, it was probably just trying to eat me.
To go through so much emotional turmoil to find out it was all fake, a sick experiment It made me want to destroy everything.
The dark urge within me was screaming alongside me, telling me to get my revenge right now. I had let Teivel get such a merciful death when instead he deserved all nine hells and back.
Without realising it, my mes had gone rampant and I was on the verge of exploding this entire basement.
Chapter 327: Change
"Elysia!" Alice was screaming my name, trying to reach me before it''s toote, but the mes that surrounded my body prevented her. Meanwhile, I was still screaming in agony as darkness consumed my heart.
To be toyed with in such a way shattered me. Just a moment ago, I thought I could finally be reunited with my parents. But instead, even after his death, Teivel deceived me once more with his monstrous experiment.
I wasn''t in control of my emotions and I needed something to take it out on. Looking up, my view was filled with the beast that used to be my parents. A part of me didn''t want to do it, thinking that somewhere in there, maybe part of them still existed within the monster.
However, I could still barely bring myself to look at them, much less the idea of calling them my parents.
''No, they must be suffering. I need to kill it.'' Getting a better grip on reality, my mes, which were running rampant, started to die down. Taking in a few deep breaths, I remember what Shaman taught me to keep myself in check.
''Long, deep breaths stop thinking of what you''ve lost, focus on what it is you still have.'' It was an altered version of what Shaman taught me, but this mindset allowed me to calm down and start to think rationally.
''They were dead a long time ago. It may have been them once upon a time, but what I saw wasn''t them. I have Shaman, ra and Silver. I don''t need to cling onto the past anymore.'' My mes progressively got less intense until I finally had them under control. The only thing that still betrayed my emotions was my re, which was locked onto the creature.
Slowly getting up from the ground, Alice cautiously floated around me to see if I was okay. Ipletely ignored her, as my current priority was getting rid of this amalgamation of suffering souls.
Walking towards the creature, I concentrated the mes into my fists. At first, my mes appeared blood red, but my rage, sadness and disgust brought on a transformation, turning them pitch ck.
"Oh no." Alice''s panicked voice was quickly followed with a tug on my hair, trying to stop me. However, I ignored it and kept moving closer until I was close enough to the creature.
Pulling my arm back for a punch, I concentrated everything I had into my fist. I intended topletely erase this creature''s existence in one blow.
The creature itself sat there, oblivious to what was going on and only stared at me with the dozen eyes it had. The arms reached out as if trying to pull me in so it could eat me with one of its many mouths.
There was no mind behind this thing, it was an empty shell that could only eat whatever got close. It made me question why I even bothered to get all emotional in the first ce. I should have known something was off, but everything felt so real.
''Maybe I should shut off my emotions.'' The thought shed through my head right as I was ready to punch.
Propelling my arm forward, my ck-med fist went straight for the creature''s core. Hitting the centre of its body,the creature was hurled against the cobblestone wall behind it, the force alone leaving a massive hole through its centre and even denting the cave wall. .
My ck mes quickly engulfed the creature, but the mes didn''t turn it to ash right away.
Screams came from all of its mouths, releasing a deafening shriek, making it very clear how badly it was suffering.
It frantically waved its arms, trying to find something to grab, but there was nothing. ck gunk spewed out of the hole as the creature visibly began to shrivel up.
Slowly, the creature turned from its usual red fleshy look to the white colour of ash as limb by limb started crumbling into dust.
I watched as it kept with its struggle to live as its body slowly disintegrated into nothingness. A part of me felt hollow, like I had lost a part of myself. Maybe it was the part of me that wished I didn''t kill this creature, but I wasn''t going to give that another thought.
"Elysia?" Alice floated from behind me slowly while calling out my name in a worried tone.
"What?" I wasn''t in the mood, so I spoke in a cold tone and red at Alice.
"Are you okay now? I think we should get out of here." Alice suggested leaving, but I wanted to wait until the creature was fully dead. I couldn''t live with myself if somehow a small piece of this thing got to live on.
"Yes, I am. Wait until this thing is dead before we leave." Still speaking harshly, I locked my eyes back on the creature and saw that half of it was already burned away.
"Alright." Alice didn''t try to argue or push me, but instead she backed away, looking dejected.
*
Thest of the creature finally turned to ash, as I could no longer sense my me anywhere.
Turning around, I saw Alice waiting for me patiently, but instead of her usually energetic attitude, she stayed quiet.
''I need some time to mentally recover.'' I felt exhausted already and I still had that deep, hollow feeling. I thought it would go away once I killed the creature, but it still gued my heart.
I headed back up with Alice following behind me. It looked like she had something to say but couldn''t find the words. Personally, I could care less right now and hoped that she wouldn''t bother me at the moment.
Reaching the top of the stairs, I was greeted by Malinda at the entrance. She took one look at my face, bowed and kept her silence. I appreciated that and continued to walk towards my room.
*
mming the door open, Yumi jumped out of fear from the sudden noise but quickly calmed down after seeing me. However, just like Alice and Malinda, she was quick to realise that I wasn''t in the best of moods.
Paired with Alice gesturing something to her, it seemed the message got across.
Approaching the bed, I let myself fall onto the sheets and sank into the bed. I felt my entire body rx and all the pent up stress slowly disappear. I shut my eyes and in no time at all fell asleep right then and there.
***
<8 monthster, a peek into the future>
What used to be an underground city was now reduced toplete rubble. In the centre, there was a noticeable tower, not of brick and stone, but of burned bodies.
Sitting on top of the tower of dead kitsune was a blood covered Elysia in her usual ck and red dress. There was no longer a living soul in sight except for herself and a floating vampire who was currently snacking on the blood from the pile of bodies.
"About time you enacted your n." Alice pouted, as she had been waiting for this moment for ages. She hadn''t been out of this underground city once and was already eager to finally see the rest of the world.
"If it weren''t for that stupid cryptic vault, then we would have left months ago, but now that it''s open, we can finally leave." I agreed with Alice that it''s about time, but I wasn''t leaving this ce until everything was thoroughly explored.
"Yeah, yeah so much for that cheating system you have. It feels like it''s more useless than helpful." Alice rolled her eyes, frustrated, but there wasn''t much that could be done.
The system may be powerful, but itpletely relies on information it already knows, so when encountering something unknown, it can rarely provide any assistance.
"It could have been worse." I shrugged it off. At any rate, Alice was at my mercy, so it didn''t matter what her opinion on this matter was.
"Tsk, anyway, what about Yumi and the maids?" Unable to pursue this matter further once I shrugged off her words, Alice quickly changed the topic.
"I n to let them go once we are out of here, but I don''t know if ina will ept them." There really wasn''t a n for them, so I prayed that the demon castle was willing to take on a few extra maids.
"At least it''s something."
"If worsees to worse, they can probably reintegrate back into a human city somewhere." It wasn''t ideal, especially with the rising tensions with the Pope.
"I guess Also what do you n to do with all these bodies? You are not going to extract all their blood, right?" Alice looked up to me, wondering what I was possibly going to do.
Licking my fingers clean of the blood, I thought about what Alice said for a moment. I could suck all of the blood out of these thousands of bodies, but I didn''t have time.
"Heh, burn them all down, of course."
Chapter 328: Closer to the top
<6 months prior>
Hiding in the darkness of arge crypt, I slowly approached my target until it was at afortable range.
I grabbed the handle of my sheathed katana and concentrated on my breathing. I closed my eyes and put all of my focus on the tier 9 leader in front of me. It was an eldritch priest who had not yet noticed my presence.
It was at least 10 metres tall, wearing a robe filled with holes that revealed its rotting bones. Skulls, jewellery, body parts and ck mist covered the eldritch''s robe, suggesting it specialised in necromancy. It carried a book that had constantly glowed an eerie green , leaking a faint mist that formed shapes resembling skulls.
Focusing the flow of mana into my katana, I imbued it with starfire, my most powerful element at the moment.
*Exhale* Letting out a long breath, my entire body rxed. In that moment of pure focus, I opened my eyes and locked on to the priest.
Pushing off my feet, I instantly appeared a few metres behind the eldritch priest while pulling out my katana, which contained almost all of my mana.
As soon as it was released from the confines of the sheath, all the mana I poured into it exploded. My katana waspletely covered in a raging me, turning everything around it to ash.
shing upwards and through the eldritch''s body, I instantly split its core into two pieces and set its body aze. The sheer force of the attack crushed everything in front of me, causing the entire crypt to shake.
There was a visible slice in the concrete that made up this ce from which many visible cracks branched out, progressively growing deeper as the wall threatened to fall apart. Luckily, once the shockwave from my attack had dissipated, the shaking had stopped and the ce had yet to copse.
Unfortunately for the eldritch, it didn''t even have time to react, as everything happened in a span of a few milliseconds. From an outside perspective, it looked like I teleported from where I stood to behind the Eldritch. My attack wasn''t even visible to the naked eye, so fast that only aftereffects could be seen.
When I sheathed my katana, it instantly extinguished my starfire, and shortly after, a system message appeared, showing how many levels I had gained.
[Level 643 -> 683]
[647/1000]
[More of your potential has been unlocked!]
*Sigh* "At this rate, I am not going to reach level 1000 within the year." Although I had gotten 40 levels from one kill, that one attack had almost expended all of my mana. It was also getting slower and slower the closer I got to level 1000 and soon I''d need to aim for tier 10 monsters.
The only issue is that they are so rare to find and tier 10 dungeons don''t even exist. I might have to get lucky for a tier 9 dungeon to mutate like it did back in Cholden with the ogres. Unfortunately, there have only been a handful of cases of it happening, and a good thing at that, as it is the kind of thing you don''te back alive from.
Especially in the lower level dungeons, where people are a lot weaker and more vulnerable.
''Anyway, I need to leave before any more monsters show up.'' With hardly any mana to spare, it was best that I left the dungeon.
With what little mana I had, I opened up a stardust portal and traversed through the spatial dimension all the way back to the exit. The dungeon was quite small, as it mainly facilitated the boss with only a few monsters leading up to it.
There was a trial of some kind as well, but thanks to my stardust portal I canpletely skip it and head up the stairs to the exit.
However, just as I made it to the top of the stairs, I was suddenly kicked out of my spatial walk.
"Shit!" Copsing onto the grass, it urred to me that I did not have as much mana as I had earlier thought. My legs had given out due to mana exhaustion, which has be more of amon urrence nowadays.
[ra]
[Again? Please tell me you are close to the entrance.]
[Yes, I am currently atop the staircase.]
[Thank god, I''ll be there soon.]
''Urgh, I didn''t even have to say anything and ra already knew.'' It was shameful to admit that I had ra pick me up pretty much every time I went into the dungeon. I knew I should be more careful, but if I don''t push myself to my limits, then I won''t improve.
''At least I am making some progress, but it''s getting stale killing the same things over and over again.'' Afterbining my soul, Tyso has been throwing me into these dungeons to master my new skills.
My technique when it came to using the katana is a lot more refined now after such gruelling months of training. However, Tyso said my skills are still too weak and my mana usage is horrible. I was honestly at a loss for how I could improve, but I guess that was part of the training.
''Identify how I can improve and master it.'' I was told. I didn''t know what constituted mastery, but I felt like I was getting pretty close.
"Shaman!" While in the midst of my thoughts, ra''s voice echoed through the dungeon in a furious tone.
''Not again.''
"When you say stairs, I NEED you to specify which stairs you are on!" A loud crack reverberated throughout the dungeon, followed up by a massive lightning strike and ending in an explosion.
A gust of wind swept through the dungeon carrying the bones of the skeleton warriors that protect the crypt, which I hadpletely avoided thanks to my spatial walk.
Emerging from the massive dust cloud was ra in her partial demon form. She now had proper control over it, allowing her to permanently stay in that form if she wanted to.
Although she prefers not to stay in that form since she disliked its monstrous demeanour. It darkens her hands and feet, which have be ws, all the while her eyespletely turn ck. Her horns also grow in size, coupled with a weird circuit pattern that branches out to her skin.
It had that old sci-fi vibe thates across like someputer simtion, but from what ra had told me, they simply line up with her mana veins.
"S-sorry." I apologised to ra, as it was the only thing I could do. I was unable to move any part of my body except my head, meaning I waspletely at ra''s mercy.
*Sigh* "You''re lucky my demon form allows me to take on tier 9 mobs. Otherwise, you would be left here for dead." ra rubbed her forehead out of frustration, which was fair since she was right.
Right now, I am the only one who can actually clear this dungeon, except for our tutors. ra was also an exception, but she can only fight a handful of monsters before running out of mana. She could try to fight the boss, but without a finisher on the same level as mine ra has no chance.
"I know But you wille to my rescue so it''s fine, right?" ra was my life insurance since I had no way to contact Tyso while in the dungeon.
"Tsk, still doesn''t mean nothing can go wrong. What if I can''t make it in time?" ra showed her overprotective side, which has only be more prominent ever since Elysia left.
"Trust me, I would have used lover''s call if I was in a pinch, so please don''t panic." I knew ra meant the best for me, but it wasn''t like I was going into the dungeons without a n.
"Hmph." ra pouted, as there was no room left for her to argue.
"We should probably leave before the skeletons regenerate." It wasn''t urgent since ra literally sted all their body parts to smithereens, but if we spent all our time talking it would eventually spell trouble.
"Yeah, yeah, I know." ra walked up to my side and, with one hand, grabbed the back of my kimono and lifted me onto her shoulder.
"Oof, do you have to be so rough?" My body may be durable, but being picked up like some kind of doll was still unpleasant.
"I thought you liked it rough?" A smirk appeared on ra''s face and she started to grope my side while I was utterly defenceless.
"Arghhh~!!! STOP ITTT~!!!" It was a torturous feeling, being at theplete mercy of a vindictive predator. So I had to stay there, slumped over her shoulder, as she had free reign over my body.
"This is punishment for making mee here. ra continued to use her hands to touch every part of my body while walking towards the exit.
''Elysiaaaa i miss youuu~.'' I sobbed internally. Surely, if she were here I would be saved right?
Chapter 329: What the future beholds
Returning to the capital city of Elysium, the Pope was on his way to a full recovery, finally able to execute his n. After the fight with ina and Freja, he sustained a lot of injuries, especially after allowing his body to be taken over by Katarina, his mistress.
It had left him bedridden several months, but he was now back in shape and eager to make some preparations. Unfortunately, he had still lost about half of hismanders as a result of attacking the demonnds.
He had hoped that more woulde back, but it seemed several were unwilling to follow us anymore, leaving only the ones who were blindly loyal to him.
*
"Are the summoning circles finished?" I was deep underground, where I held all of the cult activities. I stood on a tform, looking down at the magic circle that I''ve been making over thest few years.
It was a work in progress and has changed in form many times, but I was finally getting closer to resurrecting the dead, or at least opening up a way to hell to retrieve souls.
"Everything isplete, we are just waiting on confirmation that the circles in the rest of the territory are ready to be activated. However, it will still take us at least a year to umte enough mana to go through with it." A hooded servant kneeled behind me, reporting on the status of the project.
It annoyed me to hear I had to wait another year, but there was no way around it. If someone had an infinite amount of mana, then it would only take a couple months, but that person doesn''t exist.
"Is there a report from Freja? She is part of the reason I was able to escape the demonnds." Freja an annoying woman who doesn''t know whose side to be on. If I could, I would have murdered her, but she has proven herself useful.
On the one hand, she disrupted my ns for the demonnds, on the other, she supplied Katarina with mana through her attacks, allowing her to teleport us away. Freja also sealed the Fox realm royal family except for their pesky daughter Shaman, another pain in my ass.
Despite being so much weaker than me, I can tell she is an otherworlder like me with a system, so there is no doubt she will try to stop me.
"She has not reported anything other than that the stasis barrier is stable."
''I really should just kill her, she is bing more useless by the day.'' Now that I was getting into thete stages of my n, I needed to remove all variables that could ruin the process. If there is even the slightest chance of betrayal, then I have to eliminate its source.
"Sir! This is an urgent report! One of the mana circles has been destroyed." Another hooded figure appeared from the darkness in a rush.
"Which one?" Damn it! Right as I thought things could not get more stressful, one of my power sources is gone.
"We believe Alice Dahlia, the vampire you sealed, has been released or murdered." Those words rang rmingly in my head. There could not possibly be a worse mana supplying magic circle to lose.
"Give me the details. NOW!" I clenched my fist, preparing to leave at any moment and kill whoever was responsible.
"Y-yes sir Pope. Our scouts stationed in the Dahlia underground city have reported that the granddaughter of Teivel has returned. We are unsure of her involvement, but it seems like things have changed ever since she arrived.
"I''m going there rig-."
''No us.'' Right as I was about to use my light magic to teleport outside, Katarina''s voice echoed through my head.
''You should not worry over a small hurdle. You need to preserve your strength and focus on the summoning.'' It took all my resolve to stop myself, but to me, Katarina''s words are absolute.
If she deems it not worthy, then I consider it not worthy either.
''But why? If I don''t fix it, then it could dy your revival.'' I knew I shouldn''t be questioning her judgement, but I wanted a reason.
''You are not fit to fight and I can tell you that Alice was killed rather than released. I felt the connection be severed much more suddenly than any orderly release. So there''s no point in wasting your time on nothing. Even if it were this girl, I doubt she knows about your ns.'' Katarina filled me in on her reasoning, leaving me little space to argue.
''I understand.'' If Alice was indeed dead, then there is no salvaging it.
''Good boy~.'' Katarina whispered in my ear while her voice faded away.
"Keep me updated on what is happening in that city and just proceed as normal." Following the words of my mistress, I stayed put and ordered the underling that rushed here to return.
"Understood." The hooded figure then vanished into the darkness.
"How long are the estimates now?" I turned to the hooded figure that gave me a rough time frame. If one of our main mana sources is gone, then that would greatly affect the schedule.
"T-that will roughly add s-six months." I saw them panic as they calcted the time in their head, cowering in fear as they mumbled their conclusion. I couldn''t deny I wanted to kill them right then and there, as hearing the dy only pissed me off further.
"Leave if you value your life." Given the chance to leave, they instantly vanished from my sight. Now that I was alone, I teleported to above ground and into my room. It was situated at the top of the skyscraper, giving me a view of the whole capital.
It was a view I could never get enough of. It was only a shame that the capital wasn''t any bigger. Alongside reviving my true love, I also wanted to take over this entire continent.
''One day.'' Sitting down on the edge of my bed, it gave me some time to think about what I could do. If all I had to do was wait, then I might as well try to find a recement for Alice.
''Maybe I should use the Shiroi family as a substitute.'' It urred to me that I still had some powerful people right under my thumb. I could also take this chance to kill Freja, who is currently observing them.
''Hmm, this doesn''t sound like a bad idea. I will also be able to crush those little fox girls'' hopes.'' Originally, my ns were to convert them into my underlings through dark magic, but using them as mana pigs would do.
Plus, if I can destroy their daughter''s will by making them ves to me, then that''s one less problem to worry about.
''us, what did I say about resting? I know you are eager, but give it a few months before you even try to take on this mission. You may have the Shiroi family sealed, but as soon as you enter that seal time will resume and that means they can fight back.'' Katarina''s voice echoed in my head once again, warning me.
"Yes I know. I will wait a few more months before going." It was irritating, but she was right. I was still in a weakened state. If I were to fightsomeone like Freja, then I will definitely end up dead.
''Good, if I sense you are trying to leave, I won''t hesitate to take over your body. You are mine after all~.'' I could feel the sinister energying from Katarina and it made me want to test fate and go against her. However, possession would mean another couple months of being unable to move.
"Your words are absolute, my dear." Complying with Katarina again, she giggled before disappearing into nothingness.
***
<8 months of training since Elysia left>
After grinding for what felt like an eternity, for some reason everyone was called to the throne room to see ina. It was rare for everyone in the party to be called upon at once so it must be important.
''Even after living here for so long, it still feels like a maze.'' I knew the generalyout of the castle by this point, but I still found myself lost sometimes as all the hallways looked almost the same. However, the fear of beingte made sure I paid attention to where I was going so I didn''t get lost.
Reaching the massive double doors that lead to the throne room, I pushed on the doors, entering the room.
Inside was ra, talking with ina. As for Silver and nor, they were yet to arrive.
"Oh, hey Shaman~." ra turned around to see who came in, a bright smile appearing on her face upon noticing me.
"Hey~ ra." Walking up to ra, she was quick to jump into my arms and give me a tight hug.
"Enough lovey, dovey crap." ina rolled her eyes at our public disy of affection.
"Haha sorry, anyway, howe you''re calling us here?" It didn''t have to be a detailed exnation since not everyone is here yet, but I was very curious about what it could be about.
"Don''t you think it''s time we freed your parents?"
Chapter 330: Progress and incoming surprise
"You think it''s possible?" I had almost forgotten that my parents were sealed, as I have beenpletely focused on training.
"Yes, but if what you said is true about Freja working with the Pope, then you know there is a great chance that we will have to fight her." ina was right, we haven''t seen her ever since she dropped us off here, and so our issues with her remain unresolved.
"Can we even beat her? She seems to be at the same level of strength as you are." I didn''t see a world where my party alone beats Freja, at least not before we all reach tier 10. However, even if we were the same tier, Freja has so much more experience than us that I doubt we could win.
"I believe you can, Shaman. As for the others, I doubt they willnd a single attack. Speaking of which, Silver and nor are finally here." ra and I turned our attention to the door, watching it slowly open.
Coming through were indeed nor and Silver, although to our surprise nor had gotten a bit of a makeover. Her once long, flowy hair had been cut short, now barely touching her shoulders. Yet, some things seem to never change, like her bangs which still insisted on covering one of her eyes.
We hadn''t seen each other in a few months so it came as a bit of a shock to see the sudden change. Silver, on the other hand, had not changed much at all other than looking more buff than usual. I still found it hard to believe that he had evolved to be a grown man.
''I really won''t ever get used to it.'' From pup to wolf to teenager and now a full adult in the span of a year.
"So any progress yet Silver~?" ra was quick to run up to Silver and not so discreetly ask how things were going with nor. There was no longer any denying that he had a crush on her. I, of course, was still protective regarding Sliver, yet every time I see him I get further reminded that the time I could coddle him is long past gone.
"Jeez, it''s been 6 months and that''s the first thing you ask me... n-not yet." Silver pouted, but he still reluctantly answered in a whisper so nor wouldn''t hear.
"You know she is an elf, right?" I couldn''t help but point out that nor could still hear everything, as evident by her bright red face and ears.
"I-I u-umm." Silver''s face also turned red while stumbling on his words, realising she could still hear everything.
*Sigh* "Enough, you all can catch up after we finish talking." ina red at us, which caused us to all instinctively stop what we were doing and line up. We knew very well that if we didn''t shut up, ina would not hold back from punishing us.
"Good, now as I was saying. To catch up the two who have just joined us, I want you all to go unseal Shaman''s parents. We know Freja is working with the Pope to some degree so there is no doubt he has something nned for them." Silver and nor both nodded, understanding the situation.
"And as I was saying to Shaman, I believe she has the power to fight Freja if need be. I am unaware of Elysia''s strength, so until she returns to us, it is best for Shaman to lead the fight. That is, of course, assuming Freja tries to stop you. Otherwise focus on the objective and avoid conflict if possible."
It made sense to a certain degree. For all we know, maybe Freja has had a change of heart and actually lets us unseal my parents. However, we can''t exactly trust her either. What if we fall into her trap and end up getting sealed as well?
"How can we ensure that she doesn''t attempt to stop us when our backs are turned? I''m sure she will notice right away if something happens to the seal. I don''t want to fight her while our attention is preupied." It felt like no matter how we did this, we would need to either fight Freja or find some assurance that we could trust her.
Words alone won''t be enough, as she has already deceived everyone.
"Are youing with us?" ra quickly jumped in after me with the same thoughts in mind.
"I''m afraid I won''t be, but how about this. ra, in the case of an emergency, I want you to use your draconic roar." Things would be much easier if ina dide with us, but leaving her territory is a major risk. Especially since the Pope could be making an appearance any day now.
"R-really? Won''t everyone on the continent hear it?" I was unaware of this ability ra had, but judging from her expression, it seemed quite dangerous.
"Doesn''t matter, they won''t know where it ising from, plus this is just in the worst case scenario." ina assured us that we wouldn''t have to use ra''s skill, but a part of me felt that we likely will.
"If you say so." ra didn''t sound too confident either.
"Anyway, you''ve all been trained up to at least be worthy of my elite guard. I''d prefer it if you stayed a bit longer, but I''m afraid things have to move along. You have one month to prepare before you set out and I want you to take this time to rest and finish up any loose ends in your training."
"Except for you, ra. Now that you''ve proved yourself, I think it''s time that I teach you how to fully embrace your demon side and officially recognise you as part of the royal family."
I was quite shocked to hear we would get a month-long break, but what came as more of a surprise was that ra will officially be royalty. Even looking at her face, she couldn''t believe what she was hearing at first.
"W-wait are we making a public announcement or something?" Suddenly, ra became extremely flustered. She has always been the quiet in the back type, so suddenly being pushed into the spotlight must be quite a change.
"Naturally, there will be one. Of course, it doesn''t mean you will take the throne from me. However as it stands, if I do die, I will be willing to pass it off to you." ina smirked, as if daring us to challenge her authority, but I don''t think ra had any interest in that whatsoever.
"Oh god, do I need to get a new dress? Is this too skimpy?" With the realisation that ra will be presented to the general public of the Demon Lands, she became rather self conscious about her outfit. Granted, it is a qipao which isn''t the most modest thing, but from what I remember, ina''s Tier 10 clothes are rather revealing.
"Hahaha, do not worry, I will have the maids dress you up properly, but that wille at ater date. There are still some things I need to talk to you about now that I''ve officially recognised you." ra''s face quickly turned from flustered to interested, as she hadn''t been told much since we first got here.
"Are you finally going to tell me everything about my family history then?"
"Yes, I''ve figured out all the details so there isn''t any reason to withhold that information anymore."
Seems like this story goes a lot deeper than I initially thought. We had already gotten rification on how the two demonesses were rted as well as the details of what really happened when ra was almost sacrificed, but nothing about ra''s family history.
"So umm, do you want us to leave so you can talk or is it okay if we stay?" nor fidgeted, unsure if it was okay for her to hear this kind of information.
"Please, I''d like to speak privately with ra, as I will need to show her around some restricted areas. I know you are her girlfriend, Shaman, but even you are not allowed in." Answering nor''s question, ina also red at me to make sure I didn''t get any funny ideas.
"Y-yes ma''am!" Knowing a serious warning when I hear one, I decided to scrap any ns to follow in secret.
"I''ll be fine Shaman, go ahead and catch up with Silver and nor, it has been quite a while after all." ra looked at me as if I was going to do something stupid.
"Yeah, yeah, I understand. Go learn about your family and your ultimate form or whatnot." I pouted and averted my eyes from ra. I really didn''t n to do anything stupid, Yes, I wasn''t at all looking for any excuse to escape watching my son flirt with nor Definitely not.
"How about we get going then, Mum? I have a looming feeling we are overstaying our wee." Looking over to Silver, he was pointing towards ina, who was slowly releasing a menacing aura, telling us to get out.
"Okay, right away!" Understanding the situation, me, Silver and nor quickly left the throne room.
"Finally, nowe with me ra."
Chapter 331: Dragon Seal
After everyone left the throne room, ina walked up to me, and with a quick touch on my shoulder, we teleported. Appearing in some kind of vault, I saw on the wall a variety of different weapons, all with portraits above them.
Getting a vague sense of familiarity with them, I could only assume these were my ancestors, whose weapons were infused with their souls. My parents were nowhere to be seen on the wall, which was to be expected.
"I''ll warn you now that each of these weapons are indeed powerful, but they also have curses. Unless you are the original owner, you will have to abide by the conditions of the weapon, which can easily result in death. Of course, the most powerful weapon here is also the most dangerous."
It sounded very impractical to even keep weapons like these, much less to actually make them. Then again, the idea must have been to try and obtain a greater power beyond the limits of this world, so there needed to be a trade off for there to be bnce.
"Are you going to give me one?" I felt like it would be a death wish to ept such a weapon. These also carried a lot of history with them, so I can imagine ina raining all nine hells on me if I let something happen to them.
"Haha, of course not. I''ve only ever used them a couple times for special asions. I brought you here to show you who your real mother is." ina was amused by my question, but I was just d she didn''t get angry at me.
"Wait, real mother?" Having processed what she just said, I was shocked at the implication that the mother I knew wasn''t my real one.
"Yes, you were too young to really know anyone, but your father was quite the sleeze bag and slept with your auntie. That auntie also happens to be my mother, who was part dragon. Now, as you can see, I took after my father''s side, bing a subus." ina flicked her spade ended tail, a clear proof of her race. Her horns were also quite thick, which is a featuremon to dragons.
"So we are actual half-sisters and my actual race is a dragon demon?" There weren''t any signs I could recall that suggested I was a dragon. I knew my partial transformation kind of made me scaly, but not enough to say I was a dragon.
"Technically yes. Although judging from your face, I see you are confused. This is why I needed some time before I told you everything. I wanted to make sure I had all the facts right, as well as the proper methods to unlock your draconic side."
"Right now, you can only use your father''s demon side because of a seal. With the help of Himeko, we investigated the location where they tried to kill you, but it turns out they tried to seal you instead. It was the kind of seal that put you in a constant time loop, living your life at that cabin over and over. It may sound nice, but you would have never got to live out your life."
It was hard to believe at first, but I had no reason to doubt what ina was saying. At the time I had no idea what was really going on and even Himeko misconstrued that they were going to kill me.
"But wasn''t the ritual unsessful? Surely If that seal was still on me I would have noticed something by now." I had the system, so I felt like there should have been some kind of indication if I was indeed under some magical effect.
"That''s probably because it has been a part of your body this entire time. You''ve even evolved together with it to the point I''m not even surewhether we can treat it individually. However, that doesn''t mean it can''t be broken, which leads into why we are here."
"There is an item here that will be able to undo the seal if I am correct about what your parents did." ina then turned around and began to rummage through the vault, opening up every box she could find.
''Sounds promising. I wonder what my new form will look like.'' My thoughts wandered while ina looked for this item. I was curious what Shaman''s thoughts were on dragon girls, as I imagined myself gaining a new tail and possibly some other dragon-like features.
"Ah ha, found it." From deep within the vault of goods, ina emerged, holding a vial of some liquid.
"That is not what I imagined the item to be." I was expecting some kind of tier 10 monster part that had a special effect or something more unorthodox instead of a very fancy vial.
"It doesn''t look like much, but inside it is dragon blood. Conveniently, it is used to seal things as well as get rid of them. Basically, it''s a double edged sword and a rare one at that.
We don''t see wild Tier 10 dragons often, so you''re lucky that I knew we had some blood from hundreds of years ago." ina then pulled out a small ss from her inventory ring and poured a tiny amount into the ss.
"Howe my parents didn''t know about this vial and use it for themselves?" I felt like if they were aware of it, they would have either used it themselves or thrown out the rest so it cannot be used to undo their work.
"Because they didn''t expect the seal to be interrupted. If you had gotten fully sealed, your existence would have remained unknown and nobody would try to help you anyways. However, since it was only partlyplete, your physical body has remained in this realm."
"So if I were sealed, I wouldn''t physically be in this world but instead in some dimensional space stuck in that time loop?" I struggled to wrap my head around it as this seal sounded way too strong considering what it could do.
"Exactly, and because this bottle is half full, I am inclined to believe that what they did involved this blood." ina then held out the ss filled with a tiny amount of dragon blood. The blood itself glowed slightly while the ss itself had turned warm to the touch.
"Still don''t know how this will undo my seal if the same blood was used to create it." What I really wanted to know was how this blood would unlock this hidden side of me.
"The interesting thing is that dragons are inherently strong against seals but are inadvertently great ingredients to make them. In your case, since you are part dragon, drinking their blood should wake up the dormant dragon aspect within you, therefore breaking the seal." I could see the logic in that, but I still had my doubts.
"Now drink up."
Looking at the ss in my hands, I prayed that it would taste okay and not like some medical concoction.
''Elysia loves blood so maybe I should give her a taste of mine since I''m part dragon, supposedly.'' I was curious if dragon blood had any other effects, and whether Elysia being part vampire would grant her any benefit from it.
"Bottoms up, I guess." With no reason to not drink the blood, I raised the ss and swallowed it all at once. As soon as the blood made contact with my mouth, there was a burning sensation, as if I had taken in something extremely spicy.
There was a brief moment where nothing was happening and I thought that it didn''t work.
Soon after however, my entire body heated up and every muscle in my body tensed. Soon the heat turned into an agonising burn as if hotva was flowing through my veins.
"Arghhh!" I fell to my knees, trying to take in deep breaths, but nothing I did could suppress the pain.
When I thought it couldn''t get any worse, there was an even greater pain in my lower back, as if something was pushing itself out of my body. I even heard the sound of flesh and bones moving until I suddenly began to gain feeling in apletely foreign body part.
It then urred to me that what grew out of my back was a tail.
But then my attention turned to my hands as they began to change in front of my eyes, their fingers now resembling dragon ws while my arms were covered in scales.
I didn''t know how much time had passed, but finally the pain started to subside. Steam emitted from my body as I began to adjust to my new tail. It was extremely ufortable and I couldn''t stop moving it around as I instinctively wanted it to go away.
My hands were still partly transformed into ws, which didn''t surprise me as my original transformation had my hands change shape as well.
What surprised me the most was that I felt very light. It was like I had taken off a bunch of weights from my arms and legs.
"Interesting, looks like it worked." ina stood over me, looking at me as if I were some kind of specimen.
Chapter 332: Dragoness
"How do you feel?" ina offered her hand, but I could barely move my body. Still, I felt my body slowly adjusting to my new form, feeling lighter by the second.
"I''m getting used to it." Lifting my hand up slowly, ina took that chance to snatch it and pull me up.
*CRACK!* "Ah~" As I stood up, every bone in my body made cracking sounds. Paralysed in ce, I didn''t know if that was the best feeling or the most disgusting one ever.
"There we go, you should be able to move now." It was reassuring to hear that my body was meant to do that, but it still came as a shock.
"Really? I feel like if I move anything, my body will just copse." Even though I was standing up, my joints felt like they had no muscles in them and any movement will result in me just going limp.
"Haha, don''t worry. I felt the same when I was first able to transform. It will feel like your entire body isn''t there, but once you start moving, everything will return to normal." ina giggled, standing there with a smug grin on her face.
"F-fine." Left with no other choice, I tried to move my arms and legs. It felt as if my limbs were stuck in some kind of goo, moving very slowly, and I could feel my joints creaking in protest. However, ina was right, I was slowly getting the feeling back in the rest of my body.
"Keep that up for a bit, then I will exin more about your powers." ina walked away, sitting in a luxurious chair that sat amongst all the other valuables, watching me get used to my body.
''Damn it, this feels embarrassing now.'' To a degree, it felt like I was a baby just learning how to walk again. But I continued to move despite my difort.
''Why does she just have to sit there silently and watch me? It isn''t like I can''t listen while moving.'' The silence only got more awkward as time went on.
*
<5 minutester>
Even though it felt like the longest 5 minutes of my life, at least now I was more or less back to normal. No longer did my body feel so foreign, as did the dragontail that had grown on my back. With a bit of mana, I was able to adjust my qipao to surround my tail so it wasn''t flipping up my skirt
It also gave me a chance to see what my tail actually looked like. The tip of the tail had a spade, which I assumed represented my demon side. Going down from the tip, it gets a lot thicker and scalier, with the spine of the tail sprouting fur. The fur got denser as it reached my back and it was quite fluffy to the touch.
The tail was a bit different than I expected, but I still liked it and preferred my new image overmy previous form.
"Now that you''re ustomed to your new body, I think it''s time to tell you that the tail is permanent. As for the other changes, they will revert back to normal before long." It wasn''t the worst news, but definitely something that will take getting used to.
''How am I even going to sleep on my back? How do Shaman and Elysia even deal with their tails?'' Now that I have a tail of my own, I thought of all the scenarios where it would be an inconvenience. Unlike Shaman and Elysia, whose tails were soft and squishy, mine was hard and scaly.
"Good to know, but I feel like I''ll end up hating it." I swang the tail around, which packed a bit of weight behind it. Can definitely use it as a weapon or to defend from certain types of attacks.
"Don''t worry, there are a few tricks you can do, which is something that your girlfriends already do to hide their other tails. To everyone else, they are impossible to see, although for someone stronger like me it is easy to notice such things." ina revealed that the magic Shaman and Elysia use will also be applicable to my tail.
I was relieved to hear that, as I don''t want it out all the time, especially when I''m sleeping or sitting down.
"Interesting, how many tails does Shaman have then? It''s been a while since she revealed them." The second part of ina''s statement had me curious since thest time I saw it was at 7 tails. However, now that Shaman has surpassed the system in terms of levels and tiers I was curious if the number has changed.
"She currently has 10 tails, which shouldn''t be possible as 9 is the max normally. But this is Shaman we are talking about. It seems whatever power limits exist in this world, it has no effect on her as she has somehow breached that cap." Compared to her former self, Shaman now had a soul twice as powerful, some kind of power from a goddess, not to mention the system of course.
It made perfect sense that the world''s power system could no longer restrain her strength
"She still isn''t stronger than me, but at her current speed, at least in terms of raw mana and physical strength she will surpass me soon enough. Now don''t go telling her I said this, I don''t want to inte her ego. After all, she still has a long way to go before she matches me in experience." It was interesting to see that ina was feeling quitepetitive when it came to how strong she was.
"I understand, I''d rather that not happen as well." It would be bad for everyone if Shaman got lost in her pursuit for power. She almost sumbed to the heroplex about a year ago when she arrived here, but Himeko smacked some sense into her, literally.
"Good, now moving onto you. The power you have acquired is a rare one which was thought to be lost. It has been a while since thest demon with active dragon blood. And to think your parents wanted to seal you forever" I started wondering whydragon blood is so rare? However, ina did say ''active'', so I''m assuming there are others that have it, but just can''t use it.
"Who else would have dragon blood? You make it sound like anyone can have it."
"That''s because everyone does. We all originated from dragons. As time went on, we mingled with other species, making pure dragons more scarce. That is why despite tradition, we moved away from choosing our rulers by their bloodline purity.
We still give priority to the families that have stronger dragon blood, but realistically it''s still a strength based hierarchy, meaning that if I don''t keep in shape I could very well be challenged for my throne.."
"So basically, everyone is a distant rtive then." I didn''t expect every demon to have some dragon blood in them, but I didn''t know much about Demon Land''s history in the first ce.
"Yep! Technically, I should be giving the throne to you, but as you said, you''re not interested and I''m not going down without a fight." ina brimmed with confidence, as if she were daring me to try.
"Yeah, no thanks, now tell me what having active dragon blood actually means." My curiosity was growing about the benefits this dragon form has. Besides the obvious physical enhancements of course, there had to be more than just that.
"Yes, yes, moving on. Since you use lightning as your main attribute, you are the second most destructive dragon, only second to fire. Now that you have unlocked your dragon side, you are officially a dragoness, which means your mana output should be five times of what it used to be."
"We will, of course, go out and give these powerups a try. However, just like your demon form, you won''t be able to maintain it for long. Still, with your training it shouldst long enough for now." Hearing that my mana got a boost, the urge to let loose a little was great, but thest thing I wanted to do was identally break something.
"As for the other benefits, while they haven''t sprouted yet, you should get some wings after a bit of practice, letting you soar through the sky. You also probably felt the entire inside of your body reconstruct itself. What that did is allow you to literally spew lightning out of your throat like a normal dragon."
"It has also probably made you into a bit of a foodie. Elysia will have to get used to cooking extra portions for you as using this form requires a lot of energy. Thest benefit worth mentioning besides the physical enhancements is the ability to control others." I raised an eyebrow as that felt more in line for Elysia who is now part vampire.
"Yes, you heard me right. It''s different from hypnosis which can be broken. Your ability cannot be broken unless you yourself will it, you die or they die. It only works on those with weak wills or who are simply weaker than you, so no funny ideas.
But a convenient trick to know is that it can work on someone once you weaken them." A sinister smile appeared on ina''s face, obviously having something in store for this ability.
"Does this involve Freja?" I guessed it had to do with ourtest mission and the first person that came to mind was the traitor.
"Fufu~, yes I have a very specific mission for you only."
Chapter 333: Special mission
''Having just mentioned my ability to control people, I''m guessing ina is wanting me to use this ability against Freja.'' Personally, I didn''t mind doing such a task, but at the same time, I would hate to force Freja under my control if it turns out she isn''t a traitor.
We still didn''t know Freja''s intentions or what her rtionship was with the Pope. He had put Himeko on a leash, so it''s very likely that Freja is also on one.
"If you end up fighting Freja in this next battle to free Shaman''s parents, I want you to use your ability to take control of her. You will have to weaken her until she is almost dead as that woman basically has an unbreakable will, so there is no chance you could control her right away." ina exined the mission and it was exactly as I expected.
"Hmm, I see. Since Shaman is almost Tier 10, it might be doable." I was only just reaching Tier 9, so I won''t be of much use in the fight itself, but doing something like this sounded reasonable.
"Hang on, how do I even use this ability?" However, it urred to me that I don''t even know how to activate it.
"I''m getting there. As for fighting Freja, like I said before, I doubt you, nor and Silver will be able to do anything. Elysia is a mystery, as we don''t know her progress, but regardless, Shaman will be the one fighting Freja."
"As for what you can do to help, there is no doubt she will have some high tier minions same as I do, so make sure you defeat them as quickly as possible." At the mention of minions, it reminded me of Kiruya, who had helped us in the Elfhiem. I hope we don''t have to fight her, but she is Freja''s second inmand.
"Alright Sounds good." Part of me hopes that we don''t end up fighting Freja, but we are preparing for the worst case scenario after all. Especially if we end up confronting her about the Pope. That would definitely cause some tension, or maybe even make her go ''mask off''.
"Moving on... to use your ability, all you have to do is redirect mana into your eyes and think about controlling that person. Hence, you won''t have to worry about identally putting someone under your spell unless you will it." With all the mission detailsid out, ina moved on to exin my ability, and it was a relief to hear that it was really that simple.
Its manual activation also means I''m safe from any idental takeovers, but I can see myself getting angry and activating it on instinct.
"Can I try it now?" There wasn''t anyone nearby and I doubted ina would let me use it on her.
"Sure, now that we are done here, we will use one of my maids as a test subject." ina shot up from her chair and grabbed me by the shoulder, teleporting us back to the throne room.
Letting go of me, she then pped her hands a couple times and one of the demon maids entered the throne room. As she walked up, I saw her eyes widen at me, probably recognising my form as that of a dragon.
"Yes, your highness?" Kneeling in front of ina, the maid awaited her orders.
"Stand up and look ra in the eyes for a moment, we are testing something." Without hesitation, the maid stood in front of me, but I could tell by her eyes that she was afraid.
"It''s alright, I won''t hurt you." I felt bad, so I reassured her before I tried activating my ability. Relief washed over the maid and I could see that she was letting down her guard now.
''I wonder if the system has registered it as a skill.'' I wanted to check, but I didn''t want to waste time scrolling through my profile to see if I had it.
"Go when you''re ready." ina gave me the go ahead, so I focused my mana into my eyes. For a moment, nothing happened, but then my eyes suddenly began to glow a bright purple.
The maid in front of me stared directly into them, the light in her eyes slowly dimming as she was left standing there nkly.
I retracted the mana from my eyes yet the maid still stood there with no signs of moving.
"It looks like it worked, now give her some simple orders." ina lookedpletely invested in this experiment as she watched the maid intently.
"Alright, get on all fours." I wanted to try something that a maid would never do, especially in front of their ruler and, to my surprise, the maid followed my orders fully.
She dropped to her hands and knees and looked up at me as if she were waiting for more orders.
"Interesting choice, but it certainly proves that she is under your control now." ina got closer to the maid and began examining her body. My guess was that ina was trying to figure out how my ability works, asplete control over someone else was a rarely seen ability.
"It doesn''t seem to be mana controlling her, as I am unable to sense any must be something to do with the soul." ina was thinking out loud as she continued to scan the maid''s body.
''Hmm, I wonder if this would work against Shaman since she has two souls fused into one.'' It would be an interesting test, but it also made me think about what interesting uses this could have when we decide to have a little fun.
''Now isn''t the time for those kinds of thoughts!'' I shook my head, trying to shake off all the lewd thoughts I was having and focused back on what ina and I were doing.
"Command her to speak." ina finished examining her body and took a step back to observe.
"Say hello." Moving on to the next test, it was time to see if I could make them speak, which will be a good indication on whether I can extract information from people.
"Hello." In a nk, monotone voice, the maid spoke without any form of hesitation or resistance.
"Hmm, try to get her to say something about me." ian didn''t look quite satisfied, so she wanted to try something moreplicated.
"What do you think of Queen ina?" I was curious of my sister''s reputation, although that may have just cost this demon her job as a maid.
"Queen ina is our almighty ruler and I love her. I will do anything I can to serve her! She can even use my body however she sees fit." Nevermind, she just confessed her inner feelings to the queen herself.
"Oho~, that''s good to hear. Maybe I should give this maid a little taste of what subus love is like." ina was clearly happy with the response and even considered rewarding the maid. It made me a little concerned for the maidthat is, if she remembers any of this.
"Ahem anyway, try to break the control now, I want to see if she remembers everything." ina stepped away and ordered me to break the connection.
As I focused on wanting to free this maid from my control, the light in her eyes returned.
"What the hell!?" The maid freaked out for a moment and quickly stood back up, looking quite embarrassed.
"Tell me, how did it feel? were you fully conscious the entire time?" ina sat down on her throne, waiting for an answer, but the maid still looked freaked out and confused.
"U-uhh well, it''s hard to put into words how I felt. It was like my entire body became paralysed, and before I knew it, I was stuck inside my own head. I could see, hear and feel everything around me, but I couldn''t do anything S-so, did you mean what you said before?" The maid''s face waspletely red, clearly remembering what ina said.
"Do I ever lie?" ina licked her lips and gave the maid a smile. Steam was visiblying out of the maid''s head, as this was probably a dreame true for her.
I stood therepletely silent, wondering if I should just leave, as it was getting more awkward by the second.
"N-no ma''am." The maid was now fidgeting and unable to stay still,pletely losing herposure.
"Good, now you can wait by my quarters, I still have a few things to discuss with my sister." ina nced over and, seeing how awkward it was getting, quickly sent the maid on her way. The maid nodded and quickly rushed out of the throne room while holding her face.
"Did you find out everything you wanted?" I knew ina was going to use me, especially since it would allow us to interrogate anyone without resistance.
''As long as it doesn''t turn out she is a traitor as well, I don''t mind helping.'' We are family, so there is no reason not to help.
"Yes I did. Go ry the n to the others. I''lle see you again after you''ve had some rest to do a bit more testing on your new powers." ina dismissed me, which was a relief as I found my mana was quickly depleting the longer I stayed in this dragon form.
"Alright, I''ll see you soon."
Chapter 334: Wait, you are together?
*Sigh* "I hope ra is okay." It had been about 30 minutes since we left the throne room and still no sign of ra. Currently, me, Silver and nor were sitting at a table in a small dining area, snacking on some fruit while we waited.
"I''m sure she will be fine. She has been wanting some validation from ina for a while, hasn''t she?"
''I can never get used to Silver being this sociable.'' It still came as a shock whenever Silver spoke, as he was a very awkward kid 6 months ago, but now he was a lot more confident in his speech.
"She has been, so I can only hope this is good news, or that she at least gains some new powers. She hasn''t admitted it yet, but I could tell she felt like she was falling behind." I reassured ra previously that she doesn''t need to push herself so hard, but no matter what I said, she still trained every single day with barely a break between.
It pained me to see her push herself so much, but I understood that she didn''t want to feel like a burden to the party. Unlike Silver and nor, who have established roles, ra felt lost about where she belonged.
So hopefully, whatever she is doing with ina, it will help her find her role in the party, as I truly hope we can fight side-by-side once more.
"You should have said something mother, I would haveforted her." Silver pouted since ra was his second mother and I could see in his eyes the genuine concern.
"Shaman probably wasn''t sure how helpful that would be, plus it might be a sensitive subject, considering she hasn''t said anything." nor jumped in, exining exactly how I felt about the situation. I knew that ra wasparing herself to me, which she shouldn''t be doing as I am in a rather unique position.
I am technically a Tier 10 now from my soul merge, so it is unreasonable for ra to pressure herself so much to catch up. Besides, even if I said anything, I was worried that ra might take offence.
"nor is right. I don''t know what the right thing to do is. Unlike Elysia I can''t bring myself to be so extremely honest." A part of me wishes I had Elysia''s abrasiveness, but at the same time it isn''t always a good thing to be 100% honest.
"Hmmm, okay. I still think we should talk to her though." Silver still had a worried look, but he understood where I wasing from.
"Don''t worry, now that you''ve brought it up, I''ll make sure to approach her tonight." Depending on how things turn out with ina, it looks like I''ll be confronting ra. I don''t know why I felt so nervous about it, as I''ve never really had this problem with Elysia.
''ra has always kept to herself and never reallyined about anything She also has held herself back ever since Elysia left.'' Thinking back, both of us had been so absorbed in our training that we never really did anything together.
''I think I''m getting on to something, just need to talk to ra.'' I didn''t want to jump to conclusions just yet, as I may be overthinking this whole situation.
"Let me know how it goes." Silver let out a relieved sigh and lowered one of his hands to the side. Looking up, I noticed that Silver and nor were sitting kind of close, with both their arms next to each other.
''Hang on.'' They said they were not dating yet, but I had my suspicions. So without warning I quickly ducked my head under the table.
''...'' My eyes couldn''t believe it, I wanted to refuse what I saw, but there was no doubt about it They are HOLDING HANDS!!! Their fingers were interlocked with each other, which you just don''t casually do.
I felt my soul leave my body, causing me to fall back in my seat. Unfortunately, the seats were closer to stools, and so I crashed directly into the ground.
"My boy hiding his secret lover" Whatever semnce of a boy Silver had left vanished and no longer could I see him like a child. Well, he looks like a grown man now, but that''s besides the point!
"W-wait I can exin. It isn''t what it looks like." Silver quickly kneeled down to my side with a bright red face. However, anything he nned to say or do was not going to change my mind now.
"I thought I was ready for it mentally, but clearly that''s not the case." I nced at Silver, but quickly looked away, as I couldn''t bring myself to look him in the eyes. Was it too much to ask just to see that young innocent smile again?
"Mum! W-we are not-."
"Silver, there is no point in hiding it anymore." As Silver was denying their rtionship, it seems that nor threw in the towel.
"Urghhhh, my sweet little boy. He is gone." I felt like sobbing upon hearing such confirmation, but I knew it wasing.
''Why am I like this, I should be over it by now.'' It was beginning to get childish that I was freaking out over Silver getting a girlfriend. It was going to happen either way, but I thought at least it would be years away.
''I never thought the system would force him to grow so quickly.'' If anything, the system was to me, as I was prepared to take care of Silver until he grew up naturally to be an adult.
*Sigh* "You know I will always be your son, Mum." Silver looked like he was totally over it and I couldn''t me him. He was beginning to be more of an adult than I am.
''I''m almost 19 now'' Reality was settling in and it should have long ago.
"You''re right I''m sorry, I shouldn''t be acting like this." Sitting up from the ground, there was a part of me that felt ashamed, but I was also relieved.
"Now I want to hear it from you, are you actually dating nor now?" I almost choked on my words, as I didn''t want to hear the wordse out of Silver.
"Yes I was going to wait a bit longer to tell you, but we started about a week ago." Silver''s face waspletely red, but he steeled himself and confessed.
*INHALE* I took the deepest breath I could and let myself process it.
''Don''t freak out, be happy for him. I am dating 2 women, which wouldn''t usually fly if I were back in my home world, but here we are.'' I was in no position to judge or control what Silver did with his life. I myself was already in quite a unique rtionship, so who am I to talk?
''At least it is with nor.'' If it was going to be anyone, I''m d that he chose her. Unfortunately, she hasn''t really gotten any closer to us as friends over these 8 months, but clearly Silver has.
''Now that I think about it, I haven''t spoken to Silver much as ofte.'' It was dawning on me that over thest 8 months, Silver and nor have probably been hanging out a lot. It almost sent me back into a panic attack, but I controlled myself.
''No, this is a good thing, they actually got to know each other unlike me and Elysia, which, in hindsight, was basically a one night stand that stuck around.'' It really wasn''t looking good for me, but that doesn''t matter now. Everything turned out well enough.
"Congrattions, Silver and nor. It''s still hard for me to ept it, but I am happy for you two." Having drowned in my thoughts enough, I needed to speak up. Wanting to be the best mother I could, I congratted them.
"Thank you, Mum." As if a weight was lifted off Silver''s heart, he finally broke into a smile.
*Hmph* "No showing affection right in front of me though, I don''t think I can handle that yet." That would absolutely shatter me if I saw Silver kissing nor. I need at least a year to be okay before I see that.
"Are you serious? Then I don''t want to see you, Elysia and ra doing shit in front of me." Silver gave me the nkest stare, screaming, "Are you kidding me?".
"I-I of course." It was only fair, although I don''t know if Elysia can really follow such a rule.
*Creak*
Suddenly, the door to the dining area opened and it was ra who walked out.
"ra! Oh my god, you won''t believe what I just found out." Finally, the only person I could vent to came, so I rushed over and hugged her tightly.
"Ehh? What did you find out." ra looked very confused and taken aback as I don''t usuallytch onto her like this.
"Silver and nor are dating! My beautiful boy has a girlfriend now!" I was being a bit dramatic, though by now I felt more happy about the news than concerned or worried.
"Oh, I know." However, what I didn''t expect was for ra to already know.
"What?!"
"Yeah he told me as soon as nor said yes and has been asking for advice over text for a while." ra then dropped the massive bombshell, confirming that she knew everything that was going on.
"..." I was left speechless. However, my attention quickly snapped to the fact that ra looked a lot different.
"Wait, since when were you a dragon?!?!"
Chapter 335: How it happened
"Yes, I did be a dragon! I''ll show youter what I can, but for now I need to rest." ra awkwardly smiled, her exhaustion clearly showing on her face.
"Hmm Alright I can wait, but what cannot wait is Silver exining how the hell it all went down." I snapped my head back to Silver as I still wanted to hear all the details. If I was going to ept Silver growing up I may as well embrace the girl in me and get all the gossip.
"Are you sure? I feel like you won''t be able to handle it." Silver showed genuine concern, which was fair. I haven''t been the most stable whenever I hear anything romantic involving him, but this can be training I guess.
"Y-yeah! As a mother, I must do this for myself, so please don''t hold back." Coming up with an excuse on the spot, I dragged ra by the hand and sat back down on the bench.
"If you say so." Silver let out a sigh, definitely thinking it will not go down well.
"Can I have a nap while you guys talk? I pretty much know everything anyway." ra sat right next to me and leant her head on my shoulder, almost poking me with her horns.
"You can, but please use myp before you poke my eye out." I wasn''t against ra leaning on my shoulder, but she couldn''t exactly hide her horns like I can with my tails.
"Oh yeah, sorry." ra slid her head down to myp as I started patting her head, hoping to provide a bit offort. She has never really taken headpats before so I was curious if she would let me continue.
''Her hair is so smooth. I need to find more excuses to pat her head just to feel it.'' Unlike mine, which was softer and fluffy, ra''s felt elegant and nice to run my fingers through.
"Are you okay with me telling Shaman everything?" Silver looked at nor for confirmation, as this was about their personal lives. I may be Silver''s mother, but if nor isn''tfortable with it then there isn''t much I can do.
"Yeah, it''s fine But before we start, it just urred to me that Shaman will technically be my mother-inw now right?" nor raised a good point. I didn''t know how I would feel if she started calling me mum.
"I guess so, but don''t force yourself since you are older than her."
"..." I was petrified by what Silver had just said. I wish I had never heard it, but he was right. nor was approaching her mid-twenties while I hadn''t even entered my twenties yet.
I honestly couldn''t believe I hadn''t realised this sooner, since it just made things 10 times weirder.Still, Silver himself is the strangest anomaly of all, so there''s no point of delving into the ethics of it all to begin with.
If the system is right, he is ssified as an adult and might even be mentally older than me now?! Oh god, this is a rabbit hole that I need to step out of before I drive myself crazy.
"I-I don''t think you should have said that Silver." nor instantly noticed my reaction and realised the mental impact it had on me.
"Pfft."
"ra!" Hearing ra snicker at me, I grabbed her horn threateningly, warning of the consequences of uttering yet another sound.
"Aye, Aye, not the horns!" ra was essentially paralysed, now realising that her horns were not very flexible, making any further movement inadvisable.
"I''m going to pretend I never heard what you said Silver... And nor, for my sanity''s sake, please don''t call me mother either. I see you as more of a friend than a d-d-daughter." I just needed to ept things as they are and be happy for them.
Thinking it over again, I guess our age differences were not that big of an issue. Sure,pared to the long lifespan of elves and demi-humans, a decade or 2 isn''t that big of a deal.
"Understood Shaman." nor straightened up, explicitly making sure to call me by my name.
"Phew, you can continue." I let go of ra''s horn while taking deep breaths to calm myself down, refocusing myself on the conversation.
"M-my bad Anyway, I guess this all started a month ago"
***
<1 month ago, Silver POV>
''I really need to sort myself out.'' I was currently rolling around in my bed, hugging my pillow, trying to figure out my feelings for nor.
I clearly find her attractive, and have been getting closer to her ever since Elfheim, but I knew my mental age and body were too young for her. However, now that I have evolved straight into adulthood, I feel like I stand a chance.
Although, there was still a part of me that felt like this was very, very wrong.
''I should ask ra or Elysia for some help Maybe not Elysia.'' No offence to Elysia, but I still vividly remember my days as a wolf cub and how terribly fast they got into a rtionship. In hindsight, it is a little sad to see how touch deprived those 2 must have been, but Shaman got lucky that they werepatible in the end.
''At least ra eased a bit better into it. Granted, it was thanks to Freja''s forced intervention.'' ra was the best candidate to ask about how to deal with my feelings, but looking back, her situation wasn''t perfect either.
''How do you even get into a love triangle in the first ce? I''m surprised it''ssted this long without Elysia turning even more insane than she already is.'' I was slowly diverting back to worrying about my mothers rather than my own feelings.
''Enough about them, let''s just ask ra.'' Opening up the system chat, I scrolled to ra''s name and opened the chat. We were yet to message each other one-on-one so there was nothing there.
''Time to draft up a message.''
<30 minutester>
''Is this okay? Why do I feel even more nervous now than I do when I am around nor?'' I had written out quite a lengthy paragraph describing my feelings and asking for help, but when I hovered my hand over the send button, I just couldn''t press it.
"Come on, it won''t be that bad, what''s the worst ra will say?" Surely there was no reason to be worried. It wasn''t like I was texting Shaman, who would pass out upon reading my message.
ra is much calmer and has been fine teasing me about this rtionship for months now.
''Fuck it.'' Hitting send, I quickly closed the window and smothered myself with my pillow. It was prettyte, so I doubted I''d get a response right away, but my impatience kept me hoping I''d get some something soon. I had no idea what ra''s schedule was like, so it might take until tomorrow night.
''I don''t know if I can wait that long.''
*Ding*
Just then, the system alert rang, sending me jumping out of bed as I wasn''t expecting a response that soon.
I was about to open it up again, but then anxiety decided to creep on me, thinking about what would happen if ra took it badly.
''Stop! ra sees me as her own son, so what is there to be worried about.'' Although I had technically be an adult, I still could still experience social anxiety like anyone else. It was normal to ask family for help.
[Omg Silver, I can''t believe you are finally admitting it. Of course, I will help you out dear. Did you want to meet-up or is keeping to text fine.]
Despite my anxieties, ra was as supportive as I expected.
''I don''t know about meeting up... Texting will be a lot easier and I only need simple advice so it should do just fine.'' Sending my reply, I kept the chat open, waiting for ra to respond.
[Too easy. I guess to start off, if you have any free time, you should take nor on a date. Your situation is rather peculiar, so if you take her out to hang around try to gauge if she is into you or not. It will be easier to confess once you know the feeling is mutual, and it is better to first dispell any worries she may have regardless your unusual burst of growth]
Reading over ra''s advice, it made sense that I should try to learn more first. I did go from teenager to adult very quickly, so nor might not even be able to see me as a man yet.
The only issue is how am I meant to tell? I can''t just ask her straight up, right? I texted ra my concerns, mentioning I had no idea how to read bodynguage in a romantic way and I didn''t want toe off too strong.
It didn''t help that ra and Elysia''s teasing made it harder for me to do anything as nor might already be on guard regarding my intentions.
[Of course you don''t ask her bluntly, at least not yet. Now think about this, Silver. With how aware she probably is, won''t it be a good sign if you invite her on a date? I rmend saying it''s a date and if she epts, be confident that she is interested.]
ra made a very good point and it was subtle enough that I didn''t feel like bashing my head against the wall.
''Alright it''s decided then, I''ll ask her out on a date.''
Chapter 336: What am I meant to do?
"What am I supposed to do? nor said yes, but I have nothing nned at all. I don''t know the Demon Lands city all too well and Wait! Do demons even have shops? Or maybe some form of entertainment? It is a city so I''m guessing it should, but won''t it all be vulgar stuff?" A million thoughts rushed through my mind as nor epted my date invitation.
Right after talking to ra, I sent a text to nor asking if she wanted to go on a date next time we hung out. Little did I know I would wake up to a yes, which is what led to me currently freaking out.
Conveniently, we were both free tomorrow, so now I had to decide what to wear and how to spend our time. However, none of us have really explored the city, as we neither needed to nor could be bothered with our tight training schedule.
''Maybe I could ask Shino. She is the demonnd''s primary intelligence officer, so surely she will know all about the city.'' It was a little scary to ask, as Shino had been rather strict with her training. What if I brought up the date and she did not let me go?
''No, it''s my day off, so I''m sure it will be fine.'' It wasn''t like Shino was cruel, so I don''t know why I was worrying so much.
With some research being in order and someone in mind that could help, I dragged myself out of bed. Today was another training day anyway, but I hoped I could have a little conversation if I arrived early.
*
"Someone is up early."
I arrived in Shino''s office, which was one room away from the main control centre, yet despite the hustle and bustle of the staff, said office was surprisingly well insted. The room itself was just as impressive as the control centre, its walls lined with various information tablets, which I assumed was an archive of some kind.
"Y-yeah, I actually had a couple things to ask before I started today." Now that I was about to ask Shino for advice, I suddenly felt extremely nervous.
"Oh? Well you''vee to the right person since I know everything." Shino puffed her chest proudly like a child, which was kind of adorable.
"Hypothetically, if someone were to go on a date tomorrow, what are some good ces in the city to take them?" I prayed that Shino would not put much thought into it and just answer my question.
"Hmm, depending on the circumstances, a jewellery ce is nice or just the shopping district in general. We do have entertainment, but for a date... I doubt that is a wise choice. Hang on, do you have a date? Is it that pretty elf you always hang around with?" However, Shino caught on in the end and my face turned red.
"N-no I-i''m asking for a friend." I didn''t know what else to say, as I''m sure my reaction was already a dead give away.
"Friends? Since when do you have friends besides your parents?" Ouch, that one kind of stung, but she was rightI really don''t know anyone else.
"Did you really need to say that?" I averted my gaze, knowing full well I was caught.
"Fufu~, either way, I am happy for you. What I''ve said still stands, but frankly, there isn''t much else I can tell you. I rmend trying to see if anything peaks her interest and capitalising on that." Like I had hoped, Shino was very supportive and didn''t stop me from going on this date, instead giving whatever advice she could.
"I-I see, so just go with the flow?" I felt that it needed a bit more nning, but then again, maybe the exploration of the city itself can be the date.
"That''s about it. I''ve only ever watched couples, so never been on a date myself." That would have sounded very creepy if her job hadn''t involved monitoring people from time to time.
"I see. Well, thanks for the advice." I was about to make my way out before training started when a clicking sound echoed from behind me, followed up by the door shutting tight.
"Don''t think you are getting away from training just because you got a date. Now that you''re here early, how about we begin?" Shino let out her menacing tone, sending shivers down my entire body.
"Y-yes." I fear today might be a rough day of training.
**
"Urghh, did Shino have to go so hard on me?" It was bright and early, but I did not feel like getting out of bed at all. However, today was the day I would go on a proper date with nor, so I didn''t have a choice.
My entire body ached from head to toe, making me regret ever asking for any advice from that midget.
''Please don''t be mad at me, Mother.'' I knew we had some healing potions that Shaman got for a rainy day, but we haven''t really been using them. I could ask for healing, but I didn''t really have the time.
So, taking 1 out of the shared inventory, I quickly drank it and hoped Shaman didn''t notice. We rarely use the inventory nowadays anyway, unless we need to quickly pass something to each other from a distance.
I felt the potion enter my body, washing away the pain for the most part.
''I wonder why we don''t use these more often.'' I felt like these would be super useful in battle, but I think I remember Shaman saying something about them losing effectiveness if overused, that and it''s best left for emergencies. There also hasn''t been a reason to use them while we have ess to healers, so they are best left as backup if need be.
"Time to get ready." I had no excuse to stay in bed any longer and an hour at most before me and nor meet up.
***
"Hold on just a minute! You used one of my potions?"
"A-ah shit, I should have left that out." Shaman had interrupted the shback as I identally mentioned stealing one of the potions.
*Sob* "All this to hide that you began dating nor. I feel like you don''t trust me anymore." Shaman let out clearly fake sobs, but when she puts it like that, it makes me feel like I am the bad guy.
"S-sorry I just knew how you would react and I didn''t want to hurt you" It was wrong of me to hide it, but I felt like I had to for Shaman''s sake.
*Sigh* "Don''t worry about it, It''s partly my fault, so don''t be sorry. Anyway, you can continue."
***
I changed into some decent casual clothes, which consisted of a basic white shirt with some random pattern and ck jeans. I also wore some silver bracelets and a tiny chain that was attached to my jeans. I then gave myself onest look in the mirror to make sure I looked okay.
Although Shaman said I had be more muscr, I still felt rather skinny and lean. I did have some muscles thanks to the system and all the training, but my arms and legs were still very thin.
"I still look pretty cool." I was happy with the choice of wearing some silver jewellery, as I felt like it made me look a bit better. I believe Shaman describes it as gothic or emo? I couldn''t remember the exact word for it.
''Now for the big moment.'' With everything ready, it was time for me to go pick nor up at her room and head into the Demon Lands city.
A part of me wanted to run away and hide. My feelings were no secret at this point, so it was hard to act all natural. Yet nor still agrees to hang out with me, so it must mean there is something there, right? I shouldn''t be feeling so nervous having gotten this far, but I''m still scared.
''Just shut up and go before you lose what''s left of your confidence.'' Giving my face a few light ps, I walked out of my room and towards nor''s.
*
<5 minutes of walking>
''Deep breaths Silver, just knock on the door. I''ve done this before, there is no reason to be afraid.'' Standing just outside of nor''s room, my hand hovered over the door, ready to knock.
*Knock knock* Turning off my brain and just doing it, I heard some shuffling from inside until the door finally opened.
"Oh, hey Silver, good timing. I just finished getting ready." nor walked out and I was blown away by her clothes, which made me feel like I put no effort in whatsoever.
She had put on the same green one piece dress that she wore when I first met her in the alley. It had been so long since I''d seen it that I forgot how sexy she looked in it. Her cleavage was on full disy and the slits in her dress revealed her long legs, all things that I couldn''t help but admire.
"What are you staring at, mister? Not going to say anything?" nor looked at me while pouting, clearly knowing where my eyesnded.
"A-ah yes, m-my bad You look very beautiful, nor." My voice was very shaky, but I still managed to get thepliment out. It would be criminal if I didn''t say anything.
"Hehe~ thank you, now where are we going?"
Chapter 337: Finally confessed
"The demon city is a lot more normal than I thought." nor and I walked around the town which, aside from the permanently red, cloudy sky, everything else was rather normal. People lived their lives like normal, regardless of their pointy horns.
"Yeah, it feels like we are just in a demi-human city." Most people had some form of animal features alongside their horns, so we didn''t really feel out of ce.
"I''ve even seen some elves with horns, which I didn''t think was possible."
"Well, apparently if you are born here or at least grew up in the demonnds, you get your own set of horns." It had something to do with demonic energy, which made me think how I might have gotten a pair of my own if I hadn''t grown so quickly.
"I see, that makes sense. I do feel an unusual energy that feels like the opposite of the world tree in Elfheim." I couldn''t feel whatever nor was talking about, but I didn''t really care either.
"Ooo, what is this ce?" However, nor''s attention would suddenly be dragged away by a jewellery store. She walked up to the window and saw a wide variety of different designs.
''Looks like Shino was right about just walking through town.'' Thanks to the help of my intelligence centre colleagues, I had gotten a pretty good idea of the cityyout. And so I nned a little route going past certain ces to see if anything grabbed her attention.
"It seems like people here also enjoy a bit of luxury." Walking up next to nor, I noticed the jewellery on disy was quite fancy. There were many rare gems adorning the different ornaments, with the price reflecting it.
''10,000 gold? Do we even have that much?'' Taking a quick nce at the system inventory, we had well over a million gold, which took me by surprise. I didn''t remember having that much money, but it wasn''t really something I needed to worry about.
Considering we had gotten so many monster parts, I guess we just umted a lot of gold over time. Not to mention if I remember correctly, Freja gave us a hefty sum to ensure we didn''t need to worry about gold ever again.
"Everything is so expensive, though, I don''t really have much gold to spare... But that ornament looks so good." nor contemted one item in particr and it was a bright green gem in the shape of a leaf.
''50,000???'' However, when looking at the price, I almost choked on my own breath.
To me, it didn''t really stand out, but I could imagine that for nor, it reminded her of home. It would go perfect with the choker she started wearing ever since she cut her hair really short.
"Let''s not break the bank, we can farm the dungeon for some gold." Luckily for me, nor didn''t have ess to the same funds, limiting her to only her own gold. This would allow me to buy it for norter as a gift, perhaps as a way to confess.
My face turned slightly red at the thought, imagining her happy expression when I presented it to her. Besides, if she likes this trinket so much, what better than to ensure it would always remind her of me.
"Hmmm, you''re right, I should stop looking before I end up buying something." nor looked back and paused for a moment, noticing my reddened face. She then slightly smirked before turning away and continuing down the street.
''Was I just caught red handed?''
*
"Okay, today is the day. I''ve got the present in hand and we are meeting up on the castle wallter." After our date, things had gotten a bit busy for the both of us, but tonight we finally had a chance to meet up.
I had gotten the ornament with ra''s permission for the withdrawal and now it was just a matter of giving it to nor at the right time. I really didn''t want to mess this up, although ra said there was no way I could fail.
It still stressed me out, as I wasn''t 100% confident that nor was happy with the idea of being in a rtionship. Sure, she has dropped little nuggets of clues, but what if they mean something else? Once again, ra made it apparent that I was overthinking and being a little too dense.
''Just do it instead of worrying like an idiot. My mother somehow got two women, surely I can get 1.'' I wouldn''t really say measuring myself up to Shaman is a goodparison, but I did feel a bit of pressure.
That being said, it also reminded me of the headache my mother will get once she finds out that I started dating nor.
''She will just have to ept it as is.'' There was no hope of me calming her on my own. Maybe ra could help, but that is neither here nor now.
[5:45PM]
ncing at my system, I realised it was time to leave. The sun was about to set and I hoped itsst rays of light would really highlight the gem''s beauty.
''Let''s go.'' I walked out of my room with confidence, knowing that today was going to be the day I confessed to nor.
*
After meeting on top of the wall, me and nor decided to change location and hop down to a nearby roof. We sat next to each other, enjoying the view of the setting sun. With the castle out of the way, we got to see the sun reflecting off the vast wastnd of the demonnds, contrasting with the vibrant red sky.
We also decided not to wear anything fancy as we were not far from our rooms. Plus, it was much morefortable toe in our casual clothes.
"The sun is always obstructed by clouds during the day, which only makes this view all the more special." nor basked in the sunlight, as technically, sunset was one of the only times it could be seen.
"Couldn''t agree more." There was a sense of peacefulness for the moment, and I wished it wouldst forever. Once all our problems are solved, I would love to just sit here with nor once more, enjoying the calm wind.
''Silver, just do it. This is the perfect time.'' As we stared off towards the distance, I was having an internal battle with myself, trying to master the courage to speak up. Now that I was actually here, suddenly my nerves were at an all time high, making me want to throw myself off this roof.
''Come on, she must be waiting... assuming what ra said is true.'' I had been relying on ra''s advice like it was the gospel since she was the only sane frame of reference. Shaman would be too busy freaking out to help and Elysia would just tease me to death before I could even get her advice.
"H-hey nor." Finally plucking up the courage to get her attention, I waited for her response.
"Hmm? What''s up, Silver?" nor looked over to me with her one emerald eye that glistened in the sun. Despite cutting her hair, she still had one of her eyes covered, which I found adorable.
"I''ve been thinking, is it okay if I ask you something?" My face was definitely beat red and there was no point in fighting it.
"Of course! Please ask me anything." nor''s face lit up like she knew what wasing and stared in anticipation.
"A-alright Do you want to be my girlfriend?" Taking out the small box containing the ornament, I revealed it to nor as I spoke.
"Oh my god, you actually got it for me Yes! I would love to Silver." nor carefully took the ornament out of the box and examined it in the sunset light.
"I had to with how intently you were looking at it." With the hard part finally over now that I had her answer, I could finally rx. My body melted with warmth as my feelings were reciprocated, just like ra said they would.
"Hehe~, thank you so much. Here, why don''t you put it on for me?" Suddenly, nor passed me back the ornament, which caught me a little off guard.
My hands were shaking like crazy, putting in question whether this was within my ability at the moment, but I had to at least try.
"It''s okay, take your time." nor ced her hand on my hand, trying to ease my nerves as I reached to clip it onto her choker.
"There." As soon as it clicked on, nor pounced, hugging me tightly.
"You know, I''ve been waiting for you to confess for a while now." nor softly spoke in my ear, sending chills down my spine.
"S-sorry, I just wasn''t sure." Hearing that I could have asked way earlier made me feel bad, as I kept her waiting for so long.
"Don''t stress, it''s fine to take things slow as long as you get there in the end."
"I love you, nor." I couldn''t hold it any longer, as nor was just so perfect. She didn''t need to be so considerate yet she let me take my time, patiently waiting.
"I love you too, Silver."
Chapter 338: What has my son become?
C Present time C
"So yeah, that''s how we got together." Silver looked around nervously, unsure of the kind of response I would give.
Personally, I was ring at the ne Silver had given nor, which exins why there was a sudden dent in our gold. With the counter always on my stat screen, I felt like it had gone down suddenly and I never knew why or if I was just crazy.
"Since when did my son have so much game... ra, please tell me I was that romantic as well." However, what shocked me the most was just how well Silver managed to handle the date. It made me wonder how the hell did ra end up falling for me? I knew Elysia was just crazy, so I couldn''t really get a good answer out of her.
"U-umm I wouldn''t say romantic, but I can say you were very forward when we first met. I''m honestly surprised Elysia didn''t try to murder me with the unintentional flirting you did." ra tried to sound like she wasying it gently, but it struck me right in the heart.
"Urghhhh, did my romantic genesis skip me or something?" I nted my face on the table feeling absolutely inadequate.
"W-well if it weren''t for the fact that you are two-timing I would have found you endearing, Shaman. I just don''t swing that way usually." Surprisingly, nor spoke up, but I don''t know if she contributed to my dread or eased it.
"How am I meant to feel when that ising from my son''s girlfriend. I feel like I should be mad, but at the same time grateful." I raised my head, looking nor directly in the eyes, trying to decide.
"D-does it matter? Let''s just move on. She is my girlfriend and that''s that." Silver tried to defuse the situation, but a part of me wanted to keep going. No, I need to put this episode of motherly crisis behind me. I should be trying to make sure things will work out for them.
''I still haven''t actually learned the kind of life-spans demi-humans have, so I should ask if life-span will be an issue since Elves live at least for 1000 years in this world.''
"Just onest thing that has gued my mind this entire time. What are you going to do about the gap in lifespan?"
"Hmm? That really isn''t an issue. Since I''m a pure demi-human from your blood, I can live for at least 500 years, and with n-"
"Shh, don''t say my real age!" As Silver was giving me an answer, nor quickly interrupted him right before he said how old nor was.
''Wait, is she actually a lot older than 22? There is no way she is like 220 or something.''
"Hold on, how long will I live for? I thought maybe 200, but I thought we just had regr human life-spans." I figured we had a slightly increased one, but with Silver being able to go to 500, surely he doesn''t outlive me so easily.
"Wait, you don''t know? I thought after merging you would know." ra looked at me confused, as if I should know, but it''s something I never questioned.
"I believe royal kitsune like yourself can live for up to 1000 years like elves. Although unlike us elves, kitsune don''t physically age, so you tend to die before reaching that point." nor had the answer, which I wasn''t expecting.
"Same with us demons, we can live a really long time, but life gets too boring so we pass it on or we are just too reckless." ra co-confirmed this, as her race also lived for that long.
"Is that why you are okay with being in this throuple with Elysia? We live for so long that it just spices things up." I was having a culture shock of my life and to live for so long, I don''t know what the hell I''ll do with all this time.
''Maybe that exins why there is such a slow progression of power in this world. They have so much time that there is no need to rush I guess I could retire early, but then I have at least like 950 years left to spend.''
''Oh my god, this is so fucked up.'' Once I had a perspective of just how much time I had left, it almost felt insignificant what I was doing now.
"It looks like the wires in her brain have fired."
"She is from another world and she was human before, so it probably woulde as a shock to have your life-span increase by 10 times."
While I was processing this new information, the rest of them were talking amongst themselves about me.
*
After finding out that my son has a girlfriend, we eventually moved onto what happened with ra, but she was dragged out by ina. I of course tried to probe her at night, but ra wanted to show off in battle when she gets the chance.
However, one thing for sure was that ra with a dragon tail was a great addition but also a curse. Unlike me and Elysia''s soft tail, it can be a little annoying to have scales brush up against you while you sleep. Thankfully, ra could use some mana to hide it, but like having all of my fox tails out, it is much morefortable to have it out.
As for what today''s ns were, ina decided to send us out to free my parents. I wasn''t sure if I was ready for such a fight, but I had reached close enough to Tier 10 that ina was confident. Realistically, I was in the tier 10 range, but I still hadn''t reached my max level yet.
The four of us all gathered at the edge of the castle, looking in the direction we would be heading, waiting for ina''s go signal.
"Any news from Elysia?" While we waited, ra asked about Elysia. I didn''t want to think about it, but for some reason, a few months ago, Elysia stopped sending text messages. It still said she read them and I could view her status screen, but I didn''t know how she was doing mentally.
I was tempted to use the lover''s call, but I just needed to trust that Elysia would be okay. I had informed her of what we were doing today, but she had yet to read the message. It is early in the morning so maybe she is just asleep.
"No, as per usual... The system says she''s fine, but I''m really starting to doubt it." I couldn''t deny that a part of me was stressed out and wanted to head to this underground city just to make sure she was okay.
"We have the system under our control, right? So it isn''t like it can lie to us." Silver made a great point, which was reassuring, but I needed to see Elysia with my own eyes.
"Perhaps once she reads it, she will use that teleportation skill you guys have." nor made a pretty good guess, as that was the agreed upon way for Elysia to return. However, I don''t know if it would be a good idea for her to return in the middle of the mission.
"Maybe, we will just have to see." It wasn''t our focus, but as soon as we are finished with Freja and we save my parents, I am going straight for Elyisa.
"Alright, everyone, you are free to go. Remember what we discussed yesterday and avoid fighting if you can. Do not be fooled by that bitch of a wolf, she is very resourceful, as you may know. Now I wish you luck on your mission and do not hesitate to break the SOS stones. With that said, go!" ina''s voice suddenly echoed within our heads, speaking to us telepathically.
It was, of course one way, so we couldn''t argue.
"No time to waste, let''s get going."
***
"Elysiaaaa when are we going to leave this ce? I thought after killing everyone, we would be done." Alice floated around the study,pletely bored out of her mind.
"Soon,I''m not finished yet." I kept concentrating on the image I had in my mind, trying to recreate a magic circle.
"You said thatst week! Even the maids have run out of things to do." I just decided to ignore Alice because I needed to focus.
"ELYSIA!"
"SHUT UP, WILL YOU?! Once I finish, we will be able to leave this ce, but I can''t when you pester me nonstop like a fucking baby, or would you rather be stuck here forever?" I red at Alice in the sky and two blood spikes emerged from the floor, only stopping a few inches away from her throat.
Alice froze in the air, petrified and didn''t dare speak another word, so I retracted the blood spikes.
''Soon Shaman I''ll break this barrier and finally get to see you my beloved, just a little bit longer.''
Chapter 339: Surprise party members
"Where do you think you girls are going without a tank and healer?"
"HISSSS!!! LET ME GO!!!"
"What the hell, Mum?!" ra was the first to turn and she instantly face palmed.
"Himeko? Luna?" As we were about to jump off the side of the castle, Himeko and Luna came flying in. Well, Himeko flying in on her greatsword while carrying a cat, frantically trying to get away. Himeko was in her usual Qipao and Luna was in the same blue dress from when we met her.
"Yep, did you think I wouldn''te with you now that I and Jane are together?" Landing right next to me, Himeko dropped Luna to the ground, who surprisinglynded on all fours somehow.
"HISSSS!! How dare you handle me, a noble demon cat like that." Luna red at Himeko while on all fours, as if she were about to pounce.
"It was faster my way, plus I''m sure ina enjoyed watching you being handled by me." Himeko winked, which only added fuel to the fire, making it very hard not tough at the scene.
"T-t-thats not the point! How am I meant to face ina now?" Luna''s face turned slightly red as she surprisingly let out her hidden feelings.
"You know you have to show that side of you eventually, right? ina seems more yful than you think." Himeko smirked and started giving her advice, which quickly subdued Luna''s anger.
"Really?"
"Yes, but we should get moving, please." As much as I wanted to help Luna in whatever endeavours she had in mind, we needed to get going. Chatting could happen along the way.
"Oh sorry, are we just running there? Surely not." Himeko looked at me as if I were crazy Not that she was wrong, this was what I kind of nned to do.
"No way in hell am I running that much, I''m just a healer, you know!" Luna quickly buried any embarrassment she had, switching back to her feisty, noble attitude.
"Perhaps." I didn''t want to tantly admit it, but I really didn''t see the problem.
*Sigh* "No good, it will take forever to get there on foot. Do you really want to fight all the monsters that dwell in the Demon Lands?" Himeko wasn''t wrong and honestly, I kind of forgot about the whole monster part.
"Warm-up? Surely they wouldn''t be hard to kill."
*SMACK* "Did all that training make you a meathead?" Himeko pped the back of my head, eliciting a couple of snickers from Silver and ra.
"You guys are not off the hook either, you were about to go along with her n." Himeko was fully back in mother mode, lecturing us about what we should be doing.
"I swear, I don''t know how you managed thesest 8 months without an adult." Himeko shook her head, but she smiled, seemingly d to takemand.
"So how are we going to travel across the Demon Lands? I better not be handled like an animal this time!" Luna was right, we didn''t really have any other way of transport as ina didn''t provide any animals to ride.
"We will fly on my back."
"Huh?"
"Wait what?"
"Uhhh how?"
Silver, ra and I all looked at Himeko, very confused as to how we were all meant to fit in such a small space.
"Not in this form you idiots, in my phoenix form." Himeko then jumped off the wall without hesitation, which was followed by a massive updraft. The wind itself almost sent us flying, barely managing to keep ourselves grounded.
Emerging from below the wall, a bright, ming phoenix flew into the sky above us.
"Since when could she do that?!?!" ra, Silver and I all spoke in sync, shocked that Himeko suddenly had the ability to turn into a massive bird. I mean, she did transform into a tiny one before, but I never thought she could change into a fully grown one.
"KYAHAHAHA! It''s thanks to my rebirth that I am no longer just a human and have be partially a phoenix." Himeko slowly descended down until she was in line with the top of the wall.
"Now get on." As she faced away from us, I contemted the prospect of getting on a phoenix''s back with its raging mes. However, Luna didn''t hesitate to get on and, to our surprise, the mes did not burn her at all. It was as if a tiny forcefield was pushing the me around her, preventing any of them from making contact.
"Whats the hold up? Did you really think Himeko would let you get burned?" Luna looked back at us all nkly, as if it should have all been obvious.
"Let me get my bearings, at least." I was still processing that Himeko had turned into a bird and we were all about to ride her.
"Let''s just go." ra suddenly grabbed my wrist and jumped off the wall while dragging me along.
"WAHH!" I was not expecting to be pulled through the air, but before I knew it, I had alreadynded on the Himeko-phoenix, face first into ra''s chest. As for Silver and nor, they followed right after us, visibly worried about the mes only to quickly realise that there was nothing to worry about.
"Luna wasn''t lying." I was still resting my head on ra''s chest as I turned to Luna, who turned away in disgust, clearly not a fan of the PDA.
"Why would I?!" It''s safe to say she did not take too kindly to thatment as well.
"No Elysia?" Himeko asked about Elysia, which reminded me we left her out of the loop ever since Elysia initially left.
"She isn''t back yet, so you can take off." It made me a little depressed to think about it, as I was really beginning to miss her. Although I had ra, I still haven''t felt whole for the entire 8 months that we have been apart.
Even ra felt a bit weird having me all to herself considering so far we have only done things together with Elysia.
''Definitely going to have a couple long nights once she returns.'' If time allowed it, I could see Elysia going absolutely feral once we got in bed, and it wouldst a long time.
"I see, I hope she is okay then. Hold on tight!" Without much else to say, Himeko pped her wings and began our journey towards the fox realm. Due to the sudden change in direction, me and ra copsed onto Himeko''s back while everyone else fell to their knees, holding on for dear life.
Once Himeko stabilised herself, we were able to sit up once more. As for me though, I just stayedying on top of ra, as it was quitefortable.
"Mum, do you have to be snuggling with ra while on her mother''s back?" However, Silver had to quickly ruin it by pointing out the absurdity of the situation.
"D-damn it Silver!" I sat up and got off of ra, who was trying to hide her disappointment, although I''m sure even she must be weirded out once reminded that we''re on her mother''s back.
"Silver?" Luna tilted her head in confusion, looking at Silver.
"That''s me, the same person you harassed when we met in the dungeon." I could hear the passive aggressiveness in Silver''s voice and wondered if we were about to have a cat and dog fight.
"No fucking way, you are the cutie wolf that I saw? W-what the hell happened in thest 8 months? Weren''t you like 15?" Luna was in denial and tried to crawl closer, but nor sent her a warning re.
"Wait, you two are a thing?" The next revtion wasing Luna''s way and it finally dawned upon her that she was the only single person here.
"Yes we are, now keep your hands away from him." nor spoke up, being surprisingly defensive, which was a first.
"This can''t be happening There is no way this is real." Luna blinked and rubbed her eyes, trying desperately to process everything.
"News sh, he grew up because he is a strange kid." Silver shot me a re at thement, but I averted my gaze as if I said nothing wrong.
"No, stop. I don''t need to hear anymore." Luna rubbed her forehead,pletely at a loss for what to say.
"Why were you so obsessed with him being so small?" ra jumped in, asking the real questions. Thinking back, it was kind of weird that Luna was really fond of Silver when he was younger.
"I''d like to invoke my right to remain silent on this matter." Luna looked a bit worried about divulging her reasons, which only elevated my suspicions.
"Oh Luna,e on, there is no reason to hide it. You saying that is going to give them the wrong impression." Himeko quickly spoke, knowing exactly where everyone''s thoughts were going.
"F-fine, I run the orphanage in the city so I''m just fond of little ones." Luna''s exnation justified some of her behaviour to a degree, but Silver was a teenager, not a child.
"A-and I like cute things s-so when I saw him, I couldn''t help myself. I swear I had no ill intentions." Luna shrunk into herself, feeling ashamed, but we were satisfied enough with that answer.
''This girl is a strange one.'' I was d it wasn''t anything more, but damn, I was close to kicking her off Himeko.
Chapter 340: How will she react?
After sorting out Luna''s weirdness, we began to talk about what we were going to do. It wasn''t a guarantee that we would fight Freja, but depending on how she answers, it might turn ugly quickly.
''I''ve still got that ck box that my mother gave should I open it now?'' As I was trying toe up with any way to avoid conflict, I recalled that mysterious box, which I was told to only open once I reached Tier 10.
''I should wait until we deal with Freja before opening it.'' I may have theoretically reached that Tier 10 power level, but stats and actual battle prowess were two different things. A part of me stillcked confidence, so I wanted to prove to myself that I really dodeserve to open it.
''I remember the requirement to reach Tier 10 was to kill something at that tier, but I kind of skipped that step.'' In the end, this was the final test to end my long training montage, although, if it turns out to be a more peaceful oue, then so be it.
"So are we heading straight for the pce or are we going to Freja first?" ra wondered what our specific destination was, as we could head straight to the barrier and see if we could disable it first, but could we really afford to ignore Freja?
"If Freja truly did set-up the barrier, then I would like to have some answers, so we will be heading to Freya''s forest." Himeko exined the n, making me realise that initially we didn''t even have a n. I hadn''t haven''t really thought about it too deeply as I was too hyper focused on how to deal with Freja. In the end, I probably would have decided the same.
"Makes sense, but can we really fight her?" nor was on the more sceptical side, which was understandable. ra, Silver and nor were still in Tier 8 or 9 making it quite daunting to face someone as strong as Freja. Even Luna I assumed was still at Tier 8. She doesn''t have a system after all, so her progression should be much slower.
"Don''t worry, Shaman and I will take her head on with Luna''s support. There is still her little harem of girls, so that''s where you, ra and Silver wille in. They all should be weaker than you, except maybe Kiruya." Himeko borated on how we will fight if it doese down to it.
"Kiruya She was a great help in Elfhiem. I hope we can at least talk it out with her, but I doubt she will defy Freja." ra, me and Silver all looked disappointed, as we had made some pretty good memories with Kiruya and it would be a shame if we had to kill her. At the very least, we could try to knock her out. Even then, if we end up killing Freja we may be breaking our friendship beyond repair.
"We can''t let personal feelings get in the way. It pains me that we will have to fight Freja, as she is essentially an aunt to me, but she has betrayed me and deceived us all. This goes for Kiruya as well, since she is most likely in on it." I didn''t want it to get to us that we would be fighting a good friend, so I tried to be objective about it.
"Shaman is right, it''s a cruel world and we can''t all be friends in the end. So you better steel yourselves and make sure you don''t hesitate where it counts." Luna voiced her determination, not that it was hard for her to do as she had no connection to these people.
"It would be great if we could talk it out, but having known Freja for years she can be very explosive. Which leads me to one thing I want you all to be careful of. Freja isn''t dumb. She may try to lead us into a trap as soon as we approach her."
"Whatever you do! Do not follow her through any portals or let her mislead you. She is considered a clever bitch for a reason and has the best poker face. She is an unpredictable master of deceit and trickery, so please be careful even with her subordinates." With personal matters out of the way, Himeko gave us some more advice, as she was the most familiar with Freja.
"She is right, my memories are only of her yful side, but she is definitely someone full of tricks, so don''t let your guard down." Thanks to the soul merge, I had clear memories of all the interactions I had with Freja, which corroborated what Himeko was saying.
Everyone nodded their heads. Soon after, our attention was caught by a massive forest in the distance.
"We''re close." Silver muttered, confirming this was indeed Freya''s forest.
"Get yourself mentally ready, there is no turning back now." Himeko pped her wings, slowing down slightly, giving us a little more time to prepare.
[Shaman, what about Freya''s system?] As soon as we had a moment of silence, ra messaged the group chat to ask about Freja''s system, which I hadpletely forgotten about.
[Shit, does that make this fight impossible then?] Silver quickly jumped to conclusions, panic clearly showing on his face.
[Wait, Freja has a system as well?] nor chipped in, just learning that Freja has a system.
[Yes she does. However, it seemed to be much different from mine so it''s hard to say how big of an advantage she has. There seems to be a higher power at y, but they seem to operate separately from the ones behind mine.
For all we know, Freja''s power might not even scale off of levels.] I didn''t know how the systems came to be, but one thing is for sure is that whoever gave Freja her system is different from mine.
I remembered Kiruya mentioning how she had a system, but it was nothing like mine and was a much simpler version. So there were still a lot of unknowns left about her system. Part of me wished I had investigated more, but I never thought I''d be in this position.
[Still, she may have power that is beyond Tier 10, so please let us know if it''s not looking good.] ra erring on the side of caution made me second guess myself, but like Himeko said, it is toote now.
[If it gets bad, I can teleport to Elysia. Then again, I would rather note to that since that will mean you guys will left on your own] Using my lover''s call was the absolutelyst resort, as it would put everyone else at risk.
[There is not much we can do now, but I can always use my shadows to hide everyone, just signal us when it''s turning sour and we can turn tail and run.] Silver calmed down a little. With his abilities, I doubt Freja would be able to find them. However, the only issue with that n is Silver''s mana consumption.
We also don''t know Freja''s skills so it might not be as fool proof as we think since she knows most of our abilities.
[W-we will just have to see, this is under the assumption we will fight in the first ce.] nor thought about it optimistically, but in a scenario like this, it was hard to see things going down peacefully.
[Hmmm, okay. Speaking of which, has Elysia messaged you at all?] ra didn''t seem to like the n, but what else could we do? Switch sides? I doubt that would fly with anyone here.
[Nope, she has read it, but there has been no response.] It was a little disheartening since she was messaging us at the beginning, but after a month or two she suddenly stopped. It made me want to go see her, but since she still read the messages I refrained. Whatever she was doing, I just hoped she woulde back safe.
[Perhaps leave her a message saying we will be fighting Freja soon? That might make here back.] Silver brought up a pretty good idea, as I doubt she would stay there much longer knowing me or anyone in the party is in danger.
[Yeah, I''ll let her know, she is in this chat, but I''ll send a direct one.] Quickly switching to direct messages, I quickly left a message saying we were going to meet Freja in the next 30 minutes.
"Why are you guys all looking down?" However, as we were having our little secret meeting, Luna looked at us weirdly seeing our heads looking down at our system screen.
[We can tell her, right? It''s not like we have Rea stopping us from telling people the truth.] ra was right, we had no reason to hide the system, so we may as well tell Luna.
''Maybe I could give Luna and Himeko a system. I''m pretty sure I offered Himeko, but she said she wasn''t quite ready.'' I would need to ask, but I don''t know if now is a good time.
[Yeah it''s fine, no reason to hide it.] Giving the okay, we began to exin the details to Luna, preparing for the possibility of gaining a new recruit to our party.
Chapter 341: New members?
Exining to Luna the secret power that I had took most of the time we had left, but one thing for sure was that Luna was in disblief.
"You got to be kidding? You are saying you''ve been cheating on life this entire time? I knew some people had an easier time, but this is just another level." Luna couldn''t really logically see how it was possible, but rationally there was no reason for them all to lie about it.
"It''s real and I can give out the system to other people, which leads me to my final point. Do you want me to grant you a system? The only caveat is that you essentially have to be my follower to keep it." Making my point, I offered her the system and a prompt appeared right in front of her.
Technically speaking, I did kind of lie about the follower part, but that''s because I am unable to edit the fundamental rules of the system grant skill. I can adjust them to a degree, but the rule regarding betrayal is something I can''t change, even though I''ve be an admin over the system.
It was clear, though, by Luna''s expression that she did not like the sound of that.
"You don''t need to pray to Shaman or anything like that, but unless you''re willing to stay a loyal friend orpanion, then it''s a bad idea." ra borated on it further and it seemed that Luna was giving it some serious thought.
It was a tempting offer, as it would allow her to get past any current bottleneck she may be facing.
"This offer extends to you as well Himeko, if you are ready to get your own system. Unless, of course, you changed your mind sincest I''ve offered." Himeko was previously waiting to recover back to her former Tier 10 self, which was the reason why she initially declined, worried that it might cause some issues with her recovery.
"I was about to say, where is my invite? I will ept the system as I have returned to being Tier 10, but you have to promise me to give one to Jane as well." Himeko unexpectedly agreed straight away, but under the condition we give it to her new girlfriend as well Well, not so new now, although still hard to believe they were together.
"Too easy, but I don''t know if epting the system while in flight is a good idea as it can take some time to adapt." I''d rather not fall out of the sky, especially since we are just about to enter Freya forest.
"Fair enough, just don''t forget itter." Himeko pped her wings with some new vigor, leaving me to wonder whether this was her way of wagging her tail like a dog? Anyway, I moved my attention back to Luna who was still deep in thought.
"If it helps Luna, I''m not the closest to Shaman nor do I agree with everything she does, but nothing bad has happened to me. As long as we do not be enemies and Shaman does not see you as a threat then you will be fine." nor gave her 2 cents, as she was both the newest member, as well as the least connected to me out of the gang.
She may be close to Silver maybe a little too close, but nevertheless, for the rest of us she is just a friend.
"Jeez, you could have worded it better, Mother." Silver looked at me with raised eyebrows, like I should have known better.
"I was trying to make it as simple as possible, alright. That''s what the system originally required." I just wanted to keep things simple for Luna, yet somehow I was already about to be crucified for my words.
"I got it now. I think I will wait before I agree to something like this. I know we have worked together under ina, but I''d rather not run that risk at the moment." With all that information, Luna made her decision, which was fair enough.
"So do you at least believe us?" ra asked. I assumed she just wanted to make sure that Luna wasn''t taking us as batshit insane people.
"After seeing that weird floating screen in front of me, yes I do. It makes me feel a little envious, but with such a restriction, I am not quitefortable taking it."
"That''s fine, we understand thatpletely. The offer still stands if you ever change your mind." If Luna ever came around, then I wouldn''t mind giving it to her. I might even hand it out to some of our mentors. The more people who have the system, the stronger our side bes.
"Alright, enough chatter, we arending." Himeko announced her descent when suddenly the air pressure just skyrocketed.
My heart rate increased tenfold and, looking around, I was clearly not the only one in distress.
"Let''s hope for the best." I held on to Himeko tightly as she dove directly down towards the Freya forest. No doubt at this point Freja would know we had arrived.
***
"FINALLY, I FUCKING BROKE IT!!! ALICE GET YOUR ASS IN HERE! WE ARE LEAVING!!" The magic circle that I had been working on for months lit up, and the sound of ss shattering echoed throughout the entire city, finally allowing me ess back to the outside world.
Alice, hearing me scream her name, rushed in, the excitement clear on her face.
"You''re serious? No more fucking around and being all grumpy?" Alice''sment almost made me want to smack her, but I can''t deny that I''ve been a bitch to hertely.
"Yes! Although I will need to teleport out of this ce before I get you out, I''ll set-up a portal anchor and open it up once I''m outside." With the ability to set down blood portals like Freja, I should be able to get Alice out alongside the maids that were trapped here.
I could also summon Alice to my side, but I wanted to use this as a test run to see if I can even set-up such a long distance teleportation.
"Sounds like a n, so what should I expect once we teleport?" Alice asked a very good question, as I haven''t checked the messages in a while and I knew Shaman was nning to free her parents soon.
''God, I should have responded. I''ve just left her on read.'' I felt bad, as I was so focused on getting out I just ignored pretty much every message.
"Shit, we need to hurry." However, what I thought was still a while away was literally just about to happen.
"What happened?" Alice instantly became curious, as I hadn''t told her anything about what''s going on.
"Shaman and the gang are about to battle Freja, a Tier 10 beast. It''s been almost an hour since they left so they could very well already be in battle." I felt the nerves creep up on me, as I had no idea the kind of progress Shaman has madetely.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let''s go! Aren''t you a Tier 10 now?" Alice looked at me confused, but what she said was right. Why was I wasting time talking and stressing? I just needed to leave.
"You''re right, I''ll set-up the anchor now and when a portal opens up, just go right through it." Giving Alice the rundown, I quickly got rid of my months of hard work and drew up a new blood circle.
Luckily, it now only takes me a few seconds to finish, no longer needing to figure out all that cryptic crap.
"Understood." Alice saluted and patiently waited, eager to get out of here, as evident by the frantic pping of her tiny bat wings.
"Okay, done! I''ll now teleport to Shaman and see how the situation is. If it doesn''t open right away, I''m probably fighting, but I will try to open it as soon as I can." Since it had been a while since Shaman sent the message, I expected to enter battle right away.
"Just summon me if you have to, but I don''t know how useful I''ll be since I''m not exactly as strong as you." If things really came down to the wire, Alice gave her permission to summon her, but I wasn''t going to risk her.
She doesn''t know how strong Freja is, so I can understand her ignorance.
"Of course you will be useful, but you would be better suited for the smaller battles, not this big one." Looking back at Shaman''s messages, there was one that talked about their strategy. It sounded like Silver, ra and nor would be keeping the weaker people distracted.
"If I''m correct, you will go help my other party members once you arrive." Alice was strong enough to take on a Tier 8 so it should be okay.
"That''s... Silca, yor and rack?" Alice made a horrendous attempt at pronouncing their names, but it was close enough.
"Yes, but enough wasting time. I''ll see you in a bit." Precious seconds were going by, so I activated my lover''s call, teleporting myself to Shaman.
Chapter 342: Who do you side with?
Landing just outside of Freja''s mansion, it was extremely quiet for such a grand entrance. There was nomotion outside, as if no one was living there anymore. We all got off of Himeko''s back for her to then transform back into her human form.
"She might be expecting us." ra was on edge, constantly looking around for anything and everything.
"Possibly. But first, Himeko, ept the system and it should be applied right away." Offering the system to Himeko, I wanted to get that over with before it was toote.
"Interesting." Himeko slightly smirked and pressed yes without any hesitation. There was a small jolt after she pressed the button, but then she returned to normal.
"So what now?" Himeko looked at her body and, as expected, didn''t feel any different.
"Just think ''status'' and it will open up a screen in front of you. We can go in-depth on how to use itter. For now, the only change you''ll notice is that everything feels a lot easier to use.
Side note, you have your own dimensional storage now, so you don''t need to have storage rings anymore." In hindsight, I should have exined it all while we were still in the air, but it''s hard to exin how to use the system without her having it.
Unless Himeko was from another world like mine, it would be difficult to understand.
"Oh wow, that is a lot." Himeko''s eyes widened looking at the holographic screen in front of her. I could see her itching to explore it, but now isn''t the time.
"This is all we can go over for the moment, but who knows, it might stille in handy in other ways." I had no idea what kind of stats Himeko had, so it might not even do anything for her right now, but she has it now, so hopefully she can get some mileage out of it.
"We should get moving." ra gestured to the front door, which so happened to conveniently open wide for us. It felt like a trap, but would Freja really jump to conclusions about why we were here?
"Here goes nothing." Looking to see that everyone was ready, they all nodded so I took the first step and walked towards the door.
Just like how I remembered it, we were instantly greeted with Freja''s throne, on top of which sat who else but Freja herself. However, instead of her usual cocky smirk, it looked like she wasn''t happy to see us.
"Well if it isn''t Shaman and her gang, I see that you''ve recruited a new kitten and even Himeko, but I don''t see your other girlfriend anywhere." Freja tapped her armrest with her fingers, filling the silence in between her sentences.
"She currently can''t be here, but that doesn''t matter. What''s gotten you so agitated, Freja?" I could see within Freja''s eyes that she was analysing every single movement we made. It was a side of her that we have never really seen before, eaving me to wonder if she already knows why we are here.
"Whatever reason you have foring here will drastically change my mood. I was enjoying myself when some people decided to barge their way into my forest." Hearing the tension in her voice, perhaps it''s best I get straight to the point.
"I see. I won''t waste your time, then. Why did you seal my parents and are you still working with the pope?" Everyone readied themselves just in case everything exploded and we got straight into fighting.
"That''s a bold im, Shaman. Do you have any proof of that? Think carefully of what you say next if you don''t want me to get angry." The pressure in the air got heavier as Freja looked down at us, daring us to respond.
"I had merged with my other self and inherited their memories fully, and on the day my parents were sealed, I saw a certain woman setting up the barrier. It sounds like a stretch, but right now the way you are acting only makes you seem more guilty." Even if it was a death wish, I wanted to poke the bear on the nose. After all, if she didn''t do anything wrong, then why is she so defensive?
"..." Freja stayed silent and that silence, only making her more suspicious.
"Come on Freja, just be honest. We want an answer, not a fight." Himeko put it nicely, but if Freja is working with the pope, then we don''t really have a choice.
"Why should I? I''m not under any obligation to entertain you. Besides, does it look like I work for that bastard? You all saw me fight with him in the Demon Lands." Freja''s gaze became sharper, but she still avoided answering the question directly.
"So? We would still like answers. You just have to deny it if that''s the case, but instead you keep dancing around the issue." ra jumped in, but I could hear in her voice that it was a little shaky. She knew she wasn''t quite strong enough to face off with Freja, so it wasn''t easy putting herself out there.
"Didn''t you say you couldn''t lie." Silver surprisingly spoke up, being a bit cheeky and bringing up the fact that Freja ims herself to be 100% honest.
*Sigh* "To be pulled out of my own personal time for this shit." Freja shook her head, getting more annoyed by the second.
"I don''t want bad blood between us, so please, give us an answer. Better yet, help us unseal my parents. Didn''t you say you were trying to figure out a way?" I was willing to give Freja the chance to prove herself, since I didn''t want to fight her. We wanted to avoid conflict in the first ce.
Even if she worked with the Pope in the past, it doesn''t matter if she is willing to go against him and help us ruin his ns.
"Like Silver said, I am 100% honest and I''m going to tell you the truth." Freja finally began to open up, but her gaze was still sharp. There was a looming feeling of death lingering in the air and I was afraid this would turn ugly.
"We may be from the same world, Shaman, but you have not lived as long as me or us. You are oblivious to the reality of this world and the truth of who''s actually pulling the strings. If you knew what was really going on, then you would understand us and why he decided to be who he is now."
"You are still in your honeymoon phase ofing to a new world. It is that Naive perspective that absolutely pisses me off. To think that after over 100 years, THEY send another person to clean up their mess."
"You want honesty? Well, I fucking hate you Shaman and what you represent. I wanted to strangle you when you first revealed you were from our old world, but I refrained as you didn''t choose toe here."
"Now I offer my hand to you. Do you want to learn the truth or are you going to deny it?"
Freja finally exploded, essentially admitting to the usations. What I didn''t expect was for her to hate me. I know I am new to this world, but how was I supposed to know its underlying issues? I wasn''t told anything and I''vepletely severed my connection to whatever higher power controlled the system.
The air turned thick as Freja forced my hand to make a decision. A part of me was inclined to see where this goes since Freja is from my old world and I could see how she''d be frustrated being thrown into this mess. However, that doesn''t change the fact that Freja has be corrupted or that whatever god is monitoring her is making her do this?
Letting her take me wherever is not an option, so unless she spills the beans here and now then that''s a deal breaker. Just like Himeko said, this could be a trap and I am just walking into my death.
Everyone looked at me awaiting my response and I could see the stress on their faces. I''m sure they trusted me to decline, but the consequences of saying no would likely lead to a fight. Despite that, I am going to stand my ground, as I have no reason to believe what Freja''s actually trying to turn a new leaf.
"No, I don''t. Sure I don''t know everything, but that''s all the more reason to learn the truth BEFORE making any decision. How can you expect me to blindly trust you? What makes you think that I will just give in to your demands?" If Freja wanted to exin, I would listen, as she clearly has information about these higher beings, but I would find out on my own if I had to.
"Is that your answer?" However, Freja showed no sign of borating, meaning a fight was imminent.
"Yes, it is." I gripped Kotetsu and flowed my mana around my body, ready for anything.
"What a shame, Shaman. I''m afraid I will have to kill you and everyone here. I''m afraid, your very existence has be an interference."
Chapter 343: Just die already!
Right as Freja finished speaking, blood pools manifested around us. Blood spikes then shot out of these small pools towards us, aiming for each of our throats. However, everyone was already prepared, sessfully dodging the spikes except for Luna. Himeko had been standing next to her, so she pulled out her greatsword to block the spike while dodging the one aimed at herself.
Everyone else drew their weapons as negotiations had failed and now it was onto n B.
"Tch." Freja clearly wasn''t impressed that she hit no one with that attack, but we were no longer as weak as we were before. If it were us 8 months ago, I doubt we could have dodged something like that.
"You will be fighting me!" Knowing that everyone is in danger, I needed to grab Freja''s attention before she picked anyone off.
Pushing off my feet, I crushed the concrete underneath as I hurtled towards Freja, catching her off guard with my newfound speed. I shed at her neck, but right before I touched it Freja caught my de with her fingers.
"Weak." Freja was about to throw me away, but my attack wasn''t that simple. I activated the elemental aspect of Kotetsu and it burst with starfire, forcing Freja to vanish out of her chair.
Normally I wouldn''t have known where she went, but now that I am Tier 10 her movements are so much easier to read. My mana sense allowed me to discern even small fluctuations around me making it obvious where she would reappear.
Kicking off the throne, I spun around and shed towards the air above me, sending a starfire sh right where Freja newly appeared.
Her eyes widened, but she quicklyposed herself and sent a counter blood sh of her own. As soon as they made contact, the blood was engulfed by the mes, stopping both our attacks in their tracks.
"Seems like I am underestimating you." I could see the veins beginning to appear on her forehead as she was progressively getting more annoyed.
"Didn''t you say to expect the unexpected?" Using her own words from back when I was living here only added fuel to the fire.
"Bitch!" Freja turned her head to ra, who was still by the door on the lookout for any outsiders joining the battle along with everyone else.
"No you don''t!" Freja conjured a blood tform in the air and kicked off of it, aiming straight for ra. I knew exactly what she was trying to achieve, but it wasn''t going to work.
Opening up a spatial rift, I appeared right besides Freja mid dash and kicked her in the ribs,pletely diverting her momentum. She crashed into the side of the mansion, forcing this battle outside.
The entire building shook from the impact so no doubt that drew attention.
"Did you need a hand, Shaman?" Himeko quickly shouted, as she probably realised now that it was going to be hard to insert herself into this battle.
"I should be fine, assist everyone else, but if you think I need help, don''t hesitate." I wasn''t going to decline help, but I''d prefer the security of knowing that she is protecting everyone else.
"Alright!" Himeko nodded just as Freja''s harem came out to the throne room. Kiruya and all the other girls, as well as the maids, came out ready to fight.
"Oh, the demon of power, bless Shaman with the power to fight and achieve great speed." As Luna started her chant, blue magical circles appeared below my feet. Suddenly, I felt a surge of strength in my hands and legs.
"That shouldst 1 hour, now go, we got this." Luna rified how long this buffsted, which should be plenty of time for this fight.
With everything set in ce, there was no more time that I could waste. Quickly rushing outside to chase after Freja, I left it to everyone else to take care of her minions.
However, right as I exited Freja''s mansion, I was grabbed by the face and thrown against the ground.
"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Freja screamed, her body shifting, showing her true colours in a very literal sense. Her body partly transformed into a wolf, but that was the least of my concerns. Right as my head was about to hit the ground, I opened a stardust portal, protecting me from the impact.
This caused Freja and me to begin falling into my dimensional space, but Freja wasn''t going to allow herself to be dragged in. So she gave up trying to hold me as I entered my stardust portal alone.
"That wasn''t very nice." Emerging out of another portal from the side, I came out swinging with another starfire charged sh. Freja narrowly dodged it and engulfed her hands in her unique ck me.
"No more ying around." The ck me shot to the ground and spread through the front garden. I elevated myself with wind magic to avoid it, as thest thing I wanted was to be touched by that eternal me.
Freja then reached into the ck mes and pulled out apletely ck de. It was engulfed by the mes and looked like some kind of ancient artefact. It was rather thin for a sword, but I could see that it was more of a medium for her mes, turning them into a solid de.
Seeing as the intensity was ramping up, I activated my hybrid transformation. The tips of my hair turned into stardust and my body resembled more of a fox. I revealed all of my 9 tails, all glowing with stardust, which added to the list of things Freja looked surprised about.
"I should have killed you when I had the chance instead of using you for my bidding." Freja got into a stance, holding her de above her head, ready to dash forward.
"You lost your chance at redemption the moment you declined." It was such a shame it came to this, but to save my parents, Freja needs to be gone.
Charging at each other, both our me engulfed des shed, causing an outburst of fire. Freja''s ck me erased everything it touched, while my starfire crashed against my surroundings, causing parts of the mansion to copse.
Pushing away from each other, Freja chased me into the air and went on the offensive. As I was on my backfoot in the air, I was forced to block the oing barrage of attacks from Freja''s de.
"JUST DIE ALREADY!" Each sh Freja made was filled with more rage than the previous. We continued to get higher and higher in the air until we were far above her city, which is when I finally saw an opportunity.
Parrying Freja''s next strike, I slid Kotetsu along her de and almost managed to decapitate her, forcing her to lean back to avoid my de. However, I had already expected her to dodge it, so I had a pre-charged starfire sh shoot out from the back of Kotetsu.
Freja was unable to move in time as her left arm got caught in my mes. Moving away, she quickly extinguished the starfire on her arm, attempting to protect it with her blood magic. Seems I still managed to damage her though, as once she dispelled the blood, I could still see the burn marks on her arm.
"Ha, I never thought you would even be able to touch me." Freja''s gaze turned dark, as if she were on the verge of insanity.
"Just goes to show who has the better training and superior system." I knew I was poking the bear, but I was gaining confidence that this fight will be mine.
"You don''t understand, the power of the system is something much greater than you can hope toprehend. You may have injured me, but don''t get cocky." Freja wed at her face and red at me with eyes full of hatred and murder.
"Are you sure you know the system better? Last time I checked, you still have a god in control of yours, pulling your strings." Once again, Freja''s ignorance was leading her to underestimate me.
"It''s those gods that give us power, Shaman. If you have forsaken them, you are only limiting your own potential!" Freja once again charged towards me, but as I was about to counter, a pink light formed just above me.
"Get away from her!" It was Elysia! Suddenly she manifested next to me in her usual gothic dress. She cought up with the situation in an instant and kicked Freja in the face,unching her towards the ground. She crashed into one of the buildings,unching debris everywhere forming a massive dust cloud.
"Elysia! You''re here!" I wanted to jump right into Elysia''s arms, but for some reason, a part of me stopped. The air around Elysia had changed and I wondered if it was still the same Elysia I knew.
"Sorry I''mte. There was a barrier preventing me from leaving, so I couldn''te back sooner." However, that worry faded away as Elysia looked away, embarrassed.
"I don''t care, all that matters is that you are alive and well. Unfortunately we don''t have the time to catch up." As much as I wanted to enjoy this reunion, Freja was already digging herself out of the buildings below.
"Phew, I guess this will be a good time to show off then." Elysia quickly returned to her normal self, making me giddy to see what she had to offer.
"I need to show off as well, so how about we use Freja as a punching bag for our new abilities?"
"I love the sound of that."
With both of us in agreement, we looked down at Freja, who was fuming at the appearance of Elysia.
"BRING IT ON!!!"
Chapter 344: Elysia Solos
Freja screamed in rage, shattering the debris around her and ring up at us. Her green eyes glowed with anger, but they were ever so slightly changing. Her hair and usual admiral clothes were a mess, showing Elysia had done some damage.
Speaking of which, I turned to her to see what she nned on doing only to realise she had grown a pair of bat wings. I was a bit taken aback, as a fox and batbo was not something I thought would be possible.
However, when I blinked, she suddenly disappeared from my view. Turning my head, she was already charging straight to Freja without a word. Panic filled my heart, as I still wasn''t sure of her current skill level.
It was apparent that she was most likely Tier 10 now, but my overprotective self was still worried about her. What if she wasn''t strong enough and was flying straight to her death just like she usually does. Bah! Forget it, I just needed to trust her like I always have instead of wasting time overthinking.
*
Elysia wore a massive grin on her face and her eyes shone a slight red. She instantly activated her bloodline art, turning her hair aze, her mes red as blood. It was quite a sight to behold, shocking even Freja with her vampire lord aura.
"You damn vixen daree at me barehanded? I shall kill you first then!" Freja didn''t show any hesitation, her cockiness shining through. She readied her ck sword and shed towards Elysia, sending ck mes in an arc towards her.
Right before the mes hit Elysia, she once again vanished and appeared right next to Freja.
"What?" Freja didn''t know how Elysia avoided the attack so easily, as thetter had barely a fraction of a second to make such a move. It was so fast that Freja couldn''t even register it with her eyes.
Before Freja knew it, there was a ming hand on her face, and suddenly she was being crushed into the ground.
"This is for touching my wife." Elysia''s eyes were dark, showing no remorse whatsoever. She tightened her grip even further as she full on sted Freja''s face with her mes.
"Wife? I haven''t even proposed yet." Shaman floated closer, not letting her guard down. Doubtful that Freja could be beaten this easily.
While Elysia was burning Freja''s face to a crisp, suddenly blood spikes from around her body shot up towards Elysia forcing her to back away.
Freja quickly returned to her feet, but now the skin on her face was seared away. Shaman was surprised that it didn''t do more damage, but then again, that would have been too easy.
"MOTHER FUCKERS!" Freja screamed at the top of her lungs and the ck me erupted from below her. However, even as the mes were engulfing her surroundings, Elysia once again dove straight in.
There was no fear on her face as she looked at Freja with her death re as if looking at some insignificant piece of flesh.
Elysia twisted her body as she got closer and prepared a me covered kick. Only then did the furious Freja finally realise that she was already once more under attack, raising her sword to block the oing kick to the face.
Elysia made direct contact with the de, her mes protecting her from the de''s edge. The kick pushed Freja off her feet,unching her into a few buildings and putting out her wild mes.
At this point, Shaman was questioning the strength of Freja, as Elysia was just bullying her now.
"I need to start getting in on this action and end this quickly." Shaman realised that she hadn''t even done much yet. On the bright side, if shebines her strength with Elysia, this fight could be over in the next few minutes.
Elysia was already chasing after Freja, so Shaman quickly followed, hoping there would be a chance for her to jump in.
"Enough!" Freja yelled from within the crumbling building, rushing out with her sword. She caught Elysia just as thetter reached the building, her sword now inches away from Elysia''s neck. In those few milliseconds, Elysia leant back, narrowly dodging the de. Yet Freja''s sword did not swing past Elysia, instead it suddenly lost its momentum entirely only to re-angle itself toward Elysia.
Freja swang down, aiming to decapitate Elysia, only to be met with Kotetsu instead. Elysia, having received a brief moment to retaliate, ced her hands on the ground and spun around, kicking Freja in the stomach, pushing her back slightly.
Keeping up the pressure, Shaman swung again, forcing Freja to block while Elysia came in hot with another punch. This time, though, Freja reacted by raising a wall of blood to block the punch.
What Freja didn''t expect however was for her topletely lose control over said wall, which suddenly shot blood spikes aimed at her ribs. Panic filled Freja''s face from this potentially fatal blow, but for some reason she didn''t try to move.
It was then that Freja dropped her pretenses as she gave a chilling smile, then everything froze.
Not even a moment had gone by and Freja was no longer in front of them. Then, secondster cuts appeared all over their bodies, ck mes covering them. Blood spurted from their wounds as they both fell to their knees awash with pain. Freja had cut their ligaments and joints with uncanny precision, making it almost impossible to move.
"Did you think I was that weak? You underestimate how long I''ve been a Tier 10 and how much the system benefits me." Freja was up in the air above, looking down upon thempletely fine. All the damage done up to this point was gone, as if she hadn''t taken a single hit.
"For fuck sakes, time magic? Since when could we have reality altering magic?" Shaman instantly knew what had happened, as there was no other exnation for it. Time had frozen as well as rewinded, but surely there must be a massive cost to using such magic.
"As much as I would like to do my viin speech and exin everything, frankly, I''m too annoyed to care."
Shaman and Elysia looked up at Freja, who raised her sword high, ready tounch her ck mes directly onto the.
"What makes you think that you''ve won already?" Elysia still had her dead re as she covered herself as well as Shaman in her own mes, healing them both.
"Because you are weak, Insignificant foxes, mere sacrifices for the greater good. Now be good girls and stay still." Freja pointed her sword down and sent a concentrated st directly at them, hoping to disintegrate them instantly. Her ck mes didn''t just burn their target no, they decayed it so quickly it would be destroyed on a molecr level.
However, thanks to Elysia''s healing me, Shaman was able to move in time to open up a portal, escaping the mes. It was certainly a close call and they would need to reevaluate how they approach Freja.
"Tch." Freja clicked her tongue as she saw that her mes hadpletely missed.
*
"Shit that was a close one." Shaman and Elysia were on top of each other as they had dived into the portal to avoid the attack.
"You can say that again. If it wasn''t for that time magic, we would have had her." Elysia''s face had returned to normal and she was already taking advantage of the position they were in to hug.
"There has to be some kind of condition to activate it, but as much as I want to n, we have to go back out there before she targets Silver and the others." Shaman knew they were on a time crunch, so the more time they spent chatting here, the more they risked.
"Mhm, let''s go back out now." Elysia agreed, so without wasting any time, Shaman opened up a portal below them and they began to fall through the sky together.
Freja instantly found their new location and rushed over to finish the job.
"Let''s just go all out, Elysia, no need to preserve any mana." Holding back was a habit of mine, as there was always something to do after the fight, but there was no need this time. If they wanted to beat Freja, they couldn''t risk giving her the time to activate her time magic again.
"Fufu~ thats my kind ofnguage. While it was certainly enjoyable to punch that ugly face of hers, let''s see if she can reverse her way out of trouble when I''m serious!".
"Alright, here shees. If you figure out the conditions to activate her time magic, let me know right away." This would be the key to winning the battle, the true roadblock preventing them from doing anysting damage.
"Enough strategy, you vixens. Time to be good little pets like you were all those months ago and die for me!"
Chapter 345: It doesn’t have to be like this
The mor of copsing Buildings and fiery explosions echoed as ra, nor, Silver, Himeko and Luna were facing off against Freja''s elite.
It consisted of Kiruya, all the maids of the mansion and the other girls that were part of the harem. Not much was known about any of them except Kiruya and some of the maids, but they were certainly a strong force.
"Kiruya, are you aware of Freja working with the pope and sealing Shaman''s parents?" ra beat around the bush and immediately confronted Kiruya. This was a battle ra wished to avoid, as Kiruya had helped them a lot, especially when it came to helping nor.
For a moment, Kiruya contemted what she was going to say, but that small hesitation was already enough. There was a slight twinge of pain in ra''s heart, as she may have to kill Kiruya right here and now.
"I did but I had no say in the matter." Kiruya readied her chakram, splitting it in two. She was currently sporting more casual clothes consisting of ck jeans and a rather loosely done up shirt.
"Then do we have to fight right now? We canpletely avoid this." ra had her doubts on whether Kiruya would be willing to sit tight while Freja was in a life and death fight.
"If it were that simple, then Freja wouldn''t be fighting. I trust in her ideals more than any words you have to say." Kiruya''s face turned stern. It was clear in what direction this was going.
"I don''t think you can talk this out, dear. As much as I would like to avoid killing anyone, it might be inevitable. The most we can do is try to knock them out." Himeko ced her hand on ra''s shoulder as the pain was evident on her face.
Himeko was right though, talking was pointless. Doing their best to limit casualties was all they could do for her now.
"Fine, if that''s your choice, so be it." ra clenched her fists and summoned her whip des out of her inventory. She debated if she should go straight into her demon dragon form, but she wanted to figure out how strong Kiruya is now.
She was a Tier 8 eight months ago, but she very well could be much stronger now. It was quite hard to pinpoint how strong she exactly was, so perhaps it was safest to simply assume she was an equal opponent.
ra figured her new form would most likely give her the edge, but right now ra has notpletely mastered her new strength, and didn''t want to mistakenly kill Kiruya.
"I will sacrifice my life for Freja, so don''t bother holding back, for I will not stop fighting until myst breath." Kiruya showed no sign of hesitation in her voice, as she was dead serious about dying for Freja. She pointed her chakram directly at ra and bent down, ready to pounce.
"I''ll take care of the small fry." Silver was quick to take action, sinking into the shadows. With just a nce, he could tell there was quite a lot of fodder as the maids were only around tier 6. Even the strongest of the bunch only reached tier 8, which made them prime targets for Silver''s efficient assassination skills.
"Leave the others to me while you fight Kiruya." nor flipped out her fan des and focused her attention on the stronger maids as well as the other girls that were part of Freja''s harem. Her mana sense already told her that Kiruya was the strongest of the harem squad, the rest peaking at Tier 7.
"You got this, ra. I''ll protect Luna while providing some passive support if need be." Although Himeko herself was back to being a Tier 10 and most likely could solo Kiruya, she still wanted everyone else to take on the fight. She will jump in if things gets too dangerous, but she didn''t want to take away their chance to gain more experience.
Ultimately, if ites down to it, Himeko will step in, but only when she absolutely has to. Her role was to be a tank and defend everyone and she will do exactly that.
Luna nodded and began her buffing chants, prepared to move on to healing spells right after if needed. It honestly was looking a bit unfair with Luna''s support, but there was no telling what the maids had up their sleeves.
"Bring it, Kiruya." ra cracked her whips, charging them with her lightning. Responding to the deration, Kiruya, in a burst of wind, charged straight at ra.
Kiruya''s eyes glowed brightly as she spun in the air with her chakrams, turning her into a very dangerous bayde.
ra flicked up one of her whips while Kiruya was mid spin catching one of the chakrams with the tip of her whip and stopping Kiruya in her tracks. The force of the sudden stop made Kiruya''s body contort, almost breaking her back. Thankfully, thanks to her great flexibility she was able to adjust in time.
Unfortunately for her, ra was still not done with her. With her whip stilltched to one of the chakrams, she pulled Kiruya in, swinging at her with her now fully charged second whip.
Kiruya was quick to stab the tip of her other chakram into the ground, using it to manoeuvre her body to just barely avoid the whip. A loud crash of lightning followed, leaving the mansion floor charred.
Kiruya then used her momentum to quickly reach ra and kick her in the face, but she forgot that one of her chakrams was still being held by ra''s whip. Before she could even execute the kick, ra yanked on it again, putting Kiruya off bnce.
Once she was done yanking on her whip, ra tightened her fist, partially transforming it into its dragon form and punched Kiruya directly in the stomach.
*COUGH* Blood flew out Kiruya''s mouth as she flew straight through Freja''s throne and into the wall behind it.
"What a shame, it seems like you are still at Tier 8. Even with a system from Freja, you could barely increase your strength after this long." ra felt a bit disappointed, her opponent''s moves too slow to truly be a threat to her.
Kiruya alsocked the impact thates with getting stronger and it was bing obvious that Freja did not allow her to progress.
"The fight is far from over!" Kiruya peeled herself off the wall and wiped away the blood from her mouth.
"But it could be if you dropped your weapon." ra really didn''t want to continue fighting. Although Kiruya can put up a good fight, it was only a matter of time until she was beaten.
"Are you deaf? I am going to keeping until I kill you for Freja." There was a bit of insanity in Kiruya''s eyes, which reminded ra of Elysia back when she was a lot crazier.
It was obvious that Freja hadpletely brainwashed Kiruya into unconditional love, which wasn''t particrly healthy, but there was nothing that could be done about it now.
''Maybe killing her is for the best.'' It was a tough decision, as that might be the only way to truly liberate her from Freja.
Kiruya stretched her body out, cracking every bone in her body, before she came sprinting back. This time her approach was a bit more reserved as she didn''t attack head on, instead using her wind magic to throw some ranged attacks.
Kiruya bounced around the walls using her wind to be even faster while using her chakrams to send wind shes.
ra retracted her whips, turning them into swords so she could easily deflect all the wind shes. Slowly but surely, they began to pick up speed and increase in volume, but with Luna''s buff, ra easily kept up.
The wind shes themselves carried a considerable amount of power, but as their volume increased Kiruya could no longer put out as much mana, making them easier to deflect.
ra got into a flow of dodging and deflecting as she spun around, dual wielding her retracted whips. She deflected everything that Kiruya threw at her, but as the barrage reached its peak, the attacks suddenly stopped, Kiruya herself having disappeared from view.
"Not so fast, you sly cheetah." From behind ra, Himeko swung her greatsword like a baseball bat, sending Kiruya flying.
Kiruya had attempted to go for Luna but was stopped in her tracks by Himeko, who proceeded to handle Kiruya like a baseball. She managed to block the greatsword with her chakrams, but Himeko''s overwhelming strength Easily sent Kiruya flying to the other side of the mansion.
Kiruya went crashing through one wall after another, leaving the rest to wonder if she could even stay conscious after such a hit. In fact, she wasunched so violently that even sent tumbling some of the maids that nor was fighting.
"Whoops, did I hit her too hard?" Himeko realised the difference in power toote, never having intended to decide the oue of the fight on her own.
"Jeez, I wouldn''t want to be at the end of that." Sweat dripped down Luna''s head, as she knew for a fact she couldn''t handle a hit like that.
"ARGHHHH!!!" But a few momentster, a scream of pure rage came from the other side of the mansion, signalling that Kiruya was still alive and kicking.
"It looks like she still has some energy left." ra focused on the hole in the wall, waiting for Kiruya to walk through. However, the silhouette that emerged was not that of the cheetah girl.
Chapter 346: The maid force
With ra focused on Kiruya, Silver quickly made his way through to the back line. There was a squad ofbat maids trying to get past nor, while the rest were staying on the second floor, providing healing, buffs and long range attacks.
It was prime pickings for Silver, moving undetected through the shadows. In fact, with all the training he has been given, he has reached the point where he can move freely as a shadow even when there are no shadows nearby whatsoever.
Obviously, that would still be noticeable when in a properly lit environment. Still, as long as his path contains the slightest bit of shadows, he''ll blend in just fine.
"Everyone should focus on supporting the battle maids! Kiruya said not to worry about her!" Silver approached from the ceiling, learning the enemy''s chain ofmand. There were at least 20 or so maids, each preparing some form of spell.
Some were preparing to cast elemental arrows, while others began prayers and chants.
''I''ll go for the buffers first.'' The maids that were chanting had been ced at the far back to keep them out of sight, but that would be their downfall.
I moved myself above some of the maids that were praying on their knees,pletely oblivious to my presence. Reaching out from the shadows with my scythe, I aimed it for the back of one of the maids'' heads.
With no hesitation, I stabbed my scythe into their skull and pulled them up into the shadows with me. A part of me was a little unsure if I should kill them, but in the end, they were just maids.
"AHHHHH!!!" Screams from the other buffers filled the second floor, drawing everyone''s attention to them. At first they all looked confused as I left no blood, making it seem like nothing had happened. However, they quickly realised that one of them was missing.
"What happened?" The leader of the maids ran over, trying to grasp the situation.
''Poor souls.'' Little did they know that turning their attention to the buffers was the worst choice, as it left the ranged attackers at my mercy.
Moving myself to just above some of the archers that were focusing on nor, I prepared to take them all out at once. Extending my shadow across the ceiling, I formed tiny spikes, which then shot out, skewering all the archers at once.
However, something strange urred. No blood gushed from their wounds, instead revealing cut wires and shredded metal. I hadn''t noticed it with the other maid as I quickly hid her body, so I dropped her out of my shadow and sure enough, there was circuitry in her neck.
"Boss! The archers have been killed!" One of the maids quickly noticed the deaths of the archers, so I dispersed the shadow spikes and continued to observe. It was certainly odd that these maids were not real humans but instead, if I recall correctly, what Shaman described as robots.
''I guess that means I can kill them without remorse, although they feel pretty human.'' Having given up figuring out the ethics of the situation, I was still left feeling weird about it all.
I had inherited Shaman''s knowledge when I was born which allowed me to quicklyprehend this strange turn of events, but I was still foggy about the details, especially considering I''ve never actually seen these things before.
"Tch, it''s that damn shadow wolf. Everyone gather around." The leading maid got everyone to gather around, leaving no angle unseen.
''Hmm the leader might be a human controlling all these robotic maids.'' It was a fair guess since every single maid yielded to itsmands, so it made her the prime suspect.
''I''ll keep her alive, as she may prove useful if she is willing to switch sides.'' If this maid was also responsible for creating the robots, then it would be a waste to kill her if she was willing to ditch Freja.
With my mind made up, I decided to change up my strategy. They were weak enough that I could just kill them all at once from above, but where''s the fun in that? Deciding to give them some false hope, I chose to show myself and finish them off with my scythe.
Dropping down from the ceiling with my scythe in hand, the maids quickly turned their entire attention to me. I was wearing my hooded cloak, which I thought would look cool since Shaman said I reminded her of the grim reaper.
Besides, it fit my ck scythe as well as all the silver jewellery and ornaments that I''ve gotten into recently.
"So you are the one doing this." The head maid looked at me with her furious blue eyes. Her dirty blonde hair was aplete mess, as was her maid dress, which had been ripped for better movement.
"Yes, and you will be joining them soon enough." I took one step forward and teleported behind one of the maid''s shadows. Stabbing their back from below, I pulled my scythe up, splitting their body. It gave me a clear look at the inside of these robots, which seem to be made out of proper mechanical parts that ran on magic.
However, I couldn''t stare for long as the other maids turned around and swung their fists. Their expressions all became nk, as if they had changed into some other mode. It was a little freaky to see the maids who were previously expressing emotions turning into nk tes.
I easily faded back into the shadows and appeared behind another robotic maid, killing them in an instant. I repeated this a few times, dwindling the numbers down to 5 plus the head maid.
"You annoying piece of shit!" Sweat dripped down the head maid''s face as the fight looked like it would end in her death.
"You know, if you stand down, I would have no reason to kill you. Would you be willing to give up your loyalty I wonder?" It would be nice if she gave up here, as I wanted to make sure nor was holding up okay.
*BOOM*
But right as I was pointing my scythe at the head maid, the entire mansion shook and the ground below us felt like it was about to copse.
"What the hell?" I had no idea what happened, but something just crashed through the mansion. I nced back and saw just over the railings that Himeko seemed to have hit something and that the fighting had calmed down a little.
''That might have been Kiruya!'' It was a good chance to take advantage of how one-sided this fight had be.
"Looks like Kiruya is about to be defeated. Do you really want to continue this?" The nervousness was clear as day on the head maid''s face as she debated whether she should yield or not.
"You think I will just bend my knee to you after how much Freja has helped me? You can go fuck yourself! Hell will freeze before I even consider giving in." However, the head maid resolved herself, refusing to stand down.
''I was going to knock her out anyway.'' I shook my head since I was going to defeat her either way, but I can''t say I didn''t try.
The head maid sent herst 5 robot maids after me, but it was futile. I walked forward while spinning my scythe, cutting the maids as they got close, rendering them useless.
"Fool."
What I didn''t expect was that thest maid I''d cut up, began to glow and look like it was about to explode. A smirk was stered on the head maid''s face, thinking that she had gotten me, but she was still ignorant of my powers.
Right as the explosion urred, I instantly disappeared into the shadows, leaving behind a shadow double to make it look like I got caught in the st.
"HA! What an idiot!" The head maid celebrated. Her celebration however ended only a few momentster once a cold de edge was pushed up against her neck. I had appeared directly behind her just as the explosion set off, catching herpletely off guard.
"I like this description of yourself. Have anything else to say?" It was tempting to take off her head right then and there, but I figured Mother would like me to take the pacifist route.
"H-How?" The head maid lost all her confidence as she was at theplete mercy of my de.
"Haven''t you figured out some of my capabilities by now? Expecting me to stay in one ce is way too naive." I pushed my scythe that tiny bit closer, drawing a tiny amount of blood to ensure she didn''t pull anything stupid.
"So how about yielding now?" Surely, now that she has no other choice, she willply, but who knows? It seems like she is the stubborn type.
"F-fine, I give up." Finally, the head maid gave up as she let her body rx.
"Good." Of course, I still couldn''t trust her, so with the edge of my hand I struck the back of her neck, knocking the head maid out cold.
Chapter 347: What are these things?
There was an entourage of 20 maids sprinting towards me, which at first felt daunting, but then I remembered the hellish training ina put me through. Thinking about it gave me shivers, but it also gave me confidence that I could defeat all these maids.
Ever since my training began, I had levelled up mybat skills by a tonne. No longer was the system puppeteering my movements so that I didn''t identally kill myself.
''Breath and let your mind think freely, do not let anything distract you.'' A big weakness of mine was definitely theck of experience, so I tended to worry about small things or overthink my actions. Now that has changed, my mind no longer burdened with trivialities most of the time.
"Get her!" The first set of 5 maids approached, all carrying different kinds of weaponry. Swords, maces, daggers, spears and even a long stick.
It made no difference since I wasn''t going to allow them to get close.
With a strong swing of my fan, I summoned a hurricane-like wind to forcefully knock the maids to the ground. Then, with my other fan, I waved it up, calling up on nature to break through the concrete and ensnare the maids with tree roots.
The roots slithered across their bodies, wrapping very tightly around each of their limbs, preventing any kind of movement.
It seemed like they couldn''t use magic, so I nned to capture them all unless things got really tough and there was no other choice. Unfortunately, it seems I still used too much strength as the ensnaring roots gave out grinding noises as if they were rubbing against metal?
"What the hell?" It confused me, as flesh isn''t meant to do that. Were these maids some kind of different species?
As much as I wanted to find out what was going on, the rest of the maids were taking advantage of my slight distraction.
''Damn it, right as I was boasting to myself that I wouldn''t get distracted.'' As troubling as it was, I couldn''t get too hung up over it. Since the trapped maids are not screaming in pain I''ll assume they are okay.
"Die!" A maid with a greatsword came in with a big swing, using as much momentum as she could. Another one snuck up behind me, aiming for my lower body with a dagger. It didn''t leave me with much room to move, but their attacks were slow and predictable.
I raised one leg and as the maid with the dagger swung, stomping down on their wrist while bending backwards, avoiding the greatsword. The greatsword maid hadpletely missed and hit the ground, getting her de stuck. However, that''s when a maid with a spear dropped down from above.
While I was still leaning back, I snapped one of my fans out, sending a wind sh directly at the descending maid, who had no way to avoid it. She tried to block it with her spear, but it was useless as my wind sh cut right through it.
''Looks like there will be one casualty.'' It was a shame, but I wasn''t going topromise myself to keep them all alive.
With no other immediate attackers, I flipped backwards and reoriented myself. However, as I got my bearings back I eyed the maids only to notice that the one I killed didn''t spill blood?
She was cut in half, yet she was still alive, crawling around with these weird tendrilsing out the bottom of her bisected upper half. It was quite freaky and the same could be said about the maid with the dagger. The wrist I crushed waspletely broken, but once again, there were those weird coloured tendrils peeking out of them.
"Okay, they are not human." It was freaky to see, leaving me unsure if I should just kill them. Were they just another unknown race? But I had no knowledge of any race that doesn''t have blood Could they be some kind of sentient nts perhaps?
The maid with the greatsword finally pulled it out and got ready to charge at me again. This time I noticed more anomalies with the maids, their gazes lifeless, their expressions frozen. They initially showed emotion, but as time went on, they seem to have lost that part of them.
"Murder!" Even their speech was devolving to merely dering their intentions!
The remaining 12 maids that hadn''t found an optimal time to attack finally decided to charge me all at once.
''Fuck it, we are killing them all.'' I didn''t know what they were, but at this point I questioned if they were even living beings. We didn''t really need to be merciful to begin with, so I would rather just kill these things first and sort out the truthter.
*BOOM* But right as I was about to unleash the full wrath of nature on these maids, a body came flying through, knocking some of them into the wall. One of them almost hit me as it flew past and crashed spectacrly.
"What the fuck is ra doing?" My life shed before my eyes for a moment. On the bright side, whatever just happened disrupted the maids'' attack, so I needed to take advantage of it.
Opening up my fans, I waved them upward, causing the ground to rumble, followed by roots shooting out of the ground. Each of them bent to my will as I sent them to skewer each of the remaining maids.
The greatsword maid was quick to target me once again, but with a quick wave of my fan, one of the roots extended itself at great and stabbed the maid through the stomach. Lifting the maid up in the air, it was rendered imobile, its struggles fruitless.
The other maids quickly followed suit, hunted down by my iron-strong roots. Some were skewered while others were crushed by sheer weight.
The battle was finallying to a close and it was a lot easier than I expected. Ultimately, I knew the maids were rather weak, but I thought there was going to be a bit more of a fight, especially with their numbers.
However, I overpowered them so much that it was a one sided massacre rather than what I thought would be just me buying time.
"nor, are you alright!?" With my battle finished, I found that Silver seems to have concluded his battle too. He came running out of the shadows, scanning my entire body with his eyes, hopefully for injuries and nothing else.
"Mhm, although, do you know what''s the deal with these maids? They are not beings of flesh but rather some kind of metal?" I figured I''d ask Silver if he knew since he also fought some maids. Perhaps they have met such things on a prior adventure?
"Yes, they are robots Wait, you won''t understand that. Think of them like fake beings. Golems who only exist to obeymands, devoid of any emotion. So don''t feel bad for killing them." It all began to make sense now and it definitely lifted a small weight off my heart.
"I see, well that''s a first for me, seeing these ro-b-ots." I was curious about the inner workings of these robots, but looking at the remains of these maids, figuring it out would be a headache and way beyond anything I would know.
"It is and I''m surprised they even exist. This kind of thing only existed in Shaman''s old world. I guess Freja is also from there, but to actually reproduce them is pretty insane." Silver gave a bit more context on these robots and how odd they actually are which gave me a little bit of perspective.
"Interesting, well we shouldn''t be chatting, it looks like ra could use a hand." As much as I liked talking with Silver, the battle was far from over. Taking a nce in ra''s direction only proved that things were just now heating up.
"Yes Kiruya seems to have a second form. It could be really dangerous so please be careful, babe." A shiver ran through my body as Silver called me by a nickname. I liked that he was being protective, but now wasn''t the time for flirting! A part of me wanted to smack him to get his head out of any gutter it may be in, but that also isn''t appropriate to do right now.
"Of course. We should hurry over and see what ra wants us to do. Best we don''t get in her way, especially when fighting against something unknown." I knew ra was the type to fight things on her own. She usually has a set n in her head and any interference would only disrupt her strategy.
"Definitely, plus we should keep a lookout for any hidden threats speaking of which, where are the other girls that were with Kiruya?" SIlver brought up a very good point and we began to look around the room.
Chapter 348: Unexpectedly deadly
Right at the mention of the missing girls, the roof above Himeko and Luna copsed. Following the falling debris and rubble were the 7 other girls all aiming their weapons at Luna.
Water, fire, earth, lightning, ice, wood and posion coalesced around the girls, each one calling her own element. It coated their weapons and reinforced their outfits which were made to match their affinities.
In the same order of the elements they carried a bow, sword, greatsword, shortsword, daggers, gauntlets and a quarterstaff. With this impressive lineup of gear and abilities, if they were on the same tier as Kiruya it would mean some serious trouble.
nor and Silver quickly rushed over to help, not wanting to leave Himeko to 1v7 all the while protecting Luna no matter how strong she was. ra herself was busy dealing with Kiruya, keeping her way too busy to be of any help.
nor quickly manifested roots out of the ground, creating a cocoon around Luna to protect her from the falling debris. Silver used the falling debris to his advantage and faded into their shadows, allowing him to quickly reach the harem girls.
Himeko, seeing that Luna was safe, went on the offensive, sending out a burst of mes destroying any debris that came near her.
"Looks like I do get to have some fun!" Himeko had a wide smile smeared on her face. No longer having to take the back seat, she happily epted the chance to show off.
"Me and Silver will provide support, so just tell us if you need anything Himeko." nor tightly held her fans ready to fight off the fast approaching girls.
"I''ll be counting on you two." Himeko lowered herself, preparing to jump in the air to contest the approaching enemy. The concrete below her feet cracked as she pushed off it,unching herself at a speed that was hard even for nor and Silver to see.
Appearing right in front of the greatsword girl, Himeko swung her own greatsword that was bursting with mes. The girl panicked being confronted so quickly and tried to parry with her own de.
The girl had coated her greatsword in earth essentially making it a club. Nheless it still added to its weight, which was all the more impressive that she still swung it so effortlessly regardless of her small frame. Their des crashed, but frankly there was too much of a tier difference between the two, giving Himeko the easy win.
The earth that coated the greatsword shattered and the girl was flung out of the mansion. Her body rag-dolled through the wall and into the ground, making it safe to say she was already out for the count.
Not a momentter, poison gas surrounded Himeko, but she quickly covered her mouth and locked onto the culprit. Thetter had alreadynded on the ground and moved away from the group, looking for the best angle to spread her poison to reach as many opponents as she could.
What she failed to realise is just how strong Himeko was, even after such a disy of strength. Still holding her breath,Himekonded back on the ground and instantly dashed for the poison-usingdy.
Before she knew it, Himeko grabbed her by the face and crushed her skull into the ground, instantly dispelling the poison.
As for the others, the water bow fired multiple water arrows at Himeko that were extremely fast. Unfortunately, no matter how fast her arrows were, the mes that raged around Himeko''s sword were so hot that they evaporated before reaching her.
"Sorry, but you are too weak, missy." Himekoughed. Normally water is her weakness, but this little water would only evaporate before even getting close to her.
Silver took this chance to pop out of the shadows behind the bow user and use the back of his scythe to hit her in the head. This knocked her out, causing her to fall to the ground and kicking her out of the fight.
Still, the other side wasn''t taking it lying down as the harem member with Lightning was already charging at him. She moved at lightning speed, but it was not as fast as ra. She tried to slice Silver''s neck, but he merely moved back to avoid her de.
He then coated his hand in shadows to create a de and stabbed her in the stomach. The girl coughed up blood and dropped her shortsword to the ground, almost hitting the other girl who was just defeated.
Silver then dropped the girl and retreated back into the shadows. He hadn''t stabbed her anywhere fatal, but he doubted she would be moving anytime soon.
"Tch, what is this shit?" The girl with the sword had bypassed everyone and tried to focus on getting to Luna. However, her mes were unable to burn through the roots protecting her.
"Even my gauntlets do nothing." Another one of the girls slipped by and tried to destroy it with brute strength, but to no avail.
"You''ll need to try harder than that." nor stood across from the two girls with a smug grin, proud of how strong her defence was.
"Fuck, everyone else is getting knocked out cold" Things were looking grim and the thought of surrendering shed through their minds, but they couldn''t back down now.
"You should move, by the way." Said nor snapping open both of her fans. Obeying hermands, branches came shooting out of the protective cocoon. They wrapped themselves around the girls, all the way up to their necks, where the branches grew sharp, pointing at the girls threateningly.
The fire girl didn''t hesitate to engulf herself in mes to burn away the branches, but nothing worked. It made no sense to her how her mes werepletely ineffective, unaware that nor''s nature element is of a holy type.
Since all the nature she conjures up is rted to holy magic, it is also indirectly rted to light magic, making her wood more resistant to mes. Of course, if this were Himeko''s mes, they would be turned to ash, but since this girl is a lot weaker, it would take a lot more time to burn the wood away.
As for the gauntlet girl, she surprisingly managed to snap the branches and brute force her way out.
nor narrowed her eyes, as it came as quite a surprise that she managed to just break them.
In a fit of rage, the gauntlet girl charged at nor with her fists coated in wood. This forced nor into closebat, which she has yet to demonstrate, but is what she has been training for.
Her fans were fitted with des and thanks to ina''s intensive training, she had gotten a lot better at handling them.
The gauntletdy threw a punch all the while extending wooden des out of her knuckles for extra reach. nor easily dodged it, but more spikes shot out from the gauntlet''s side, propelled directly at nor.
The girl wore a smirk, thinking she had caught nor, but before the wooden spikes could hit her, they were suddenly cut. Then nor disappeared from the girl''s vision and, in an instant, a bunch of cuts appeared all over her body.
Her ligaments were cut, and her arms could no longer move. Atst she finally fell over,pletely paralysed.
nor had used her wind and fans to precisely cut the girl''s muscles so that she could no longer fight.
"Damn bitch!" The girl could still talk, but all she could do was yell and scream while her face was stuck to the ground.
"Sorry, but you are too slow. Should have figured out that we are way stronger than you." nor, though, was annoyed at the girl calling her a bitch, so she shoved her shoe into the girl''s mouth to shut her up.
As for the hot head that was still stuck, she was still trying to burn the branches away, but has made little progress. She had charred some of the wood, but by the time she would loosen it enough she would have run out of mana.
Just to make sure that she didn''t get out, Himeko walked up behind her,pletely unaffected by the mes and hit her in the back of the head with the t side of her great sword.
"I think that''s all of them." Himeko looked around and couldn''t spot any more of Freja''s harem.
"There should be one more! There was a girl in white who disappeared!" Silver shouted from the shadows instantly putting them all on guard once more.
"nor, quickly release Luna!" Himeko then realised the enemy might have gotten into the wooden cocoon somehow, so they needed to make sure she was okay.
nor quickly opened up a hole and they rushed to see if Luna was still safe. However, as they looked down the hole, they saw her sitting on the back of a knocked out girl in a white dress.
"Oh, you guys are done out there?"
Chapter 349: Sacrifices for power
With an unexpected twist, Luna somehow beat one of the harem members with her staff, sessfully knocking them out. We didn''t expect her to be able to hold her own, but upon second thought, Luna is quite feisty.
"We should probably avoid making her truly angry." Silver imagined a scenario where Luna uses so many buffs on herself that it makes it nearly impossible to beat her.
"What''s that? You want to see me angry?" Luna squinted her eyes at Silver, assuming what she barely heard was a snidement about her.
"N-nothing, great job Luna." Silver wasn''t going to fuck around and find out.
"Enough talking, we need to go help ra." Himeko didn''t want to waste any more time, as looking over, it looked like ra could use some assistance.
***
<15 minutes prior>
Kiruya emerged from the broken-down wall in apletely new form. She had turned into what seemed like an elemental cheetah. A green wind visibly coated her fur while a floating translucent scarf covered her neck.
"Tch looks like I don''t have a choice." ra instantly felt the boost in power from this form, questioning if it was a representation of some god.
*growl* No words came from Kiruya, who seemed to have lost any rational thought, perhaps simr to Shaman in her own beast form.
''It''s currently still unstable, but I''ll have to use my dragon form.'' She didn''t want to use it, as she was trying to avoid identally killing Kiruya, but at this point she could no longer keep underestimating her opponent.
However, before ra could decide on what she wanted to do, Kiruya disappeared from where she was standing. Appearing directly behind ra, a jaw made from condensed wind covered Kiruya''s actual jaw as it moved to mp down on ra.
ra spun on her feet, parrying the jaws at thest moment and using that chance to back away. With no more hesitation, ra activated her dragon transformation.
Wings sprouted from her back, parts of her skin turned to scales, her horns changed shape, and her pupils became vertical lines. Purple lightning flickered around her body as her mana began to go rampant.
Kiruya though, wasn''t going to sit around and wait. With a roar, she conjured up spinning wheels of wind and sted them towards ra. The wheels moved at a speed rivalling ra''s lightning, only giving her milliseconds to react.
With her bearings in check, she kicked off the ground, barely dodging the wind wheels, all the while heading towards Kiruya. ra then started sprinting around Kiruya, her whip des scraping along the ground, constantly charging them up with her lightning.
ra became progressively faster, leaving a trail of lightning behind her that charred the ground and walls. Kiruya tried to disrupt ra''s path with wind shes, but the sheer speed was too much for her to predict.
Once ra was ready sheunched herself off a wall while spinning with her whip des. Kiruya spun her neck back as quickly as she could, trying to see where ra wasing from and only managing in the nick of time. She immediately tried to counter, sending a blistering wind at ra that turned into a pseudo wind wall.
It had sessfully slowed down ra, but that did notst for long. As ra broke through the wind Kiruya tried her best to dodge. She moved her head away, avoiding a full on sh as ra''s whip de shed across her eye, leaving her now partially blind.
However, that was not the end. milliseconds after making contact with ra''s de, an electrical current flowed through Kiruya''s body. She growled in pain while her body stiffened, losing its bnce and falling to the floor.
ra put her spin to a halt and, doubting the fight was over, she dashed forward to continue her attack. With Kiruya''s body on the ground, ra attempted to restrain her with the whip des. However, just as ra flicked her whips, Kiruya sprung up on her feet, grabbing one with her jaw.
"Hmph." With a smirk on her face, ra quickly infused her whip with lightning, intending to send another electrical shock through Kiruya''s body. But right before the lightning could make its way through the whip, Kiruya yanked on it before swiftly letting go.
"Shit!" ra didn''t expect Kiruya to recover so quickly from the first shock, so she lost her bnce and got thrown towards Kiruya.
Even before reaching Kiruya, ra was faced with a new threat. A torrent of wind spears shot towards her, leaving little room to dodge. Although she now had wings, there was no time to take flight, her instincts not yet catching up to her new capabilities. Besides, spreading her wings would just make her a bigger target..
So instead, she pulled in her wings, taking on the wind spears head-on. Cuts, gouges, and blood covered ra''s body. Thanks to the mana-imbued clothing that she had received, none of the spears pierced through her, but that didn''t stop her from staggering at the heavy impacts.
She finally hit the ground, barely able to even stand. She could only thank her passive regeneration that the wounds were not life-threatening.
"God *cough, cough* damn it Kiruya, why couldn''t we settle this civilly instead of fighting." ra''s body trembled as she tried buying time for her regeneration to heal her enough, hoping her words would distract Kiruya.
[Because there is no turning back now, I''ve sacrificed my lifespan to take this form and to protect Freja. You, as well as your friends, must die for me to fulfill my duty.] Kiruya''s voice echoed inside of ra''s head, exining why and how.
"Are you stupid? The real enemy is the pope and he hasn''t even made his move yet. Are you really just going to throw away your life like that?" ra was shocked to learn that Kiruya somehow traded her life-span just to obtain power. Her thoughts instantly shifted to Kiruya''s system, which must have allowed her to make such a trade.
It was crazy to her to think that Kiruya even considered that as an option. Perhaps with Freja''s brainwashing, Kiruya was convinced that she had to use it, but it still baffled ra that she would give up so much.
There was no denying that ra would sacrifice herself for Shaman, but only if there was no other option.
[My life is nothing without Freja. The world could copse as far as I care, but as long as I am by her side nothing else truly matters.] Kiruya showed no sign of wavering as she lunged forwards, intending to finish ra in her pitiful state.
"ra!" A ming greatsword crashed down from above, nearly decapitating Kiruya. That was not the end however, as when Himeko''s sword embedded itself in the ground, it released a terrifying st of mes. The winds whirling around Kiruya only served to excite the mes, surrounding her in an inferno that set her fur aze.
Kiruya began screaming and thrashing around, trying to put out the mes. She mmed into walls, trying desperately to find some relief from the zing heat.
Himekonded in front of ra trying to see if she was okay. While Himeko examined her body, a gentle blue light coated ra, and all of her wounds began to close.
"How are you feeling?" Himeko had a look of relief as for a moment, she thought ra was going to die.
"Much better now." Thanks to Luna''s healing magic, ra felt invigorated. Luna had also cast a few buffs, which lessened the burden of her dragon form, buying her some more time.
"What''s the deal with Kiruya Are we killing her or not?" Silver popped his head out from the shadows, wanting some answers.
"Do we have to?" nor ran up after hearing Silver. Being the most sympathetic of the bunch, she really hoped the answer would be a no, but she would still listen to whatever decision ra makes.
"She has sacrificed her life to take this form, we may as well end it for her." It was a tough call for ra to make, a slight tremble in her voice. However, they weren''t being left with much choice.
"So it''s like that. Did you want me to join in the battle or do you think you have this now?" Himeko nodded, understanding ra''s decision.
"I''ll be fine now, I got caught off guard as I debated whether or not I should kill her, but I''ve made up my mind now." ra had hesitated in her attacks since she truly didn''t want to kill her, but hearing Kiruya''s decisiveness, it was time to respond in kind.
"Understood, but I will jump in like I did just now if it looks dangerous." Himeko patted ra''s head before she backed off to where Luna was.
"nor and Silver, follow my lead." Even without Himeko''s help, ra still had her other two party members, which should be enough to put this battle to an end.
*ROARRRR!!!!* From outside, Kiruya let out a loud tiger-like roar, signifying she put out the mes and was now royally pissed.
Chapter 350: No other outcome
Kiruya busted down the wall,pletely enraged from being burned. It was evident from the scorched fur all over her body that it had caused her significant damage.
With another roar, she conjured up 4rge tornadoes that began to rip the mansion to shreds. Debris got flung across the room and was about to hit Luna, but Himeko conjured a fire barrier, turning anything that came close to ash.
As for ra, nor and Silver, they all dodged the debris as they moved closer towards Kiruya. Silver stuck to hiding in the shadows, while nor relied on pure agility as well as conjuring tree roots to protect herself.
ra flew through the air, although not without resistance from the tornados. Still, she was able to overpower the tornadoes through sheer strength and even boost herself forward.
Being the closest, Kiruya locked onto ra first and leapt towards her. At the same time she had her tornadoes close in on ra, leaving little room to escape. Kiruya came through the only opening left, her jaw wide and about to mp down on ra.
"Using the same attack won''t work, you dumb, oversized cat!" Before Kiruya could close her jaws, ra lodged the hilt of her whip des in between her teeth, forcing them open. With her weapon in contact with Kiruya''s face, ra then discharged lightning from her des.
A shock shot through Kiruya''s body, breaking her control over her tornadoes. This made for an opening, and so ra flew towards the ground while pulling Kiruya along with her.
ra aimed for a shadow on the ground and mmed Kiruya into it. Silver then made his move, using his shadows to entrap Kiruya in chains. nor also followed up with her own restraints, making it impossible for Kiruya to move.
''Do I kill her?'' ra had the perfect opportunity to kill Kiruya right then and there. Despite already making up her mind, now that she had the chance, it was difficult tomit.
''She already made herself clear from the beginning. I want there to be a different oue, but there are more important people that I wish to save.'' Getting rid of any hesitation, rabined her whip-des into a sword and aimed for Kiruya''s neck.
Kiruya tried to let her wind go wild, letting out shes of wind in every direction, hoping to break the restraints. However, with thebined power of Silver and nor, it was practically impossible. Anything she broke through would simply be reced instantly.
It did slow down ra as she flew in for the strike, but once she had the right angle, she moved at lightning speed. There was no time for Kiruya to react or try to block it, as ra was just too fast.
"Sorry Kiruya." ra felt the weight of killing Kiruya, knowing there was no turning back.
Kiruya, in thest breath of her life, looked directly into ra''s eyes with contempt. Even in herst moments, she showed neither fear nor regret, seemingly making peace with her uing death.
"KIRUYAAAA!!!" A scream suddenly echoed from outside. ra turned her head in response, only to find a hand grabbing her face. She didn''t know what happened and before she knew it, she was alreadyunched into the wall.
It was Freja who broke off from her battle to help Kiruya, but she was toote. She ripped away the restraints while trying to heal Kiruya, but it wasn''t working. Once this realisation dawned upon her, her anger red so high it became palpable, her mana visibly raging around her.
She then mmed her fists into the ground and somehow forcefully pulled Silver out of the shadows by the neck.
Himeko and nor instantly sprung into action, dashing forward to get Freja away from Silver. However, before they could reach him, Shaman and Elysia came flying out of a portal next to Freja.
"Get away from our son!!!" Screaming in unison, they channeled their mes and kicked Freja in tandem. Sessfullynding their kicks, they got her to let go of Silver, who instantly retreated to the shadows.
As for Freja, she slid back on her feet from the impact and spat out a bit of blood.
"You''ve done it now. I was secretly nning to make you all pets on a leash, but now You will share her fate instead!" Freja was furious and the mes that burst around her body reflected that.
"It''s not our fault you decided to fight instead of listening to reason." Shaman also shared a simr anger, as Freja just threatened Silver''s life. For Elyisa though, her fury reached another level as her body naturally changed into her bloodline form in response. Blood red mes coated her hair as her fangs became more prominent.
"If you just listened to me, then there wouldn''t be a problem!" Freja, in the blink of an eye, appeared right in front of Shaman and Elysia. Freja''s ck sword dragged behind her, preparing for a clean cut. However, as she tried to sh, her de got caught in some roots.
"Go!" nor had attempted to restrain Freja, slowing her for a fraction of a second for Shaman and Elysia to react.
Elysia took out her spear and thrust straight for Freja''s neck, hoping to kill her instantly. Shaman, with Kotetsu, grazed past Freja''s face before shing it across her chest.
With two fatal blows iing, Freja forsook her sword and used her hands to grab the iing des instead. Once again, time froze and the damage was reflected onto them, but strangely enough, a cut remained on Freja''s cheek when time resumed.
She quickly wiped her hand over to hide her injury, but the motion didn''t escape Shaman''s notice.
Elysia quickly used her healing me to recover the damage and was about to charge back in when a message appeared in front of her.
[I''ve figured it out, Freja''s time stop isn''t a perfect spell. It may stop time, but she isn''t able to do anything except move to a different position. Also, the reflection of damage just now applies to her as well, so if we damage ourselves it would go back onto her.] Shaman had broadcast her findings to everyone else, which was news for most.
Shaman had made a slight cut on her cheek to test a theory and noticed just then that her cut appeared on Freja.
[Time magic since when?] nor responded withplete shock. For her, it was no less than ancient magic that was said to have been lost.
[Don''t say anything, we need to figure out how to abuse it without killing ourselves , not to mention figure out the conditions to activate it in the first ce.] There was still the question of what triggered the process and whether Freja could control it directly.
[This sounds like there''s an artefact at y. Like mine for example. It controlled the mind, but Freja might be in possession of a time-rted artefact.] Himeko surprisingly messaged everyone without trouble, bringing up something they hadn''t heard about for months.
"Enough, I know you are using the system to talk!" Freja conjured two ck fireballs in her hand and threw them directly at Shaman and Elysia.
Elysia dodged, while Shaman entered her portal and appeared above Freja. Shaman shed down with Kotetsu covered in stardust, but aimed for a non-fatal blow to her shoulder.
Freja expected a fatal hit, so she tried to spin around and block it, but miss-calcted where it wouldnd. Her forearm was then split open by Shaman, but time didn''t freeze and Freja winced while jumping back
[Don''t mind the new person who is about to join us.] While Freja was distracted healing her arm, Elysia had spent the time to form a magic circle that opened a portal.
Shaman raised an eyebrow, as a tiny girl with white hair and over-the-top vampire attire came through the portal.
[She''s Alice, who is technically my great great however many times grandmother, only when she was younger. I''ll exinter.] Elysia dropped a bombshell of information, but all that mattered was that she was an ally.
Freja turned her head to see who the new presence was and she looked rather shocked.
"How is she alive?" It seemed that Freja had recognised Alice, which really shouldn''t be possible. Only those who''ve lived for a very long time or had a hand in her imprisonment should be aware of Alice after all.
"Hmm? Just one person? Elysia, are you sure you want my help?" Alice floated around yfully while looking down at Freja, who had confusion all over her face.
"You wanted some fun, right? I''ve had enough of your bickering, so why don''t you fight her for a change?" This entire time, Elysia had Alice in her head, badgering her to open up a portal until she finally reached a breaking point.
"Hehe~ fine." Elysia had filled Alice in while she made the portal, so there shouldn''t be any surprises.
"Tch, I don''t know how you created a fake, but you won''t disgrace Alice''s name!" Freja gave away a tiny bit of context, raising some more questions.
"I don''t know who you are, but I''m as real as I can be." Alice took out dual des that were connected by a chain, ready to face Freja alongside everyone.
Chapter 351: Anomaly
While Alice was getting summoned, Luna was rushing over to ra, who was knocked out cold. Her body was embedded in the wall, blood dripping down her face.
"Oh great god of nature, bestow me the power to heal." Luna raised her staff into the air and the gem at its end glowed a bright green. Although no god was bestowing her power, it was an incantation that helped Luna differentiate her spells considering she didn''t have a system like the others.
A green light then enveloped ra, slowly healing her wounds. It wasn''t long until she regained consciousness.
"Are you alright, ra? Shaman and Elysia are here now so you don''t have to keep fighting." Luna had a surprisingly gentle tone, which for a moment left ra wondering who was this stranger healing her.
"W-what? Oh, Luna. Yeah, I think I''m fine." ra peeled herself off the wall while checking her body, which by now reverted to her normal form. Every part of her body ached and her mana was near rock bottom.
By the end of the Kiruya fight, she had reached the utmost limit of her transformation.
"The girls seem to be holding up fine, so just stay with me for now." Himeko kept her eye on Freja the entire time, making sure no stray attacks came their way.
ra wanted to get back up and fight, but her body refused to cooperate. A part of her felt frustrated, but she knew Shaman would just smack the back of her head if she kept fighting in her current condition.
"All your wounds are healed, but as you may have already felt, I can''t heal the after-effects of your transformation." Luna cast a few different spells to help ra move around, since it was obvious that she was still not in the best condition even after getting healed.
"Thanks, but please focus on Shaman and Elysia, they need it more than me." ra didn''t feel her life was in danger, so she preferred if Luna''s efforts were focused on the ones fighting.
"You see, I have already done all I can for them, but Elysia is already doing my job for me with her strange mes." Luna awkwardly giggled as she could only provide so many buffs.
"Wait, when did Elysia get here?" It just clicked in ra''s head that Elysia was here now.
"No idea. She came into the mansion with Shaman around the same time Freja knocked you out." Hearing Himeko''s exnation, ra figured it must have been the lovers'' call.
"I see." ra looked out to the battlefield and saw Elysia doing something rather strange.
''She is summoning something?'' It was a first and not something ra would have thought Elysia was capable of.
*
Spinning one of my des with the chain, I looked smugly at this Freja, who for some reason knew me. I had no idea what my older self had to do with her, but it sure did make things interesting.
Freja moved in an instant, arriving right below my feet as she coated her hands with blood, turning them into deadly des.
''Now I see, she must have learned blood maniption, but I thought it was a vampire-only thing. Hmmm, my older self was quite strange so maybe she figured out a way.'' I wasn''t too concerned about the attack and was more interested in figuring out how Freja managed to learn my technique.
As the attack was about to pierce right through my chest, Freja''s movements stopped. Sweat dripped down her face as she realised she couldn''t move her body.
"Using my technique against me? Sorry girl, but I can''t have that." I had taken control over the blood that she had used, which was still directly connected to her bloodstream, so right now I had her entire body on lockdown.
She was quick to realise this and encase herself in mes. She burned away the blood, which must have been very painful, but I did feel my control disappear. She then jumped back, now knowing the danger I represented.
"Quite the psychopath we got." I couldn''t believe the method Freja used since even I''m not that crazy.
"Shut up!" I was clearly getting on this girl''s nerves, which just made me want to poke even more. However, before I could, Shaman and Elysia came rushing in.
Elysia tried to sweep at Freja with her spear, while Shaman came from behind, aiming to slice off her arm. Seeing them go in made me eager to use my new weapons. I had not had the chance to fight an actual opponent yet since Elysia refused to spar with me.
Freja sessfully grabbed their weapons and was about to knock them into each other, but I came flying in, throwing one of my des directly at her. With not much of a choice, she used her feet to parry the de.
However, that just worked better for me. I yanked on the chain, causing it to go right back to Freja, who wasn''t ready for it. Shaman and Elysia also exploded mes from their weapons, leaving even less room.
If things went as nned this would mean the end for Freja as my de was mere inches away from her throat, but suddenly everything stopped.
''Just like Elysia said, time stops. Hang on, why am I not affected?'' What was strange was that everything stopped except my de. Even Freja was left shocked as she used her teeth to catch it.
"Ew get your teeth off my perfectly clean de." With the de in Freja''s mouth, I pulled on the chain once again, pulling myself closer and thrusting with my other de for Freja''s chest.
"HOW THE FUCK CAN YOU MOVE?!?!?!" Freja''s face was full of genuine fear as she slipped out of the position, letting go of my first d to dodge the other.
"No idea, but it just means your ability is useless hehe~." Knowing her gimmick was ineffective, I chased her down, this time using my blood maniption to create spikes and walls to trap or kill Freja.
She used her ck me to punch away the walls and nimbly dodge my spikes, but I noticed her movements were getting sloppy. The side-effects of her time magic must be taking its toll by now, as surely there had to be a major cost of using it.
Suddenly time resumed, leaving the others in momentary confusion. There wasn''t any time to exin, but Shaman and Elysia were quick to catch on, grinning at the new turn of events.
"Hey Alice, try to capture her if you can!" Shaman yelled out the n, though it was easier said than done.
"I''ll try, but no promises~!" I threw my de again at Freja, which was tainted with blood this time around. Itnded on the ground right below Freja as she jumped over it, but as she did, blood shot out. As my blood wrapped itself around her legs, she used her mes again, but this time the follow up came from an unexpected source, that Elf and, I think Silver was his name, Elysia''s son.
A bunch of tree roots tried to restrain Freja as shadow des came out of the shadows aiming to impale Freja from multiple sides.
Shaman also contributed, using her gxy-looking ice to reinforce the roots, which was surprisingly effective against Freja''s fire.
Elysia ran up from behind, handling her spear like a bat and was about to knock Freja the fuck out, but time stopped once again.
"Oh no, you don''t~." Freja was already trying to use brute strength to get out of the hold, but I quickly flew around Freja and wrapped my chains around her neck.
"Y-You B-BITCH!" Freja could barely move her body at this point, making her struggles pointless.
"It''s a 5 vs 1, what else did you expect, poor little wolf." I could feel Freja''s rage through her desperate struggles, but there was no longer anything she could do. Her trump move was beaten and was now about to be sent to sleep with a well aimed hit to the back of the head.
"I-I SWEAR I WILL KILL YOU ALL! YOU SHOULD KILL ME NOW!!!!" Right as Freja got thest of her breath out, time resumed and Elysia got Freja smack bang in the back of the head. Freja lost consciousness there and then, signalling that the fight is over.
"Is it over?" It was a little hard to believe since Shamanpletely expected this to drag on a lot longer. Freja hadn''t shown many ultimate moves, which was unexpected, but then again Freja was overly confident.
"I guess it is." Elysia looked surprised that she managed to hit Freja with such a nice swing.
"Let''s not get toofortable. We need to restrain Freja as quickly as we can." Himeko had not dropped her guard since there was still much more to do. There was no telling when she would wake up, and if she did, the fight would no doubt resume.
"You''re right, we need to find some mana-restricting cuffs." Shaman knew that would be the only thing that would work, but where to find them was another question.
"I''d say we just kill her." Alice came up with the most ruthless solution, but Shaman still wanted some answers out of Freja before they decided that.
"Not now." Silver quickly refuted while ring at Alice, still cautious of her presence. Alice pouted and gave Silver a side-eye causing some tension to already build between the two.
"I think I know where some might be." Elysia let out a sigh as there was a high chance that Freja probably just had some in her room. Especially since she was the kind of person to go to rather extreme lengths for pleasure.
"Oh yeah, that makes sense. We should be quick." Shaman caught on and it''s probably best they don''t stall for too long.
Chapter 352: Desperation
"Found an anti-mana cor and some restraints." After scavenging through Freja''s assortment of unique items, I finally found what we were after. It felt disgusting to go through such things, but it was necessary.
"Quick before she wakes up." Elysia positioned Freja''s head and cut her blonde hair so I could easily put on the cor.
With a loud ''clink'', the cor locked into ce, denying Freja from using any of her magic. Considering it was literally sucking away my mana as I was bringing it over, I didn''t doubt its effectiveness. Next, I had nor pull away her roots so I could put on the cuffs, yet as I was about to put them on, time stopped.
Everything resumed and Freja was now on the floor with Alice on top, holding her des to her throat.
"HOW!?! IT SHOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE TO MOVE!" Freja screamed, still unable to fathom that Alice could still move. Even I was confused, as I have not yet had the time to inquire about this subject.
"Are you sure you don''t want me to kill her?" Alice was inching her des closer, annoyed that we still wanted her alive.
"No point, it looks like whatever she did to activate her time magic came at a cost." Himeko approached Freja and raised her arm, which began to deteriorate into dust.
"She bypassed her requirement at the sacrifice of her own body?" Silver quickly used his shadows to strap Freja down, allowing Alice to get off. She was reluctant to move from the screaming and iling Freja, but it was clear enough she could hardly move her body anymore.
"Seems so. Since she has connections to the gods, I''m not surprised a condition like this exists." Himeko had a sad look in her eyes when looking at the sorry state of Freja. They were old friends, so it couldn''t have been easy to see her in such a sorry state.
"DON''T IGNORE ME!"
"Looks like she has turned all bark and no bite." Luna, not knowing who Freja is, somehow chose the right words to make fun of Freja. Her anger only grew, yet still she was unable to act on it creating a self-fueling loop of anger,
"We should quickly get our answers before her body deteriorates too much, we don''t know how much time she has left to live." I still wanted answers about my parents. If Freja is disappearing, then we need to hurry.
"I''m not going to tell you shit unless you tell me how the fuck this little twerp of a fake was able to bypass my time magic." Freja red at Alice, the main culprit behind her undoing. Understandably so, as if she didn''t exist we would have to do some crazy manoeuvres, like stabbing ourselves just to circuNovelBinent the damage reversal.
"I don''t know." However, Alice shrugged her shoulders, having no clue.
"Huh?!" Freja looked in disbelief, not wanting to take that for an answer.
"How about you tell us how you know Alice? Tell me and I might know the answer as to why." Elysia, with the tip of her spear, forced Freja to look up. There was a moment of silence, but with her arm half missing and her legs now deteriorating, she had nothing to lose.
"She trained me when I was a kid, that''s all." Freja didn''t borate much, but she gave enough for us to infer their rtionship.
"I see. Alice was captured by the Pope and sealed away until I found her. The Alice you see is actually from a dungeon. I made her my familiar so that I could bring her out after I inherited the original Alice''s will. As to why time magic didn''t work on her, I believe it''s due to her technically not belonging to this world, so you could not freeze her time."
"What? The Pope captured Alice?" Freja couldn''t believe what she was hearing.
"Yes, he was using Alice to power a magic circle of his creation."
"Tch, that fucking bastard." It wasn''t a surprise that Freja wasn''t told, but it was still sad to see how ignorant she was about everything.
"Now tell me why and what you did to my parents." Now that Freja had her answers, I wanted mine.
"Ha, just what I was ordered. I was honestly surprised that you weren''t captured, but it didn''t matter since you were just a normal fox girl. Your father was best friends with the Pope in their past life, before the two reincarnated here. However, The Pope lost his wife and turned crazy trying to revive her.
You can guess the rest of the story from there." Freja''s body was deteriorating faster, with half of her body already gone.
"Why did you fight?" The history of my father came as a bit of a shock, but I will soon hear from him myself once we break the seal and get to the truth.
"Eyes are always watching, dear." Freja looked at me with a smug grin while a small ball rolled out of her body, which must be the artefact Himeko mentioned.
Her words prompted me to look up into the sky, as I suspected she was referring to the gods.
"Even if there are, they can just fuck themselves for all I care." My faith in any higher power was zero as I believed they were just watching for their own entertainment. If they wanted the best for us then why haven''t they done anything about the pope?
"Good answer." Freja''sst words came out just before thest of her body turned into dust. I leaned down, picking up the ball that she dropped and inspected it.
[Eden of TIme]
[An ancient artifact that allows the stopping of time when user life is in danger, reflecting all damage to a desired person. However, any damage already on the target will be reflected onto the user]
[User may also sacrifice a life to activate time stop, but must then take the life of another. Otherwise, the user will be used as the sacrifice.]
Reading the description, it exined how Freja was able to stop time once more, and it surprised me that she risked using the sacrifice option.
"Are we all okay?" Everything had turned silent, worrying nor about our well-being.
"Mhm." I nodded my head, still processing what Freja had told me about my father, as well as the fact that she was no longer here. Although we became enemies in the end, it still felt like we could have talked things out if she only gave it a chance.
''Hmm, but those damn gods If Freja was referring to them, then perhaps she did this on purpose.'' I red back at the sky, thinking that the battle may be far from over even once the Pope had been dealt with.
"So um Elysia, is that your wife over there that you talked so much about?" Alice, feeling awkward and just floating, decided to figure out who everyone was. Elysia couldn''t help but facepalm, as now wasn''t exactly the most appropriate time.
"Wife? We haven''t had a wedding yet, let alone a ring." However, I feel like I needed a bit of light-hearted conversation, as we can mourn Frejater.
"Ehhh? Hasn''t she sucked your blood directly from the neck?" Alice borated, crossing wires between her vampire traditions and regr ones.
"Alice! I told you things are different!" Elysia''s face flushed red, as it was something she didn''t want to admit just yet.
"Yeah? What about me? I haven''t gotten my ring yet or my blood sucked from the neck." ra came limping over with the help of Silver.
"ENOUGH! This isn''t the ce for it, guys. Please have some tact in your life." Himeko yelled, not wanting any love troubles right now.
"Oops hehe~." Alice quickly retreated, indicating this was a calcted move on her part.
"I agree with Himeko, what''s next?" Luna was in the same camp and just wanted to move on.
"First, we need to sort out this mess and get some rest. After that, we will head to the Fox Rm''s royal pce. Speaking of clean-up, did you end up sparing Kiruya?" I didn''t know what the oue of that battle was, but the ufortable looks I received gave away the unfortunate oue.
"Unfortunately, Kiruya pulled a simr move to Freja, so in the end, I killed her." ra trembled slightly as she delivered the news, not that I could me her. I considered Kiruya to be a close friend and I wished she could still be around.
"It is what it is. Once we are finished here, we will give them a funeral. Things may have turned sour, but we can''t forget they helped us." Although I''m still angry at Freja, I still respected her as a mentor and guardian.
"Sounds good." Himeko smiled in approval. I''m sure it''s something Himeko would want for Freja as well.
"What about her harem members and maids? Frankly, they were really weak so we easily knocked them out." Luna pointed to the bodies thaty across the floor of the ruined mansion.
"For now, we lock them up as we have no idea how they will react." It was too dangerous to leave them be. If we were going to borrow the mansion to rest, we should first make the ce safe.
Chapter 353: Hidden Tension
"That idiot, I give her a system and an artifact that outsses everything in that damn world, yet she still goes ahead and dies?! I explicitly put the warning there since she has no divine mana yet!" A red robed man with grey skin, long ck hair and orange eyes watched as Freja deteriorated.
"Tsk, guess I''ll snag her soul and make her one of my subjects." Annoyed at the battle''s oue, the man switched to his backup n.
"I don''t think so, old man Hades." Tearing a hole in space Akrone forced her way in. Her white hair with its purple highlights all glowed as she entered,nding on the clouds as if she was on solid ground.
The height difference was astronomical as Hades was the size of a multiple-story building while Akrone was the size of a regr person.
"What are you doing out of your cage?" Hades narrowed his eyes, knowing that his brother should have kept the vixen in front of him trapped.
"I got bored and heard you wanted to interfere with a reincarnate by taking her soul. Unfortunately, that''s against thews of the world." A smug grin was stered on Akrone''s face as she saw the hesitation on Hade''s face.
"I don''t care about some lousy rules, plus you yourself have been helping that little fox of yours. Why are you the exception to that rule." Turning it back on Akorne, Hades raised his best argument.
"Help? I''m merely just giving her my blessings just like you gods have with the system. Nothing wrong in helping my sessor."
"What?! She ispatible with the core?!" Hades stood up in shock, his voice reverberating causing everything to shake.
"Ah, ah, ah, quiet now before the other gods hear you. She has already absorbed the core. All she needs to do is kill a being on the level of a demigod, and guess whose little experiment is about to be one."
"You wouldn''t dare!" Hades clenched his fist, wanting to beat that scheming vixen to a pulp, but he knew it would be a losing fight.
"Oh yes, I am. That old bastard has let his ything run amok for too long, so I''m going to create the very thing he has failed so many times to aplish. So Hades dear, what is it going to be? Want to be on my side?
Or are you going to be like that brother of yours who is currently half-dead?" Akrone''s purple eyes glowed as a faint image of a massive kitsune appeared behind her, threatening to pounce depending on his answer.
"You and your damn traps." Hades felt backed into a corner. If what Akrone said is really true, then siding with her is the correct decision.
"Hehe~, feel free to squirm a little more." Akrone kept staring him down, patiently awaiting a response.
"I will agree if you allow me to take Freja''s soul."
"Trying to bargain with me now? Well, I suppose it doesn''t matter much, but you know the consequences, right?" In reality, it was never an issue if Hades got Freja''s soul, Akrone just wanted to be a pain.
"Of course I do, not that I have much choice. Some of us gods only have a few hundred more years left, you know." Hades'' intention was to prepare a sessor and he found that in Freja. Unfortunately, she died before reaching godhood.
"I could care less. More importantly, if you break this alliance, I WILL kill you, even if it means hell erupts into chaos." The image of the kitsune got fiercer, showing Akrone was not joking.
"You crazy bitch." Hades sat back down, finding it unbelievable the extent to which this woman was going just to oppose HIM.
"Thanks, now I shall be going, I need to prepare for making my first physical appearance for my dear Shaman." With a gentle swipe of her hand, Akrone tore through space, opening a gateway. She waved goodbye, leaving no trace that she was ever there.
"Sigh, at this pace she might as well get herself killed. Better avoid getting involved too deeply."
*
''Good! With Hades in the palm of my hand, I need only convince the rest of the pantheon to join me.'' I had beaten Zeus into submission, so convincing the others shouldn''t be too much of a problem.
I was already friends with some, so the only problematic ones would be the old hags who refuse to ept anything dangerous.
Opening up space again, I floated through another portal, revealing the vastnd that belonged to the gods. It was a city embedded in the clouds. At a nce, you could even see how different sections different depending on their ruling god. Over the thousands of years, many gods of different origins have gathered here.
If a god was known throughout any point in history, then it probably exists here, no matter how esoteric they were. Of course, only the ones who properly achieved arge following were truly strong, such as Christianity for example. The Greek Pantheon were a close second so they acted very high and mighty. All gods were born here in this divine realm, where we manifest and watch over our believers.
As for what I am, that''s still a secret, hehe~.
The only ones I was interested in though, were the Greek gods, as they had been ying withs for a while trying to figure out how to create a god that could walk the mortal realm. However, none of them have sessfully achieved it so far.
Except for me, of course. I managed to get the results they wanted, but Zeus had sealed me away. They interjected themselves into my project and stole my vessel for themselves, but little did they know I was simply allowing them to do my work for me.
"Things areing together, but I need to see if Hades is willing to open a way to the deepest recess of hell for me." What the Pope was trying to summon was the manifestation of the death god, which would take the face of his loved one.
I nned to weaken her so that once she was summoned, it would allow Shaman to kill her and unlock the divine powers of the core.
''Hmmm, if I do that, then HE might catch on to what''s going on. This whole experiment has been quite a risk, which only makes it more ridiculous that no one has paid any attention to it.'' There was still a looming threat over the entire project. If I act too boldly, then no doubt it will alle crumbling down to the ground.
***
"Sir! Freja''s life force has just been extinguished." I was in a dimly lit bedroom while a maid spoke to me from behind the door, giving me a report.
"Looks like she finally kicked the bucket. About time, I say." Freja was a loose cannon and I much preferred her gone.
''That means her artefact is free for the taking.'' Toplete the ritual, I needed to collect at least 6 of the Eden artefacts. I currently had three in my posession: control, light and darkness. As for the others, things were moreplicated.
One was Freja''s, but unless I killed her, there was no way to retrieve it. ina had the Eden of possession, but I failed miserably trying to steal it. As for thest one, it is somewhere in Elfhiem, but I wasn''t too concerned. All I needed was to burn down their little forest, but that could wait for now.
There were others, but their location is unknown to me. They are most likely hidden in some dungeon, which is why I''ve got people investigating.
"Katarina, should I pay a visit to the ones that killed Freja." I rolled over in my bed and stared at the ceiling, waiting for my beloved to respond.
''Not yet, my dear. If you use your mana now, it will fry your entire body.'' The voice rang inside my head as beautiful as ever, but the message it delivered was less than ideal. Ever since I let Katarina take over my body and use her divine powers, it has left my body in shambles.
No healing magic was able to speed up the process, so until she said it was fully healed, I was unable to fight. Of course, I already knew I couldn''t, as even attempting to flow mana through my body caused immense pain.
"Then when?" However, impatient as I am, I wanted to head out as soon as I can so I can finally grab that artefact and kill those nuisances that are bing a problem.
''One more week. Thest of your mana veins are still sealed and require a little more time to reopen.'' Satisfied with her answer, I shut my eyes, treasuring the feeling of Katarina''s touch on my face. It was a heavenly feeling which left me giddy for the moment her body was finally returned.
"Yes, then our n can finally continue. I swear I will finally bring you back." I could already imagine it. The day that everything falls into ce and I finally get what I wanted.
I would have defied God''s will and gotten back what was taken away from me. Only then will I finally leave this damned world.
Chapter 354: Reconnecting
With the fight over, we locked up the remaining harem members and maids in the mansion''s dungeon. We left the keys with them since we weren''t cruel enough to leave them to die, but if they pursued us, then no mercy would be shown.
At first, we were just going to use whatever rooms were intact to sleep, but Elysia had a better idea.
"I can set up a teleport anchor and we can stay at the underground city that I''ve been in for thest 9 months. Once we are all rested up, we can just teleport back here." It sounded a lot safer, not to mention I was kind of curious about that ce.
"Wouldn''t it be closer to where we have to go anyways? I remember it being on the northern border of the Demon Lands." ra made a good point, but it would depend on just how far up it is. The royal pce was located in the mid-north part of the Fox Realm, which was still rtively far from Freya''s forest.
"Maybe, we can find out once we get there." Elysia shrugged while she created the anchor to open up a portal.
"Going back already? I only just got to leave and explore the outside world" Alice yed the drama queen, floating around pouting as if she just got sentenced to solitary confinement.
"Shut up Alice. Feel free to go out on your own, but don''t me me if you get lost." Elysia shot a very weak blood bullet from her finger, hitting Alice directly in the forehead.
"Gah!" Alice spun in the air and lightly mmed onto the wall, trying to make the bullet seem more powerful than it was. However, when she did, the wall simply crumbled on top of her.
"Ah, shit." Alice freaked out for a moment, trying to kick off the wall, but that only broke more of it rather than give her any momentum.
*Sigh* "I didn''t know you adopted such a troublesome child." I stepped in and helped by kicking the ground next to me, manifesting ice that shot up, encasing the falling debris. This allowed Alice to quickly slip away from the danger. Once she was out of the way, I simply dispelled the ice and let the debris fall.
"I know right? She used to be very docile, but now she has entered her rebellious phase." Elysia shook her head in disbelief, ying into the whole idea of Alice being a kid.
"I''m 150 years old alright! Much older than any of you!" Alice red at me and Elysia as she dered her real age, which prompted nor to look away, trying to avoid entering any conversation about age.
"You look like you''re 15 granny." Silver interjected with his snidement. Although it was directed at Alice, nor took offence, smacking him in the back of the head.
"Ha! That''s what you get, you naughty dog!" Alice triumphed, but she still couldn''t escape nor''s wrath. A root shot out from the ground, wrapping around Alice''s ankle. With a strong tug, Alice face-nted into the ground as nor tried her hardest to stop herself from grinning.
"Maybe we should calm down a little. Alice, was it? We just met so I don''t think it''s a good time to be ying around. Let''s wait with that until we''ve all been properly introduced." Himeko, being the most responsible, tried to end the squabbling as she helped Alice get off the ground.
"Y-yeah sorry about that." Surprisingly, Alice was quick to turn around and realise that what she was doing was a bit insensitive. I wasn''t bothered by it, but it would be nice to get to know her before we started making fun of each other.
"Good, let''s do a proper introduction once we settle down then." Himeko saw the portal was about to open, so it could wait once we were settled in this underground city.
"Alright, the anchor is properly set up. There are maids in the mansion, but be mindful, as they were all traumatised by my grandfather." Elysia gave her warning and prompted everyone to walk through.
Luna and ra were the first to go through since ra needed to lie down as she was still recovering from her demon form. The rest of us followed and were greeted with yet another mansion. The view this time around waspletely different though, revealing an entire city nestled underneath the earth, illuminated by light crystals only.
It was quite a sight to behold, reminding me of some ancient civilisations the likes of which you would only find in fantasy movies.
"To think this entire ce is underground and has stayed hidden for such a long time." Himeko was amazed as there were no hints of such a ce existing from above. She was quite close to my mother so no doubt Himeko was aware of the hunt for Elysia''s family.
"Even us elves haven''t achieved anything this grand. Such efforts always end in failure, so we gave up." nor was also very impressed. I guess with the limited space in the Elfhiem forest, they too tried going underground, but to no avail.
"This way everyone!" Elysia took the lead, walking right through the front door. The maids she mentioned were all waiting there, clearly trying to hide their fear.
"Don''t worry, they are with me and you shall treat them the same way. If you are wondering, the beautiful fox and demon girl are my partners, so I expect respect." Elysia put a heavy emphasis on ra and me, which felt a little embarrassing. I could see that Elysia had changed to be a lot more authoritarian.
It was kind of hot looking at the way she carried herself, not to mention her entire getup kind of reminded me of a viiness.
''She is kind of badass now.'' While I was lost in thought admiring Elysia, a short human girl with green hair approached me.
"H-Hello ma''am, I am Yumi. E-Elysia said to help you with any request you may have." Yumi was very shy and, paired with her height, also very cute. It kind of made me wish I had a daughter as well.
"I see. Well,I''ll be in your care then. We just got back from a fight so if you can prepare a meal for everyone, that would be great." I couldn''t help but pat Yumi on the head as I gave the order. She seemed to enjoy it, while at the same time trying hard not to look like she was.
"R-right away, ma''am." Doing a cute salute, she sped off and informed the other maids of the task.
While I was talking with Yumi, Elysia ordered some of the other maids to organise a few rooms for everyone. With the orders given, there wasn''t much for any of us to do.
"How about we go to the dining area so we can chat while waiting for food?" ra made the suggestion, but we all looked at her as if saying, Are you sure about that?
"Please, it''s nothing serious. I don''t want to miss out on anything." ra''s face turned slightly red with all the eyes on her, unsure of what to say.
"Luna, will she be okay?" With her being the medical expert, if she says it''s okay, then there is no reason to be worried.
"She will be. If it were any worse, I would say no, but ra''s regenerative ability due to her demon essence is amazing." Luna sounded impressed, so we trusted her word and headed to the dining area.
I was, of course, squished between ra and Elysia. Next were Silver and nor, followed by the rest. Alice had taken refuge next to Himeko,tching onto her most likely because she was the nicest.
"Have to say, You''ve got a nice ce here, Elysia." The thought of making this ce our home was appealing. However, what stopped me frommitting was the whole ''being underground'' part. Still, it would be a good base of operations, so I definitely didn''t want to discard it.
"Thanks, it isn''t really mine, but since I murdered everyone, I guess that''s a moot point." It was a little concerning how casually she murdered her family, but this is Elysia we''re talking about.
"Hmm, okay I won''t ask, but I hope everything turned out alright for you. ra and I were very worried when you stopped messaging in the group chat." I was very curious about the details of Elysia''s adventure, but I figured there were personal details she didn''t want to disclose to everyone.
"Yeah, sorry about that. I was too focused on getting all the information from the library here and breaking the lockdown magic circle that prevented me from teleporting." It was understandable and, since she is fine now, I wasn''t going to hold it against her.
"No worries, but what I''m most curious about right now is the little vampire friend you picked up along the way." I looked at Alice, who averted her gaze, still troubled about causing a ruckus earlier.
"Do you want to introduce yourself, Alice? Or do you want me to?" Elysia noticed Alice''s contrition and toned down her own rudeness as well considering her own prior behavior.
"You can, I''ll go once you''re finished."
Chapter 355: Genocide
Elysia spent the next 20 minutes exining the dungeon that was in this underground city. She had inherited her ancestor''s legacy while also destroying one of the Pope''s main sources of mana for his summoning.
As for Alice, it turns out the dungeon was a snippet of the past in which she used to reside. It made me wonder if all dungeons were actually windows to some point in the past or snapshots of other worlds that I could have been transported to. There were so many possibilities It really makes me want to enter this dungeon and see if a second Alice would appear.
So far, from my understanding, dungeons could have multiple instances of their biomes, and if a monster was defeated, they would simply respawn. However, if Alice was taken out, would that mean she couldn''t respawn in the dungeon anymore? There was a lot I was curious about, but it wasn''t a priority for me. I would still like to run the dungeon of course, as there may be something useful to me there.
Alice also did her best at a proper introduction, which was nice to see. I suspect it might be tough for her to get along well with everyone. Especially Silver, since he doesn''t have that yfulness to him anymore and seems to see her as an immature brat. Himeko, though, seems to be already adopting Alice despite the 100-year age gap.
"So tell me what happened when you decided to go radio silent on us?" The food had arrived, so we all dug in, but I still wanted real answers about why Elysia turned silent. She froze in hesitation for a moment, before finally taking a bite.
*Sigh* "I already told you why, but I didn''t tell you the whole reason." I knew there had to be more to it than just being stuck for nine months.
"Let''s hear it then please... I don''t want you to bottle anything up." It worried me that Elysia was evasive about the topic, possibly creating more problems for the future.
"I''ll start with the easier stuff to exin."
***
C6 months agoC
Standing above everyone who lived in this underground city, I looked down at them with disdain. Even though they were my own blood, they were worth less than a speck of dust to me.What''s more, I couldn''t shake this uncontroble anger I felt ever since I found my parents in the basement.
I had convinced everyone here that I was going to lead them, but in reality, I was going to use them to satisfy my anger. I nned to murder every single one with my own two hands and erase my entire bloodline from history.
I wouldn''t allow my future family to bear the burden of being associated with a Dahlia. I shall carry the atrocities that my family hasmitted all on my own and they will die with me.
"Time for the purge." I took a step off the building and floated to the ground. The crowd made way, forming a small empty circle for me. However, as soon as my foot made contact, a wave of mes set fire to the initial row of people. Screams filled the air as the crowd erupted into a frenzy, moving frantically about and setting fire to more people in a chain reaction.
Meanwhile, the many people burning to death were easily filling up my life essence reserves.
Chaos ensued as the crowd tried their best to run away, but I activated arge-scale magic circle that created a blood dome. The atmosphere turned grim as the light from the outside turned red, dying the crowd in shades of crimson.
Reality finally sank in for many and they all turned to me with fear in their eyes. To them, my eyes may have seemed devoid of emotion, but underneath was burning an all-consuming hatred.
I approached one who had tripped over trying to get away from me and picked them up by the throat.
"Ple-." Before he could get a single word out, I crushed his neck, killing him instantly. Blood dripped down my arm and spilled onto my face. I was relieved of my anger for a moment, but it returned as soon as I made eye contact with another.
Dropping the body to the ground, I approached my next victim and used my bare hands to pierce right through their chest.
*Cough* "W-why." The life left their eyes as they searched for some answer in my emotionless face, but they didn''t deserve one. They were all going to die by my hands anyway.
One by one I killed every single one of my family members. Blood pooled within the barrier, rising to my knees, which served as a hiding spot for some. However, I hunted them even under the blood. I stabbed into it with my spear killing another person, adding to the amassing pile of bodies.
A few tried to fight back, but it was quite pointless. My grandfather never allowed them to train themselves, so none of them could even use magic, much less contest me inbat. All of them were indoctrinated into this belief that only the main family could be trusted with power.
It was amendable act to fight back despite being brainwashed for obedience, but it was too bad they were rted to me. Their attempts were futile, only resulting in more deaths, shattering the morale of those who remained.
Most had given up, sobbing at the sight of their dead loved ones.
"This is only a fraction of what I''ve gone through, be d you get to die with them." None of them would understand what they took away from me, but they didn''t need to.
I was indiscriminate about who I killed, determined to end the source of the very cruelty that killed my parents. If even one lives, then I risk all my efforts being wasted.
If anything, I am just fulfilling the royal order issued by Shaman''s family. They were going to be killed either way, so I had no reason to feel bad for any of the young.
*
After hours of slowly murdering everyone, my entire body was coated in ayer of blood and I revelled in it. It was proof of my bloodline''s eradication, soon to all be burned away without a trace.
A tall pile of bodies formed in the middle of my barrier and I sat atop it, scanning the area to make sure no one was left alive. Once I could no longer sense any more life below, I dispelled the barrier, letting the pool of blood flow through the city like a wave.
I noticed Alice, who had been waiting outside the barrier, speechless.She would have certainly beenpletely appalled by the rampant murder of her own blood if not for the fact she had no real familial rtion with them.
***
After exining the massacre, Elysia spoke in detail about the events that led up to it, which only added to the insanity of the situation.
"She really did do all that. Should have seen the look in her eyes. It felt like I was looking into a ck hole." Alice gave her own perspective at the end, but everyone was in too much shock to pay attention to her.
A part of me was terrified that Elysiamitted genocide on her own massive family, and to think she didn''t even spare the children... I understood she had a deep hatred for them, but to go to such an extreme was not something I sawing.
She did exin how her parents were used in the experiment and how much of an ass her grandpa was, but did it justify killing everyone?
Elysia looked down at her hands, getting exactly the reaction she was expecting.
"Sorry if you don''t see me the same anymore." It must have weighed on her how we''d react as she hastily got up and left the room before any of us could vocalise our thoughts.
I wasn''t going to allow this to ruin our rtionship, so I chased after her and so did ra.
"Elysia, wait! We just needed time to think. It''s a lot to take in, but I know my feelings haven''t changed." Elysia halted her step in the middle of the hallway, hearing my words.
"I agree with Shaman. I may not agree with how you dealt with things... Just tell me this,do you regret it?" I felt the same as ra. We had no connection to this ce or its people, so I didn''t feel that anything was lost.
Elysia exined her feelings as she murdered them and, at a surface level, she was justified.
"I don''t." Elysia clenched her fists, still refusing to turn around.
"Then it doesn''t matter as long as you promise that nothing like this will ever happen again. I guess my father did put out the order to kill them all, so I''m sure you would be pardoned for any crime anyway." There was already a target on their heads, it was just morbid that it was Elysia, their own blood who did them in.
"I know." Elysia still refused to turn, and it was by this point that I understood what was going on. She had already convinced herself that we would hate her once we found out. Despite what we said, she still did some mental gymnastics, thinking our feelings had changed.
"It''s okay, we still love you. Don''t let the voice in your head tell you otherwise." I stood directly behind Elysia and wrapped my arms around her. She tensed up before rxing, finally realising she was freaking out for no reason.
"We are still here for you, regardless of what you did. If you feel liberated that you got your revenge, then embrace it." ra walked up to Elysia''s side and held her hand tightly.
"Thank you, I needed that."
Chapter 356: Life After Everything?
With Elysia calmed down, we returned to the dining area, where the tension was still quite high. Silver didn''t look too phased, but nor, Himeko and Luna were still unsure how they should feel.
"I''m just gonna put it out there, but my family gave the order for the execution of Elysia''s family. It just so happened that Elysia wanted to get revenge for her parents. It is a morbid situation, but that''s just what was meant to be." Having provided the missing context, I could see nor and Luna rxing, not Himeko though.
"Couldn''t there be a better way? That order was for the older generation of Elysia''s family, so who is to say the young ones still hold the same values?" It was hard to disagree with Himeko as those were my first thoughts as well.
"I can say for sure they still held the values from back then. My grandfather had brainwashed them all in preparation for taking over the Fox Realm. From the journal I read it seems that was his next step once he found me. In reality, they were feral beasts waiting for orders to go wild."
"However, the Pope forced him to change his ns. Now they were meant to be a blood sacrifice for his summoning, but instead Alice got a meal of a lifetime." Elysia gave her own exnation, which was usible, but it made me question why she thought our opinion of her would change.
I wondered why she hadn''t told us this from the beginning. If there was no turning back from what her grandfather did, then it was probably best to put them out of their misery. Especially once the Pope got involved. If he got his hands on all those people he would have more than enough sacrifices.
"Hmm, I see. Looks like you put some thought into it." Himeko let out a sigh no longer pressing on about the issue. With all the tension dissipated, we dived back into our now slightly colder food before finishing up and heading to our rooms.
Of course, my room was a master bedroom with a massive bedrge enough for Elysia ra and mebined. The moment we entered I instantly pushed Elysia up against the wall so she wouldn''t escape.
"Already?" ra didn''t quite understand what I was trying to do but that''s beside the point.
"Tell me the truth, Elysia. What is really going on inside your head?" Her behaviour just didn''t quite add up and I wanted to figure out why. She doesn''t usually get hung up on emotions, but it has been a long time since we have seen each other.
''Maybe I''m overreacting.'' I probably should cut Elysia some ck andfort her, especially since this will be our first night together in just under a year.
"Argh! I can''t hide anything from you." However, it seems like my suspicions were correct. Elysia held her face while breathing heavily, trying to decide what she should say.
"So? What''s up?" I eagerly awaited her answers and hoped it wasn''t anything bad.
"W-well to tell you the truth, I was really worried that you didn''t love me anymore. I didn''t really care about the whole genocide thing it''s just my thoughts went wild seeing your face like that." I couldn''t believe this girl, I thought it was something much worse, but no, she was just lovesick.
"You fucking idiot." I shook my head while leaning in for a kiss to dispel any worries she may have had. It hadn''t sunk in just how long it had been sincest I''d seen her and I was starting to crave all the affection I missed out on.
"Fufu~ I think it''s time we make up for some lost time." ra had the right idea, just not at the right time.
"Woah, woah, slow down. As much as I want to get down and dirty, I think we will need to reserve a couple of days for that and now isn''t the time." I didn''t want to tease too much, but we needed to make sure we were at our best.
"Aww,e on, you just turned me on!!!" Elysia squirmed, her body already preparing to go down that road.
"Sorry, sorry. I almost got carried away, but it will be worth it when we have some time, alright? How about instead we talk about some future ns? I feel like we are getting close to our battle with the pope. Once that is over, we should finally have some free time." I knew I couldn''t just say no so I opted for a talk we were yet to have.
I know Elysia wanted to officially marry, but there were also some other things we could do.
"Finnne~." Elysia pouted, she didn''tin much as she was clearly still excited being able to spend time together. ra also looked disappointed, but her interest also peaked.
"This feels kind of wrong. We just killed Freja and Kiruya, but here we are having some kind of girls'' night." ra pointed out the contrast between what we were doing a couple of hours ago to our current rxed situation and it was kind of weird.
"You can''t say that now! You were halfway to undressing yourself when I pinned Elyisa to the wall!" ra was clearly about to dive right in without even thinking.
"Okay, you got me." ra raised her hands, as she couldn''t argue with that.
"It sucks to think about, but in the grand scheme of things, Freja wasn''t all that important to us. It would have been nice to have Kiruya around, but that''s just how things have turned out." I felt sad about their deaths, but there was no reason to linger on those feelings more than needed.
"Who cares? I want this future talk." Elysia, being the heartless one as usual, jumped onto the bed with her tail wagging. She had her priorities and feeling sad was not one of them.
Me and ra got onto the bed as well, forming a triangle.
"Yes, yes, the first thing I wanted to ask was if we wanted to have an actual kid. Is it even possible for us since we don''t quite have the required anatomy?" This question has been in the back of my mind ever since me and Elysia started dating.
I always assumed it was a no, but I wondered if there was some kind of magic that allowed such a possibility.
"Woah, I was not expecting that." ra was taken aback and it took her a few moments to register what I was saying.
"Hmm, I think there might be a way. I heard something about a mana infusion method that allows you to get someone pregnant, but it''s very hard to do. If it was easy, anyone could just p you and bam, you got a baby." I couldn''t help but chuckle as I imagined pping Elysia and ra.
"We could always try it, but then I guess the next question is who-"
"I''ll do it." Elysia didn''t hesitate to offer herself up to go through such a process.
"Are you sure? It sounds like you didn''t want to continue your bloodline." With the mass genocide we were just told of it did sound kind of counterintuitive.
"It doesn''t matter, I killed them to put to rest the mistakes of our old bloodline. Nothing wrong about starting a new one with Shaman." Elysiatched onto my arm, hugging it tightly.
"If that''s the case, maybe ra and I can mix our mana so that way it''s all our genes." I had no idea how that would work, so we need to ensure this doesn''t end up deforming the baby In any way.
"That might work, but that would be quite the mix. A fox, dragon and demon girl sounds like a chimaera." ra listing out all our traits made it sound like this was some kind of sick experiment.
"Why don''t we just have 2 then? ra, you will have to take the other one." It made the most sense, but only if ra actually wanted to carry a baby.
"I-I I don''t know if I could hmmmm, If that''s what it takes, then fine." ra fought with herself before blushing and giving in to Elysia''s idea.
"We''re getting ahead of ourselves, we have no idea if it''s even possible." I needed to slow down the conversation. It''s not like we were going to test it tonight, that would be way ahead of schedule.
"Damn, I was already thinking of names." Elysia was brought back to reality after getting a tad too excited.
"It''s just something to think about. Plus, after everything is over, I might have to take up the throne depending on the condition of my parents." There were a lot of factors that needed to be considered, since defeating the Pope doesn''t mean we can settle right away.
"Even then, aren''t there those gods who have been watching us? I feel like they won''t make our lives easy."
"You''re right, ra. The best oue is that they just leave us alone, but if not, we may have some more problems on our hands. I don''t know if it will involve you two, but they used me for something, that''s for sure." There were so many unknowns about the gods that I didn''t want to promise anything.
If I had a choice of dealing with them or living out my life, I would choose far and away from them. Whatever their problems are, I''m not getting involved as long as it doesn''t endanger those around me.
"We don''t need to think about that yet, let''s just save your parents first." Elysia shrugged it off like it wasn''t a big deal, making me kind of envious of her attitude. I wish I could just ignore it as well, but whenever I''m reminded it always makes me uneasy.
Chapter 357: Black Box
After a night of discussing future ns and a well-needed rest, it was time to move on. After a filling breakfast the maids had prepared for us it was about time for us to leave, but Elysia had something to say to the maids first.
"I know you guys want to leave this ce, but currently there are some urgent matters that I am attending to. Until that''s over with, I would like you all to stay here. Once we finish, I''ll be able to get you all back to the surface." Elysia had promised to free these maids, who from what I was told were ves to her grandpa.
"I''m guessing you''re waiting to set up a teleport anchor back in the Demon Lands?" I didn''t quite know how Elysia''s teleportation works, but I assumed it required her to visit the location first.
"Mhm, so until we reach a safe ce, I would rather them stay here." Some maids looked disappointed, but they nodded, understanding the situation.
"Can I stick with you guys? I don''t have a ce to go back to." The maid Yumi walked up to Elysia and grabbed her by the sleeve. She was by far the youngest and cutest out of the bunch. I could clearly see the hesitation on Elysia''s face as she looked to me for an answer.
"That is a big maybe as we are on the move all the time. Perhaps once we settle down we''ll invite you to help as a maid, assuming you wish to continue working as one." I didn''t want to say no to Yumi since she was adorable, but it would have to wait since we did not yet have a ce to live.
"Hmm okay." Yumi pouted, but her eyes gleamed with certainty that it was only a matter of time.
"Anyway, I hope you all understand the situation now. I should be back within a week, give or take." Elysia gave a general time frame, reassuring the maids who looked more relieved than before, most likely having expected it to take longer.
"Everyone ready?" Elysia finished making her announcement, so I turned to the others and they all nodded. Elysia then squatted, opening a blood portal back to Freja''s mansion. I took the first step with everyone else following behind.
Not much had changed from our fight yesterday and there were no signs of the locked harem members escaping.
"Did we want to look around for anything?" Himeko raised a good idea, but I didn''t want to waste any time.
"We already have the artifact of time, so unless we want to raid her valuables I think we should move on." I was already in possession of the most important item, which was the artifact that the Pope was after.
"I can message some demons to im the spoils here?" Luna butted in, mentioning that she can make contact with the Demon Lands.
"If you can then why not." I didn''t see any problem with that. If anything, better them than me. I can''t imagine the interesting contraptions and objects they will find in Freja''s stash.
"I''ll do that then." Luna reached into her pouch before pulling out a yellow crystal. She closed her eyes and the crystal glowed for a moment before evaporating into the air.
"All done, they should be on their way soon." It was surprisingly quick, the only downside being that it''s a one-time use.
"So how are we getting there? I do have wings now, but I certainly can''t carry you all." Elysia pped out her new bat wings, which were kind of cute.
"Did you know Himeko can turn into a phoenix?" ra took an interest in Elysia''s wings and examined them while speaking.
"W-wait really?" Elyisa tensed up from her wings being touched, but she didn''t pull away.
"I sure can." Moving away so she had space, mes engulfed Himeko as she morphed into her phoenix form. Elysia watched in awe while trying to remainposed under ra''s gentle caresses.
Once she was transformed, we all hopped onto Himeko''s back, which allowed Elysia to break free and quickly hide her wings.
At first, she was uneasy getting on the back of a massive bird, holding onto me for dear life before we even took off.
"This feels so unsafe, please don''t let go of me!" I couldn''t help but chuckle as she was the one with wings, but nheless, I stillforted her.
"Off we go to the Fox Realm royal pce." Himeko pped her wings and took off towards my home.
"AHHHH! THIS IS TERRIFYING!!" Elysia''s screams echoed into the distance as we flew up almost vertically. Only after a few seconds did she realise we were being held by wind magic.
"A-ahem, I''m fine." Once Himeko was smoothly flying through the air, Elysiaposed herself, trying to pretend nothing happened.
*
"We''re close." After about 30 minutes of flying, the massive barrier that covered the pce was in view. The barrier was white with ck wavey streaks and was impossible to see into. I felt my heart race as we got closer, as today might be the day I get to see my parents.
There was still a worry in the back of my mind that they were no longer alive, but as far as I''m aware, the barrier is a kind of stasis, keeping them frozen in time.
''I should open that ck box.'' I had forgotten about this item, as it had been collecting dust in my inventory. However, now that I am tier 10 and have reached the peak of power, I could finally open this. Although I could have done so ages ago, thest words from my mother were to wait.
"What''s that?" Elysia leaned over my shoulder, looking at the ck box in my hand.
"Don''t know, I''m about to find out though." Everyone had their eyes on me, curious about what it was. Slowly flipping open the lid revealed a blue gem that looked extremely expensive. However, as soon as I fully opened the box, there was a loud click and the gem suddenly glowed, blinding everyone.
I had no idea what was going on, but when the light subsided, I found myself no longer on Himeko''s back.
"Huh? Where am I?" My vision had turned monochrome as I found myself in the middle of a destroyed courtyard. Looking around, I was surprised to find Elysia, still on my shoulder and rubbing her eyes.
"Urgh, what happened, Shaman?" Elysia took a few blinks to get used to the change of vision.
"I have no idea, but I think we may have been teleported somewhere." Getting up from the ground, I took a few steps forward and then it clicked.
"What''s wrong?" Elysia saw me suddenly stop, knowing I realised something.
"We are inside the barrier." I wasn''t fully sure, but memories flooded back to me of this exact courtyard. If my assumption is correct, we are currently walking inside the time stasis barrier. I had many questions, but there were too many unknowns to stand around and wonder.
"That makes no sense." Elysia shook her head, finding it hard to believe, but it was also hard to deny considering how still everything was. There was not even a slight draft of wind pushing the leaves of the trees. Also, upon closer look, there were bugs stuck in the air, suggesting time was not moving here.
"It doesn''t bother me either... But now that we''re here, there has to be a way to break the seal from the inside. My Mother gave this to me for a reason after all. Seeing as we can move freely, we should have a decent chance. I would assume there is a source to this barrier and we just need to find it."
It was a long shot, but since my Mother gave me that item to teleport me here, then she must have known what kind of barrier it is and trusted I would find a way to break it.
"Perhaps we could free your mother and she could help us?" Elysia''s idea was good, but there was no guarantee it would work.
"It''s worth a shot. Let''s explore the pce to see if we can find anything." I felt a sense of urgency to get moving, as there could be a time limit until we are frozen as well.
"Alright, have you tried messaging ra?" Elysia got up from the ground and tried to send a message.
"It seems like the barrier is interfering with the system." I gave it a shot, but the system would not allow me to send a message to the group chat.
"With the system not working, I doubt Lover''s call would and neither my teleportation." Escape seemed difficult, if not straight out impossible, which certainly only made the situation more stressful.
"We should work quickly then, I can imagine ra is freaking out like crazy." With the two of us suddenly disappearing, chaos must be ensuing on Himeko''s back.
Chapter 358: Frozen in Time
Exploring the pce, navigating based on my old memories, we found some maids who seemed to have been rushing through the hallway. They had been frozen in ce, their bodies preserved thanks to the stasis.
"There is no telling what side-effects they would undergo if the barrier is broken. Dare I say they might already be dead mentally?" Elysia, contemting the worst-case scenario, jumped to a worrying assumption. We don''t know the nuances of the barrier yet, so for all we know, they could be beyond saving.
"That may be true, but they are going to be released regardless. I would rather give my parents a proper burial than keep them like this." Overthinking the consequences won''t get us anywhere, so I made my resolve to see things through.
Besides, the pope had some kind of n for his ritual and destroying this barrier will put another wrench in his n.
"Can''t argue that."
We didn''t know enough and for now, we just needed to figure out how to destroy this barrier. I was also looking for my parents to see if they were okay and if this blue gem could free them. Elysia and I were able to interact with the environment freely, as if nothing was permanently stuck in ce.
Even just slightly touching the maid''s arm allowed me to move it, but it remained in the new position. Moving on from the maids, we made it to the throne room, which is where I assumed my parents would have been just before the barrier took effect.
"Alright here goes nothing." I didn''t have high hopes, but I was praying to find my parents behind these doors once I opened up the chamber. Lining my body up, I pushed myself into the door, but it didn''t budge. I kept trying, but to no results. Meanwhile, I could hear Elysia barely containing augh.
"PCp-pff. N-need a hand?" She took a deep breath beforeing up to my side to help, but we both faced the same problem.
"See? I''m not that weak!" Either something was blocking our way, or not everything could be moved inside the stasis field.
"Do we want to use brute force?" Elysia took out her spear, but I quickly grabbed her wrists before she sliced it open.
"We have no idea whether there''s anyone on the other side!"
"Oop, true." With my intervention, Elysia put away her spear, preventing any idental murder.
"There should be some windows leading inside, so we just need to go around. The ce is already a mess so we can break a window if we have to." I recalled there being different entrances as well as windows that we could easily enter through.
"Lead the way, you know this ce better than I do."
Walking to one of the side rooms nearby, we found a window leading to the outside. Breaking it with Kotetsu, I ran into a really weird interaction. The ss had shattered, but still remained in ce as only the pieces I directly touched fell down.
At first I thought I didn''t shatter it, but upon hitting it again, a few more pieces were sent flying.
''Wait, time is frozen! Of course it won''t fall to pieces.'' Remembering that we are in a stasis field, it was no wonder physics was misbehaving. With a bit of wind, I pushed all the pieces at once, opening the way out and hopefully towards the throne.
Elysia spread her wings and picked me up before flying outside.
"You know I can fly on my own?" I hadplete control over my elements so I could easily use wind to propel me up.
"You''re just embarrassed to be carried by me." Elysia smiled, knowing that she was right.
Not wanting to y into Elysia''s teasing, I remained silent as we approached a massive window. Elysia let me levitate on my own once we were up against the window as we took a peek inside. It was a little hard to tell at first because of the mono-chromatic vision we had, but their unique clothes instantly told me who was in the room.
"Mum! Dad!" I saw my mother and father frozen in the middle of the room, ordering a bunch of fox knights. Just as I expected, there were people right behind the door blocking the way. Perhaps we simply couldn''t push objects indirectly because of the stasis, making the door immovable.
Breaking in, I quickly floated down to my parents, feeling a sea of emotions welling up inside me. Unlike before when the me from a different world didn''t even know her, theplete me of now felt extremely emotional.
"You really do look like your mother. Though your father looks nothing like you." Elysia came down with me and took a good look at my parents. My mother was in a kimono like mine, but instead of it being a short-like dress, it flowed down onto the floor. It also had a much more royal feel, while mine was more suited forbat flexibility.
My father had short ck hair and sses that looked straight from my old world. He wore the clothes of an admiral and looked a lot nicerpared to how I remembered him. Thinking back, I barely ever got to see him and I had this perception that he was rather intimidating, though now he looks kind of like a nerd.
"I believe magic is involved to ensure that the royal traits are passed down, so who knows, I could have had ck hair like you." I was already diving into a lot of memories that I wasn''t quite familiar with just yet, but it all came flooding back to me, whether I wanted it to or not.
"Wait really?" Elysia was oddly excited by this fact. Then again, she probably wanted to rid herself of her family genes. This revtion meant that future kids wouldn''t bear the stigma that she carries.
"I think so? But we can talk moreter. First, we need to test if we can unfreeze my parents." Grabbing the blue gem out of my inventory, I took a moment to admire it.
"A-ahem, Of course." Elysia looked at the gem as well and realised something.
"By the way, that gem is the same colour as your eyes. Reckon that means anything special?" I didn''t have a mirror, but I didn''t doubt Elysia''s judgement. She probably would know the exact hex code of the colour if she knew what that was.
"Possibly, I can''t inspect anything because of the barrier so we''ll just have to wait to find out what this gem is." Now that Elysia mentioned it, I was really curious about what this gem is.
After enough stalling, I grabbed my mother''s hand while pouring mana into the gem causing another bright light to sh.
**
I had no idea where the light hade from, but all that mattered was figuring out where the hell did Elysia and Shaman go.
"What the hell happened?" Himeko yelled out, unsure what had just urred on her back, as she suddenly felt lighter.
"Shaman and Elysia just disappeared out of thin air!" Panic began to wash over me as there was no warning whatsoever. I instantly opened the system to try to get in contact, but there was nothing. A part of me already knew there might not be a response right away, which worried me all the more that something bad might have happened.
"ra, can you use the lover''s call? If you can teleport to them, message me so I know they''re okay." Silver was quick to think of a solution, which was a relief as I was fully panicking about what to do.
"O-okay, good idea." My hands were shaking as I tried to activate the skill. However, I didn''t teleport like I thought I would, instead being met with an error. I felt my heart drop, concluding that this was bad news.
Silver''s face turned pale upon realising what had happened, most likely thinking the worst.
"What does it say?" nor spoke up, probably being the calmest of us. A part of me didn''t want to read the message, but I needed to.
[Due to their location or external interference, you are unable to teleport to their current location.]
I felt relief wash over me as I read out the message, as this meant they are not dead. At least, I hope that is the case, but I assume there would be a different message if the worst had urred.
"What happened just before they teleported?" Luna had been deep in thought while the chaos was ensuing, which made me annoyed at how unworried she was, but I''d be wasting my time getting mad at Luna.
"She was opening a ck box that she received from her mother before being teleported, I think? She should have gotten it right before they were sealed in the barrier." The details were foggy, as Shaman hadn''t talked much about the box. After all, she wasn''t meant to open it until she met certain conditions.
"Hang on, I might know what it could have been. If it was small, then it might be the royal family jewel." Himeko interjected, as she probably had the most knowledge about Shaman''s family. At least from the sounds of it, things may not be that bad.
Chapter 359: Getting caught up
Light enveloped the room, making it impossible to see what was happening. Eventually, the light receded into the gem and colour returned to my mother. However, as soon as her time resumed, she started yelling orders. I quickly backed away so I didn''t identally get hit by any rapid movements.
"Hurry there isn''t much ti- huh?" My mother quickly realised the strangeness of the situation. Her attendants were all frozen in ce, all the while the daughter she just threw through a portal was standing once more in front of her. If I was in her shoes I''d be doubting my own eyes as well.
"Hey, mum." I waved, not sure how I should be approaching this. It may have been a mere moment to her, but for me it had been years since we''vest met. Where do I even start?
Without saying a word, my mother walked up to me and began pinching my cheeks.
"Are you real?" A part of me wanted to cry from sheer happiness, seeing that my mother was still alive, but I kept it in as this isn''t the most ideal situation.
"Ow! Yes, I''m real!" I let her do her thing, noticing that she wasn''t just pinching my cheeks for fun, but actually analysing my face.
"I can''t believe it, how long has it been? And who is this lovelydy friend that you''ve brought with you? I guess I should ask what the hell happened first shouldn''t I?" A million things were running through my mother''s head that she could hardly contain.
"Firstly can you please let go of my face? Secondly, it''s been almost 2 years. Thirdly, that''s Elysia, and currently, we are in a time stasis barrier created by Freja." Laying things out in order, I instantly saw the disbelief in my mother''s eyes.
"Woah, woah, slow down dear." She raised her hand to stop me from talking so that she could digest all the information I just told her.
"Before we go any further, is the situation dire?"
"I I don''t know. We are kind of in a hurry since my party is probably freaking out that we suddenly disappeared." It was hard to know if we werepletely safe, but as of now, there weren''t any immediate problems. If anything, it''s a surprise that the gem broke my mother out of the stasis so easily.
"Hmm, I''m guessing you opened the box then?" My mother gave me a stern look as she probably didn''t believe I was tier 10. By this world''s standards, tier 10 is not achievable in only 2 years.
"I sure did, and just as promised I reached tier 10 before opening it." I was kind of conflicted about my mother''s tone as I expected our reunion to be a bit more heartwarming.
"Phew, we are fine then." Suddenly, she pulled me in for a hug, smothering me in her chest. My mother and father both were taller than me by a head, so my head had nowhere else to go.
Elysia squinted her eyes, feeling a bit on edge, but she knew it was just my mother so she had no reason to be jealous.
"I have a lot of questions, and I''ll definitely need you to exin the situation in a second, but first we need to deal with this barrier." My mother let me out of her grasp and began to take charge of the situation.
"Do you know how to break it?" I figured there would be some kind of conduit within the barrier that kept it up.
"Possibly, though we may be stuck here until someone from the outside breaks it." It was scary to hear that me and Elysia might have just gotten ourselves stuck. ra and the others are hopefully on their way, so it shouldn''t be long if that is the case.
"Let''s not waste any time then." I was eager to catch up with my mother and tell her everything that happened, but now wasn''t the time.
**
"Bad news, it seems the source is outside the barrier." My mother knew the pce inside out, so searching all possible locations was quite easy.
"It isn''t a one-way barrier either." Elysia came flying back with her news since I asked her to test if it was only keeping things out.
"Shaman Be honest with me, is Elysia from the forbidden kitsune race?" Now that we were sitting ducks inside this barrier, it gave us some time to catch up. However, her very first question was probably the worst one she could choose.
''Shit, I should have warned Elysia.'' The bat wings were probably a dead giveaway that she was a descendant of vampires.
"I am, but don''t worry, I killed off the rest of my bloodline." Before I could give an excuse, Elysia answered in the most direct way possible. I wanted to scream as my mother was tier 10 and could probably overpower Elysia.
"Interesting, you are lucky I can''t seem to use mana at the moment." I let out a sigh of relief as I wouldn''t know what to do if a fight suddenly broke out.
"Trust me Mum, she has been with me for the past 2 years. I can confidently say she can be trusted." I did want to get to the part where we were dating, but I still wasn''t sure if Elysia was in the clear.
"I want to hear everything, and then I will make my own judgments. You know the history we have had with their race." I felt the hostility in her words and could only hope that she would be epting of Elysia.
''This isn''t the kind of direction I was hoping for right from the get go.'' At first, I felt excited to see my mother. Now that things have calmed down though, she makes me feel like a rebellious teenager caught red handed. Well I should have probably expected this much.
"H-how about we go take a seat and I''ll catch you up on everything that has been going on?" This was just an excuse to give me time to think, as I needed to be careful with my words. My mother might not have the mana, but that doesn''t mean her physical prowess is gone as well.
"Fine."
*
Elysia and I sat across from my mother, who patiently waited to hear everything. Elysia, being her bold self, ced her hand on my thigh to provide somefort.
"So" I started to tell the story that began 2 years ago in hope of clearing Elysia''s name as well as breaking to my mother that we are in a rtionship.
*
"You have been dating for thest 2 years!!!!" After telling Elysia''s story and how things came to be, my mother shot up from her chair while mming the table.
"Yes, and nothing will change that." While exining, it helped me resolve myself. At first, it felt like I was back to being a kid again, but no, I am an adult. I can''t let my mother suddenly dictate my life, especially after I''ve already beenpletely independent for 2 whole years.
The honeymoon phase of getting my mother back had subsided thanks to the serious tone of the conversation.
"Shaman saved my life and I owe her my very being. Also, I have already eradicated my entire extended family for what they did to my parents." Elysia wrapped her arms around my neck, which only added fuel to the fire, but at this point maybe it was necessary.
My mother clenched her fist, clearly conflicted. Logically, Elysia shouldn''t be treated like a terrorist. If anything, she has done a huge service and should be praised for getting rid of the family which gued fox realm society. However, that did little to calm her motherly instincts.
"Urgh, we should release your father, he would know what to do." My mother slumped down into her chair, giving up her serious attitude.
"I wanted to be stern and make sure you contemte your mistakes, but you grew up so perfect. How can I be mad?!"
Me and Elysia looked at each other, confused, as it sounded like this whole thing was just an act.
"Wait so you are not mad or suspicious?" I did initially find it odd how my mother was acting, since she was more of aid-back type, but we were also trapped in a barrier, unable to leave, so I could understand her tension.
"Of course not. After you spoke up to defend her so confidently, how can I still object? You were exactly like me when I married your father. He was despised by your grandma, but I stood up for him and eventually won my parents over." Dropping some parent lore, it was kind of nice to know that we acted the same way. It served to reinforce that, no matter where I originally came from, I was indeed her child.
"Wow okay, well before I continue, we should probably free Dad shouldn''t we?"
"Yes, he needs to hear this story as well." The mood was quickly changing to what I hoped it would be. I don''t know why we didn''t free him right away, but I also wasn''t sure if the gem had limited uses.
Chapter 360: Feeling Free
Once back on the throne, I did the same for my father as I did my mother. Thankfully, nothing went wrong and the gem performed as expected.
Just like my mother, my father looked around, confused as to why everyone else seemed frozen until his eyesnded on me.
I felt my breath hitch for a moment as I tried my best not to cry, but I didn''t know if I could hold it in much longer. My heart beat rapidly as I awaited what my father would say. Deep inside, a part of me wondered if he would even recognise the new me.
"S-Shaman?" He reached out with his hand but was hesitant, as if unsure if I was even real.
"Yes, it''s me Dad." I gestured towards my mother and Elysia who nodded in confirmation. It seemed he got somewhat of an understanding of the situation, but before I could get another word out he rushed towards me.
He wrapped his arms around me and hugged me tightly. I was taken aback, as I didn''t expect that kind of reaction from him. However, the next few words that he spoke pushed me over the edge.
"You''ve grown so much, I don''t know what has happened exactly, but know I am proud of you for even making it back here." My father probably didn''t even know the half of it, much less how long it had been, yet he hasn''t hesitated to shower me with his affection, hitting me right in the heart.
"I-I" I couldn''t keep the strong front any longer, tears sliding down my cheeks. My mother came up from behind, hugging me and Dad while caressing my head.
"You''ve had a long journey, dear. It sounds far from over, but for now, you can forget about it and rx." My mother whispered into my ear and I just melted into their embrace. I began to sob uncontrobly as I finally let out all my tension and worries, which had umted over so much time of being unsure about my family''s well being. The part that had merged with my soul was ring as well, bursting with emotion as well as relief.
Even Elysia, who would be jealous under any circumstance, was teary-eyed watching everything, which was a surprise.
"I-I thought you guys might have d-died *sob* I wouldn''t have known what to do if y-you were gone." I couldn''t deny that this thought had always been there at the back of my mind, but I refused to acknowledge it up till now. I was afraid that if I thought about it too much, I wouldn''t be able to bring myself toe here.
"Well, you saved us and we are both alive and well."
"We can''t thank you enough, Shaman. Who knows how much longer we could have survived in the stasis, but that doesn''t matter now."
My parents held me tight, constantly reassuring me while I sobbed my heart out. Experience tales at m v|l e''-NovelBin
**
After exhausting all my tears, I was able to calm down and get to exining the current situation to my father. We sat on the floor of the throne room as I couldn''t be bothered moving after crying so much.
I borated further on what was going on outside and the current status of the world. Surprisingly, they weren''t too shocked, though they only got frozen 3 to 4 years ago, so they might have had some inkling of what the pope was nning.
"I see, so us really is going through with it. He must have snapped around the time we got frozen." My father spoke out loud, making me curious what his rtionship was with him.
"Indeed, ever since he lost his partner, he took an interest in ck magic." My mother gave a little more context on why the pope has gone down such an insane path. I couldn''t help butugh internally at how simple the reason was.
"Did you two know him personally?" I wanted to know, as my father might have been friends with the pope.
"Your father did since he how do we put this?" My mother seemed to be unsure if she should disclose some information, which only raised my curiosity.
"There isn''t a reason to hide it, we can tell her." I was left more confused, as I didn''t know what it could be that they were hiding. My father then turned to me and looked directly into my eyes, shifting his tone.
"It may be hard to believe, but Freja, us and I were all teleported here from another world together. We were all granted separate systems that gave us an edge over everyone else." Exining the secret, I was honestly shocked by the news that my father was also from another world.
"It may be hard to grasp, but I can vouch he is telling the truth." Mother chimed in. Not that she needed to, as I was stunned forpletely different reasons than what they thought.
"T-this is probably a good time to mention that I also came from said world as well." I wasn''t sure what their reaction would be. Would they even still think of me as their daughter?
"WHAT!?" Both of them shouted in confusion.
"Don''t freak out! I am still your daughter, my name was the same in the previous world and I more or less merged souls with the Shaman in this body." I quickly gave a brief description of what happened, hoping I didn''t just screw up.
"We know you are still our daughter, but we didn''t think you would get a reincarnated soul." It seems like I misinterpreted their reaction, as my father seemed to know why, or at least what had happened to me.
"Reincarnated soul?" I thought I knew everything, but it sounds like I''m missing a couple of pieces.
"Looks like you won the bet Makoto." My mother sighed and I was left more confused.
"Okay, I''ll exin everything, but let''s go somewhere morefortable than the floor. I also want to know who yourdy friend is." Both my parents got up from the ground as Elysia, who was behind me, offered her hand.
I took it, but Elysia refused to let go even after helping me up, probably to subtly show my father what our rtionship was. I looked back and saw him raising an eyebrow, with my mother quickly whispering into his ear.
He widened his eyes for a moment before nodding his head in some kind of approval.
**
Having returned to the dining room, my mother had filled my father on our current predicament. However, he didn''t have any ideas on how to resolve it as of yet, so right now we just had to wait for ra and the others to arrive.
I also introduced Elysia and gave her backstory. Surprisingly, my father gave a much more weing reaction.
"I didn''t expect you to date a Dahlia, but seeing as those outdated fools are dead, I don''t see a problem with it. If anything you should be rewarded since they had a bounty on them, but that cer." It was reassuring to hear, but I had yet to tell them I was dating ra, the demonnds queen''s sister.
"Not to mention you have great taste in wom-." Before he could finish the sentence, he got smacked in the back of his head and mmed into the table by my mother.
"I''m right here you pervert of a husband." My mother pouted which was kind of cute, but also terrifying as that smack had a lot of strength behind it.
"Yeah don''t look at me like that, I''m only for Shaman''s eyes!" Elysia quickly hugged me from behind, trying to use me as cover from my father''s gaze.
"O, good to see nothing has changed despite being frozen for years." Despite rubbing the back of his head, he seemed in good spirits rather than upset.
"Anyway, I should also tell you that there is one more." I wasn''t sure how toe clean about it. I''m royalty in this world, so my marital status will not remain a secret for long. Thus, having more than one wife seemed unlikely to be epted.
"One more what?" I caught the curiosity of both of my parents, who both stared at me, awaiting an exnation and only adding to the pressure.
"I may be in a three-way rtionship with ra, the demon queen''s sister." I couldn''t help but feel afraid of their reaction despite them being epting of everything so far.
"Wait, wait, ra, the demon girl Himeko took in?" My mother instantly recognised the name.
"Interesting, my daughter is building a harem." My father pushed up his sses, looking proud that I have 2 girlfriends.
"Yes, it''s the ra you are thinking of." I ignored what my father said, as I instantly realised he was a degenerate and wanted to preserve what was left of his old image in my mind.
"Now that''s a twist I didn''t expect to hear today." My mother rubbed her forehead, processing everything.
"If anything, that''s great news, I always wondered what a kitsune mixed with demon genes would look like." My father was already thinking of the future. Hearing that I couldn''t help but blush as we had only recently talked about having kids.
"Don''t you dare think about getting a concubine, otherwise I''ll kick you out." My mother red at my father, knowing exactly what he was actually thinking.
"I wasn''t thinking that! Anyway, I think that''s great, Shaman. I know you are probably wondering if it''s okay to have such a rtionship, but luckily here it doesn''t matter. Cross-race is a bit of a grey area, but you have nothing to worry about." Just like that, my father dispelled all of my worries. Perhaps it was a benefit that he was also from another world, as I''m sure simr thoughts have crossed his mind before.
"I''m d to hear that. Anyways, now it''s your turn. What did you mean by a ''reincarnated soul''?" I could guess what it meant of course, but I felt like there was more to it than just reincarnation.
Chapter 361: Reality
With everything about my rather unique rtionship out of the way, I wanted to hear more about this reincarnated soul.
"Right, so Reincarnated souls refers to those who are brought to this world and made to inhabit their direct counterparts here. As you have experienced, they are given these systems by the gods. Said gods either make themselves known or won''t interact with you at all."
"I possessed a body who was also named Makoto and acted very simr to me. It made adjusting very easy and the same goes for the other 2. We did take on slightly different appearances, but we still managed to recognise each other. The only issue was that we had no objective other than to get stronger."
And so, that''s how we were brought here, same as you, the only difference being that we reced our counterparts instead of merging with them.
"With what we know about the gods, they seem to always be observing us, unable to interfere, at least not directly. As far as I''m concerned, this is just one big show for them to watch. Still, seeing as they keep sending people from other worlds here, they might have a grander goal."
My father had the same suspicions I had when it came to the gods. There just had to be something more to bringing us here than just making us stronger. There had to be some kind of catch or goal they were trying to achieve through us.
"Only us heard the whispers of the gods. Thus, to appease them, he created a religion and became this world''s pope. I was against this, as I believed that nothing good woulde from worshipping these gods. It also looked to me like an attempt to stroke his own ego, brainwashing people into thinking he is this almighty figure."
"However, as you''ve said, us has gone down the path of dark magic and unfortunately Freja is conspiring with him." It urred to me that I hadn''t told them that I had killed Freja yet. I almost didn''t want to say anything, as I felt sick to my stomach knowing now that they were close friends.
Elysia was quick to notice my difort and could probably guess what I was worried about.
"Just so you know, we ended up killing Freja just beforeing here." Elysia spoke up, taking the brunt of the attention as she took the cat out of the bag.
"I see." My father didn''t show any strong reaction, but I could tell that he was considering his response carefully. My mother, on the other hand, did not react so well to the news since they were best friends.
"What?! You killed her!?" She mmed her hands down on the table. She was about to reach over to grab Elysia, before getting stopped by my father.
"Calm down Cecilia, they must have had a good reason to." He pulled her back down to her seat, but she still clearly wasn''t happy. Although Freja is the one who orchestrated the barrier, my mother has yet to hear the true severity of her betrayal.
"At least give some more context, Elysia!" I jabbed her in the side with my elbow, miffed that as usual the girl put little effort into exining things properly. Your next read is at m v|l-e''-NovelBin
"S-sorry." Elysia grabbed her side as I got her right in the ribs with my jab.
"Ahem, we tried to talk it out with Freja since she had helped us before. However, when we confronted her about her involvement, she went mask off and tried to kill us. Ultimately, casualties became unavoidable once her partner Kiruya decided to transform at the cost of her life. By then, Freja saw no other option other than avenging her, forcing us all into a fight to the death." Filling in the details for them, I saw my father nod and my mother calm down.
"Was there really nothing that could be done?" My mother wanted to be absolutely sure and I nodded as I saw no other way.
"You tried your best, but were forced to defend yourself. As sad as it is to hear, perhaps it was for the best." My father reached out with his hand and patted my head.
"Thanks, you can continue your story." I didn''t mean to butt in and bring the story to a halt, but Elysia decided to jump in with the news about Freja anyways.
"Ah yes, there isn''t much more to tell other than what happened to us." I had yet to hear his full backstory, which made me curious about what led to his descent into dark magic.
"To put it simply, once we parted ways, us had gotten himself a partner from this world who was very powerful. However, just after you were born, an unknown ailment gued the capital of the human territory. No one knows where it came from, only that it infected the brain, slowly rotting it while sending the patients into violent outbursts."
"At least those were the usual symptoms. Anyhow, it was during that chaos that the assassination of Katarina, us'' partner, took ce, killed by her second inmand. As soon as she was dead, the entire epidemic suddenly vanished from existence."
"This led us to spiral, believing this was the doing of the gods. I knew he was messing around with dangerous magic, but I thought that was just him acting out his frustration. From what you have told us though, it seems this is part of a much more borate n. It sounds as if he is trying to sacrifice the entire continent to revive Katarina, or perhaps he even hopes of attaining godhood."
The more we came to understand us'' actions, the crazier he seemed, making me question why Freja helped him at all. I too had a bone to pick with the gods, since they seemed to be the ones pulling the strings in the background, but I wouldn''t go as far as sacrificing everyone just for revenge.
"Sounds like we shouldn''t be wasting any time here." With the looming threat of us'' ritual beingplete, it felt like we shouldn''t be here casually chatting.
"You''re right about that. I think I might have a way out of here, but it looks like me and your mother can no longer use our magic." My father raised his hand to conjure something, but only a tiny spark came out.
"It seems this barrier sapped away all our magic." My mother tried the same and only a tiny puff of mist was created.
A part of me was worried that they might have lost their ability to use magic permanently. However, that might be a blessing in disguise, as now they wouldn''t be able to fight, keeping them out of any more danger.
"If it works simrly to how they drained the vampire queen Alice, then it would simply take some time to recover. I don''t know how long, but as far as I know, it doesn''t permanently ruin your magic." Said Elysia, having seen the kind of methods us is using. I could only hope that this was indeed the case.
"Hmm okay. We shouldn''t keep your friends waiting much longer. They are probably worried about you." My father realised we should not spend too much time talking, so it was time to try out his idea.
*
Himeko had exined her opinion on what the item Shaman used could have been. Her best guess was the royal gem, which allowed teleportation back to the pce in case of an emergency and also served as a key to certain restricted ces inside the pce.
It did help calm me down, but it meant that Shaman and Elysia were now stuck in the barrier as well.
"We''re here!" Himeko yelled out that we had arrived and began to descend. The ck-and-white barrier was in full view and, with an initial nce, it looked like there was no way in.
''There has to be a conduit of some kind powering this barrier.'' Logically, there should be a power source nearby, keeping the barrier up. I also doubted it was inside, as power sources shouldn''t work inside a stasis barrier.
"Still can''t contact them." Silver had been messing with the system to see if he could get any message through to them. However, nothing had changed despite us being right next to the barrier.
Landing in an opening in the forest that surrounded part of the pce, I waited till we touched ground, then instantly rushed to the barrier. I stopped just before it and, testing if it kept things out, I kicked a small rock straight into it.
To my surprise, the rock flew right through the barrier, though I could only assume that it got stuck in the air immediately after. Looking at the surrounding trees, I could see that the branches that protruded through the barrier were stuck like a sword in a rock.
"Any Ideas?" Silver was quick to catch up. Unfortunately, I had no idea how we were going to break it.
"Nope. For now, we just have to look around to see if there is any noticeable power source." It would be a long process, as the barrier spanned at least a couple thousand metres.
"Jeez, you guys are too fast!" Luna came running and was out of breath by the time she caught up.
"I can cast some detection magic and see if there are any concentrated areas of mana." While catching her breath, she exined a skill she had that should be of use to us.
Chapter 362: Cracks
At the front of the pce, we all sat on the stairs leading to the front door, watching my father examine the barrier. We had no idea what he was doing, leaving even my mother clueless.
"So what otherpanions are you travelling with?" Since there was nothing else to do, my mother asked more questions to pass the time.
"Currently, we have Himeko travelling with us as us destroyed the city she ruled over." Remembering back to when we came out of the dungeon, I have never felt closer to death than that time, when he was mere inches away from discovering us. Even the dungeon itself left me with mental scars, leaving me with some bitter memories of the lost city.
"Good to hear that she is okay." My mother''s face looked relieved, as she still had at least one friend alive.
"Mhm, we also got the princess of Elfhiem nor with us. We had quite an ordeal involving the royal elf family and ultimately nor decided to travel with us." It was certainly an interesting time, as it was also when ra joined our rtionship.
"That''s quite the party you gotdaughter of the vampiric foxes, elf and demon princess. Anyone else?" My mother saying it out loud made it sound like I was collecting royalty from all over the continent.
"There are two more and one of them joined us recently for this mission. Her name is Luna, a half-demon cat girl who is our support specialist. She probably has the most normal origins out of everyone." Luna was easy to introduce, but whether she would be a permanent addition is still up in the air.
''Oh god, how do I introduce Silver.'' I didn''t want to say outright that I have a son since I knew that would freak my mother out. By all ounts, he was my son, but it wasn''t by any natural means.
"As for thest one I don''t know how to introduce him properly." I nced over to Elysia, but she instantly turned her head away, refusing to bail me out. If anything, it''s probably better she keeps to herself before she creates any further misunderstanding.
"This better not be a boyfriend as well." My mother already assumed the worst, which made me panic.
"No, no, no, no, nothing like that. To put it simply, I have a son named Silver, but only because I dripped some blood onto his egg to create a familial bond." I urgently spoke, as I didn''t want my mother to conjure up any more wrong ideas.
"I Have a lot of questions." I could see on her face that she was trying hard not to scream.
"Uhhh, well it''s kind of a long story, but technically, you have a grandkid now You''ll understand when you see him." If Silver were still his young self, he would be easier to introduce, but as things stand it would be hard to exin how he evolved his way into adulthood.
"You are honestly full of surprises, honey. I hope there isn''t anything else Otherwise, I think my heart will fail me."
"I think that should be all. I''ll exin in more detail when you see Silver, as it will probably make more sense then." He looked like just a male version of me, so there was no doubt that he had my blood, which should be evident to my parents.
"I need to mentally prepare anyway, plus it looks like your father is about to do something." Our attention now drawn to my dad, it appeared he had stopped walking up and down the barrier. Instead he had ced his hand on it, seemingly trying to do something with mana. However, his attempts proved fruitless, only causing slight ripples.
"Shaman,e over here for a moment." It felt weird being called over by one of my parents, but it certainly wasn''t an unpleasant feeling. I quickly rushed over, eager to help my father with his currentck of mana.
"After some closer inspection, the barrier itself is the outline of a magic circle. The only issue is that since the ground isn''t t, we can''t necessarily get to the centre unless we destroy the pce." My father pointed to the edge, where glowing marks came out of the ground, resembling parts of a magic circle.
''I''m sure Elysia wouldn''t mind doing that to kill some boredom.'' It sounded like if we had ess to the centre, we could break free.
"Soooo are we going to?" Rebuilding shouldn''t be too much of a problem, but then again, we are in a time stasis, so digging up the ground might be harder than I think.
"I''d rather not do that just yet. First, I want you to pour mana into these markings and see if you can overload or dispel them." It was an interesting idea, but I doubt the barrier would copse that easily.
"Here goes nothing." Squatting down, I ced my hands over the marking and poured as much mana as I could. Dispelling was beyond me, but overloading was simple enough. Surprisingly, sparks of yellow light soon emitted from the marking and it wasn''t long before it fizzled out of existence.
Cracks then began to form on the barrier wall. That got me excited, unfortunately, to the point it broke my concentration. The markings then reappeared on the ground, causing the wall to repair itself.
"Just as I thought. Elysia, can you lend a hand as well?" It all seemed to be within my father''s expectations, so I wondered if this would be our chance to get out. .
"When that crack appears on the wall, I want you to hit it with as much mana as you can." Hearing my dad exin her role, I suddenly felt like this was a bad idea.
"Hehe~ sure can do dad." Excitement was clearly in her voice, a testament to how clearly she was itching to go all out. Unexpectedly though, she called him dad, which threw me off.
"A-ahem, wait until you are officially married." Although she caught my father off guard I still noticed a grin forming on his face.
"Hey dad, are you sure? Elyisa is kind of explosive when ites to power." Although Elysia was probably the best person for the job, I couldn''t help but feel that it might backfire.
"We''ll just have to find out and see." As he shrugged at my warning, my confidence in this n took a dive.
"Please just work." It was our only option, so I swallowed my worries and began to overload the markings. The cracks appeared again in the barrier, so Elysia prepared a punch packed full of her mana.
Blood mes swirled around her fist, the mana so palpable I could feel it pouring into this punch. After a couple of minutes, Elysia finally threw the punch into the crack.
As her fist made contact, a burst of mes shot out, erging the crack in the barrier a fair margin. Still, she ran into some kind of resistance as if something was pushing back her fist. She didn''t let, continually adding more and more power to her fist.
My father quickly backed away, cautious of the stray mes that were blowing all over the ce.
However, just as Elysia was making some progress, lightning surged towards her hand from the barrier, as if retaliating against her attempts. Forced back by the pain, Elysia quickly retreated once she noticed that another strike was forming.
I also quickly backed up, as I didn''t want to be caught in the second lightning strike.
"Are you okay? Nothing weird happening to your body?" Being a safe distance away from the barrier, I quickly examined Elysia''s hand to see if it had suffered any severe damage. Between the time stasis and this unique barrier, I was concerned taking damage here could cause some side effects.
"I''m fine, my mes should be able to heal it." Elysia pulled her hand away to coat it in her red mes.
"Looks like we''ll need to do that a couple of times." My father was already back to inspecting the barrier, not showing any concern.
"Jeez, you could show some worry, dear." My mother had walked over to Elyisa and, despite the mes on her hand, still grabbed it to have a look.
"U-umm I''m o-okay." Elysia didn''t know how to react to my mother suddenly grabbing her hand.
"Hmm, if you say so." My mother gave it a closer look, confirming the mes did a good job at healing. With Elysia all good, I turned my attention to the barrier, which wasn''t healing the crack right away.
"Perhaps instead of brute force, we could use a more precise attack now?" I didn''t want to put Elysia in danger, so I figured a strike with my Kotetsu might do the trick.
"Possibly, just need to be careful of the failsafe electrocuting you." My father was lost in thought. thinking up who knows what.
"Yes, that might work. Shaman, show me your best attack on this barrier."
Chapter 363: Freedom
With what little time remained until the crack repaired itself, I quickly prepared to hit the barrier with Kotetsu. I coated it inyers of both my stardust and starfire, all the while concentrating my mana on the tip. My mother and Father gave a look of surprise at my sudden disy of wielding 2 unique elements simultaneously. They quickly recovered though, their approval clear on their faces.
I kept building up more energy, which only became harder and harder to control, straining my mind. Of course, with so much energy concentrated on one point it was only obvious that it would be unstable. I didn''t know how much more I needed to put into this attack, but I figured by now it should be enough.
Thrusting forward with Kotetsu, I lodged the tip right into the crack and a burst of energy spewed out. Both my mes and stardust blew back as I continued to push deeper, causing the cracks to deepen. Everyone around me had to move further back to avoid being hit, especially my parents since they couldn''t use mana to protect themselves.
They stood behind Elyisa, who put up a fiery barrier to protect from the bouts of stray energy.
I felt my arms shake as I tried my best to keep Kotetsu in position and push through. Besides the initial hit doubling the size of the crack, I couldn''t see much more progress being made. I realised I wouldn''t be able to hold on much longer and worried all the effort of getting this far would be for nought.
"AHHHHHH!" Pushing myself to the utmost limit, I tried pouring the rest of my mana into one final push. I was giving it my all when suddenly, a pair of swords came from the other side of the crack. Flickering with lightning, they hit the crack with force, erging it at a rapid pace.
The cracks started branching off, covering more and more of the barrier until it could no longer hold its form. Shattering into golden dust, time finally resumed around us, the pce now free from its temporal prison.
My manapletely exhausted, I felt my vision blurring as my consciousness started slipping. Thest thing I saw was ra appearing from the other side of the barrier, trying to catch me as I fell to the floor.
**
"Shaman!?" ra was covered in sweat and burn marks from Shaman''s attack. Yet none of that mattered to her once she saw Shaman copse. It certainly wasn''t the first thing she expected to see after finally getting the barrier broken. She grabbed Shaman just moments before hitting the ground and began checking to see if she was hurt.
"Don''t worry, she just used all her mana." Elysia ran up to her, informing ra of what Shaman had just done. ra instantly felt at ease, but then she spotted the 2 people behind Elysia, who looked eerily simr to Shaman.
"Well, you must ra~. I''m Shamana''s mother, Cecilia." Cecilia had a very warm smile, leaving ra stun-locked, unsure of how she should respond.
"I''m her father Makoto and I''d love to chat, but with the barrier destroyed, I need to quickly inform everyone who was frozen in ce about the situation. Cecil, stay here and make sure Shaman is okay." With the stasis gone, no doubt amotion was about to begin, so Makato quickly rushed into the pce before things got out of hand.
As Makoto ran off, the rest of Shaman''s party made their arrival. Silver ran forward to see what happened once he noticed Shaman on the ground, worry filling his mind. nor followed suit, as she too was worried that something bad had happened.
"She is fine, don''t worry." ra quickly assured Silver, knowing he was going to inquire about Shaman either way. Luna also approached and, from a nce, she could already see that it was due to mana exhaustion, which is something that can''t be healed through magic.
"Would you look at that? You''re alive." Himeko was in no rush, walking up from behind everyone and locking eyes with Cecilia.
"Neither a time stasis nor some forbidden ritual would kill me that easily." Cecilia flicked her hair, acting proud that she was perfectly fine even after being frozen for years.
"Too bad that personality of yours is still around." Himeko chuckled while opening her arms up for a hug. Despite the bickering, they were very close friends who were making up for lost time by teasing each other.
"Oh, if you can deal with my daughter, you can deal with me." Cecilia let out a deep breath of relief.
"No one can be worse than you." Himeko broke away from the hug, while Cecilia rolled her eyes at thement.
"Anyway, I''m surprised to hear the little demon you adopted ended up as my daughter''s girlfriend." Hearing her name instantly made ra extremely nervous. She hadn''t made the mental preparations needed to talk to Shaman''s parents whatsoever.
Silver, although not part of the conversation, hid behind nor, as he also wasn''t quite ready to meet them. However, Silver was almost double the size of nor making it quite a pathetic attempt to hide, which was rather amusing.
"I know, right? It was a little rocky beforehand because of a certain someone, but now they are all quite happy together." Himeko stared at Elysia, the resident troublemaker, who only looked away poutingly.
"Oh I see. Well, as long as they''re happy." There was a sinister undertone in Cecilia''s smile as she stared at ra and Elysia. There was no telling what she was nning, but she had the look of a cat that found a new toy, ready to y with her new daughter-inws.
"Good luck you two." Himeko shook her head, seemingly knowing what Cecilia had in store for them.
"Shouldn''t we get Shaman inside?" nor, who had just been listening, figured we shouldn''t be hanging out in front of the pce.
"Good point, miss elf princess and her shy little wolf. Makoto is probably going to need some help soon." With tensions dying down and Shaman out ofmission, Cecilia herself had plenty to do herself. Of course, she was dying to talk to Silver, but prioritiese first.
nor blushed slightly and Silver jumped at being addressed, only to then feel even more embarrassed that he was acting like this.
"Himeko, you know the pce well enough. Take Shaman to her room, assuming it is still intact." Cecilia quickly ran off to go check up on Makoto, leaving the party to themselves.
"Phew, I felt like my chest was going to explode." ra felt like she could finally breathe again.
"Haha, she isn''t that scary." Elysia giggled at ra for overreacting for no reason.
"Surely you were nervous as well! This is Shaman''s parents after all." ra couldn''t imagine being in Elysia''s shoes, as the pressure would be immense.
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"Nothing to be ashamed of. I just threw myself around Shaman and proimed my love, hmph!" Elysia stood proud, reminding ra that Elysia was just insane with no sense of shame.
"Gosh, you''re insane." ra shook her head while lifting Shaman off the ground.
"Alright,e on girls, let''s get your bride to her room. This is a great opportunity for you if it''s still untouched." Himeko smirked, reminding the girls they had free reign to explore till Shaman woke up. Both ra and Elysia looked at each other, getting the message immediately.
"Quickly! Take us there!" They both urgently ordered, wanting Himeko to lead the way.
**
"Sire, what''s going on?" With most of the troops now gathered at the pce throne room, an atmosphere of confusion took root. One moment they were rushing around following orders, the next the king and queen were suddenly gone.
"Calm down, there is no immediate danger, but the situation has beplicated." Makoto knew that telling them right away that they had been frozen for years would cause a big shock. Luckily, it wasn''t umon for them to be absent from their homes for long periods, but no doubt by now rumours have spread.
''Hmm, this doesn''t make sense. Howe there hasn''t been amotion in Fyxe, the closest major city?'' Makato expected there to be more unrest within the nation, yet it feels like this entire incident has been isted. He still needed to go there himself, as the pce was a fair distance away, but it didn''t sit right with him that there were no citizens in sight monitoring the situation.
"What shall we do then?" Everyone looked at Makoto, awaiting their orders.
"Firstly, Inform everyone that the threat has passed and clean up the pce of any rubble that may be lying around. Once you have finished you can all return to your families. Onest thing though, we have been put in a time stasis for a couple of years, which has only just been broken. So please bear that in mind when returning."
There was no telling the consequences of the entire royal family missing for this long, but keeping his men busy would give Makoto some time to investigate.
"U-understood Sire!" The guard in charge saluted and led everyone else out of the room. The maids also got the memo to begin cleaning right away.
"Need a hand, honey?" Cecilia walked into the throne room, immediately noticing that Makoto was troubled.
"I''m assuming Shaman is okay?"
"Yes, Himeko is with her so don''t worry."
"Good, I need you toe with me to Fyxe and announce our return as well as investigate something." Makoto wasn''t wasting any time and nned to leave right away.
"Hold on! Before we go shouldn''t we wait for Shaman to wake up, or at least ask herpanions for some more information?" Cecilia knew there was probably a lot they still didn''t know, so with Shaman''s party here, they might as well get some of the answers that he is looking for.
"Hmm, that will be a start, but we need to take action soon, we have been gone for far too long."
Chapter 364: Getting Everything Back in Order
Stirring awake, I felt myself lying on something soft that felt very familiar. I could even swear I''ve seen this ceiling before, but I just couldn''t quite put my finger on it.
"Oh my god, is this from when she was little?"
"She looks so cute. I need to ask if we can keep these."
"Uhh, isn''t that a little creepy, Elysia? I''m sure this is something Cecilia would like to keep."
"I don''t care, this is some important history right here."
My ear caught the usual bickering of Elysia and ra about some nonsense. Then it hit me as I finally remembered what I was doing just before falling asleep. I was in the midst of breaking the barrier, but I didn''t know if it was a sess.
Sitting up, I realised that we were in my old room. At my desk, Elysia and ra were looking through some kind of book, unaware that I had woken up. My clothes had also been changed, but I don''t remember ever having this in my inventory.
Looking down at myself, it was my old pyjamas, which was just a very thin dress. However, since I''ve grown, it didn''t fit very well, causing the dress to be too short and push up my chest. I could instantly guess this was Elysia''s doing, as there was no doubt she would be the one to dress me up in this kind of clothing.
Besides that, It was very nostalgic to see my room again. From the looks of things, it had remained unaffected. Many parts of the pce had been destroyed, so I didn''t expect my room to remain intact.
''I wonder what those two are looking at.'' Getting curious about what Elysia and ra were gossiping about, I crawled to the end of the bed to get a glimpse. When my eyesy upon the source of themotion, I instantly felt my face heat up.
It was an old album that contained photos of my younger self that my mother let me keep. The originals were still kept in memory crystals, but my father had found a way to imprint and duplicate them on paper. At the time, it was nothing short of revolutionary.
Of course, It now makes a lot more sense considering he likely got the idea from my previous world.
"d to see you two are having fun snooping around." No longer wanting to suffer through the shame of having my baby photos leaked, I finally spoke up. As I did, both Elysia and ra stiffened up, realising that they had messed up.
They tried to hide the book, but it was far toote. I gestured for them to give me the album, but Elysia was reluctant to give it up.
"Please? We promise to keep it safe." Elysia pleaded, making it hard to say no considering there was no real issue. I was just too embarrassed.
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"No! It''s mine!" I tried to wrestle with Elysia to get the album out of her hand, but because I was still recovering, I wasn''t exactly at my strongest. Elysia kept it just out of my reach and began to run around my room.
"This is good research on what our kids will look like in the future!" Elysia''s reasoning was hardly a surprise. No doubt, ever since we talked about the future, she probably hasn''t stopped thinking about it.
"Do you really need to have it?" My embarrassment wasing through, causing them both to catch on.
"Oh, so you''re okay wearing such revealing clothes right now, but cute photos of you are too much?" ra was quick to point out my pyjamas, which I couldn''t argue against.
"T-that''s different, you are peering into dark history!" I snapped my fingers, manifesting a stardust cloud to cover my body, switching to my usual kimono. Arguably, it didn''t cover much more than my pyjamas, but it felt more reasonable than a tight, partially see-through dress.
"Come on, Shaman~! This is for totally valid research for the sake of our future." Elysia halted her running and faced me with puppy eyes, trying to convince me.
"There is no need for research when it will happen eventually! Plus, we already had Silver!" My face turned even more red, as it was embarrassing to say it out loud.
"Ahem." Without our notice, someone appeared by the door, clearing their throat to grab our attention.
"O-oh, hey Mum." It was my mother, leaning against the door, who most likely heard everything.
"As much as I would love grandchildren, unfortunately, we don''t have time. Don''t worry, ra and Elysia, I''m rooting for you two." My mother shot them a wink and their faces instantly turned smug, knowing they had my mother''s approval.
"Don''t encourage them!" I knew that as soon as those two get the chance, they will be all over me, asking when we can have kids.
"Oops, but enough ying. I need you all toe with me to see Makoto." My mother was genuinely serious, so I assumed they had finally caught up with pce affairs and needed us to fully exin the current situation.
I still want to get the album back, but Elysia can have the win for now. I nodded my head towards my mother and she began heading to the throne room. I followed after her while Elysia and ra silently celebrated their victory behind me.
Inside, it was very hectic with people filing in and out to get their orders from my father. A desk had been set up in the middle of the room, making it into a small, makeshift office. The paperwork was already piling up, as there were two years'' worth of work to catch up on.
"I''ve got a meeting now. Please wait outside for a moment." Makoto saw us entering and quickly freed up the space for us to talk. It was clear that he hadn''t slept at all yet, which was concerning.
"I bet you didn''t expect the white-cor lifestyle when you got transported here." I hoped the joke didn''t go over his head, as I don''t know what time period he is from. Still, the whole gods kidnapping people from other worlds seems like a recent development, so he couldn''t be from too far back.
"Haha, certainly not, but I''m doing this to myself. The pile is only going to grow, so I would rather suffer a lot now thanter. Not much else I can do while my mana is still recovering." It was worrisome to hear that his mana hadn''t been restored, but the way he worded it suggested that some of it was back.
"How long until you fully recover?" Elysia just outright asked, though I doubted he would have a clear answer.
"At the very least, a few months, but our condition should slowly improve during that time. I originally expected me and Cecilia to be knocked out due to mana exhaustion. However, it feels like the mana is still there, just locked away and our bodies need time to unlock it." My father made a good point, as it did seem odd that they were able to function without mana. Not that I had any precedent to go by time-barrier induced side-effects were beyond my area of expertise.
"It''s the same for everyone in the pce, all our mages as well as ourmanders are out ofmission. However, a lot of our weaker soldiers have already recovered." My mother added on in an attempt to ease any worries, implying that recovery is just a matter of time.
"Yoohoo~! Don''t forget about us." Right as my mother finished speaking, Himeko came walking in with Yuna, Silver and nor.
"Great! With everyone here now, let''s get straight to it. I want you all to tell us everything you know about the current state of the world." My father didn''t waste any time and cleared his desk so he could roll out a map of the continent.
"Aww, that''s no fun." Himeko was in a really good mood, which was quickly shot down once my mother appeared next to her, providing a light smack to the head.
"Please not now, Himeko. I want to figure out everything that is happening clearly, so me and Cecilia can organise it properly. We hold one of the artefacts still and us must be searching all over for it. I expect him to try his luck and face us head-on once he learns we are in a weakened state." With my father''s deductions, the tone became a lot more serious.
If us could appear at any time, then there isn''t any time to fool around. He could easily use my parents as leverage, so letting him take the initiative is thest thing we wanted.
So we all gathered around the table to begin our recount of every event that has happened so far. No matter how small it was, as long as there is a slight connection to us, it is worth noting down.
Chapter 365: Fyxe
"Alright, I believe I''ve understood everything that happened while we were frozen. Hopefully, despite Freja''s betrayal, Fyxe will still be okay. Still, I can''t imagine what the people are thinking after a couple years of silence." My fathermented once I was done recounting the events which transpired while he was frozen.
Now, he could properlypile his thoughts and decide on the next step for the fox realm.
"With that said, Shaman, I need you toe with me and your mother to Fyxe to announce our return. We can also announce your partnership with Elysia and ra while we''re at it." Making an official announcement made sense, but suddenly suggesting that their unknown daughter had two brides seemed a little rash.
"Woah, do the people even know of my existence? As far as I''m aware, it wasn''t known whether you guys had a daughter."
I nced at Elysia, who was smiling at the idea, while ra seemed shy about it but clearly still liked the idea of announcing it to the kingdom.
"Ah, that doesn''t matter, plus it will just be more exciting if it is like that. However, the one issue I see is that people might not receive Elysia too kindly. Few people will recognise her, but I know many older folks will realise her identity." My father was quite nonchnt about an event I felt would garner a lot of attention.
"A-are you sure? I don''t want Elysia to be discriminated against, nor do I want to ruin the fami-." I tried to bring up the many factors that I felt needed to be considered.
"Trust your father, Shaman. I know you''ve been taking the lead for a while, but he is more than capable of handling everything." My mother interrupted by hugging me from behind. It certainly felt weird to leave it to someone else, as one way or another I was at the centre of these decisions.
"I guess I can rx a bit." Even though training had been rather calm, I still felt an insurmountable pressure resting on me. So many things could have gone wrong with this rescue operation, yet by some miracle they didn''t. I couldn''t imagine where I would be now if my parents were dead, or if Elysia had nevere back.
"You deserve some rest foring this far. Now put on your best princess face. We got a city to greet." My father pped his hands together and, surprisingly, he managed to use some magic. Just like the blood portals Elysia can use, he conjured up one made from water.
"Don''t go deceiving everyone. That''s just the regr portal we use that requires a magic crystal, like the one you conveniently crushed in your palm." My mother pointed to the dust that piled on the ground below, which had mana residue lingering around it.
"Come on! Don''t go ruining the illusion!" It was akin to just a party trick, and knowing the secret took all the wonder out of it.
"Nice try, Dad." With the excitement gone, I walked through the portal with Elysia and ra right behind me. My mother also followed, giving a teasing smile to my father. nor, Silver and Himeko all chuckled to themselves as they walked by him, only adding to the shame.
With a deep sigh, my father trudged through the portal himself, which shut itself behind us.
*
Appearing at the other end of the portal, we were teleported to an office with a window that looked out to the entire city. The view was amazing! I couldn''t believe that such a ce truly existed inside the massive forest that epassed the fox realm.
In general, the building architecture conformed to traditional Japanese design. Lanterns lined the streets, illuminating their surroundings with their blue mes. Hell, since the sun couldn''t shine through the surrounding massive trees, even their branches were used for hanging lights. They burned not only blue mes, but purple and red ones as well. Even leaves reflected the light, creating a sort of pseudo-sky above us.
Looking into the streets, I could see mainly kitsune with varying hair colours. There was a mix of other races as well, like dwarves, elves and other cross-animal species. The main thing though was that not a single human was in sight, which made sense. Thetter have been notorious for enving other races, and as a result a natural divide has been created.
"Wee to Fyxe. Currently, we are in my 2nd office, which I use to get away from Cec- Ahem when I have city matters to attend to."
My mother''s gaze turned cold quickly, and so my father changed his words quickly before he got a smack in the back of the head.
"Good to see it hasn''t been burned down to the ground." Himeko walked up to the window to admire the city with a hint of nostalgia in her eyes.
"Luckily, we don''t run the ce like a dictatorship like us, so as long as no one needed business with us, everything would run fine." My mother headed to the door, where there was a pull-out box seemingly full of letters.
"However, we are about 2 years behind on business" The more they looked around, the more piles of untended paperwork they found.
"We have to start somewhere. If you don''t mind Cecilia, can you handle the matters here while I get the pce in order?"
A part of me wanted to offer my help to my father, but I had no idea whether I could even be of assistance. Without any context of how the city runs, I feel like I''d be messing up more than helping.
"That I can. Now let''s get that announcement over with. Not every issue can be dealt with through paperwork alone, and there will certainly be many waiting to speak with us." I could see the dread on both my mother and father''s faces.
"Alright, everyone, brace yourselves!." My father leant down behind his desk before a loud click sound echoed through the room. Then the sound of gears spinning vibrated the entire building until suddenly the roof opened up. The flooring below us rose into the air, causing some of us to lose our bnce for a moment.
My father pulled out some kind of magic crystal and tapped, which created a mic-tapping sound.
"Testing. For anyone that cares, there is a very important announcement so if you could all gather please!" From every direction in Fyxe, my father''s voice boomed, instantly grabbing the attention of everyone in the city.
"Have some professionalism!" This time my father didn''t avoid the smack in the back of the head. My mother came up behind him, giving him the backhand while snatching the magic stone that broadcasted his voice.
"This is your queen speaking and we have urgent matters to address, so I kindly ask you all to pay attention." As my mother utilised her more formal approach, droves of people began to fill the streets, all looking up at the tform we were on.
It had transformed into a much more proper stage with a podium and everything. Out in the distance I could even see some projections, which I assumed were this world''s version of broadcasting on a TV.
*
5 minutes had gone by and now every single street visible was filled with people eagerly awaiting the announcement. Seeing all these people, I suddenly felt my nerves kick in. I thought my social anxiety would have been long gone by now, but nope, it is very much still there.
"I hope everything will be okay." I looked at Elysia and ra, who were also looking nervous. Now that they see the kind of audience they are getting, their confidence seems to be slipping through their fingers.
"Maybe it''s best I don''t show myself." After my father''s warning, I don''t me Elysia for being worried about what people might think. I doubt my father will make any note of it, but rumours can easily spread.
"Can demons even be royalty in the fox realm? Feels kind of wrong with so many kitsune here." ra was worried about the clear disparity between the different races as well as whether people would judge her by her race, since it seems unlikely for mixed marriages to bemon here. Although, she didn''t know of any real reason it wouldn''t be allowed, especially since my parents approve of the rtionship.
"What''s with the long faces? There is nothing to be worried about. Just let us do the talking and everything will be okay." My father wrapped his arms around me, Elysia and ra, pulling all of us in close. It felt reassuring, but I don''t know if it was a good idea to be letting my father do all the talking.
"Alright everyone, there are a few things that we need to go through. We know that we have been gone for about 2 years. In fact, it was only just yesterday that we have been able to return. We will address any concerns that may have risen in the meanwhile, but for now, let''s start with some exciting news." My mother finally kicked off the speech.
"Some of you may know this already, but let us officially introduce the royal heir to the Shiroi family. Our beautiful daughter Shaman, as well as her two future wives." The crowd was absolutely silent, which only added to my nerves, but hearing our names, we had no choice but to step forward.
Approaching the end of the tform, the three of us finally revealed ourselves to the crowd. The response however, was way beyond anything I could have imagined.
Chapter 366: A Friendly Welcome
The crowd in front of us instantly burst into cheers and apuse as soon as we appeared. I never anticipated such a reaction. Seeing the massive crowd, I was almost overwhelmed by the mere thought that I would be leading all these people in the future.
Even Elysia and ra had no idea how to react as they stared nkly into the crowd as well. I could see my father chuckling to himself though, no doubt amused at our reaction.
Looking further into the crowd, I was able to spot a few groups that didn''t seem too happy. Just like my father said, it was the elderly people that didn''t look too pleased as they directed their stares at Elysia.
Still, most people showed their full support of the royal family, ignorant of Elysia''s heritage. There weren''t many signs that could reveal it unless she used her magic or showed vampiric traits. The only thing they could go off was her perfectly ck hair, which wasn''t enough evidence as I could see many other ck-haired kitsunes in the crowd.
''I just hope no one causes a scene. At the very least, anyone paying attention can see that Elysia is not like her rtives.'' If they were reasonable people then we can just win them over time.
"Should we say something?" ra whispered. Having stood there for a while, I couldn''t me her for bing anxious. I agreed that we should, but I never thought this was how I would experience stage fright for the first time.
"M-maybe?" The words were noting to me as what confidence I had was slowly slipping away. It didn''t help that even Elysia, who always looked confident, was showing some nervousness.
"Introduce yourselves girls, hehe~." My father gave us the push we needed, but it was clear by his snarky tone he found this amusing. Seeing that we were about to speak, the whole city slowly turned quiet, waiting for what we had to say.
The pressure was immense, but if we only had to introduce ourselves I suppose this wasn''t so bad. To help elevate my internal turmoil, I quickly grabbed a hold of Elysia and ra''s hands. I cleared my throat and stepped to the edge of the tform. Taking onest deep breath I tried to ignore the fact a thousand eyes were on me.
"Hello everyone! It is great to finally meet you! As you just heard, I am Shaman Shiroi, the next heir to the throne! Here with me are my twopanions who have been with me through many troubles and which I n to marry!" As soon as I stopped talking the silence that followed was deafening, making me question whether I screwed up. However, Elysia quickly picked up after me so there wasn''t too much dead air.
"You m-may call me Elysia and it''s my honour to be side by side with Shaman and be her trusted wife." She barely kept it together, her voice trembling as her hand held on to mine even tighter. Her face though said a different story as she beamed with excitement rather than nervousness.
"I am ra, a demoness from the Demon Lands and it is great to see you all. It is also my honour to be with Shaman." ra acted a lot more formal, even doing a small curtsey to the crowd.
Once ra stopped talking, the city was once again filled with apuse. In the distance, a strange bright light came from one of the taller buildings. I figured it was just a strangely strong lighting from one of the windows, so I didn''t think much of it.
I continued to look down at the crowd, appreciating the support that they were giving us. However, in the blink of an eye that same bright light was now rushing directly at my face. Elysia had yanked me out of the way and reached out to the light, grabbing it.
Wind burst out from the sudden stop of force, causing people close to the tform to fall over. Screams echoed from the crowd and confusion began to circte as they had no idea what had just happened.
Slowly my vision returned, revealing Elysia''s blood-red me as she contained some object shining in bright light. Turns out it was an arrow encased in light, which would exin its abnormal speed.
Snapping the arrow in her hand, she stared directly at where it came from, where a lone figure was floating in the air. They were too far to know who they were, but it looked like Elysia was already about to take off to chase them.
"Don''t reveal your wings!" I knew if she spread her wings people would begin to recognise who she was, but it seemed like words no longer reached her. ck bat wings sprouted from her back and she instantly took off from the tform.
I tried to chase after her, but ra stopped me as she was making sure I was okay.Silver also tried to jump off the tform to follow, but nor stopped him as there was no way for him to catch up. He may be fast in the shadows, but Elysia''s flying was on another level of speed.
"Are you hurt anywhere?" ra held my face and examined every crevasse to ensure it was okay. I couldn''t lie to her, as I was still in shock since the arrow was so close to piercing my head. If Elysia didn''t react as fast as she did, my life would have just ended.
I flew as fast as possible towards the perpetrator so they couldn''t escape. The stranger was trying to flee, but it seemed their fast arrow didn''t trante to physical speed. I saw that they were wearing simr clothes to the pope.
It was the same modern pure white outfit that us wore making it rather easy to notice them. Once I was close, I conjured a me spear and threw it, aiming for their shoulder. They attempted to dodge, but my throw was too fast for them, so they ended up pinned to the ground.
Screaming in agonising pain from my mes, Inded beside them and lifted them by the back of the neck. I considered crushing it right then and there, but I knew Shaman would get mad at me since they might have some valuable information.
"P-please le-" They tried to beg for their life, but I didn''t want to hear it, so I tightened my grip on their neck.
"Shut up!You areing back with me." pping my wings, I flew back to the tform with the assassin dangling from my hand. It then urred to me as I was in the air that I''m not supposed to be using my wings.
''Shit.'' I vaguely remember Shaman saying something before I took off, but I was too annoyed to hear anything. I hoped no one saw them initially, so as a precaution I quickly covered them in a thinyer of fire. It should conceal them enough that nobody will think much of it.
Emerging in the distance, Elysia came flying back with a person hanging off one of her hands. It surprised me that she was bringing back this person in one piece. I expected Elysia to rip them to shreds and bring back a bloody body rather than a clean one.
Besides that, I was relieved to see that she covered her wings with some fire. I might be overly cautious about hiding her abilities, but I didn''t want to take any chances.
''I just hope no one noticed when she first took off.'' It would have been hard to notice as Elysia was gone in a sh, but with this many people looking at us no doubt some people will be suspicious.
"Stay calm everyone! It looks like the assassin has been apprehended!" My father was diffusing the situation which worked as they all saw Elysia fly over their heads with the assassin in full view of everyone.
"Caught him~!" Elysia softlynded on the tform and threw the man at some guards. They instantly put mana-cancelling restraints on them and presented them to the crowd. nor was still holding Silver back, who was rearing to get a piece of this man that tried to kill me. nor though smacked him on the back of the head, straightening him up while my father began to speak again.
"Well this was an unexpected turn of events, but as you just saw my daughter has very capable people by her side, so I hope you can all ept her." My father instantly capitalised on Elysia''s disy and used it to gain favour for her.
People cheered for her, but I could tell some people were whispering amongst each other.
"We should head back to the pce for now and deal with this assassin. We will sort a house for you girls to live inter." There was a darker tone in my father''s voice as he spoke to us. I imagined he was extremely frustrated with himself since he was unable to do anything due to hisck of mana right now.
"Thank you all foring today everyone! There are more announcements to be made, but for now there is much for us to do, so if you have any inquiries please send them through the mayor''s office." Putting an end to the whole ordeal, my father returned the tform to its original state as it returned to the office from which it extended.
"Guards!Take this piece of trash to the pce''s prison."
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