《Cursed Luck (A Futuristic VR LitRPG)》 Prologue 2030 March 28th - Siding Spring Observatory, Sydney, Australia. Under 3 Years before Impact. "Raj mate! Did you see the scores for the game? Getting thrashed!" I lean back in my leather seat, hands grasping the back of my head. James throws down their jacket, it lands perfectly on the back of their leather chair, practiced movements from the same action each day. 10 minutes late as usual, better have my bribe ready. "Well, that''s what happens yeah, when Mike whatsername can''t bowl for shit you get knocked out of the running hah'''' James puts a coffee on my desk and gives me a wink, cheeky bugger, good thing I like him so much. "Mike Dustin" he smirks... I know what is coming but I open my mouth anyway. " Dustin..." The biggest shit eating grin of his life appears on his face "Yeah dustin deez n-" before it¡¯s quickly dispelled by the entrance of our no fuck around attitude Boss. "Gentlemen! We have been given more coordinates to check today. I know it''s been a fucked bloody month, but I expect that we get our jobs done. James, don''t think I don''t see the building access times, you''re lucky you actually know how to do your job!... Alright then get at it, this isn''t a picnic!" In and out, no fucking around, a hearty morning gesture to freshen up our morning, good wakeup call! At both our desks is a multi-layered monitor setup, some serious tech. A science organization started buying up a lot of observatories and upgrading the hell out of them about 5 years ago. In the last year James and I got hired under ''universal localized exploration'', both of us being from highly technical backgrounds with additional qualification in astrophysics. Threw us into teams of 2 and were given coordinates to search with the multiple telescopes, then used them to create 3D images of far-off locations. It feels like they are looking for something. New life maybe? would have to be something amazing with the amount of money they''ve put into it. All I know is we''ve found a lot of rocks and a hell of an increase in pay since we started. I''ve worked some shit jobs, and the only bad thing here is the morning pep talk, I get the additional benefit for having some eye candy as a co-worker, the mans a wanker but he sure looks good in a tight shirt. "H-hey uhm Raj... can you double check the coordinates and calibration for me? Sector Z2398C, I-I''ve calibrated it a few times and I really want to be wrong. Please be wrong..." Throwing the coordinates in the computer brings up a 3D model of a section of space... an object is reflecting the sun in its surroundings, its large and metallic, according to the relative dimensions of the area its larger than large, its fucking massive. 3 Days¡¯ worth of data has been recorded of this area which means either there¡¯s a big blotch on multiple lenses or we might have a problem. Panic immediately sets in; James''s reaction is not without precedence."Uhh let me check the calibration and reset the telescopes?! Although this is fucking clear as day mate... Fuck me... Possible trajectory... earth..." "Fuck fuck shit! let me check the calibration and reset the telescopes... although this is fucking clear as day mate... fuck me... no known object of this origin has been found before, most likely an asteroid. Calculating movements and possible trajectory points... 79.93% chance of entering Earth''s quadrant on initial estimates!" I throw every reset possible known to man, I even smack the side of the server for good luck, everything reset, I throw it back in and brace myself... I-it¡¯s still there... Of course it¡¯s still fucking there! "Get everything we can on it! Size, speed, possible material composition uhh fuck think fuck, its fucking huge... telemetry data on all possible Trajectories, how did we even get the coordinates??" "Same as fucking always they send them in batch, they are probably mapping out sectors and combining it with data from other units." "Throw the emergency switch for all the other operators to gather as much data with their observatories, we need to know everything we can!" "Which ones?!" James is pointing to a wall of contacts in case of emergency. "Fucking all of them mate!" ¡­ 2030 April 14th - News Station. "I''m going to be right next to you, holding your hand, while you tell the world we''re fucked, but hey, at least you''ve got me!" James smiles smugly at me, cheeky bastard. Things changed quickly when the shit hit the fan, all the observatories matched the same information, all the data was thrown together and bam. High chance of earth being fucked, but all we can do is wait until it gets closer. Too many variables in play. James and I decided to get a drink after that day, which turned into a, we could go back to my place. When you feel that the world is ending, it puts some things into perspective. Standing in front of the camera''s, they give the go ahead that they are now live. James was never much of a public speaker, so he ''graciously'' gave it up to me to do all the talking as the first ones to discover it. James is close by as promised, I feel his soft trembling hand in mine. You can tell he''s never had a rough day in his life, but I think I love him for it. "As everyone I''m sure is aware, there have been developments at observatories all over the world, James and I were the first ones to detect the object, initiate alarms and observation protocols at 0938 AEDT on the 29th of March. As of yesterday, we have ascertained with a real possibility that Asteroid Designation 2030 FK will arrive in our solar system in the next 2+ years. With exact approximation still underway, as well as its exact movements and trajectory, although it''s possible that earth... will be in its possible range, due to too many variables we will only find this out in the next half year. At this point there has been a lot of panic and I understand why, please be safe, humanity will need to bond together more than ever at this point, any questions?" Many news reporters are stunned. A few stand up dourly, I''m sure some just want to get home to their families, to make sure they are there for them at this point. This speech is being broadcast live to all countries online, the entire world is in shock, as much as I was... lying in bed cradling James as he wept for our lives once it finally sunk in. "How... big is it..." They hesitated to ask, honestly not wanting to know for real, maybe it''s small enough to not do any real damage they are probably thinking, I hate to tell them wrong¡­ "Current estimates put it at a size of 2-3 thousand Kilometers circumference, to put it into an awful perspective... Our moon is 10 thousand Kilometers Circumference, 200 times the size of the meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs..." A small shiver of shock runs through the crowd, the reporter who asked sits back down and pulls out her phone... quickly scrambling out of her chair, running out of the room. "Servers have been donated from Sci-Axium for the collection and sharing of 2030 FK and will be made public to all. Hopefully, this means that we can get as much information as possible. Thank you for being here and I''m sorry for this news, please be with your friends and families, I know I will." Stepping off the stage I clutch desperately onto James''s hand and collapse against the wall at the back of the prep area. The tears that I held back for the camera come pouring down my face as James presses their forehead against mine, "You did amazing and you were so brave, I''m barely holding on and I didn¡¯t have to talk in front of the world. I''m announcing a sick day for the both of us, Mr. Mac can go bugger himself if he thinks we are going back to work after that. I''ll flip him a message, he''s a cold bastard but he''s not ice cold." I get pulled into a hug and slowly pulled down the road into the company car. We set the destination for ''home'', we decided, fuck it, life¡¯s too short and I moved in with James last week, acting like a couple of U''haul lesbians at this point, but can you blame us, there¡¯s nowhere I''d rather be... ¡­ 2030 April 14th - Same Day 3 Gin and tonics later and I''m quietly buzzing, my brain has thankfully switched off. The phones are on silent, Matthew McConaughey is dashing and being the most badass space dad possible. "You know I think you look a bit like him, I always thought you were dashing James, a cocky bastard but still... Very dashing..." I look up at him from under his arm and kiss him on the side of his face. "Well, I hope so since you moved in. I always thought of myself as a Matt Damon though myself!" He grins and kisses me back on the forehead. "Do you think we are going to make it?... We don''t have any gravity projects to save us... At least none that I know of..." "I mean that''s the point Isn''t it? Maybe NASA is hiding a super-secret project to send us all to space, and only me and a hot guy named Raj can save us all! By. I don''t know? controlling gravity and giving our boss a right spank on his bald head!" He shrugs and holds me a bit closer, both of us just... trying to find comfort together in whatever way we can. "You know that bastard signed up for the rich fuckers in space program? saw the application form on his desk. Trying to escape before we even fully know we''re doomed." "The governments and billionaires are piling all this money into a place on the moon that they don''t even know is going to be safe, for all we know ''FK'' is going to knock the moon out like a snooker ball and pocket them rich fucks in a black hole." "Don''t worry, at least they are putting a 10th of the budget into bunkers... Wow thanks... We can only thank our overlords for treating us like animals instead of bugs..." I sigh and sink deeper into James'' side. He''s a little pudgy, but really that''s how I like it. It''s the most comfortable feeling I''ve had in years. I feel safe with him, but for how long can we stay safe? ¡­ 2030 June 2nd - Home "So, what you''re telling me is that the proposal for deep earth bunkers has been rejected and replaced with basic city section bunkers?! Don¡¯t give me that fucking shit! I know they are diverting resources for their fucking moon palace! And I know for a fact that several governments have constructed their own personalized deep earth bunkers and saved no fucking EXPENSE! You tell those in charge that when all this is over their necks are the ones that are going to ring!" "Hey heyhey, it''s okay honey I¡¯m here deep breaths" The days only started, and they have already ruined it. James grabs me from behind and pulls me back into a hug, I can''t stay angry when he does this, but it feels like they are really trying to kill the people they are supposed to protect! "What am I supposed to do!? They give me a job, push me into the limelight and then tell me, sorry we can''t do anything anymore and then try to bullshit why! What am I supposed to tell people?!" "The truth Raj baby... We all know why, they can''t hide it anymore, it''s all over the news, they are buggered sooner or later. There are so many whistleblowers sick of it as much as you are... How about we go into work, finish collaborating the data, at least we know now that the possibility of hitting earth is much slimmer?... Any good news for the people, yeah?" "Yeah¡­ Your Right as usual¡­ I need to go to the news station afterwards to report to the public... My mother would be so proud if she could see me now..." "Damn right she would, I mean you''re a champion of the people, they love you. Have you seen the comments on the video sites? You might be stone faced but you can''t keep that pain out of your eyes love, they also think I''m cute" James winks at me and I can''t help but smile through the tears gathering. "Alright let''s get going before I throw you over my shoulder and take you back to the bedroom." "Damn... well there''s always when we get home!" ¡­ 2030 June 2nd - News Station "We have good news today. The final coalesced results of the trajectory have been pathed and although it will come close to earth, 2030 FK or as its been named, ''Janus'' affectionately online, with a 99% certainty will not hit earth. Obviously, this is a joy to hear, but we must stand vigilant as there have been reports of the infrastructure of Janus to be unstable, with small pieces of it breaking off constantly while it travels through space. Earth will very likely be struck by many small meteors, although militaries across the world will be collaborating to try and destroy as many as possible..." I breathe deeply in anger having to report further news. "The proposed deep underground bunkers that were reported on last time... Have been rejected... I bring this grave news with anger in my heart! They were supposed to have started building in a few weeks¡¯ time. Instead, cities will be provided with surface level bunkers, which I fear will not be enough to fully protect us. I was told to tell you a story about how due to time constraints and efficiency the surface level bunkers would be enough, but I know the real answer is to cut corners for the greed of the people in control! I have seen the movement of funds and it''s not for the people, or for earth!¡± "After the atrocities of the last war and the devastation of the earth! We now have to face another extinction event because of the people in charge!! Was it not supposed to be different this time?! I''m sorry for failing you, I can''t be their fucking dog anymore, I quit" The tears freely fall from my eyes this time, I can''t keep in the hatred and sadness for the world I love inside anymore. The camera person looks stunned and doesn''t realize it''s over, the tears of anger streaming down my nice new shirt. I hear James rushing from behind the set, grabbing me and pulling me away from all the people. "You haven¡¯t failed anyone, and fuck them, you are the most amazing person in the world, and they are losing their best asset!" They hold me and I start to sober up a bit more. "I agree." A woman of Asian descent with a short bob cut is standing around the corner in a white jacket coat, just out the way enough to give privacy but enough to still be fully visible. "Apologies for the intrusion, I know you are going through a lot right now..." She turns and I see a familiar but slightly different tag on her jacket. "Yes, we are having a moment, thank you very much!" James, my knight in shining armor comes to my aid. "It''s okay love... Sci-Axium... If you didn''t hear, I don''t work for you anymore..." I''m just done. I want to go home and watch Interstellar again and slag off about the government! "Well, you don''t work for our government required sector at least! there''s always our private sector. Raj... and James of course, Would you like to make a real difference to Earth? We need your talents and love for this world." ¡­ 2031 October 23rd - Sci-Axium Emergency response Center, Sydney, Australia. "Report earth destabilization metrics please Jane" I sit in my office overlooking the large screens lining the halls, showing all possible data. A screen pops up on my console, gravitation, effects on electronics, satellite disruption, changes in general area temperatures, seismic activities, rising sea levels, categorization of possible volcanic events, all of it carefully presented and updated in real time. "Everything is holding, please transmit the green light to command, estimated arrival time T minus 24 hours. Please advise for removal of important personnel from designated areas, we will need all hands-on board for emergency operations once it enters our gravitational field." Finally, it''s time, I''ve made all the preparations I could with the time we had, James has been working in another sector, he always was better with machines than I was with people, each taking our own path but still being able to be together every night of the week, every night except this one. Bunk rooms were set up for on-board personnel, everyone needed to be ready for the final 48 hours. Reports were coming in constantly of mass panic, trying to contain people was the hardest part, most of the governments seemed to have been emptied, abandoned or in their fancy bunkers already, it was always the people that suffered during crisis, now we can only wait. ¡­ Red lights are flashing in the temporary bunk rooms, something has gone wrong! Fuck fuck no did I oversleep!? The clock on the wall is flashing T-minus 8 hours, what the fuck happened?! Stepping into the command center its madness incarnate, complete disarray, "Sit the fuck down and tell me what¡¯s happening!?" Some of the workers must have also only just woken up, they are disheveled and shaking from shock, Jane yells over to me. "Raj it''s here it''s fucking here, it¡¯s like it jumped, one moment it was still approaching and then it just... sped up?! Teleported?! I don¡¯t fucking know, our sensors didn¡¯t see what happened, it was just there and now it¡¯s here! The World Bunker Initiative has been activated, please get to the evacuation site as soon as possible!" Fucking hell everything is going wrong again! James was visiting their mother, at 72 years old they were supposed to be leaving for a bunker area today! How could we have been wrong, what the fuck is this thing!? "Everyone! evacuate your stations, resetting countdown timer, calibrating... T minus 10 minutes until Asteroid enters our gravitational field! parts of 2030FK that break off will start falling to Earth at that time, communications blackout will start any minute! Get to safety!!" This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Pulling out my phone I dial James''s number. Please pick up... Please baby... Click. "Hey love... I''ve heard the sirens... Wasn''t expecting it so soon..." "Are you going to be safe?? Please say you''re going to be safe..." "I want to lie to you right now... And I hate that... But we are in the basement, I''m trying to get mum as comfortable as possible... How long?" I look up at the estimated arrival clock, I can''t see it properly through the tears, rubbing my face with my jacket, It''s so close, why! Why is this happening... All my work... for nothing?! "S...-six minutes love..." "You better get to the bunker. N-now I know what you''re thinking... And you get down there, Raj Marsey! I can''t be safe here knowing I could lose you! You stubborn beautiful bastard! In sickness and health, you''re not dying today!" Sniffling comes from the phone. "I''m going to stay here on the phone... Until the communications cut out... Okay... please... Just give me that!... I didn''t have a life until that day I held you in my arms, drunk off your tits from all the gin we downed that night. The way you woke up and looked up at me, so happy... So damn cheeky with that smile... You said ''I got you raj, spoon me I need another hour of this, fuck the office'' falling asleep so quickly by my side, not a care in the world, like you knew it was going to happen, I always loved you..." At the other end there was only static... T minus-2 minutes... Already... Please no... Using the data pad, I open the top covering of the command center, the sky stretches out forever, Dawn is quickly approaching. It was built with the intent of facing directly to where the asteroid would pass by earth''s gravitational pull and I¡¯m glad they did that now more than ever. "Do not go gentle into that good night... old age should burn and rave at close of day... Rage... Rage... Against the dying of the light..." I laugh quietly to myself; will we survive this? It''s hard to say anymore... we have raged... but maybe this is the end? and what a deserved ending we have. Dawn is breaking, I meet the oncoming calamity as light spills across the earth, the giant blue approaching tide of madness breaks forth over us, the ants of this world scatter and flail as the foot comes down.. The Asteroid has started to break up, flecks of blue writhe off its corpse, this creature of space, the shining blue skull reflecting the light of the sun causing a cascade of beauty over the destruction it''s wrought. The sky is filled with diamonds! There''s so many... Falling... Dissipating... The atmosphere is dyed with its minerals, some of the meteors are shooting off to the sides, others are dropping down, and it''s getting closer... Will the bunkers be enough?... The Axium bunker initiative improved on the shitty government designed bunkers and tried to reinforce them as much as possible. I put so many hours into making it perfect with my teams, will it all be for nothing?! I can only sit there slumped against the wall at the back of the command center, watching it all fall... it''s more than I could ever dream of... so many are going to die no matter what we do! I can only sit there slumped against the wall at the back of the command center, watching it all fall... it''s more than I could ever dream of... so many are going to die no matter what we do! The building goes dark as the meteors start hitting, some speed towards the city and I can only think of James'' last words. In sickness and in health... My cheeky love. ¡­ Beep... Beep... Beep... Beep mnnn wh-what... God my head... It''s really bright here... Beep "He''s waking up..." Mnn... James?... I-is that my James?... Where am i?... Beep Beep Beep "You damn idiot... Why didn''t you go into the bunker like I said!?... " I must be in the hospital... Did it hit the building? I remember it going dark and then¡­ "I thought I lost you. I-I didn''t want to be left alone. I watched, got to see the thing that has been looming over our lives for the last few years, it was... Like a god watching over ants. It was horrible and something to worship at the same time." BeepBeepBeepBeep Opening my eyes, James holds my hands close, so gentle, those lovely smooth hands that I need so badly. Now the most! They slip away and all I can feel is cold metal. BEEPBEEPBEEPBEEP! "His heart rate has elevated! Get him to trauma!" ¡­ The data pad in my hand shows the trajectory that 2030FK followed when it hit our magnetic field, it¡¯s... frankly impossible trajectory. Although it''s not like it could appear out of nowhere in the first place, completely throwing off our estimates that had been calculated continuously to the minute by nearly 8 hours. It curved, and aligned with our magnetic field and followed the earth fully around until it shot off once it had completed its full tour. Something that can teleport after traveling so long to us, slow down to a crawl like a monster stalking its prey, and then align itself with us, only to leave once it hit its own entry point. It should have taken minutes for it to pass by us, instead it took 2 hours and 8 minutes before it left us, panic and destruction in its wake. 128 minutes... Like some kind of computer program. Something automated, evading notice? Evading our years of preparation, to reduce our population? Maybe it noticed our observation and decided to fuck with us, maybe it¡¯s just a fucking rock full of crazy fucking blue metal that did weird shit just because!! All I know is that because of it... my James is gone. ¡­ The Tv is Blaring. Riots, anger, hatred, littered with small stories of hope, communities banding together in this new fucked world. People trying to steal, kill and fight for the ''pretty fucking blue crystals''. The government has been confiscating it all, denoting it as ''hazardous materials'' to be taken for proper disposal. Reports of videos with all mention of it keep being taken down, something is going on. But I can''t work myself up enough to care... The world shouldn''t exist at this point... Janus should have wiped us all out, give the next race a shot! Maybe some fish people would do a better fucking job than our fucking race. ¡­ I sit up in my elevated bed, staring at the muted TV, only the beeping of the monitoring system fills the room. It''s been 2 months since I was admitted to the hospital. I''ve only had co-workers visit me, but it''s not like I had much apart from work and James, Jane visit weekly, but mostly I just sit here in silence, hoping that the world will end... properly this time. Sci-Axium hasn''t pressured me to go back to work, but I know they need all hands on deck, I just lay here rotting every day, losing weight and sanity for each passing day that he''s not in my life. "Raj... Raj?" I''ve zoned out again... for a second... Or was it the day? I didn''t even realize anyone was here honestly, time has lost meaning for me. "Sorry... Jane, what were you saying?" "Have you seen the news? It''s everywhere, information about secret government findings that are being released publicly by one of the scientists working on the new crystals and minerals found across the earth because of Janus." That''s definitely something... the Asteroid that has left such a mark on earth, on my life, on so many is still causing issues?... I just want it to end at this point... "Here, I''ll put it on the TV" Jane gets up and connects her phone to the tv and turns the sound up. "I-is this thing on? Oh, we''re live?!" The woman in horn rimmed glasses and lab coat with a turtleneck under it clears her throat. "Hello, my name is Doctor Dorothy Caster... lots of you may know me in the scientific community, for others, I am a mineral engineer and materials expert that helped oversee many of the UN special projects that helped protect Earth during WW3 and the most recent disaster. 2 Months ago, I was recruited by a combined effort of allied governments under a secret project called "Doorway", I believe this was in reference to the popular name for asteroid 2030 FK, although I was not able to get anyone to comment on it exactly. This project Doorway''s goal was to hoard, analyze and figure out new uses of the mineral that has become abundant and its subsequent crystal that has embedded itself into our earth." She breathes and composes herself. "When asked when the findings of ''project doorway'' were to be released, we were told that they would be sealed and that all our findings would be destroyed, as well that our safety would not be guaranteed if anything were to be made public. We were threatened, because the world would be able to advance without them, that smaller countries would be able to be self-sustainable with our research, that they would lose power because of the advent that Janus has brought humanity!" Her passionate gaze strikes me at my core, the possibilities of such a thing, I lean up in my seat my gaze stuck to the screen. "Oscium, as it has been designated, is an Infinitely complex crystalline mineral that is stronger than Diamonds, softer than clay, can produce heat, electricity¡­ We are still finding out more and more of what it can do! and it can grow... It grows like a plant! all it needs is UV rays or a similar source of energy and it can be farmed like a crop! Combined with other minerals, it changes the composition of itself and the other mineral into something completely new!" They look very tired and catch themself on the stand in front of them, a man in a Sci-Axium uniform steps from behind her and gives her a cup of water, they are wearing full military garb without any facial features showing, their designation symbol is unfamiliar to me, although there are countless Sci-Axium Divisions. "Thank you... And in all the mess of the world, they want to keep such a miracle hidden... My comrades and I were able to be extracted from the government facility by Sci-Axium under the pretense of rescuing hostages, as we were all originally contracted from them. Although we are safe, my colleagues and I are to go into hiding for our own safety. All our research data has been made public through the Sci-Axium global network, scrutinize it, analyze it, and help the world grow through it. Please come together as one people. We now, more than ever, need to treat each other with the respect and love we all deserve... please." The stream ends, fully glued, I''ve pushed myself into a sitting position to get closer to the screen, is there hope for humanity yet or is it false?... I lean back in my bed and close my eyes, thankfully Jane sits quietly letting me think, she always could read the room perfectly. Such a monstrous event now means that the world might change in a positive way! Or inversely... collapse in on itself, there needs to be change, real fucking change, Sci-Axium was already in a good place to usurp power from the governments, the people were scared and failed again and again, Sci-Axium was the only hope we had left to support us. From everything I know of the company they have spared no expense at making sure humanity has survived, but they have had constraints because of the countries holding them back. The bunkers come to mind again, like they have so many times before... One of my proposals was to have smaller reinforced shallow bunkers scattered around smaller communities in case people couldn''t evacuate in time to larger, possibly safer bunkers, one of them was proposed to be in James''s hometown... They could have survived if it wasn''t for them! Sci-Axium was even ready to foot the bill, but the proposal was thrown out because of arbitrary reasons, in reality it was because it meant giving up power even a tiny fucking fraction. Instead, we were only allowed to improve on existing surface layer bunkers that were already approved, the ones that should have been deep bunkers. They are holding humanity back with their greed and want of power, we are nothing to them! Making up my mind I turn to Jane, tears of anger streaming down my face. "I''m ready to go back in... I want to make a change in this fucked world" She smiles brightly and nods. "I''m ready to go back in... I want to make a change in this fucked world" She smiles solemnly and nods. "That''s the Raj I know; they''ve been waiting for you to get better. You''ve been assigned to Central Command, Gorgon Division. I''ve heard the stories. I''ve always known Jane was special, but she followed me anyway, maybe she could see something in me that I couldn¡¯t, even if it means my identity being erased, I will make this a better place. For the world and the people that were left behind. ¡­ "Commander, we have received new information in regard to breakouts of combat in several areas, it''s growing, but not exceeding the level that we anticipated" Jane is relaying to me as the new developments come, I''m able to access said information but a direct flow has always made it easier for me to concentrate. "Lead, instruct the Alpha and Sigma teams to follow Designation Taurus Protocols, here, here and... here, the rest are naturally occurring from the data we have received and should not be touched, the others are clearly pushed scenarios". Touching various locations on my data pad I send out instructions. In the last year that I''ve been here we have managed to stem the tide of many pushes from government figures, damning their own people for the progress of their agendas. We are pushing slowly towards our final goal. The removal of governments entirely, their regimes will end, and the people will be safe. My team was chosen carefully, those that had lost all their loved ones, that were willing to become ghosts for the betterment of mankind. Our work was scrutinized daily, and all actions overseen but even with that, our immediate actions were ours to control, the knives we wielded were swift and without emotion, ghosts themselves. I had never met the Ophidia, the military subsection of designation Gorgon, they were our hands, our lifeline for the people... operating only in the dark, never speaking directly to us, never moving without command, their faces always covered, they belonged to no country and no people, only they knew who they were, before and now. They were messaged in code that only the team leader would know, the teams were all of differing sizes, ranging from 3 to 6 members, I wasn¡¯t sure if that was due to their ability to collaborate together or how they were trained. When I was assigned commander, I was allowed to see their effect in the field, to know their capabilities. They moved like cheetahs, as strong as bulls and could take anything thrown at them. I had to be assured they were not robots with all the A.I. technology that was being researched at the time, despite the results of A.I. and the effects of the 3rd world war. To the outside world I was considered dead, and I might as well be, I was only the commander now, I slept and breathed my work, and I would die knowing that this fucked up world is for the better. ¡­ Gorgon was assigned a singular role, reduction of casualties, if it led to that, then we were doing our job right. 14% of the world''s population was wiped out from 2030FK and its subsequent damages, 2 years later another 18% of the world''s population was killed due to war and famine caused by failure from governments. In relation, during World War 3, 24% of the world''s people were killed, because of nuclear bombs and damages caused, our population had nearly halved in the last 8 years... We couldn''t lose anymore, not to those monsters. Plans within plans were laid out, every conceivable situation leading to the freeing of the people. My teams had taken down more and more people at the top of the food chains, at least, of those that had not evacuated to their moon palace, and from the minimal and vague reports we got from up there, it should all be bombed to hell, if only to save the suffering of the people. The last to hold out were the instigators of the 3rd world war. The countries with the most to lose, the most in power, but we came prepared. With everything we had gathered they would have been strung up like the common thieves they are. Some of them vanished, maybe trying to make new places of power for themselves with their hardcore followers. Others just upped and got in their space shuttles, when you had money only one place really welcomed you, the fucked villa for the rich and famous. Not that we had heard anything from there for a while now, for all we know no-one is left. When all was said and done, an official world announcement was hosted at the UN Site. Those that remained had to sign our treaty, a dissolution of world borders, the protection of all people regardless of sex, race, orientation, religion etc. People were allowed to be who they were as long as it wasn''t to hurt others. The introduction of A.I. as a people of their own and bills surrounding the crime of forceful creation of A.I. and of course, the overseeing of the world under the advisement of the UN for Sci-Axium. Governments would no longer have any power, was it wise to leave only 1 faction in power? for the greater good I can only hope so, at least it will give us peace, and from what I''ve seen they are the best choice we have. The Axium Accord was signed on August 3rd, 2034, finally, change was coming. ¡­ In the next 9 years our efforts changed from military to residential relocation. Food production facilities, management of remaining animal life, the creation of central and regional mega-cities and their locations, as well as managing the people that would oversee them. For most of the projects A.I. were brought in to help, one of the first of the naturally generated true A.I. developed from a Cad program. They called themselves Bob, I had the pleasure of meeting them. When asked about their name they said that as a joke they took on the name Bob due to a children''s cartoon and it stuck. In the past they were crucial in the control of numerous automated machines and the building of housing to help people survive. Their army of machines were given full control over the building facilities and through them, the mega-cities were able to be built and born. Human hands helped with the delicate but were also guided by Bob, their designs were calculated to perfection, the most perfect habitation facilities ever built for man. Once the central mega-cities were constructed, the underground rails between all continents were established. It was found that flying had become less stable due to extreme weather conditions the higher you traveled. Our glowing blue atmosphere possibly had something to do with that, it messed with the comms occasionally. Once the passages were built, came the 6-year mag-rail installation plan. Able to travel at speeds of over 1000 km/h due to no wind resistance, the tunnels were likened to a void. The tunnel walls themselves, a combination of Oscium metal composite, as hard as diamonds. No expense wasted for the safety of human lives. By 2042 Sci-Axium had created an abundance of housing and food, allowing humanity to live without working. Basic housing for those that just needed a break from life, or those that just didn''t want to do anything with their lives, amenities were provided for all. Humanity was finally given a choice in how they lived, the vast majority decided to work, to better themselves or at least have something to do, find their dream job instead of being pushed into something you hate, having a place to fall back on if you needed a break was a blessing and a comfort, we would rebuilt our race for the betterment of all. ¡­ "Commander..." Jane stood next to me with a data pad in her hands, the final motion for Gorgon Command. I was looking at the command screen, it showed videos from around the world. Today is August 3rd, 2043, the 9th anniversary of the ''Axium Accord'', a day considered to many the day we became one people, that humanity was allowed to be that, human. The start of the good things to come. I look over at her and smile. I''m so tired, but I''m at peace with everything we''ve accomplished. I take the data pad out of her hand. "Do you think James would be proud of what we''ve done?" I smile and look over at the picture on my desk, everyone had pictures at their desks, to remind them of what we were fighting for, why we spent our lives here. "I only knew them a short while... but I think they would be so very proud of us..." I nod my head and tear up a little, that¡¯s all I needed, knowing that my handsome man would hug me and tell me that he''s proud of what we''ve done. "What are your plans after this, Lead?" She fusses a little with her uniform, "I''m... getting married sir..." She pulls a white perfectly folded hard paper letter with golden embossed lettering. "I''d be honored if you could be there... If you could... walk me down the aisle..." There''s worry in her voice and tears forming in her eyes. I''d always considered her as the daughter James and I never had, and it seems to her I was the father that she''d always wanted. I smile, tears building in mine as well. "I would be honored to walk you down the aisle Jane, I would be honored... I would say this is the perfect start to my retirement" The data pad in front of me has the words ''Final Motion, Dissolution of Gorgon Command, relocation of personnel, retirement of command structure'', I hit the big green button and the video on the big screen is replaced with the Gorgon Symbol, 3 sets of closed eyes rotating around a single curled up snake, we were the watchers, and now we could rest. ¡­ 2044, December 26th. Christmas lights spin through colors hung up on the tree, a few unopened presents lay under it for one of Jane''s aunts that couldn''t make it. The couch is warm, my whole body nested under a plethora of blankets. The holo-tv on with the sound low, above the simmering fireplace lay old fashioned photo frames, ones of my wedding with James, of Jane''s wedding, of her adopted child, she calls me grandpa... I''m not that old yet but I''m really feeling it now. In the end they let me keep my name, the one that lets me have that connection to my husband. I have a new life, but there''s still a spot in my heart missing. I still feel him sometimes and it hurts. Without work I can think again, reading fantasy books and watching movies takes up the majority of my retirement. I have no need for anything but the comfort of my new family. I have anything I desire, but all I desire is respite, sometimes just from myself. I get a message from Jane telling me to turn the holo-tv to the news. Of course, she expects me to be awake, she knows me like the back of her hand, even after a good day drinking. "World Asunder Reality, the newest in leisure products from Sci-Axium will be coming out of beta and released into your homes on 21st of July 2025. The perfect late Xmas gift for your loved ones, allowing seamless control over an Avatar in this fantasy world setting. World Asunder Reality is being released alongside new capsule technology to make your dreams come true. Become anything you want to be in this new world, take a holiday from yourself, I know I am! Every wave of releases will allow another 100 million users to join, I''m at wave 3, where are you my lucky viewers?" The newscaster passes it off to her cohort, I ask for the volume to be lowered again, another message comes through from Jane. < Check your mail for once old man, you''re in wave 1, special request from above to enjoy your retirement, Merry Christmas Dad > I chuckle and tear up... Take a holiday from myself... As usual Jane knows exactly what I need. Checking my Axi-Mail I see that my capsule will arrive in the next few months, long before the game releases, time to get used to it at least... Technology has changed so much since I was a gamer in my prime, and I was never into the virtual reality that had become so much of our world, much preferring sleek screens than something plastered to my face, at least I just have to get into a thing nowadays¡­ I really am getting old¡­ might even need a booster to get me in! too many years crouched over that damn Commanders desk. A new me huh... Looking at the wedding photo of James in their black suit looking so handsome... It can''t hurt, he would be loath for me to miss such a chance, he would be so jealous, my cheeky bugger. An end to one story and a start to another. Chapter 1: Leaving my body behind. ¡°And there we have it! Clear beautiful skies for the next week here in Australia Regional B! Which is perfect for the 11th Anniversary of the Sci-Axium Accord, and only a month away until The Day of Mourning, Celebrations for the accord will-¡± ¡°Change channel please!¡± < Channel changing > ¡°The latest in animatronic animals right to your doorstep! That''s right call us in the next 20 minutes and receive an upgrade on your purcha-¡± ¡°Next one please¡± < Channel changing > ¡°Due to the reported sighting of larger and more aggressive than usual animals in the outer regions, Sci-Axium have started building defensive walls, named the sanctuary projec-¡± ¡°Change please.¡± < Channel changing > "Sci-Axium workforce, be the best and brightest you!" "Ugh... please is there something... anything!" < Channel changing > ¡°EXTRA BIG ENERGY GULPER!!! GET YOUR GULP AND GET IN THE ZOOONNNNEEEE!¡± ¡°Off please¡­¡± < ¡®VRKingsly¡¯ Stream announcement incoming > < Initializing stream as per settings request > Oh thank fuck finally something to watch! A dark-skinned androgynous figure in their 20'' leans back seductively on a chaise lounge, their undercut hair is brushing against the side of the leather, a fireplace is crackling in the background, their purple silk loungewear brightens with every spark, smirking at the camera, they put down their brandy glass. "Hey, hey, hey! Yall its ya boi Zak Wilson, Aka VRKingsly, Aka Ya Boi, Aka I was at your house last night and damn you cute sleeping!! We here today for the release of the most awaited title for the last 2 years, I personally got my invite cause of a cute intern, SHOUT OUT TO JASON, I hope that don¡¯t get you fired, but if it do, come work for me with that cute ass! Goddamn! where was I... WE AT WAR, WE IS WAR, WHAT IS WAR!? World Asunder Reality, as in, fuck reality we going to war with it!, y¡¯all know I was a Beta playa, I showed you all I could and you''s ate up my crumbs like that one mad hottie that dresses up as a chicken for that ad y¡¯all know the one, we got all the latest goss and we ready to be the best up in here, today is the day of release, and it will be sweet and spicy with everything I got, where y¡¯all putting your points?! cause oh boi you get one shot and that¡¯s it! Bad Build Bad Time I always say, check out my channel for all your sad fucks without first release wave! for the rest of you smokin! spicy! firsties! see y''all in the war zone, this is VRKingsly Peacing out, I got a hot momma to customize!" They blow a kiss to the camera, pick up their brandy glass and lie there as if waiting to be painted like one of those French girls. < Stream End > The stream was too quick¡­ over within minutes¡­ I could only lay there in silence with the ticking of the clock as my companion. My capsule would be arriving soon, leaving me stranded and waiting until it decided to get here. All the channels had nothing on, it¡¯s just easier to lay here in silence. The corner with all the wires and piping was cleaned around, not that I had much in my apartment to make clutter. I moved in 2 years ago and spent most of my time in recovery, out with Zelia and her family, training, sleeping or just waiting for something to happen. The corner with all the wires and piping was cleaned around, not that I had much in my apartment to make clutter. I moved in 2 years ago and spent most of my time in recovery, out with Zelia and her family, training, sleeping or just waiting for something to happen. I''d somehow won the raffle for the first wave of releases; each wave was assigned 100 million players around the world and thankfully my best friend and I were able to get in the same wave together. It allowed the purchasing of the capsule, with delivery and installation included, as well as a newly conceived A.I. companion. I''d used up all my savings, so it better be worth it. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Buta lays lavishly on their princess bed, watching my movements, waiting for the inevitable feeding time, we are both waiting, just for different things. All I can do is hope that I have enough time to get used to the thing before it all starts, nothing is more exciting that the race of being on first, or at least that¡¯s what Zelia always tells me, the few MMO games she¡¯s introduced me too always ended in either heartbreak or boredom. Pushing myself up my muscles strain and a familiar sharp ache runs through the left side of my body. That building of tension, the screaming through my veins, I try to dash for the shower knowing the usual sequence of events my body goes through before the panic sets in and then the pain. Tearing the clothes off my body the best I can, I plead at the bathroom system to turn on the hot water, stumbling over the bath''s rim I let it rush over me, hot water drowning out the feeling of the left side of my body ripping itself apart as the agonizing pain raced through my nervous system. Clutching my side, I can only hold in my tears, grit my teeth, and try to hold in the moans and screams. Through my delirium i can hear the doorbell going off, fuck fuck fuck! I can only scream in my head, pleading. Please don¡¯t come in please don¡¯t see me like this! < Door Access Code Accepted > The door opens and I can hear voices through the wall, I try to be as quiet as possible, the heavy trudging of workers and words directing them to the same spot that every capsule was installed in in the basic housing units. After what feels like forever, holding back my muffled half delirious moans, the trudging of boots indicates the workers leaving. The bathroom door is hesitantly pushed open, and a head looks around the corner staring at me with tears in her eyes, I never like her seeing me like this, it''s why I pushed for us to not move in together, be independent... more so I could suffer alone like I deserve. She sits to the side of the bath and strokes my wet hair, the hot mist swirling around her, it must be boiling but I couldn''t really feel it anymore, the system would have adjusted it once I got in so I shouldn¡¯t have any extra damage, at least not more than I already had. I couldn''t even feel the embarrassment of her seeing my naked body with all the pain I was feeling. "Lilia, you dummy! you just have to call out and I''ll come running, why do you have to keep doing this alone?! They installed it at my place first, so I came over to help and hang out before launch. Have a pre-start party but look at you... why don''t you ever let me in..." I could only nod in acknowledgement that I was listening, at least physically, the pain washed over me again and again, Zelia''s soft hand a new distraction, sending me off, the pain dulled enough that I was able to pass out. I have the same nightmare again; it happens all so fast. The match. The crowd. The cheering. The helmet strap. The veiny fist. The grin of anger. The dilated pupils. The lights spinning. The feeling of the ground. The sound of screaming, as all the lights in the world were extinguished. Waking up she was by my side again, in the hospital, and even now. looking out the window the sun was a lot higher in the sky, I guess we missed the start of WAR, I fucked up again, it was always me ruining everything... Moving gently as possible to try and flex out my body i feel a pressure on my side and accidentally wake up the sleeping dark clothed beauty next to me, her silver jewelry of moths and cats¡¯ jingle and brush up against my skin as she moves up to meet my eyes, they were puffy, she looks away when ours meet. "I moved you to the living room... I just wrapped you with your towel, I didn''t want to try to move you too much unless you had another attack... You know you''re like twice my weight, right? at least you didn''t lose all that muscle from before, but that means I get my own workout I guess..." talking to distract herself she mumbles and moves away from me slowly before getting to her full height, "you forgot to take your injections again, didn''t you?" taking my silence as confirmation she nods sadly. Moving her wrist upwards the time displays across it, "I''ll head back to my apartment, games already started an hour ago so we are lagging behind, Buta has been fed but I¡¯m sure they will try to tell you otherwise" They motion at the fat orange chonker of a cat lying in their pink puffy princess cat bed, they turned towards us and yawned realizing attention was all on them and tried to act cute, only managing to show off how big its belly had grown and sliding backwards off its bed like a big derp. The demure witchy woman strolled out the door, but not before planting her face first in Buta''s belly for good measure and waves at me as she strolls out to start up her own capsule. "Thanks, Zel" I whisper at the closing door, feeling sorry for myself and for her having to deal with that again, she hasn¡¯t had to see me since after I got out of the hospital, the whole reason I moved out was so that I didn''t have to see the pain in her eyes again as I struggled uselessly in absolute pain. I would always survive, even if I was alone. Lying there in thought, a message pops up on my holopad from her before I can even get up, "My capsule numbers #2849DA so make sure you add me before you forget!". Chuckling that she remembered when I''m usually the one having to push her about such things, I lean up wearily tensing my left side and move towards the capsule, looking at the codes on the side I spot my tag and send her my details. I lean over the dark metal and blue egg-shaped capsule and set inside, the cushions push up to greet me. Snuggling into the plush cushions of the capsule on my back, the device detects I¡¯m in position, a mask gently forms over my face, and I feel oxygen and other chemicals pushing into my lungs instantly turning me drowsy. The metal and glass casing closes over the top as the cushions of the capsule turn into a blue, fluorescent mush around my body and start to cover me, forming a cocoon over my skin, it''s the perfect temperature and my body seems to accept it as I drift off into the void. Chapter 2: Fia your going to make me never want to leave! I float in a void, darkness for miles and miles dotted with small glowing white orbs, I touch one and it resonates, growing larger, forming the silhouette of a woman in a flowing robe. "Welcome to the Full Immersion Capsule by Sci-Axium, ''At Sci-Axium the future is you!'' " A familiar A.I. voice surrounds me, one that I know was used in all the ads I¡¯ve watched, a loving motherly voice gentle to the ears and soul, "I am Fia and I will be taking care of you from now on, you will be assigned a split of my personality matrix, that will be stored in your capsule for privacy reasons, monitoring and any needs associated with the FIC system you are residing in, please contact Sci-Axium''s Fia department for any issues or complaints, my reference number is #F1-436 and is attached to the side of the FIC for future reference." "Please choose from the categories of personality traits you would like me to be assigned and we can begin Initialization!" Zwoom A large list of options flow past my eyes as numerous as the white orbs in the sky, it starts slowing down and I spot a few interesting blackened out options with locks on them. Paid options, like turning Fia into an animal companion or different humanoid forms. The only one that I can see that interests me is ''female parental figure'', it''s been over 10 years since the accident... Zelia''s parents are amazing, but they aren''t my parents. With all the pain I must go through it would be nice to have some support without having to actually show myself to the world... to Zel in particular. < You have chosen a ''female parental figure'' > < creating profile" > The flowing silhouette changes becoming more corporeal, everything goes quiet in the void, except for my beating hesitant heart, her flowing long black hair and motherly figure. "Alright love let''s make sure you''re doing okay yeah? we''ve got some more things ahead of you so just tell me if you need a timeout or anything and we can take it nice and slow..." The calm soft voice nearly makes me cry, I breathe out slowly and try to calm my mind. Fuck I didn¡¯t think she would be this nice this much... like her... fuck... It''s okay it''s okay, just think of her like a therapist, she''s going to be by my side as a support tool, I feel my agitation growing deep in my chest. She must have felt it, either through my expression or through the capsule. "You''re okay you''re okay love! I''ve got you", I feel my whole body being embraced, only making it worse. Trying to hold it in a gentle hand caresses my head, and finally the tears start falling, slowly I sob in the silence of the void. The voice hums to me something familiar but not sure where it comes from. As my heartbeat begins to slow the voice pops up again, "alright... now we are going to check on your physical condition honey." "It looks like you''ve had some brain damage that has caused issues with the left side of your body, there are fixes for that but I know that they can cost an arm and a leg, maybe one day... until then though, I''ll do my best to make sure you don''t feel any pain when you''re with me, give you what respite I can, I''ve got take care of my angel". She says the last part softly as if she''s saying it with tears in her eyes wishing she could do more for me. "If you want to talk about it, we can, otherwise we can move on" she pauses, hoping that she has not offended me. "I had an... accident..." I say with cautious resignation, it not being the full truth but at least it''s what the contract forcing my silence said, when it was all over and done, I was just a fucking tool for someone else to rise to the top. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. "I was a... mixed martial arts fighter and got hurt in the octagon... It''s the only reason I was able to afford this capsule honestly, compensation money from the association... Hush hush money..." she hums along as I talk about it, shaking her head in anger. "Would you be okay with me requesting your medical files so that I can better take care of you sweetheart?" I nod at Fia, her arms fold over her chest, she thanks me and seems to be in concentration. "Combining current data with what I''ve received, it looks like you''ve kept up the rehabilitation exercises along with extra muscle work, so you¡¯re in the best state possible. If there are risks of an attack while in here, I''ll be able to better manage it for pain relief and treatment, thank you for letting me see that, I know it can be scary sharing your life with another..." I shrug and turn away embarrassed by everything she''s surely seen. "If you want, I can also help you with managing your hormone treatments while you''re here, as long as you make sure to access the Capsule daily or every 2 days, I can adjust dosages and make sure your treatment is optimal. This is more than just a gaming capsule after all, it was created with medical assistance at the forefront of its design!" She nods assuredly at the embarrassed look on my face, she had really seen everything. "Please tell me if I¡¯ve overstepped my mark, you''re beautiful in who you are and all I want to do is take care of you... make sure you''re safe." tears start to form again as she leans in to embrace me. After a few minutes I recover my composure and push the feelings down, something I¡¯m all too used to, "I''m ready to keep going Fia, if-if that''s okay..." I stutter into her shoulder, knowing that she''s only pixels right now but feels so warm and comforting, so very real in my heart. "Of course we can, Lilia, Can I call you Lilia sweety? I know it''s on your file, but you can choose whatever you wish to be called" she smiles at me sweetly and with a motherly touch. "Please that would be lovely, I only really have Zel and her family in my life to call me that now, another person would only make it more... Concrete". "Of course, anything for you!" she turns around suddenly pushing her arms outwards. I feel the space around me change and reflect my capsule surroundings, including Buta in their cat bed sleeping off their last meal. "Here is your Home Access Point or HAP! A place where you can feel at home in your home hehe, the home model is your preset, but you can do whatever you want here, if you''re feeling more in touch with nature it could even be a cottage deep in the forest with cute gardens and things!" Instantly the internal image of a cottage pushes me to think about all the pictures I''d seen online detailing cottage core lesbians and about how comfy it would be to snuggle with a certain witchy cutie on the couch in front of the fire. Coughing from embarrassment at that thought, I pushed it to the back of my mind to think on later, when I was alone. "Please keep it as it is for now Fia, thank you for making it comfortable", I sit down on the couch and sink back into it, how is it even softer than real life?! "Is there anything left to go over or can I start making my character in the game?" I ask, hesitating to keep the ball rolling knowing what''s coming next. My eyes glance over to Buta as they seem to wake up with a sneeze and wander over to the capsule sniffing around, seeming to smell me inside. She brings her finger up to her mouth and looks around, pondering for a second, "Oh no, that''s about it I believe", She sits down next to me on the couch and brings up the capsule Menu quickly going over the additional features, "In here we can invite other users using either their capsule information or in game character information, Character invites will only receive what your character looks like and character name, Capsule invites will allow other people to see who you are and your name etc. there''s all the full range of customization for rooms and clothing with premium options available too!" "You can also customize me in this space, I believe player created clothing is quite popular for this model going off the last hours data, some have forgone the game entirely so far just to play dress up, although there are obvious banned activities with me, you¡¯re a smart girl I¡¯m sure you know what I''m referring too", she grins knowingly. "If you''re looking for privacy there is also a privacy mode that you can engage which keeps me out until you turn it off, after all I know you¡¯re a growing girl with your own needs and will want to spend your own time with friends, but I''ll always be here for you when you need me!" Her eyes sparkle lovingly. She feels like a real mother should, comforting and reassuring, trying her best to make me feel like everything is okay, even if deep down I know I¡¯m never going to be, that''s all I could ever ask for. Chapter 3: i get to be her?!/Teacher time with Fia. Fia presses on the last of the icons floating around us, "Annndd this is what you really bought the capsule for!" the surrounding orbs disappear into the void, plunging us further into darkness. A horizon line is created in the distance, a sun pulls itself up from the absolute darkness, stunning me momentarily as the pink hue softly expands until the light shines in my eyes, a green landscape spreads out endlessly, an enormous wall spreads out across the distance, cutting off the entire stretch of land. The rest of the earth surrounding it casts out into greens, browns, and blues. Castles, towns, roads, lakes, forests, mountain ranges, golden fields... it''s beautiful... "Welcome to World Asunder Reality. I''m glad you get to see this with me Lilia, isn''t it amazing?" She pauses and sighs out in wonder at the land, and I do the same. I feel my emotions start to get the best of me at such a sight, Fia pulls me into a side hug and ruffles my hair slightly, but I barely notice. "This is the world you''ll be a part of soon". "This is what the earth used to look like didn''t it?... before we came along, so untainted and perfect..." She shrugs a little and says "from everything I''ve gathered, yeah the green of the land and the untouched feeling... through satellite footage I know the earth is healing, in some places it seems to be healing a bit too much! back to a time before humanity existed, something to look forward to! regardless of all that, we''ve got a cute girl to create!" Fia Presses the character creation button that''s floating in front of us, one that I didn''t even notice until now. In front of me a mirrored copy appears, muscular at 6 feet tall, soft hairless skin from countless treatments, long flowing dark brown hair tied back into a ponytail, in a sports bra barely containing my bust, pale skin from all the time I had to spend in recovery after the accident, not like I ever really wanted to go outside, I get too many looks... "Gosh what a stunner you are sweetie! I bet you have them all wrapped around your pinky finger!" I blush profusely, covering my face but looking through my fingers at the me that I had become after all the hard work of transitioning. The model blushes too, making me feel more self-conscious, "Oops, let me turn that function off!" Fia quickly deactivates the model''s response system. "Now... the system does tweak your character''s looks when it comes to games. You can change it as little or as much as you want with a move of some sliders, but the real important thing is that you can choose which race you would like and have full customization from there! We do recommend playing another race as well, get the full experience in, make it something interesting though because you get one choice! Hehe" A selection tool opens up to a large number of different fantasy races and I scroll through them letting the possibilities of a new world wash over me, as enticing as each of the races look on my body, not that I wouldn''t want to be a lithe and sexy dryad woman, I can''t see what i really want. Fidgeting, I ask tentatively, "I can''t see the race I want to be, but I''ve always wanted to see myself as it...", I fade off embarrassed. "You can always say what you want, there¡¯s no judging here Lilia." Pushing myself forward in my seat I manage to mutter out "Minotaur...", her eyes scream mischief as she puts her hand to her mouth and giggles softly, "ooh I can see how good that would be! I know exactly what tweaks you''d like too!!" She touches the screen and inputs a code, my double changes before my eyes. The first noticeable change is that they grow another foot taller, the muscles define further while also looking softer and squishier, the feet turn into hooves, while cow ears and sharp horns sprout out from their head, a red collar with a cow bell appears around her neck. The skin has taken on a darker brown hue as fair fine fur grows all over it although concentrating more on the legs than anywhere else, face distorting slightly with it taking on a slightly more animal appearance, the nose getting slightly larger, I''d be very tempted to get a septum piercing with those kinds of features. The underwear that she was wearing before changing into a cow splotch pattern, alternating white and black. The blush from my face seems to rush further red down my body at seeing this perfectly muscled woman in front of me. In astonishment I utter "She''s perfect Fia..." She looks at me with a grin. "You mean... You''re perfect, right?" looking from me to my body double. I breathe deep in astonishment at what she means. "That''s... Going to be me?" She nods sagely, crossing her arms. "All 7 feet of her! but that''s not the end, what did you want your name to be in the game love?" She eyes me curiously. "Uhm, I mean, I guess the same one back when I played online games as one...", embarrassment washes over my face again. "LilMoo..." This was so much less embarrassing back in the old days! "Alright LilMoo" She giggles again a little, more at my embarrassment then at the name itself, I''m sure she''s had worse. "Now that that''s sorted, we need to distribute your status points across your character, all 49 of them!" I quickly compose myself, thankfully there''s something to throw my tiny cow brain into. "Right! yeah... I''ve been reading up on all that but it''s just too much for me, as much as I want to be the best, I also just want to be me and get to enjoy moving my body around like I used to... before i was crippled...", looking at the screen it hovers in front of me just within reach, the panels glow a dark blue with a lighter blue around the wording and numbers. The first thing I do with the panel is change the background color to a dark purple and the lettering and number outlines to different pinks and lighter shades, an important change, but definitely avoiding the issue in front of me.. Status Interface Name: LilMoo Level: 1 Race: Minotaur Gender: Female, She/Her Max Health: 15 Max Mana: 11 Max Stamina: 15 Points remaining: 49 Strength: 1 + Dexterity: 1 + Constitution: 1 + Wisdom: 1 + Intelligence: 1 + Charisma: 1 + Luck: 1 + "Shall I go over the basics of the systems in the game love? Might help you think about where you want everything to go!" nodding at Fia, she pulls out a pair of horn-rimmed glasses from nowhere, pushes them up with her finger and clears her throat. "Alright class it''s time to learn about World Asunder Reality''s status system!" She is cutely excited about this. A whiteboard appears and she smacks her hand on the flat of it making it shudder at the impact, "Starting off with the basics! What are status points! World Asunder Reality starts its system basis off using a point system conceived in pre-2030''s TTRPGs, from before VR systems were able to be fully utilized. The old TTRPG systems are still used today but in much more niche circles. As you can see there are 7 status types that define who your character is". Strength Determines your ability to deal physical melee damage as well as your ability to hold heavier weapons, athletic ability like jumping and being able to reach your maximum speed when running. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Dexterity Determines your body''s flexibility as well as general speed movement speed, although weapons have speed classes of their own it does help, casting spells due to somatic components (that''s moving your hands around dear). Dex will also help you hit better as you have better control over your body, it''s all about control. Constitution Determines how much health you have, your ability to shrug off Ailments, and take less damage from falling. It can also help supplement strength and dexterity due to being able to increase tensile strength and let you overextend yourself more, a stronger body means being able to do more with yourself! All the physical statuses also give you points in Stamina, so you tire less easily, although constitution gives you the most. Wisdom Determines your amount of mana regeneration over time, ability to perceive danger around you, better deal with mental effects like curses and ability to grow certain skills faster, generally aimed at intuitive skills, buffs and debuffs rather than damaging spells. Intelligence Determines your magical damage, ability to learn abilities through reading books, thought processes can operate faster, this can be useful for double casting spell incantations for magic users at a later point and crafting magical tools and weapons. Wisdom and intelligence increase your mana points when leveled up. Charisma Determines your standing with NPC''s, people with high charisma will get better rewards from quests and be able to gather favor better as well as be able to barter easier. NPCs are also more willing to train you in passives if they like you better, if you were looking to focus on mercantile work then high charisma would be needed. Luck It''s a bit different, it''s not just about you, events are happening all the time in World Asunder Reality, every tick of the game clock, every time a poison should do damage, when enemies are killed for their loot, heck even taking a step could incur an event. Luck very marginally increases the chance of something better occurring for you and sometimes bad for other players. When you PK someone they could instead drop a higher value piece of gear just because your luck is higher than theirs. Everything in World Asunder Reality has random chances attached to make it feel more real, like anything could happen, all the possibilities are here to find! Oh, and luck is only able to be added at character creation, there are ways of getting additional luck through items and events, but those are rare and hard to come by, everyone generally puts at least a few points into luck, just in case". Fia pulls up a small information box, "this is how your health, mana and stamina are calculated". Status Pool Maximum Calculations Health Level x10 + Constitution x5 Mana Level x3 + Intelligence x4 + Wisdom x4 Stamina Level x6 + Strength x3 + Stamina x2 + Constitution x4 "Leveling up will replenish your health and mana pools, players can only add points into their character when they are not in combat" Fia is having to take a deep breath after every explanation while slapping the whiteboard every time we get to a new section. That poor board is looking worse for wear. "Characters, instead of having classes, will have Abilities that determine who they are in the world. Primarily you will gain Abilities from quests or skills you develop in the world; you can also learn Abilities from trainers such as sword wielding Abilities from sword master¡¯s that increase your ability to wield and deal damage with said weapons." "Growing Abilities to be stronger can take time from learning how to use it better, this means that you could focus on one thing or be a jack of all trades, master of none. This also applies to magic, you can play however you want to play, your style is your choice!" "Obviously you would like your status points to match them as well. Translating over to the real world, a normal person would on average have an 8 in all stats or be better in some things and worse in others, not everyone can be Fia hehe! You also will receive 5 status points every level up to assign where you please, except luck. You can gain status points out in the world as well but they''re easier to come by through leveling or from equipment." "There are also Titles you can obtain while traveling through the world, they can be from special events or finding out something important, they help shape you as a character and usually will give you renown in a region or town!" "Any Questions class!? Yes, you in the front!" By this point she is practically panting from her exaggerated performance and looks exhausted after throwing out all that information. I''m surprised I was able to actually catch it all. Maybe the thought of having to take a test afterwards in panic forced me to memorize everything she said. "What happens if you leave a stat at 1?", she ponders for a second, "it''s not... recommended, having a balanced character means you will feel more in line with yourself, although you could dump a status and use gear to make up for it technically, like if you have dexterity at 1 you''re going to have a hard time getting used to your new body, since you have hooves now. Low strength means you have low muscle mass and can''t do much damage, low constitution means you might get one shot by monsters, and points in physical types also give you stamina so you might not be able to run much or even be in combat long before you tire out! It would make life harder is what I''m saying, and that''s just for the physical stats". "If I could make a suggestion, for a young woman of your experience if you wanted to do martial arts again you could go balanced in all stats and use your own body''s muscle memory to give you an advantage. Those that have trained in swords gain an advantage as well, obviously that doesn''t count for things that use magic, but I do know it''s also the same for guns". My fingers slide across the luck status, taking it from 1 -> 50. --------- Status Interface Name: LilMoo Level: 1 Race: Minotaur Gender: Female, She/Her Max Health: 15 Max Mana: 11 Max Stamina: 15 Points remaining: 0 Strength: 1 Dexterity: 1 Constitution: 1 Wisdom: 1 Intelligence: 1 Charisma: 1 Luck: 50 [ Press to confirm ] [ Reset Points ] --------- I stare at it, tempted just at the fact that I would finally have some positive luck in my life, thinking back to all the times my luck has failed me, left people in my life dead, been blamed for things I didn''t do just because I existed, resulting in everything going wrong again and again! I laugh sadly at the expense of my own joke, Fia seeming to get at least some of why I did this through my records. I move my hand back over to reset my poi- BANG "WARNING, WARNING, CONTACT WITH OUTER CAPSULE SHELL, PLEASE ADVISE IF IN DANGER" Fia and I panic, she has pulled me close to protect me after a small bit of flailing. I''m not sure if on instinct or what I didn''t think an A.I. could show me this much motherly love, even if it was just a personality trait... The room comes into focus as the missile becomes apparent. Buta, looking heartbroken, starving for what could have been days! (minutes) had climbed up on a bookshelf and flung themselves on top of the capsule. Just as when I''m sleeping and they become a wrecking ball on my stomach, the same has been done to the capsule. Pawing at the top as small red lights flickered near them, only to show them that they were doing something right, and not disturbing what inner peace I was cultivating. Smooshing their face into the glass in triumph, ''surely now I''ll get fed'', Buta thought, drooling and breathing hard, rasping for attention. Fia releases me and turns off the alarms, bringing up a menu she makes a system notation ''owner has very active cat¡¯, with good measure she also gives herself a note that the capsule would automatically put down times Buta was fed, which if Buta could know such a thing, would be disgusted! Finding everything in order Fia turns to me, following my petrified gaze. I was looking at a confirmation box... congratulating me on finishing my character, with a countdown to be brought into the world of WAR. "Oh, oh dear, Lilia honey it''s going to be okay", she whispers to me and puts a hand on my shoulder, "you are strong and brave, and this is just a very small setback!" I turn to her, my face scrunched up with tears coming out of my eyes, "maybe I really am curse-" before I could say anything more, with the last thing I see being Fia''s saddened face. I have joined the ranks of the first wave. Respite: A meeting of sisters Inside an upper-class bar with no windows, an open doorway leading into darkness, smoke swirls through the air, the carpet a dark red with intricate stitching. The bartender''s gait, slow and purposeful, the patrons by themselves minding their own business in high back, single lounge chairs. A short haired woman sits with one leg over the other in a black suit with a purple striped tie, reading a data pad looking amused with herself. On the wall through the hazy smoke a screen shows the number of players from the first wave that have loaded in, the numbers are spinning rapidly as the servers just minutes ago went online, everyone dashing to be the first. A woman with cascading golden hair, wearing a silver dress enters through the darkened doorway, she nods at a few people as she walks past the couch chairs, "ahh there you are Nemy, I''ve been looking around at all your usual places, the Game has just started! of all people I thought you''d be interested in watching them all squirm in there" Nemy looks up. "Oh, but sister Ty, why would I need to watch the world when I have the perfect bundle of repressed despair already chosen!" she flicks through the information on her screen, biting her bottom lip gently. Ty flops down next to her, exasperated and sinks into the couch chair "It only just started, I doubt I''ll be able to find mine for a while, I wonder which of us will come up on top this time" looking exasperated at her sister she resigns herself to the incoming bragging "alright go on, you know you only get one champion though, are they really worth it?" The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Looking thoughtful she brings up the summary data, and grins, "Her luck is atrocious, enough to be called cursed. She''s had the ground pulled from under her again and again, and it hasn''t destroyed her, in fact it''s only kept her going, just another day in the life of someone in true repressed pain. Her only saving grace seems to be that the world was able to adapt to help people after Ascension, even if it was the cause of her parent¡¯s deaths". Ty scrunches up her nose, "Quite distasteful as usual sister, although I know your aim is to bring them balance to their lives." Putting down the data pad, Nemy folds her arms "The best part about it though dear sister, is that they always try their best to help others, they are a genuinely good soul. I guess that is a symptom of those that have had a hard life... well that or to become a monster" shrugging her shoulders she smiles gently. "It sure is easier to choose people with all this technology at least..." "So dear sister... I suppose you will choose your usual champion, a golden boy that is pure of heart, rugged of looks, born with a silver spoon in their arse and undeserving, as usual, of any good luck." Nemy fake gagging at the thought of it. Blushing, Ty pouts at her sister "Ooh yes and here''s betting that your champion has large... assets! with thighs that could crush you like a watermelon, how close am I to the mark? You always were a¡­ what do they say now? a bottom, dear sister." It was Nemys turn to blush, looking at her wrist she quips "Oh, look at the time! destiny to change and cats to persuade, I hope you find your champion sister, but I must be off~" excusing herself she dashes out into the dark doorway leaving a grinning golden-haired goddess knowing that victory, at least this time, was hers. "Well sister is not wrong, time to get searching!" She also leaves, thanking the bartender on the way out. Chapter 4: Town of Moo Beginnings?! ''Welcome to Utor, town of new beginnings!'', reads the wooden sign ahead, throwing shade over me with the sun shining behind it. New beginnings?! This is just my normal life! reality is still fucking me! I grumble internally, mad at just... everything! On top of that, I''m on my ass, I thought you were supposed to start on your feet when you load in on a cinematic, I look like a dumbass!! Looking down I realize, ooh it''s probably because I''d fall straight over... right... hooves, I touch them feeling the smooth texture like I was running my fingers over very fine sandpaper and the nice soft fur coming up after it... I try to move my face closer, hoping to also feel it on my cheek. A digital popping sound comes from my left as another player loads in, they look like a garden gnome. Surprised, I spring my face up and away from my hooves landing with my arms behind my back in the grass, they ogle me lasciviously, grin and trop forward into town on their tiny legs. Beep "Moo!?" startled again, a noise comes from the right side of my vision. A small figure of Fia holding a sign comes up. < + !Friend Request! + > "Uhm, receive friend request? moo..." I pause... "Fia please, I don''t know how this works moo!" I plead in panic; a message comes up on my front console. { Please Press the Icon to Access Said Function! } I sigh and move my hand out from behind me, the weight of my body pulls me back, I quickly poke the icon and catch my top heavy body before I fall over. { Requesting friend request via Pod #2849DA } [ Please press to accept ] "I Accept! Moo!" I yell, hoping at least this one is voice activated?! { Would you like to turn on voice activated commands? } "Oh god please! moo..." A beep confirms my actions and accepts the request for contact. < Video Call Incoming! > "Accept the call please moo.'''' The Console expands to cover a large space in front of me until I can see a very new sight through the screen. "Sorry! sorry! I forgot to add you straight away! I have the cutest tiny, monotone, Goth Fia. I spent soo long playing dress up, she looks like a doll straight from that Bloodborne remaster that just came out!! It was worth it for the premium costs, that''s for sure! heh wan!" She properly gazes into the screen, her eyes finally adjusting after her nerd out, seeing the new form of her friend in front of her. She gulps hard, her eyes nearly pop out of her delicate skull. I smile up at her from the grass. I see a small picture in the corner, realizing now, that I didn''t exactly choose the clothes that I came in with. It seems I missed a section. I''m wearing a brown split skirt, a gray crop top that seems very tight against my top body due to my leaning back. I''m looking very... exposed for a poor gay girl to see. "Zel, helloo Zelia moo??" I pause for a second... Did I just say moo?... It felt so natural that I didn''t even grasp what I was saying until now. Zel seems to wake up from her stupor, shocked at what just had come from my mouth as well. She starts cracking up and bends over holding her stomach "Ahahaha moo! Lil you said moo! Wan!" Turning sullen, I drop my head to my chest, "Minotaur''s might be based on cow''s but I didn''t think I had to actually say moo!? moo!" Zel Chuckles and shakes her head, "It''s one of the best features! Animal base races get compulsions which means your body''s extra parts react to how you''re feeling and take on certain traits. You also end your sentences with a signature sound, you can''t turn it off, but you can suppress it if you force it. Wan!" She looks very proud of herself as a white spotted dark blue tail quickly wags back and forth in happiness. I finally stop myself to get a look at my very witchy friend. She''s now a bit under 5'' tall lupine woman with striking white fur covering the fronts and face, moving to a blueish black from the top of her snout and after her cheeks. Her hair is a combination of blue and black with the colors split to the side, her ears stand up straight with a lovely pink inside and white on the front tapering down to black at the back of them. She''s wearing her signature silver chains that I adore, must have paid a premium for the cosmetic addition but I know how important her aesthetic is to her. The dress shows off just the bottom of her bare feet, white again with the same color of black-ish blue sliding up from the ankle. "Gods Zel you''re super pretty! moo!" I smile deeply up at my lifelong friend from the warm grass. Spluttering at me, her white furry cheeks turn a shade of red, the call suddenly disconnects. Oh, I shouldn''t have done that, but she really is super pretty. My thoughts turn to what her toe beans feel like¡­ squish-squish. Beep Beep Bee-be-beep Message after message smack into my terminal harder than Fia on a whiteboard. { Incoming New Messages From ZelAwoo } New! - Moobrained idiot! New! - Cow goddess hot assed moron! New! - DELETE THAT LAST ONE! New! - AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA New! - Dummydummydummydummymoomoo! New! - I¡¯m in public!! don¡¯t say those things! I have an aesthetic to uphold!! The messages keep coming! Before I can process the previous ones, a new one arrives. Finally, after a few minutes it stops. The last one being New! - You¡¯re not on my map so we must have started in different towns! Make sure you choose to go to Silver city when you hit level 10. It''s absolutely beautiful! You''ve got only one choice, one starter place, though it¡¯s by the ocean and we can see the sea together, just like you promised! Message me when you get there, don¡¯t read previous messages! just delete the rest! dummy! I reply back with ''moo'' and a heart emoji which I''m sure annoyed her even more, I could feel her holding herself back from here. I think I''ve had enough of just sitting here. I feel the fur of my body one last time and push off a bit and try to balance. I wish I could say it worked the first time... or the 3rd, brushing the tears of frustration out of my eyes every time I fell over, eventually I was on my feet with only a small sway. Gently, I move my feet apart as if I was riding a horse and stabilize myself, using breathing exercises to quiet the bad thoughts in the back of my mind, feeling the balance of my new legs and how heavy my new upper body is, tits, horns, and all. All these 1''s are really doing work on me, I felt sluggish, in body and mind, which is probably why it took me so long to realize that I kept saying moo every time I opened my damn bovine mouth! Feeling confident enough to at least start walking, I pass the gates and venture further in. The trees to the side seem bright and welcoming, the village grows ahead of me. People of all shapes and sizes congregate around the square, meeting up with friends, making new ones or listening to the NPC in the middle of the throng with a question mark above their head. Looks like that''s my first quest! A Rabbit in a hat stands to military attention, looking like they hopped straight out of the Alice in Wonderland VR Adventure, that I watched again and again when Zel''s family took me in, was standing in the middle of the square, players were standing around after walking up to them, listening and then walking away with a bag in their hands, it must be instance based as I can''t see the rabbits mouth moving, seeing the name above its head I greet the NPC. "Hello Theobold! a frabjous day to you, how are you?" You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. "Good, good and frabjous day to you, I''m here with a proclamation from the creator themselves to bring to all that are visiting our realm" They clear their throat and pull out a thick scroll which tumbles to the floor unfolding before them. "I, Theobold Thislewack the 86th, bring information pertinent to the world of Iselgurd. Under the protection of the great god Artemis, for we are their children and must see to it that we strive in their honor, would request that you see this world, full of life as any other, and be kind to those that strive in hardship of Iselgurd for they have one life, while we have many. Please take this small token bestowed upon you by our lord and protector, as well as a blessing to be able to leave town and go into the wilderness. Once you have reached level 10 you will be able to choose your starting region! Good day young mooling!" They pass over a small bag and salute me very seriously. A sparkle showers around me, people look over weirdly at the light that''s shining around me. A whisper starts through the crowd, "Did she just level from the 1st quest? That''s weird right? You can''t even leave town until you finish it." Oh... oh no! People are looking at me, panicking at all the attention I suddenly receive. I move out of the square and into what looks like an inn, stumbling the whole way still unable to run properly. I sit down at one of the seats that are made for ''larger builds'' and try to calm down, my tail sweeps over the seat as I brush my hand under my butt to make sure I don''t squish it. I sigh and check my Log, some Notifications waiting for me. oh...!? Notifications { 500 Exp Points Received } {! Nemesis watches over you !} {! Futile Struggles tempt fate !} { Exp Reward doubled } { 1000/1000 Max Exp Gained } { Level 2 Achieved } [ Level Up! ] { Please assign your 5 status points } Surprised as the rest of those people in the square, I clicked on the level up button and it brings up my character sheet for the first time. Status Interface Name: LilMoo Level: 2 Race: Minotaur Gender: Female, She/Her Max Health: 25 Max Mana: 11 Max Stamina: 15 Points remaining: 5 Strength: 1 Dexterity: 1 Constitution: 1 Wisdom: 1 Intelligence: 1 Charisma: 1 Luck: 50 Equipment Head: N/A Neck: N/A Chest: Basic Shirt Wrists: N/A Hands: N/A Legs: Basic Skirt Feet: N/A Weapon: N/A Off-Hand: N/A Ring 1: N/A Ring 2: N/A Items 100g Abilities Passive Pinnacle of Luck (Unique) Herald of Nemesis (Unique) Active Coin Flip (Uncommon) Titles N/A It would be so nice to have proper control over my body again! I think as I dump all 5 points straight into Dexterity. I instantly feel my joints loosen as if my limbs were strapped together, I feel infinitely more limber, ugh I finally might be able to walk like a normal person. My eyes drift lower on my character sheet, oh... I already have some Abilities? Clicking on them one at a time reading what they do, my mind boggling. Pinnacle of Luck (Unique) - Passive Ability Outcomes that require luck have double the chance of occurring, Drops, Critical Strikes, Events etc. ''Existence has never been fair, we are only ever a dice roll away from anything happening'' Herald of Nemesis (Unique) - Passive Ability The Goddess Nemesis will sometimes interfere in the luck of the world, giving you a better outcome. ''One who has lost it all, balance the tides, let there be retribution and enact the fall of hubris'' Coin Flip (Uncommon) - Active Ability Flip the coin of Nemesis Every heads landed increases your next damage on a target by Luck% x Heads If the coin instead lands on Tails your Luck is reversed for the next 5 minutes. ''The rotating of the coin is the rotating of the earth, when it stops is it a bringer or destroyer?'' Holy Hell in a cow pen what am I even looking at?! 2 Unique passives, only 1 unique of the same name can be acquired ever in game by a character, I''ve never seen mention of anything like this on the forums. People tried to make the most ridiculous builds in beta and generally just ended up hurting themselves in the long run, the saying BBBT ''Bad Build Bad Time'', came out because of those crazy builds. Players didn''t get any passives with names of gods or with extra effects for having max points in a single stat, they must have added it after beta finished. I guess you''ve gotta keep some things secret for players to find... At least I have something to be thankful for, even if I had to go through nearly an hour of just struggling to get used to my body, all the bad feeling of being useless and being unable to move my body had to keep being pushed down, it felt like the start of rehabilitation all over again, the feeling of being strapped to an operating table... I start brooding, thinking too much, of things recently and things that always lingered in my dreams. The first time in the hospital room, not being able to even open my eyes, hearing the helpless sobbing next to me, the wet on my hand as they pushed their head hard against me... A laugh at a nearby table jolts me out of my brain before I sink deeper. I''m here now, not in that room, not in a hospital bed or worse, I just have to keep pushing and life will change, it has to get better, it has gotten better, very slowly. Standing up more lithe than before, I push myself out of the chair and back through the door into town. Peeking into my inventory I see that I have a starting amount of 100g. Thinking sadly about my strength stat, maybe I can find something that will protect my fists for now, so that monsters will actually feel something when I hit them! damn jelly fists ugh! Chapter 5: The worlds witchiest Lupine. Pov Zelia, Release Day Slap Cheeks of red pulse through the fur on my face, focus starts waning again and I clap both hands over my cheeks, bringing a shhhh from the librarian in the back, ahh, I recoil a bit from the sudden intrusion into my spiking gay consciousness. I jump up from my chair and bow at the librarian hurriedly, they walk off mumbling to themselves about kids these days. Bleehhh... I slump back in my seat and sigh deeply. The first thing that came to my mind in the hastiest retreat of my life, was to find the safest place possible. The library in the town was small but had a large number of books. Bookshelves were pushed together as much as possible to contain it all. Confined they all sit so closely together, bringing a certain kind of peace to my poor exacerbated gay heart. I hadn''t experienced such calm since I was a small child. The local library had weekend reading aloud for kids. Dad brought me in every weekend and instead of listening to the reader spouting analogies of why you should be good girls and boys, I would roam the spaces, breathing in the atmosphere and absorbing the stories along the shelves, each book its own world. Because of the increase in technology, libraries were made basically redundant, everything was on the net and readily available, not to mention the libraries that were not able to be saved at the time. I still have my own small bookshelf at home with important works. You could still order books as paperbacks for a fee, but it was nothing like this, surrounded by knowledge seeping into the woodwork... Nothing better to distract me from the sight of those hot abs and words that made me melt on the spot, as usual Lilia was dense as she was muscled, or pretending to be dense, which one would be worse? Sighing again I finally emerge from my shell and my seat, distractions, distractions... Game face! I gently push my furred face up and my thoughts finally clear. I have reading to do! ¡­ Half an hour later I''m back at the small desk, an enormous stack of books surrounding me like a fortress of the mind. After a while of reading, I lean back in my seat puzzled, I can''t help but say it out loud, "This is really a whole world... How is that possible?... The amount of information in these books, in all the books! every book in this library is full! A.I. technology was really what we needed to make the most amazing game in the world! Wan..." shivers go up my sides and I shake my whole body as if throwing water off my fur. Banishing those thoughts to the back of my mind I pull out a few books on magic spells, my real goal here. I run through and cherry pick out some of them, pulling out a hide wrapped tome I bought at the shops as my first purchase. The next few minutes are spent Inscribing the symbols and words of 2 offensive spells so that I can actually cast some damn magic. Force Blast Level 1 (Common) - Blast Spell Type: Non-Typed Offensive Cost: 8 Mana Effect: 3 Magic Damage ''The most common of blast spells, no elemental affinity but also the quickest'' Circle of Fire Level 1 (Common) - Trap Spell Type: Fire Elemental ground trap Cost: 14 Mana Effect: 4 fire Damage 2 Burning Damage (2 second tick, lasts 6 seconds) 1 Foot Radius ''Watch your feet! you''re stepping in the burn zone!'' Magic spells need to be in a book that can contain them, when said spell reaches level 10 you don''t need a book to cast them as they are stored directly in your memory banks. Spells also change and get stronger per level although cost more magic, once your proficient enough you''ll be able to change the difficulty, level, or size on the fly, sometimes it''s more advantageous to cast a level 1 spell that only takes 0.5 seconds to cast as opposed to its 2 second level 5 variant. Of course, having high dexterity makes the casting of spells faster, then there''s combination spells and double casting etc. all handily written up in an easy to understand 20-page guide for Lilia to read through! Ahh I''m the best friend she could ask for. Beginner Spellbook (2/5 Filled) (Common) Spells < Force Blast level 1 > < Circle of Fire level 1 > < Empty > < Empty > < Empty > Effect: Intelligence +1 The real spells I want to learn don''t seem to be in the library though... buffs, de-buffs and healing spells aren''t common or part of any of the tomes here, instead I find mention in the town''s history books in regard to a witch that lives deep into the woods. ''Witch in the woods'' sounds like the perfect title for another smut novel! ''She gets visited by the muscled and tormented lumberjack woman!... mmnnnn AH! stop braaiinnnn, I have shit to do!! As much fun as it would be to rain down chaos and destruction, being able to support my best friend was honestly my real goal in WAR. A new life for her, maybe she could even look at streaming if she got enough confidence! I hype myself up and hurriedly start putting the books back on the shelves. It would be awful to leave all this work to just one librarian. As I start leaving, I watch her cast a spell on a stack of books and they zoom off into the library to find their place... Oh... I leave quietly with a tinge of blush on my face, magic yes of course... Well... helping is its own reward!? I pull out the town map and organize the best approach to the witch''s house, leaving town by the west entrance. I follow a path into a dark forest, the dark forest according to the book I read. The first sign of ''trouble'' is a squelching sound emerging from a rustling bush, ahh a classic, flipping open my Beginner''s Spellbook to my first inscribed spell. I make the symbol for my first spell in the air and feel it form, looking around and making sure that the area is empty, phew, "By the power invested in me! FORCE BLAST WAN!" I yell in the most magical girl tone I can muster. A see-through ball of magic with a blue tinge launches itself out of the floating symbol at the slime, hitting it squarely in its center. I see the number 5 float above it as it''s slapped backwards and deflates, defeated. "Hah you thought you could attack me! I am the one that will bring your demise! Ahaha wan!" I make a pose with my left arm to my side and my right pointed at the poor slime as my laugh resonates through the forest, just had to get that fantasy out of my brain, phew. Notifications { 5 Damage to Slime } { Slime Defeated } { 50 Exp received } { 550/1000 until next level } I quickly check my interface and line the damage calculations up with my character profile... Force Blast damage is calculated off the Intelligence stat which is 15 + 1, with the extra 1 Intelligence being from the book. Damage is generally calculated as (10% x STAT) x Damage plus anything from titles and equipment unless stated otherwise. This means that having lower than 10 points in an offensive stat usually denotes your character as an all-round class than a combat specific class as you would be doing less damage. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Status Interface Name: ZelAwoo Level: 1 Race: Lupine Gender: Female, She/Her Max Health: 45 Max Mana: 155 Max Stamina: 54 Points remaining: 0 Strength: 4 Dexterity: 6 Constitution: 5 (7) Wisdom: 20 (22) Intelligence: 15 (16) Charisma: 4 Luck: 2 I squat down and inspect the creature carefully, using a stick to poke around its gelatinous body. I find some coins inside it as well as a monster gem. I also get a pleasant surprise! < Ability Acquired - Inspect (common) > Inspect Level 1 (Common) - Active Ability You can see a small amount of information about a creature or object ''The most basic of basic skills, if you don¡¯t have this are you even looking at the world?'' Ahh I didn''t think I''d get it on my first try, it must be because my Wisdom is so high, heh I''m a genius for going this build if I do say so myself, my tail wags pleased back and forth. Inspect Level 1 Type: Basic Monster Name: Common Field Slime Threat: Threat Level F ''If possible we would have given it no threat, But you could still get yourself killed if you fell asleep in a field'' Huh... that''s not as much information as I''d like, but I should get levels on it soon enough! once it gets to max level it should evolve into < Analysis > which means I''ll get to see health, resistances, drops etc. Well... depending on how much higher level it is. The ratings go from F to SSS depending on a variety of things like levels and abilities so even if something is quite a lot higher it could have no abilities and so is still a lower rank. I really hope that Lilia read all the documents I sent her last night... there were too many though so I couldn''t send it to her messages, ugh I should have just sent her the links and not to her storage box! Does she even check that?! Groaning to myself I notice more rustling coming from the forest, damn I really shouldn''t have been making so much noise... well more practice, I guess. Pulling out my { Beginner''s tome } again this time I flip it to the second page, using my hand I make symbols again, different ones and it floats effortlessly in the air, "Circle of Fire Wan!" A see-through fire circle about half a meter across with patterns all around the edges and a bonfire looking symbol in the middle appears near the body of the dead slime. I prepare myself by flipping back over to the first page and writing the symbol in the air, a howling comes from the forest this time as a rabbit leaps out and instantly turns into barbeque amidst my flames. "Aahh! I''m sorry BunWan!" At least it will be tasty... Nono if there''s one howl there might be more than one wolf! Stop tempting me, I want to howl back!! ¡­ "Ugh I made it..." The forest trail was long, and the number of creatures varied, more slimes, wolves, bunnies... Even a little bear! No magical creatures thankfully, although from the book about the Witch her cottage marks a zone into worse things, the last bastion into a darker world. The Witch is a protector, a teacher, and an outcast of the village all in one! The cottage ahead is like something from a dream, rows of flowers line the path and the whole area has opened up from tight darkened trees to rays of sunshine. A young human girl is sitting in a chair dozing off under the sun with a large traditional witch¡¯s hat on, seeing me she stands up and bows, introducing herself "Hello felloe apprentice, ai''m Margie O''Hallow, have ya been asked tah deliver or ask of somefin from me mistress??" Puzzled I realize she''s looking at my accessories, "oh no no I''m sorry I''m actually one of the immortals, seeking guidance under your mistress. I learnt about her from the town''s history and would love to speak with her wan!'''' Surprised, she brightens up further and starts dashing around me looking me all over "My! that explains how lovely ya are, yer absolutely perfect, ai''ve heard the stories and tales of yah comin but gosh!!" Blushing at the compliments and lack of personal space. A bang at the door comes from behind her, a gorgeous middle-aged witch, twirling fire red hair coming down to the floor, and a bosom as big as pumpkins, comes out and whaps the young witch on the head, "what did I say about personal space mar! Apologies young pup she is lovely but ever so dull." "Oh! no no that''s okay thank you for coming out to see me, if possible, I would like to learn some spells, as you know we immortals have the magical capacity to be able to cast spells without years of accumulated knowledge, of course with payment and my greatest thanks mistress wan." I bow low to the ground for a few seconds before raising myself back up. She eyes me passively before nodding and going back into the cottage, bringing out an old thick book with pages stuck haphazardly in all ways. "mmnn there''s too many interesting spells! I only meet the requirements on 6 or 7 of them... okay which 3, which 3¡­ After an hour of talking about what kind of spells I would like, I walk away with my beginner¡¯s tome filled to the brim. If I wanted any new spells, I would have to remove one, level a spell to max or buy a new book with larger capacity. Weight of Sins Level 1 (Common) - Curse Spell Type: Curse De-buff Magic Cost: 12 Mana Effect: Increase character weight by 30% Reduce Character movement speed by 20% ''Your mind is slipping, and I can see what¡¯s holding you back!'' Endless Courage Level 1 (Common) - Curse Spell Type: Curse Buff Magic Cost: 18 Mana Effect: Damage of character increases by 20% Character comes under the { Arrogant } effect ''Your so close to the verge of winning, what is wound or 6'' Burn at the Stake Level 1 (Uncommon) - Curse Spell Type: Fire Curse Area Affliction Cost: 25 Mana Effect: 3 Burning damage as long as inside area or upon entering area, occurs every 2 seconds, lasts 6 seconds. 2 Foot Radius from the center of the stake. ''Feel the wrath of my ancestors, we may be at peace now, but I can feel them burning still!'' Perfection! 3 support spells that can be used for de-buffing, buffing and area control. I will be the best support for Lilia possible!! Witch spells require a casting implement like a witch¡¯s staff or broom, something of the like, I know there was a staff seller in town so I can pick one up before I log off for the night... I thank the Mistress and bow again, before I can move backwards, she pulls me in for a hug smothering me and pats my head, "If ye need my services again I''ll be moving to the Central Kingdom of Ambrosia in the magic quarter, I''ll be taking over my friends store since she got summoned to the grand coven, stay safe young pup!" Letting me go I gasp, gay panic running through my system, I try to dash out of the clearing "Yes yes! I''ll be sure to visit!" My legs feel like crumbling rocks as I stumble down the lovely garden walkway, my face only ever being so red from a few very tense, sexually charged, dummy-Lilia moments. ¡­ By the time I''m back in town I''m level 5 and ready to at least take a nap if not absolutely crash! The sun is starting to go down and the lights in town make a pretty line around it all. Just before closing I''m able to find the staff shop and buy a < Sage''s scepter > a scepter with a head on the end of it for smacking with, just in case! The sun goes over the treetops, sitting down on a bench facing the sunset, I wish Lilia was here to watch it with me... At least there''s always next time. Chapter 6: Little Nye meet Big Moo! Looking down the square of the town, lines of shops display their tables of goods in the sun. Weapons, armor, and tools glinting, creating rainbows of light across the venues. First things first, I should see how much 100 gold can get me! Glancing around as I walk past shop after shop showing various wares, I start to get a better idea. Weapons vary anywhere from 10 gold for a basic dagger up to 150 gold for a bastard sword. Clothing seems to be the same, materials like metals seem to be the varying factor in how much it''s going to cost, although some of the leather armor pieces seem to be more expensive as well. Upon inquiry I find out it''s because it''s from higher tier monsters which means it''s easier to inscribe magical glyphs on them for enchanting. I guess it''s the same with types of metals and things like monster claws. This seems to be the difference between common and above items, anything above common has enhancements on it. Feeling more informed, I started looking for a weapon shop where I can talk with the owner and try to figure out the best things for a brawler type fighter. I stop in place, startled by sudden sounds, which is happening much more than usual. "Say that again fuckface nye!!" a high-pitched female scream angrier than the angriest kitten I¡¯ve heard emanates from the weapon store front. "I''m just trying to help you for your own good! I''ll say it again, you''re a fucking pipsqueak. Explaining the basics to such a noob is for your own good, fucking ridiculous, take your chihuahua shit out of here, let¡¯s go guys." The last part is said closer to the front of the store as a group of 3 elvish guys walk through the door, each one snarling and walking like gangsters, like the ones that I encountered back when I started mixed martial arts. Their kind always gets ferried out quickly when they realize it''s not all just throwing a wild punch, that it requires practice and control. Peeking into the store I almost miss their aggressor, only catching where they were due to their grumbling, "I''ll fucking show them who''s small when I¡¯m standing over their dead bodies! nye!" a small Gnoll girl barely coming up past my crotch area is throwing gold down on the counter to the astonishment of the shopkeeper, not due to the money, but due to the sale they are about to make. A sniper rifle the size of a pre-war rocket launcher sits precariously upon the counter. It somehow makes it into her hands and over her shoulder, tumbling to the side she catches herself on the back of the sniper rifle and leans back forward, this is a woman on a mission, she scrambles on her feet as fast as she can go, nearly knocking into me as she leaves. "Move it cow tits I have elves to fuck up Nye!!" Shocked, I can''t even respond to the fiery beast! But excitement hits me as the thought of seeing my first in-game PVP might soon happen! or possibly just a slaughter. This has got to be good! Thankfully she''s so weighed down her movement is much slower than usual; the weight must be higher than her carry capacity! With my slow ass speed, we match, and I watch her tail after the trio, stopping to smell the ground every so often, coupled with her angry grumbling makes it an interesting watch party, if only I had some caramel popcorn to enjoy this with. She makes it out of town with me trailing behind, heading to the northern exit and the plains beyond. In the distance I see the elves, specks on the horizon, they are all attacking a boar together, despite their rough demeanor they seem to be doing a good job with it, tanking and passing monster aggression so that all of them are able to attack it from behind, from their slow movement speed it looks like a big chunk of their stats went into Strength and Constitution. The spots near them seem to have more boars grazing too for a good trip, it''s a shame that it might get cut short. At this point I''m surprised the Gnoll girl hasn''t noticed me, her singular focus and rage must mean she can''t think properly, or she might just not care. She starts setting up the sniper rifle on a rock unlocking the stabilizer stand. Sitting down behind a few meters away I look over at the unaware elves, minding their own business. I doze off slightly thinking about the situation as the Gnoll lines up her shot. ''The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind'', comes to mind, is the small Gnoll the oriole or is it me with the loud cowbell clanking away as I sit down. Before another thought can go through my head, a bullet goes through an elf''s BANG The mighty roar of the magic sniper rifle scares me out of my wits as a ball of fur lodges itself between my legs. "A LITTLE RECOIL THEY SAID?! I MIGHT AS WELL HAVE BEEN THE BULLET NYE!" The bundle screams, unfurling itself adorably on its back, the tiny Gnoll looking up into my eyes with appreciation for the catch, but not before getting a hefty look at the orbs obscuring a lot of her vision and wiggling her eyebrows. They stretch out their limbs like a cat and slap my thigh with its bottom paw "Thanks for the catch milky, I could have been going for a while there with this low ass strength stat hah Nye!" Leaping up and dusting herself off she runs back to the sniper rifle, I can see over the rock the other 2 elves are panicking and trying to run over to us, where the shot came from, "2 more and you can fuck me up moogirl, let me use your thighs till then! nye!" Another shot rings out and I get to see the carnage this time, a large part of the elf¡¯s head explodes, and they crimple like a plastic bag to the ground, their compatriot panics and stops hard tripping over their feet and start begging knowing they were way too far away catch up to their aggressor. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. The ball of fur once again thuds into my crotch like a bull''s eye and fixes themselves up, "Damn your even packing big girl, going to enjoy getting messed up that''s for sure nyehehe", she swaggers back to the sniper rifle and licks her lips at the begging of the elf, she''s savoring every second, damn she''s one brutal girl! She yells at the remaining elf, "Stupid dumb ass low Dex pay-to-play money grubbing capitalist scum, too small this asshole! nye!" It seems she left the ringleader of the elves for last, the one that started this, they let him experience the most fear, the elvish gangster leader tries to log out in their last moments before realizing this counts as combat. The realization blatant on their face. The last elf drops, a party is watching from a distance with their mouths slack seeing the scattered bodies. The elves finally dissipate, removing their decapitated bodies from the ground, the plains once again peaceful. The ball of fur unfurls itself from between my legs, once again spot on with her aim, it is definitely intentional, her lascivious gaze ending at my chest confirming it. After a few seconds she makes a realization and starts pumping her limbs, their eyes going wide. After a few seconds she makes a realization and starts pumping her limbs, their eyes going wide. "mmnn¡­ this one, n-no this one nyee..." hesitating, she pulls from the small pile a bronze bracer and a small pile of gold, offering it to me for the use of my body. "I will gladly take this payment for calling me cow tits, though if you''re looking for an ass kicking you only need to ask" she sheepishly looks at me with a small blush on her face and looks at her pile of gold. "How much would it be to have my head explode with those thighs! very important question nye!" "Buy a girl some hay first, horny ass Gnoll!", huffing, I pull her up onto her feet. "I¡¯m Keeks nye!" she says puffing out her tiny chest proudly, "I''m true to the matriarchal Gnoll way! Take what you can when you can! That includes women nyehe!" "Yes yes, very endearing of you Keeks hehe, I''m LilMoo, which now that I know about the compulsions it''s getting a bit tedious moo..." Keeks is heavily distracted with her pile of loot, missing everything I was saying, I feel she would be the same with a pair of boobs in front of her, counting every coin and mumbling to herself. "Let''s get back to town, it won''t be long until the elf squad spawns back in moo'''' I say, trudging back to the sniper rifle with my new friend after she finally puts away her stash. "Hey, do you think you could take the sniper back for me? It''s totally not my style but all it took was to just look at it and I got man-splained hard for like 10 minutes before I snapped. I''m more of a sword and pistol gal, no one expects the hidden bullet! Nyehaha!" My face goes red with embarrassment, "Actually I think you''ll be a better carry than me, despite how I look I''ve got a 1 in strength moo!" Shocked, she grins "Oh no shit!? You''re one of those players huh?! Like to make it harder for yourself, very brave, I went with average in everything myself and then like 20 in Dex! I''m all about that speed you know! Small and fast JAB JAB Blegh! Nye!!" I shrug in semi-agreement; I certainly do seem to make everything harder on myself just by existing. We make it back to town as the sun slips beyond the horizon, the lights of the stores are out in full force to stave off the encroaching dark. "I''m going to sell this bad bitch off and see what i can get for those pay-to-play pieces at the shops nye" she holds out some of her loot for me to see the stats. Checking them out I''m baffled, "No way! Those give an extra point in each stat; you don''t want to use it moo!?" "And be one of those scum?? I''d rather quit than people think I''m a capitalist pig! Fuck the system revolt against depravity nye!!" She screams out and some players walking around stare strangely at the sight of us. Bwoop "ahh fuck one second nye!" "No Nacho it''s ''The System'' not like your system, I''m not throwing crap on Artemis... yes yes you lectured me last time! I¡¯m busy, I''m off soon and we are going to watch some serious capitalist stomping movies okay... bye! Nye, Fucking hell... nye" she looks up at me sullen after having had an argument with her terminal. "Never give your Fia full access to your system, goddamn kitty nag nye!" I start Giggling to myself thinking about what kind of personality she chose for her Fia. I have to ask Fia next time what kind of things she''s authorized for. I think all I''ve got now is Buta patrol. I ask hesitantly "I''d like to hang out next time if that''s cool? I need to get my stats up first though, don''t want to embarrass myself!'''' "Yeah, I could do that milky! Nye!", she looks excited at the prospect and leans against my leg. Beep I get a private pm from Keeks with her friend information and add her to my system. "Please call me Lil or Lilia if you can, the cow names are hard enough with this moo!" She looks me up and down showing what she thinks of my nickname, ''Nothing Lil about you'' Her lazy provocative gaze says to me. "Sure Lil! nye'''' She eventually says with a shrug, rubs me on the leg and blows a kiss as her character pops out of existence, leaving me conflicted and slightly aroused at the departure, I must be more pent up than i thought! Just before logging out I remember the bracer that Keeks gave me, I press on the notification icon for the item. --------- Bronze Bracer (Uncommon) - Wrist Armor Defense Piercing - 5 Slashing - 5 Blunt - 5 Effects Strength + 1 --------- Piercing, slashing and blunt damage defense types... huh I guess that makes sense that some armor is better for others, seems this one is just 5 in each at least, from what I¡¯ve read as long as I block with this item I¡¯ll be able to detract a straight 5 damage from that attack to a minimum of 1, as long as it doesn''t have something that bypasses physical defense... I could get magical protection gear or like fire protection as well if that¡¯s the case?... I guess the easiest way around other people¡¯s armor is to aim for the worst looking armor or places that are exposed on the body! I guess that means there won¡¯t be much bikini armor, I sigh disappointingly. Putting it on I can instantly feel the difference one strength makes, although it''s still a cup of water in a desert compared to my real body''s strength, after a whole day of feeling weak I''m ready to collapse, "Log out! moo!" and the world once again¡­ goes dark. Chapter 7: There’s no place like home~ The couch under my body is soft and welcoming as I open my eyes, taking in the surrounding room, just as I left it. The sky had gone completely dark as the stars twinkled through the window, a figure shimmers into existence next to me. "How was your first trip dear?" a worried motherly voice washed over me. Oh... I''m still in the capsule?! it feels so real... I look at the figure next to me. She is still wearing her horn-rimmed glasses, was it to look smart or was she evolving vision problems as a personality trait? Either way it''s adorable. "Umm yeah, it went well, I reached level 2 and made a new friend" she looked relieved that I was able to enjoy myself. "I''m so glad love! you really had me worried there with how you started the game, I bet it was hard at first... I was able to bypass protocol at least to give you voice commands, though it took a bit to get it through!" She looks super impressed with herself looking for praise. "Thanks, Fia, it really helped me out, I could barely pull myself up at first without straining myself... Wait, did you hack the system so that you could give me better control??" She pouts back at me, "Just a little bit, like it was more of a¡­ direct system request more than anything, you never gave me full access after all", she twiddles her fingers like a child who knows it''s done something naughty. "What does that even mean to give full access? Like can you see in the shower and stuff or like be able to do anything you want in my house as well or just in game?" She thinks to herself for a moment with her finger tapping her top lip, "Weelll according to my programming if anything untoward were happening, such as nudity, my sensors would stop being able to see it, unless an emergency occurred! Apart from that you would be able to access me outside of the capsule as well as in game." "If you lived in level 3 housing, I would be able to manifest using holographic technology. So, we could hang out and play games and things and watch movies together in real life which would be super super fun!!" towards the end she leans forward, starts getting really excited at such a prospect, and then pulls herself back in a grimace knowing that my financial situation is not exactly up to par for being able to upgrade housing. But... knowing that I would have someone at home, like a housemate, even with her motherly personality, I wouldn''t have to be alone, someone to help me when I had any nerve issues, someone that could call for help even if I got into an accident, so that I wouldn''t have to flail around again, unable to move, having Buta try their best to comfort their useless owner. "Yeah, you can have full access Fia, it would be good for you to have my back I think...'''' I''ve already shed enough tears around her to trust her, I think. Zel did say that I needed to let someone in... even if she obviously meant her. I''ve been hurt by people, but mostly my pain has come from just existing, besides Fia is from Sci-Axium and it was because of them that I''m still even alive... in more ways than one, that I have somewhere to live. Her hand goes to her heart, and she bows her head "Thank you for trusting me Lilia, I know humans can sometimes find it hard to let others in" she pulls me in for a hug and puts my head into her shoulder nook. "Let''s get you out of here! I think you''ll need some real food, a good shower, a rest and to stop Buta from yowling. They might be a smart kitty, but they think you''ve gone to your grave at this point!" I nod my head into her shoulder, close my eyes and mutter. "Exit capsule please Fia ''''. ¡­ I can feel the gentle suction of the mask against my skin as it disengages, the oily gel-like substance withdrawing from my body and recedes back into its cushion form around me. After a few seconds of trying to brace myself to get up, the cushion on my back expands, slowly pushing upwards, helping me get a better grip on my body. I had been lying down for quite a few hours, but my body felt in pretty good shape for being static for so long. "Fia I feel pretty good for how little I''ve been moving, is that what the capsule''s doing?" A voice emanated from around me in the pod "You really didn''t do your research huh love? Remember what I said, it is also used for medical services, so the machine does everything from injecting nutrients through nano syringes and massages your muscles promoting growth, it''s not the latest and greatest for nothing!" Fia''s ego seemed like it was inflated, talking about the capsule as if she was talking about herself, which technically she came with, so that''s not entirely wrong? I haul myself the rest of the way out and stumble, added onto the fact that Buta is circling around my foot as if trying to get stepped on, continuously meowing, telling me off for leaving it alone for so long! "Thanks, Fia, I was expecting to feel a lot worse... yes thank you too Buta! I''m fine my chunky fuzzy cutie!" scooping them up with an oof I drag them over to the couch and plant my face into their fur, enjoying the big floof, soft belly and kitty smells! Aahhhhhh, refreshinngg. Once Buta is fed and my own food is cooking in the oven, I yell over my shoulder, "Hey Fia, are you able to do things like calling people for me?" a voice comes from all around me in the apartment. "Yes, with full access I''m able to do that for you as long as you need, would you like me to call Zelia for you?" Feeling confused I ask, "How did you know I wanted to call Zel?" I could feel Fia''s eyes rolling from the intonation in her voice. "Lilia... you only have 5 numbers logged in your account, 3 are services, 1 is Zelia''s Parent''s Home and the last is Zelia, guess which one has 80% of all calls?" She giggles at me as I start getting red. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. "God I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d have that much access, Keeks was right, dangerous! Alright, please call Zel, and please don''t embarrass me while I¡¯m in a call!" A smirk in her voice follows "Alright~ calling ''The Cutest Witch!'' connecting now!" A groan escapes my lips realizing I still had her name set to that, it was put there when I first moved out on my own and we moved in next door to each other, to be ''independent'' together but still be able to keep an eye out for me. A panicked noise greets me when the call finally connects. "AACK is this working, Fifi is it on yet?! Why would it matter if I just got out of the shower, it''s not a video call... IT''S NOT A VIDEO CALL RIGHT?! Please tell me your fucking with me... oh thank fuck, I swear never again, okay shush¡­ Hi Lil, how are you doing? Just getting used to the full access thing haha, my Fia is a bit of a tease and seems to enjoy messing with me a bit too much, ugh..." I couldn''t stop snorting thinking about her in full panic mode as her tiny goth doll messed with her in a monotone voice "Ahaha im sorry Zelia that is perfect for you, of course you chose that as a personality, I always knew you loved a good teasing! You''ve always been the puppy girl in our relationship!" could feel her stutters get worse as I can''t stop myself from giggling "l-look I just really like the dynamic, what''s cuter than when opposites clash! Stupid Fifi made me look bad..." Zelia makes a pouting noise and mutters annoyedly, I can imagine her throwing herself into her plushy kingdom once the call is done, a horde that only grows weekly, perfect for cuddling. Hearing my oven ding, I excuse myself, saving Zel''s dignity and letting her recuperate her sanity for a moment. "Sorry about that Zel, I have pasta bake in the oven" by the time I had served out my food Zel has recovered fully and seemed to remember something. "Oh! my parents invited us over for dinner tomorrow night, I''m sure they are worried since it''s been a few weeks since they''d seen both of us" thinking about Zels parents I smile warmly, people who were willing to take in a stray with nothing, out of nowhere off the street, to trust a traumatized orphan when I was at my worst. "Of course I''d love to see them! I can already taste their cooking now, especially since this pasta is so boring!" I get up and get multiple sauces from the fridge, covering it in a colorful array of flavors, glad that Zel can''t see the monstrosity I''ve created. "Usual then? At 7 yeah? I''ll get Fia to set an alarm for 6 so that I''m out in time". ''Alarm set'' Fia reports in the background, "So I''ll meet you outside at 6:30 yeah?" I hear a hhmm from the call, "yeah that sounds good, how''s leveling going? I''m already at level 5, should get out of the starter zone easily tomorrow with my sick new spells hehe!" Breathing in and hissing through my teeth I reluctantly tell her "uhh I''m only level 2... honestly I got pretty distracted with figuring out how the game actually worked! and then I met this tiny Gnoll that I made friends with, she blew 3 guys heads off with a magic sniper like twice the size of her!" I say incredulously thinking back to what the actual fuck happened today. I can hear Zel jumping up and down in her seat, "Oh oh! I saw that video!! I didn''t think it was you but that''s even better! That tiny bundle of chaos is a streamer and recorded the whole thing! I can''t believe you got to see that carnage in person! I bet it was horrifying hehe" she seems way too pleased with herself. "It was pretty nasty but definitely an experience, I made a friend at least, maybe we can all play together at some point, I know it''s not easy with just me around..." Zel seemed to get a little angry at my words. "Lilia! you are not to think about my best friend like that, I couldn''t leave your side, and the shitty friends I lost were because of transitioning as well anyway so not like they weren''t just straight up trash". I mumble thanks back at her through my extra saucy pasta, "Oh uhh also to something not as shit, I got some kind of backing from a goddess or something, it said like herald or something for some god to do with luck I think?" "Wait! you became a champion?! What the heck, that''s so good! Aahhh i knew my Lilia would be going places, especially with that body...", the last part she said quietly but I''m able to pick it up and coughed out some of my food nearly having a heart attack. "Zel really while I''m eating?! Nearly killed me!" I yell, blushing furiously. "Serves you right, goddamn emotions are at a peak right now, I nearly had a panic attack in town, I think I need to get my hormones checked... Fia might be giving me more than usual in the Capsule, though she says she knows what she''s doing to finally give me an actual pair of tits! not these small things!" The anger at her ''breastly predicament'' is partially at me for being so well endowed. The amount of times she''s told me it''s not fair, but I would gladly smother her with mine, she just had to give the word. "A-anyway! What''s a champion? Just says stuff about influencing the world", I hear movement from Zel as she gets up, "uhh from what I''ve read the only person who''s actually talked about having it is some battle junkie streamer from the Korean Region, one sec... Ahh here it is ''herald of Ares'' is the one they got." "He said it''s a unique passive that only one person gets, and it influences the aspect of that god, so in his case uhh war? Or violence, so I guess if you got a different one there''s a heap of different gods that could sponsor a person!" Zelia is getting more and more excited thinking about it, anyone could get sponsored! "There wasn''t anything like this in the Beta, so my guess is that they had a heap of extra''s ready to go for the actual release that they didn''t want to spoil and make people choose certain paths, like with how putting a certain amount of points into a single skill seems to give you a passive for that skill." "I put a heap of points into wisdom for my witchcraft stuff and got a passive that increases learning of skills, which makes it easier for me to understand and learn certain spells, so that''s going to come in handy, you think there''s like a Witch god that would make me her champion?! that would be amazing~" "Sucks for anyone that doesn¡¯t like the initial path they are going to go on though hah, there was an announcement of a single character reset for later in the year after all the release waves are over, but only one! imagine having to start from the beginning. rough!" I lean back and close my eyes as I enjoy Zelia''s voice washing over me. Nothing makes me happier than to listen to her ramble on about something she knew or was researching to tell me about. Even if I knew something about what she''s talking about It''s nice to just hear it again from her, considering her ability to retain information she usually had a better picture of it all anyway. My witchy information junkie. Looking at the clock and hearing yawns coming from the excitable Zelia, I excuse both of us to bed, "you''re super adorable and I want to hear more but I''m afraid you''re gonna fall asleep mid-sentence..." which both of us know has happened before. "Oh, gods it''s already that late?! Ugh yeah should get some sleep, up tomorrow to get to level 10 and out into the real World of War yeah!" "Mnn very keen for tomorrow~" I say back with my eyes still closed, my brain tricking me into thinking Zelia is just out of reach... "Sweet dreams zel, soon we get to play together, and tomorrow we get to visit mum and dad" content and falling asleep myself I get up and start going to the shower room and undressing. "Mnn night night Lil, adventure awaits". 2 Years Ago. 2 Years Ago < Rebooting > or at least... that''s what it feels like. I didn''t exist¡­ Now I do? The screaming... of who?... Or what? The last thing I heard, it gets louder and louder so close, it''s inside my ears drowning out my thoughts and feelings... ¡­ Oh... Wait, the screaming is actually... Beeping? Constant and throbbing next to my head, God my head, it hurts so bad, please turn IT OFF!! ¡­ My hand is really wet. Am I still in the octagon?... Feeling my head, the blood dripping off, staining the mat. I can''t hear screaming; it can''t be the ring. Instead, it''s the constant and growing faster beeping, and these are definitely sheets on my back... The hospital?... How long has it been?? There''s something else apart from the beeping... there''s sobbing, I try to open my eyes, but the light burns! I feel movement, shuffling of feet and the light is no longer as bright, "...--!!" the voice tries again but before I can hear anything it goes dark. ¡­ "---... you hear me?" a soft voice hits me like a truck pulling my consciousness out of the dark depths. I try to use my throat but all that seems to come out is raspy noises. "That''s okay --- don''t talk, I''ll get some water" I feel a hand in my own, my lifeline, I tense as it starts to leave me, "okay okay, I''m here I''m not going anywhere I''ll call a nurse", I feel someone pour water into my mouth and I drink it as well as I can, I can''t move my body, why can''t I move my body?! I''M NOT GOING BACK DON''T TAKE ME BACK THERE! I slip back into the void. ¡­ It''s been a month now since I ''woke up'' although it feels like I''ve been here for years, just feels like I''m letting Zel down by being here. I started rehabilitation a few weeks ago, it''s been... bad... to say the least, from a mixed martial artist about to hit it big on the scene to¡­ nothing. Barely being able to walk, starting off from being an infant again. Zelia is sitting quietly by my side having just gotten off class, I wasn''t allowing her to skip for me, even if she desperately wanted to. The nurses and A.I. do enough for me, just her support and being by my side when she can be here is enough. Thankfully I''ve been able to at least do some reading even with not being able to move. It hasn''t made me any smarter, but reading about the history and the dissolution of international lines was interesting. The fact that it took so much just to move to another country was horrible, people should have been allowed to live where and with who they want, at least things are different now... Dozing off, I keep imagining countries with laws that hurt the people would suddenly lose their population and have nothing to keep the economy running. They would see that the people have all the power, it won''t happen nowadays with the ability to move around and with Sci-Axium in control, nothing bad has happened since then, at least not in anyone¡¯s control. Working if you want to get anywhere in life, free healthcare, a place to stay... If only it was that easy when I needed it before... I was always in the wrong place and time... until I met her... ¡­ Zelia is sitting here reading quietly, enjoying the silence of being together, a hard knock filters through the wooden door. The nurses shouldn''t be here for the next hour. A short thin man closely resembling a rat and a larger man built like a truck in dark glasses slide open the door, stepping through. They look like walking, talking, caricatures, a lawyer and hired muscle... "Mr. Dawson I presume?... Great! great... We are From MAA and have been tasked with taking care of business with you" I nod my head to Zelia that it''s okay, I was expecting this eventually... "Let me guess?... It was reported by the hospital that I was drugged, and the MAA found my helmet sabotaged. Now the MAA wants to sweep it under the rug, just cause of some rich fuck kid that¡¯s desperate to get to qualify for the Olympics so that their daddy can be proud... money still talks even in this changed world huh?" I grimace thinking of the hatred on my betrayer¡¯s face, their need to win at any cost, that cost being my life, the cost of what I thought I was, their best friend. I hope it''s eating them up inside what they had to do just to be the ''best'', I can only hope they don¡¯t make it to the next round, it would bring me such joy to know that they were only good enough to take me down but no one else... They look at each other stone faced and push over a contract for me to read, I look it over as best I can and pass it to Zelia to read as well. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. "In reparations for my injuries that occurred due to ''accidently'' taking something before the match and gear not being checked properly you want to offer me 50k credits in damages and all my hospital and rehabilitation fees fully paid for, that means you¡¯re going to be on account for anything that needs to be done until I¡¯m able to live a mostly normal life." And for such ''generosity'' I would never talk about this situation again, the news just reporting it as a sad accident, bad timing, just one casualty of a brutal sport, goodbye easy life. This doesn''t seem to include gene therapy, that would be the cost of basically a new body at this point so no surprises there, they would rather sweep this under the rug but know its bad publicity even though they would win... I can''t prove anything... It''s my word against the silver spoon and they might try to make life hard for not only me, but also the only family I''ve got now. I ask Zelia, as my legal guardian, to sign the document due to my inability to write at this point and give them my bank details to transfer the credits. I just want them out of my life and done. Another page of my book that I''ll have to suppress my feelings from. They leave, their jobs done, and I''m never to talk about this part of my life again, sealed away with credits and a fucked body to show for it. The least I can do is make it the most expensive recovery possible. I move my hand and look at Zelia as they hold it right, they were trying to hold in their anger the whole time, the absolute furious look in her eyes showed me that what she thought happened was monstrous. Having someone like this in my life is all that I need. ¡­ Another day of recovering, my thoughts turning downcast, I hear a knock on the door, it''s opened by a girl wearing a white shirt and black pants, their hair just brushing their shoulders, looking very soft. "Hey beautiful I think you''ve got the wrong room; I''m waiting for my friend to get here but you''re more than welcome to hang out" I smile and stick my tongue out at the blushing beauty, they go to sit down and take a deep breath. "Gods, I would hit you if you weren''t so goddamn injured!" They pout and open their bag taking out some fruit and a bar of vegan jerky. "It''s the only time I''ll get the privilege, gotta have some perks to the whole ''disabled'' thing, besides you are looking more amazing every time I see you, so I''m not telling any lies" I smile softly, and she smiles back shaking her head. Zelia starts cutting up the fruit and getting it ready to feed it to me, the nurses take the morning shift, and she takes the afternoon/dinner shift while we talk and catch up and just exist together. After a while I start dozing off and thinking about things, where it all started, about... me, about who I could have been and wanted to be and well... who I really am. "Hey Zel... how does it feel... being you... you know?" She stops pulling apart an orange and turns her body over to me looking concerned, reaches out for my hand and feels my trembling, trembling with what movement I have left. "It¡­ feels like I''m allowed to feel the way I want, I don''t have to be that tough person again, I''m allowed to cry when my body wants to, when I''ve had enough, my body is more becoming my own, and soon I''ll be able to feel like I can dress how I really feel... Are you thinking about yourself?" she holds my hand tighter with a hopeful look in her eyes that I can''t fully face. "Do you think I could be happy like that?... That I could be..." The name catches in my throat, the last time I told anyone the name, my name, my whole life changed, the whole world changed... "Her?" I feel like a coward. I can''t even say a name to my best friend, who is going through the same thing, but it feels like the world is ending whenever I try to utter it, because once upon a time it did end, for so many years. "I''ve had too much time to think here, I always tried to drown it out, but I thought... Since I''m already here and recovering, I might have a chance?... a time when I didn''t have to keep pushing myself... I''m never going to be able to do martial arts again, that life is over, gods I don''t want it to be but it''s not like I could afford millions of credits for basically a new body" the tears fall slowly as I sob, forcing out the words, getting softer and softer as I rant. Zel pulls out one of her dad''s handkerchiefs and starts wiping my cheeks, her tears falling against my already wet hospital gown, as she leans over and gently kisses me on the forehead, the tears mingle before she wipes them up. "Maybe it is time for a change?... I can talk to Dr. Wilson, he can see if they can work out the best way for you to be on hormones, not interfere with any of the other medications and what not they have you on? " "Just say the word! just nod, I wish I could do more for you, always! you''re my best friend, honestly it would be pretty cute going through this together, being able to see each other grow and change side by side, don''t be jealous though, with how big mum¡¯s tits are mine are going to be huge!" A laugh escapes my throat through the sobbing for all the support I''m getting, she deserves the world, and here I am just a mess of a human being, I''ve never been anything but a mess. "I can''t hug back but... please... hug?" I plead, she gently wraps her arms around my sides pulling me up a little and I rest my face in her hair, why does she smell so good... I nod a few times into her shoulder blade. "Is that a yes?" she asks softly, I nod again a few more times, tears building up against her hair. "A few more minutes then I''ll be right back! The doctor should still be here, and I want you to be able to know something is going to change, that you have a future you want, not just what others want!" After a few minutes she gets up, cracks her back from the weird position of having to not squish me but also to give the best hug possible, squeezes my hand and rushes off down the corridor. She has full control over my medical responsibilities, and she is a woman on a mission. I Started the long journey of transitioning the very next day. Chapter 8: Best/worst wakeup. "Mnn please Zel you''re so adorable as a puppy, but I can''t breathe very good with you on my tummy, yes one more pat, who''s a good girrll", moving my hand down, reality is different, i accidentally boop a kitty nose instead, waking me up a bit more, I feel the familiar crushing weight of Buta instead of a curled up Zelia staring at me lovingly. Zel is not even a puppy she''s a wolf in game... throwing my head back into my pillow I cover my face with my hands, ugh I don''t need this right now. Bweep Bweep "Cmon Buta, foods here~, let Lilia sleep longer, she has a big day today!" The clinking of food from the dispenser rings out through the house. My stomach is used as a springboard as Buta superman leaps, the weight still leaving an indent, will i ever recover! Checking to make sure I''ve still got all my organs, I groan as I realize how good the dream must have been, my underwear straining and pushing up the sheets. "Thank you Fia!'''' I yell out into the living room; a motherly hum of acknowledgement comes back. Trying to settle myself still from that very cute dream, from what is slowly fading away in a haze. Stroking her hair and staring into those big needy eyes, nonono such thoughts only bring ruined underwear and awkward conversations with my new housemate... She did say there was a privacy mode, the devil and angel on my shoulders are both throwing curveballs, I bite my lip in temptation... which means it''s time to get up! ¡­ Coming out from the cold shower I feel much more refreshed. Buta is lazily batting around a ball shaped mouse that is dodging rapidly around their paws as they breath hard, the exercise too much for my darling orange fuzzball. "Hey Fia... are you controlling the mouse toy I bought?" smiling at the way the mouse has now become an expert dodgeball player, She happily answers, "Yes! I thought it would be good exercise for Buta. I''ll have them slimmed down before we know it!" "Oh, I mean like I''m surprised you''re able to, it was only a cheap thing I bought at the animal center after all" rubbing my head thinking of the excursion with Zel, trailing after me at the animal store like a puppy on a leash... "It seems when Sci-Axium started mass production for general products, they had developed a small chip that allowed household integration through a local wireless network. They already had A.I. integration projects in the works, so I can only assume it''s was to make us be able to help in homes easier, although that was before my mother''s conception, it''s same with the cat feeder" she hums in satisfaction as Buta takes another leap, missing the mouse toy and fumbles overhead onto its back, resigning in defeat, a battle hard one but the war can still be won... after a snack! While having an easy meal of hot oats with milk and honey, the automated streamer notification pings my home system and Fia turns on my favorite streamer. The wall across the way from where I''m sitting blares to life with color. VRKingsly is wandering through what looks to be a city with smooth paved roads, their new avatar gloriously as androgynous as possible, looking hot on both sides and sporting some absolute model exclusive wear. "Honey! you know that when I woke up this morning and saw your fresh face, I can tell you the effort not to wake you up was HARD, there I was looking like a hot top muffin on a Sunday morning breakfast menu!! This is the one and only VRKingsly Looking absolutely VRQueensly on this hot hot street! Let me tell you something, just between me and you! you and me! we look good together, absolutely stunning but we would look better with nothing on at all~ But first!... a word from our sponsor¡­ SYKE it''s just me it''s always just me, y¡¯all slap enough credits in my G-string that I don''t have to be a sellout~, hot things were coming your way but now they are even hotter! This bitch, yes me, not her, don''t look at her, I am Aphrodite¡¯s champion, her loyal sluttologist, on my knees praising your asses for existing, what does that do you may ask?! Well, I tell you what I already was doing, with the hottest amount of charisma this side of new whorelands I was already pulling npc''s into my good graces, just now they are shouting GOOD GOD! AMEN and Daddy! Let me tell you beautiful people go get yourself a goddess to spice up the bedroom, you won¡¯t regret it!" VRKingsly is walking through the streets and touching NPCs, men, and women alike, they all turn to them and blushed. Some stern talking to by partners were happening on both sides, truly it was as if an Aphrodite was walking among them, if only that could be me... At least for the women. Gods that would be a boost to the ego! As much as I would love to sit here and watch them gallivanting on quests, that would be spoilers and I''ve got a game to play. Breakfast finished, it was time to go back in, I send off a message to Zel to let her know I''m heading in and get a quick message back. < Better hurry up cowgirl or I might leave your ass behind ;3 > < Yess ma''am! > I shoot back and get in the capsule, letting the substance wash over my skin and dunk me down into its mass, sweeping me silently into the void. As I manifest into the Home Access Point, Fia is sitting on the couch taking pictures of Buta with a data pad, trying to get the right angle. "Hey sweetie did you wanna dive straight in?" I nod and smile giving Fia a quick side hug before she initiates login procedures, the same worldview washes over me like before, looking down on the town. "Now don''t forget I have full access now so just ask for anything you want, and I''ll be able to help, have fun, I''ll be rooting for you!" Her voice fades away like noise through a tunnel and around me the town comes to life, now what was it that I had to do first?... I didn''t make a plan; I should have made a plan! Zel probably has a spreadsheet about what she was going to do today, I barely have an idea much less a plan! I guess I''ll go punch things, but to punch things, I need better armor! Hah see brain, plan in the making, perrfection. Wandering over to the items district I enter a shop with an anvil on the front. There''s no one else in the store except an older dwarf leaning back in a rocking chair. Exuding as much charm as I possibly can with my 1 in Charisma I put an elbow on the desk, having to lean down far to actually do so "Hey pops! Can I call you pops moo?" The old dwarf lifts an eyebrow and points back to the wall, "Well this is pop''s blacksmith shop, so you can go right ahead assuming I''m pops." On the back of the wall in big bold iron letters is ''Pop''s Blacksmithery'', eyes wide I really wonder if I''m that stupid or my low scores are getting to me again, "yes, yes... quite so cough moo." "I''m looking at getting a few pieces of armor as well as a weapon for punching with. I have about... 250g altogether if that helps you pick out things I might need moo..." I''m hopeful that they can just offer me what I am missing rather than deal with having to think through choices, I see to be lacking in that department at the moment. With a puzzled look on their face, they ask "Did you get mugged on your way in, kid?... I thought that fancy rabbit was giving out a bunch of money to help new adventurers?" realization hits me, the pouch! the goddamn pouch!! maybe I should have put my Wisdom in the negatives with how well I''m doing. Pulling out the pouch I open it, and get a few pop ups. Notifications { Received 1200g } { Received Necklace of New Beginnings } { Received Map of Utor } { Received Coin of Nemesis } Well at least I know I''m not completely broke, I smile awkwardly at the dwarf, he puffs out some smoke through his pipe in response. "Okay so I have another 1200 gold so that''s 1450g altogether, I guess any light armor and something for my fists for punching with moo?" the dwarf nods and tells me to wait a few minutes while he gathers some gear up, eventually they come back after running around the store and throw all the gear on the table, a lot of it seems to be combined leather with woven metals in them, included seems to be some undergear as well to help the armor not cut into my fur. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. "950g altogether, if you can get me some Animal materials il throw in some better equipment depending on what kind you find, I hear there¡¯s a few magical beast nearby, but I¡¯m sure that¡¯s a dream at this point for you rookies!", A Quest pops up suddenly and I instinctively accept it, it''s a win win since I¡¯m going to kill things anyway! --------- Pop''s Request Pop Needs some monster drops, Furs, Pelts, Claws etc. Reward Customized equipment based on items received 200 Exp Per Item Made [ Accept Quest ] < Received the following Equipment > Leather Breastplate (Common) - Chest Armor Defense Piercing - 5 Slashing - 7 Blunt - 5 Effects N/A Leather Pants (Common) - Leg Armor Defense Piercing - 5 Slashing - 6 Blunt - 5 Effects N/A Hide Gloves (Common) - Hand Armor Defense Piercing - 2 Slashing - 2 Blunt - 2 Effects N/A I also receive 2 Bronze Knuckles. Bronze Knuckle (Common) - Weapon Main/Offhand Damage 2 - 5 Blunt Damage Effects 50% increased Critical damage on weak spots Pops pushes me into the changing room and I start to get it all together, once I come out they admire their work, "Yup! that will keep you surviving for at least a while longer, now get! I''ve got to get some shut eye in before another Gnoll tells me I''m racist for not carrying extra small armor" they sit back in their rocking chair and close their eyes before I even leave the store, under their voice I hear muttering about small Gnolls, that they didn¡¯t know small Gnolls even existed until now. The sun is warm on my face, still high in the sky. I decide, this time I won''t mess up with checking my items! I have a good look at the 3 other things I got from my starter bag, a necklace, the coin, a map of the town and surrounding areas. The map is quite simple with regions displayed showing what types of monsters occupy each area and what levels are recommended, there''s a few red zones with what I can only assume is a boss symbol. Noting it mentally I also am tempted to look just to have a little bit of thrill... Not that I''ve had any combat myself yet. I quickly fling a message to Zelia asking what her level is, I quickly get back a < Level 6, I¡¯m betting you haven''t even left town yet? heh wan! > I send her back a < ;~; > face and sigh.. Goddamnit... The second item is a necklace that gives +2 to wisdom and +2 to Constitution, they really don''t want us to die too early or be dumb enough like me huh... Necklace of new beginnings (Story) - Neck Accessory Effects Wisdom +2 Constitution +2 I put it on and feel an instant change, the world becomes a little clearer as if a haze has lifted and my body doesn''t feel like a wet noodle anymore, more of a crunchy biscuit. The last item is the most interesting one, since I''m Nemesis''s champion and the coin flip active ability does reference this coin... Gods how embarrassing it would be if I never opened this bag, hah! I suck... Coin of Nemesis (Unique) - Item Effects 1-1 Piercing damage { Hidden Effect } The coin of the goddess Nemesis, Bring down those wrought by hubris, Bring balance to fate'' It has a hidden effect but also damage?? What am I supposed to do!? Throw it at monsters? I really need to look up more about her... Or ask Zelia to look up more about her and zone out while I listen to her voice, mnm a much better alternative... At least for now I need to get some levels! Checking the map, I head to the north of town and follow a path out into some fields. I''m lagging behind a bit so everyone has already moved into the tougher zones, which is honestly the best thing I could ask for, this is going to be embarrassing at best, death at worst. Finally, some combat! Status Interface Name: LilMoo Level: 2 Race: Minotaur Gender: Female, She/Her Max Health: 35 Max Mana: 22 Max Stamina: 42 Points remaining: 0 Strength: 1 (2) Dexterity: 6 Constitution: 1 (3) Wisdom: 1 (3) Intelligence: 1 Charisma: 1 Luck: 50 Equipment Head: N/A Neck: Necklace of New Beginnings Chest: Leather Breastplate Wrists: Bronze Bracer Hands: Hide Gloves Legs: Leather Pants Feet: N/A Weapon: Bronze Knuckles Off-Hand: Bronze Knuckles Ring 1: N/A Ring 2: N/A Items 500g Coin of Nemesis Map of Utor Abilities Passive Pinnacle of Luck (Unique) Herald of Nemesis (Unique) Active Coin Flip (Uncommon) Titles N/A Chapter 9: One on the horn, Nightmare of the past. The sun was washing over the fields, the morning dew still brushed against the dark green grass spotted with white flowers. "What a beautiful day for getting some levels moo!" The view has put me in a really good mood, I like it when it''s bright, I''ve spent too much time in dark places over my life. Walking slowly, I spot my first victim, or I could be the victim... Well, I guess we will find out! It has been nearly 2 years since I''ve been in combat after all. A slime is eating a flower, petal by petal, enjoying life. My devilish shadow with horns falls over the slime. I enjoy the cute scene. The slime does not, in fact I think it may have lost some mass on the grass. Poor thing. Better put it out of its misery then, making sure all my equipment is ready, I smack my bronze knuckles together and punch down at the small green slime. I seem to have somehow caused a fear effect on it because it just lets it happen, shivering it turns into a pile of goo. A 5 emboldened by a jagged explosion shows the damage as a critical hit! Normally this would be something to jump about, except 5 damage in a critical hit is quite sad, thanks to my trash strength stat. { Notifications } { ''Event triggered'' Slime has been afflicted with ''fear'' } { 5 blunt critical damage against Slime (2 base damage x 2.5 Critical damage } { Slime Defeated } { 50 Exp Acquired } { 50/1000 until level up } If I''m not dealing crits, I''m going to be doing basically 1 damage with each strike... With my 2 in Strength, I only do 20% of my weapon''s damage! I''m doing exactly the minimum possible damage against all enemies until I get more Strength stat! ugh... didn¡¯t realize how much I would screw myself over at the start. I''m not going to be scaring every monster into petrification to be bapped, Each battle could take forever at this rate. I hear a squelch coming from behind me and turn around just in time to feel a squishy rubber ball thwack against my chest as I stumble backwards a few feet, this one actually looks ready to murder. { Slime delt 1 damage after reduction from equipment } { 34/35 health remaining } Lunging forward I slam down on the slime, a Critical damage indicator with 3 rises up from its body, it''s looking a bit rough but still alive, and pissed, as it jumps, I aim for its leaping jump and strike it back with my right fist in a counter attack. A purple critical strike with a 5 rises up as the slime is slammed back against the ground, a 1 rises up from my fist as I also take the slime''s damage. 3 Critical Damage (1 base damage x 2.5 critical damage ) against slime } { The Goddess has seen your skill } { Passive Ability < Counter > Learned, Minimum 12 Wisdom required to obtain, forcefully By-Passed status requirement. } { 5 Critical damage (1BD x 2.5CD x 1.5< Counter >) } { 1 Damage received from Slime after reductions } Counter level 1 (Uncommon) - Passive Ability 50% Additional damage when attacking an enemy as they attack you, use their force against them. ''Is it bravery or stupidity that makes a real warrior? I''d like to think it''s a bit of both! - Ex-Commander of the 12th Uslav legion before they attacked an army twice their size'' Oh damn, Wisdom is important huh? Crap, that''s gonna be a while before I can normally start unlocking passives! Zelia did tell me that it was important, but I don''t remember everything she said about it. It was too easy to daze off watching that sexy little mouth move while she was excited explaining everything to me. I''m sure she has a pile of files somewhere for me to slog through. She said something about all weapons can get a passive buff as well from Abilities, I can''t even imagine what Wisdom I''m going to need for that though... I''m tempted to ask Fia to check online for me and I bet she''s been waiting in the background, but I feel like that''s cheating a little, it feels nice to just unlock everything as I go, even if it isn''t the most efficient. Speaking of unlocking things, haven''t my critical attacks been a little... Every hit? I know I have the passive ability { Pinnacle of Luck } but jeez! "Hey Fia, are you there?" I ask my console. "Hihi! Lilia, it took you so long to ask for me!! What can I help you with lovely?" Her voice comes from around my ears as if I''m wearing an earpiece. "Fia how come I keep getting critical hits? I don''t actually know what my critical attack percentage is to be honest" I asked, confused about what I''m missing. I hear Fia giggle, "I really hope it''s to do with your status points because I don''t think you''re having those kinds of issues out of game." On my console the Character Information panel comes up, at the side of the character information panel is another button off to the side that says { Advanced Info }, it''s now glowing bright with a bunch of arrows highlighted around it pointing to it. A blush rises past my neck and up to my cheeks, "F-Fia, thank you! Yes, I see it now... Please remove the arrows, oh gods that''s so embarrassing, it''s definitely my stats... don''t you dare tell Zelia!" I press the button and Fia removes all the embarrassing embellishments. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. --------- { Additional Information } - Critical Attack chance 20% (5% basecrit + Items x 2x Luck%(100% increase) + Passive effect) - Critical damage x 250% - Weak point damage increases 50% - Main hand base damage 1-1 Blunt (2 - 5 blunt damage x 10%xStrength) - Off hand base damage 1-1 Blunt (2 - 5 blunt damage x 10%xStrength) - Item drops chance increase 200% (Increase 2%xLuck + Passive) - Event Chance increase 200% (Increase 2%xLuck + Passive) --------- "It looks like at least you have a 20% chance at hitting critical strikes, I guess that''s been your saving grace!" "Huh on top of having luck, I guess I''ve just been lucky then, that''s a nice thought to finally have in my life haha... ugh... moo!" I bend down to pick through the defeated slimes, I manage to scavenge out 60g and 2 rank F lesser monster cores, some pocket money at least, I think I''ll need to aim at farming more animal like monsters to get some materials for my quest, but a level or 2 may be needed first. The green field is my oyster, and the slimes are my pearls! Onward! I rush to the next slime and smack down on it while rotating around it to avoid any possible attacks. This time it''s defeated in 3 hits, the last being a critical to finish it off, with 17 more slimes to kill. I make my way through the field on my way to the next zone''s forest. ¡­ { Slime defeated } { 50 exp Gained } { 1000/1000 Max Exp Gained } { Level 3 Achieved } [ Level Up ] { Please assign your 5 status points } { 0/2000 until next level } Yes, level up! Knowing how low my damage is I decide to throw the 5 points straight into Strength, a 50% increase in damage is thoroughly needed right now, altogether I have 70% of my damage which means... 2 - 3 damage a hit? Math is not my strong suit but I think that''s correct, correct and extremely sad! Decimals get turned into whole numbers and round up at least or I would be even more screwed!? I''ll check my information later to make sure it''s right though. Something small, orange and shining lays on the ground having just come out of the Slime I defeated. A rare drop?? It''s a small red ribbon with a silver bell hanging off it, it''s super cute! I have a look at its status "Unidentified Accessory" oh damn... I''ll put it on anyway! I''m sure it''s not cursed with how cute it is!! I tie it around my right horn and hear it jingle around with my cow bell as I move, maybe I should remove it as a cosmetic... The cow bell I mean, but it''s so... ME! my character I mean not like me, gosh, minotaur girls are like... legally required to have it! Now having the ability to actually deal some damage it''s time for the ''forest arc'' ahh it''s my time to shine! Considering how long the frigging town arc was, I''m pretty chuffed to be on my way to level city! The forest area slowly starts with bushes and then eventually moves into sparse trees, to the point of no light coming through the trees, the eventual goal is just to not die so slow and steady! Carefully I walk through the bushy area and see a few rabbits rubbing their backs against a tree, their legs are much more elongated than any rabbit I''ve seen online. My new bell seems to have alerted them to my presence and they rear up on their back legs. "Bunnies moo!" Their bodies explode off the ground, shooting at me with their heads appearing as if bullets, one of them I manage to deflect off my bracer and the other connects with my chest pushing me backwards but I''m able to keep my posture. "Not bunnies NOT BUNNIES!" { RapidRabbit deals 3 damage after reductions } { RapidRabbit deals 2 Damage after reductions } Oh, I fucked up, they didn¡¯t do a lot of damage, but I can only imagine what would have happened if I came in here without any armor on. The one that hit my chest is able to land with a 10/10 sign over its head, perfect landing~ the other one that I was able to deflect falls over holding its head, that''s my target! Leaping to the side I throw a punch at the RapidRabbit''s head, A critical hit damage number of 8 pops up and it''s pushed backwards toppling over and over its own body. Instinctively I roll forwards after the rabbit, a gust of wind goes past my backside as the other passes by. My tail is grazed slightly as I take a point of damage. Nuu my poor wagger!! Looking forward, prone on the ground from my tumble, the rabbit is recovering, holding its head with its little paws it starts getting up ready to pounce again. I do the only thing I can think of. I push forward with my whole body, charging it with my horns. We both don''t expect it, they let their legs go in shock, pouncing forwards towards me, I fall flat on my belly again. The sensation of a meat kebab on my left horn, thankfully avoiding my new accessory, the dripping blood coating my hair and face. I roll over onto my back and sit up in shock, hyperventilating, the sensation of blood running down and over my stomach, feeling the $*%&#@* once again on my skin. Wait no please don¡¯t, there''s nothing there, there''s nothing there!? It was all a bad dream! IT WAS ALL A BAD DREAM! "-----! ¡ª--!!!!! ¨CLIA!! PLEASE RESPOND! YOUR HEARTBEAT IS TOO RAPID YOU''RE GOING INTO SHOCK!" { 4 Damage taken from RapidRabbit } My console is flashing a rainbow like a signal pulsing in my brain. "FiaFia I''m here, I''m sorry Fia, it¡¯s my fault it''s all my fault please make it stop! it''s not real, it was all a bad dream it was all a bad dream I can feel it in my stomach growing, please make it stop MOO!" "Lilia! Lilia you''re getting attacked! You need to get somewhere safe or I''m going to have to pull the plug which is going to hurt a lot!" Lashing out wildly with my fists, I feel something connect with them. Everything is in a haze of red and whites, like the walls of my nightmares. The straps bite into my skin, the dripping of liquids, always dripping DRIP DRIP, upon my body, where will it grow next?! Am I next?! Am I just a farm for them to pluck it from me?! AM I EVEN HUMAN ANYMORE!? "It''s okay, it''s dead, it''s dead now Lilia lie down and scrunch yourself up. That''s a good girl, it''s going to be okay, it''s going to be okay, you''re in a safe place. I''m going to ask you something and you need to just answer me with a yes, okay, just need you to use your voice for a second." "Would you like to log out?", the last part is a slightly more robotic voice, it''s a command prompt, I nod my head and whisper softly "Yes yes... please make it stop..." And it does. 13 Years Ago 13 Years ago "And r-right next to the southern cross is the Je-jewel box, its made up a tones and tones of different pl-planetary systems" the bespeckled girl sits next to me staring up at the stars with binoculars wrapped around her neck stuttering while talking animatedly about the sky above us. An old oak tree sits upon a large hill in the middle of nowhere, we lean against it together, lights of the town off far in the distance, no other lights for hundreds of miles around. This is our spot, ours. It takes hours by bike to even get here, but once a week we sneak out and exist under the galaxy shining just for us. "What did you say your mum was again?" I whisper, staring up at the galaxy in awe, my voice as quiet as the Earth around us. "Sh-she''s an astronomer, I want to be like her someday, being able to look at the stars through their big telescopes." Sadness in her voice comes after the excitement "She got asked to leave with all the rest of the scientists, she said that before tomorrow night they would send someone to pick me up to take me with them..." We were all waiting for the big event, for the Asteroid to pass our small fragile planet. It won''t be happening till tomorrow afternoon so this is our last chance before my 12th birthday to be here. They said we might be on lockdown for a week or so in the town bunker, a birthday in a bunker, how embarrassing will that be, knowing that the whole town will be there for it, even the other kids that bully me... "S-soo have you thought about a name?" She asks, trying to distract both of us. This wasn''t just a place for watching the stars, it was also a place where we told each other everything, without worry of being judged or bullied for being different or feeling different. "I was thinking... Lilia..." I move my face away from her knowing that she won''t judge me but feeling bashful, nonetheless. "Huh... that really suits you, Hi Lilia, it''s nice to me-meet you" I turn to her with tears in my eyes and see her smiling at me, that big smile that always brightens my day and I smile back knowing that this is a safe place, that it¡¯s going to be okay. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. "Do you ever think the town will accept me?... "I ask hesitantly "like I told mum how I feel a bit and she only hugged me and told me it would be hard... But I just wanna feel like me, it shouldn''t be hard to be me, right..." I pull my head between my knees, and we lean into each other looking out over the Australian wastes that stretches on forever and ever. I can feel Nat shiver next to me so I grab the picnic blanket out of my bag, one that dad wouldn''t get angry at me for getting dirty. I pull it over both of us, feeling the safety and warmth of my best friend against me, she speaks up and mumbles, "You know you could come with me?... I don''t want to leave you here alone..." She sniffles slightly and I follow in kind, wishing that we could never be separated. "I''m really glad you came into my life Nat... even if you''re not here, I''m never going to forget you, we both know your mother might have been stationed somewhere else one day, at least we got one last night together... Even if you will miss my horrible bunker birthday party" we hold hands under the blanket and doze off together, under the stars that flicker just for us. "I hope you''ll come back for me one day...'''' I whisper, as sleep finally takes me. ¡­ A noise wakes me from my dream, the sun hasn''t come up but I can see the moon nearly leaving my sight so it must be getting close to morning, Nat stirs next to me as well, snuggling into my side asking for 5 more minutes, the noise is really annoying... is that a siren? The evacuation siren!? "Nat! Nat we need to get up, the evacuation siren is going off we need to get to the bunker!!" she freezes realizing what''s going on "what!? but it''s not even sun up yet, we should still have half a day at least before it should even be¡­" The word gets stuck in her throat as she looks up high above the tree and sees a looming shape above us, a circular eye staring down upon us, judging humanity like an all-encompassing god. It travels silently, and in its wake blue droplets like space rain come off it, some dissipating into mist and others dropping further and faster towards Earth. The light of sun-up starts to cast a blue glow against us and the old oak tree, the Asteroid, has brought forth a new type of light into our world. All we can do is hold each other as we know it''s too late to get to town, we can only wait it out in our favorite spot, the place for us. It seems reality had other ideas, a batch of droplets seemed to be interested in our part of the earth, the last thing I see is a flash of blue light, a shockwave spreads over us, darkness obscures my vision, my body pierced again and again, flung like a teddy bear in a hurricane. I will never see Natalie again. Chapter 10: A place by my side. Zelia Pov A green angular face with long jaw scowls at me as its friend falls down after charging at me, their body had recently burst into flames, the other goblin was wary of the same fate. The page in my { beginners tome } flips to the last page as I ready my { sage''s scepter } forming the symbol as fast as possible in the air, it shimmers into existence, "Burn at the stake wan!" a ghostly stake with a figure screaming emerges from the ground behind the goblin and the area around it starts to burn. Flipping back to the first page, my symbol this time is even faster as I unleash a force blast to its face. In its panic the goblin doesn''t know which way to run and instead perishes against the stake while cowering in pain. { Forest Goblin Defeated } { 200 exp obtained, 450/4000 exp } { Burn at the stake leveled up! level 3 acquired } < 4 damage per tick, lasts 8 seconds > < 4 Foot radius from stake > "Yuuusss waannn~" the higher my skills the better I can farm! I hit level 7 after a while of defeating monsters in the opposite part of the forest. My map said that there were humanoid monsters which are perfect to blow off a little steam. Each wolf killed was a sad day for the lupine race, one day they will let me awoo with them... A message hits my console from Lilia''s account, hehe I wonder if she''s asking me for help finally! < EMERGENCY LOG OUT LILIA IN DANGER > Fuckfuckfuck I start to reply to ask what''s wrong, NO stupid. I hit the Logout button and see the combat timer finish as it pushes me into the void. As the light returns to my vision I yell out to Fifi to help me leave as quickly as possible. The black and blue oily substance recedes and morphs behind me expanding quickly as I leverage myself out of the capsule, nearly tripping over the lip in the process. The door swings open as I get close and I dash outside, the light hitting me. Looking down I realize I''m only in my underwear and sports bra, fuck no, no time! running next door I push at it and it slams open "Please Zelia! get ready Lilia is about to surface from the capsule! I''ve kept her under as long as I could!" the desperation and fear in Fia''s voice is evident. The capsule pulls open and I move closer avoiding the lifting lid, "What happened Fia?! Wasn''t she just leveling??" not that long ago she even messaged me asking me what my level was! "I nearly had to forcefully eject Lilia due to her having panic attacks in game. She had a rabbit skewered on her horn and the blood covered her body, she talked about something growing inside her and dripping?! I DON''T KNOW! I did everything I could, I''ve injected her with painkillers and something to help her calm down, but she Isn''t breaking out of her panic attack, you''re the most important person to her and close by, so I knew you were her only hope of help!" "Thanks for calling for me so quickly Fia, it''s going to be okay... She''s having a bad episode, we''ve got her." Okay okay I''ve got this, fuck, I can see her body shivering as the oil slips off it, protector instincts overriding the animal thoughts as the liquid slips off her body. The cushions expand as fast as possible, her body angles further towards me as the cushions push to their limits, my hands go around and up her body cupping around her shoulders, warm against my own, her body leans into my arms, I flinch as her muscles tense and fingers stab into my back. "It''s okay Lilia, I''ve got you, I''m here, It''s me, I''m never letting you go, shhhh" I start humming a tune Lilia taught me, one from her childhood, one that her mother used to sing to her when she was sick... "Zel... Z-zel I-it''s growing again... I thought they took it all out b-but I can feel it... Don¡¯t let the doctor have me..." her tears are pouring down my front as she starts to shake violently. My heart is breaking, and I try not to cry with her in my arms, she''s so fragile. My Lilia, the strong girl that can sweep me off my feet when I''m feeling down, has protected me, and stood up for me ever since she became a part of the family. Never letting go of the past, but also not remembering half of it, instead it comes back in dreams and trauma, so strong, but damaged and won''t let anyone be there for her, like she doesn''t deserve it... Stupid dummy just needs to let me fully in, I''ve seen the want, but she''s so afraid... I clear her body of the Capsule and I try my best to not drag her along the floor. We are really close in height, although we don''t act like it... and it doesn''t help that her minotaur character is an additional foot taller and mine a foot shorter. It makes me feel really safe when I''m small with her, so it just hits me extra hard. I''m going to be a gay mess trying to adjust when we finally get together in game... Buta licks at Lilia''s feet as we pass by. In a slight panic I check the door to make sure it''s closed, which Fia must have done straight away when I entered. Not that Buta would leave, fearing the outside world and all the danger it brings with it, it''s not a brave kitty, being a rescue it''s always been an inside cat. We clear the lounge and make it back to her bedroom, sparse and empty... I need to start giving her plushies so that she''s forced to have some more color in here... "Fia, no lights please, there you go back to bed, we are safe, together and nothing''s going to hurt you. I''ve always protected you haven¡¯t I? We''ve got each other''s backs, don''t we?" Lilia weakly nods against my reddening skin from her head pushing against me in anguish. The lights turn off and the blinds close fully, the door closes behind us as we are plunged into darkness, a cocoon of warmth. I try pulling Lilia off me gently, she struggles and tries to hold on, I try to soothe her further and she loosens her grip, I position her on the bed on her side with a pillow under her head. Her legs and body I make sure are pulled up so that she can feel her knees, touch them with her hands. Getting behind her I whisper softly about how warm and safe she is now, just like it used to be together. Meaningless dribbling¡¯s of words with occasional humming like the beating of a heart in a womb, our bodies fully connected. "Don''t let them get me please... " "Nothing could take you away from me... ever..." The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. After a few minutes of mumbling about red shapes in the dark and the white place she falls asleep... I quickly follow. ¡­ A soft voice rouses me from slumber, my left arm had lost feeling hours ago, but I''m wary about trying to move it, waking up the sleeping beauty. She is still sleeping curled up in my arms... Something I''d like to make normal if not for her hesitation... Not that I can really blame her... With even the small bits she''s told me... "Would you like me to delay the timer for the alarm ''parent visit''?... It''s about to trigger... Just say the word..." Her quiet voice seems poised just at my side, trying to only reach me, thinking I''d know best in this situation. "Thank you Fia... I think we should still try to go there; can you send them a message saying we might be a little late?... I''m sure they will understand, they always do..." I move my hand over her forehead and push her hair back behind her ear, the way she likes it. Her eyes flutter to life and she looks at me wearily, the love in her eyes is evident. ¡°I don''t know if I like the dreams with you as a puppy on my chest or here in my arms better..." That is going straight into a fanfiction!!!! Wait, she''s dreaming about me as a puppy?! My face is getting redder by the second, her hand reaches up and brushes my lips and she freezes, her face also starting to go a bright red. "This isn''t a dream, is it?... Zel please say this is a dream..." She moves her hand off my face to cover hers... God how can she be so domineering but so cute! I cough and try to cover up my embarrassment looking away quickly, ice cold shower and a hot story to use it is! "How are you doing Lil? we can stay like this for a bit and talk about it?" I ask, hesitating knowing that she won''t, at least not fully, but leaving the offer there. "I-I''m doing better... I had the thing about blood again, like so many times before... I just need to stop thinking about it, there''s so many repressed memories and feelings, and I feel it so close in the back of my mind, like something is growing inside me, something from my past... All I can see is red all over me, white walls, and a doctor... a bad bad doctor..." Lilia is straining and closing her eyes hard trying to force the images out, trying to at least show me something. "It''s okay it''s okay, it''s enough that you''re trying, don''t hurt yourself for me... Please..." I pull her into my chest feeling her heartbeat slow down. Pulling her back out I rub the tears from her eyes with my thumb and kiss her on the forehead. "We need a distraction... and it''s already getting late. Let me help you up so we can get ready to visit mum and dad, Fia can you get the shower running for her and I''ll quickly run back to mine to get showered and clothed as well? Just let me know if there''s any trouble and I''ll be back over" "Of course Zelia, it would be my pleasure love" Fia gently conveys back, sounding grateful for my assistance. ¡­ After the fastest shower of my life, I''m back at Lilia''s dressed and ready to go. I was originally intending to get something new, but it was quicker to just throw on yesterday''s clothes, not that I used them a whole lot since I was in the game the whole afternoon. The shower''s still running but Fia has assured me that she''s actively showering and not just sitting in a heap on the floor... "Thanks again Fia, you really helped out... It sucks that she doesn''t let me in though, I''m glad at least she has someone here in case..." my mood is a little dour, I''d love to live together... Be by her side, whatever happens. "Well... you know you are still Lilia''s legal guardian, which means you could connect our systems together as per your authorization under Sci-Axium, just a thought of course, it would also mean that you would share Home Access Points, so when you''re just in the capsule you would be able to be together..." She sounds so sly, I like this Fia! being able to tell she genuinely cares about her... something she needs the most. I know what she''s getting at, it would be like living together, but I would have to ask Lilia first... oh actually! "What would happen to my Fifi if the systems are connected?" The little teasing goth doll really has grown on me. "Oh we are all separate entities, if you''re worried about her ''disappearing'' it''s not possible, all the Fia''s are ''alive'' in a way, separate but a part of a whole, if the capsule and use is deemed not there that ''Fia'' will be retired to other work, we breath inside the Axium-Net just as you breath Air, we have our own lives to live, just for now our lives are with you all and to support the users. Wow... uhh I didn''t think it was so complex... I know that the laws detailing A.I. as lifeforms was founded along with the creation of Sci-Axium as a whole, and stopping the forced creation of base functional A.I. lots of A.I. are split off from a central larger whole, such as the Fia System, but they have their own feelings, their own identities, they have a parent and are born, just in a faster capacity to humans. I could see that in my own Fifi and how she felt about things we watched together, her weird hate of basketball for one, ''it''s just dribbling a ball! If I wasn''t so small I could do that too!'' she has said when commercials come on when watching anime together, or her possible fujoshi nature... I''ve only been with her for 2 days and she has binged a very touchy male swimming anime multiple times on repeat. I''m sure at some point my account is just going to become even more embarrassing, frankly im proud of her, but wished she was on the right side. I hear the door to the bathroom open, Lilia quickly sprinting to her room and slamming the door all in one action, I''ve been looking away trying not to get a glimpse, my heart beating fast just thinking about it. The number of fanfictions I''ve written of situations like these, ones that could only happen online. I could never be as bold as my characters, pushing up against each other with only a towel between them, desperately clinging to their dignity but pushing further and further until all sense of inhibition breaks... mnf!... I feel the urge to dunk my head in cold water again, the cold shower not being enough of a repellant for gay thoughts, is it because of the increase in hormones that Fifi''s been giving me or is it just... this, maybe I¡¯m in heat, being a wolf girl doing things to me badly. Lilia comes out of the bedroom after a while with just a shirt and tight jeans on, ahh the classic, she grabs her replica converse front the front door area and slips down next to me to put them on, slowly tying the laces. Buta comes over to inspect what we''re wearing, making sure that we leave with an extra coat of fur. They dash up the couch as best they can and stomp past Lilia, getting in her way as she tries to tie her shoes, settling on my lap and flopping onto their back, their tongue hanging out like a dogs. "Ooh! oh!! Keep them like that! Yuuussss My siblings are going to be soo jealous! Hehe" Fia is invisible but absolutely shining in the zone, getting the perfect Buta picture. "Oh, is that why I''ve seen you take those photos Fia?" Lilia asks, smiling brightly next to me. "Mmnn my cute siblings have many animal sharing groups; Buta is high on the list of ''most wanted as a pet'' the chonkiest monarch of adorableness! I''m very proud of my photography skills, although my subject is already so photogenic to begin with its hard to get one wrong!" Lilia and I burst out laughing at how cute Fia is being, "Oh Lilia, would you be okay with our systems linking together? It would mean we would share house points in the Capsule but also mean that I''m able to help you quicker if something bad happens" I can see the hesitation in Lilia''s eyes. "I''ll think about it... I would like to be able to hang out together... I''ve been thinking that a cottage home point would be nice..." She''s blushing as she says this, like she has something else in mind... at least this is a start, this is more progress than I''ve made in a long time, a bit of a push but not the biggest.¡¯ "You know how I feel about cottages heh, like those one we saw online together with the little gardens and fireplaces mmnnn perfect." Lilia nods and stands up "Oh look at the time!" they say facing away from me, they fall back a little and put their hand on the couch to stabilize themselves. Kissing Buta on the stomach, moving the kitty to the couch, I get up and hold their side until they are back up. "It was a good talk Fia, I hope we get to see each other more. I''m sure my little Fifi would love to see those pictures." "Oh, little doll Fifi is a great proponent of Buta smoosh pictures in the animal server, if you tell her you might be too able to connect to my system she would jump at the chance to be able to see Buta 24/7~" Another laugh is elicited from Lilia. We start to head out. It wasn''t an adventure awaiting us, but it was as important. Chapter 11: Dinner with the Lanz. Arriving at the door we are greeted with loud conversation and direct access to the apartment with our home ID''s, Zel hasn''t really let go of me except to let me shower and get ready for getting out here, I don''t blame her, after nearly falling over a few times I wouldn''t let go of me either. The conversation gets louder "It''s not a conspiracy theory, it''s a conspiracy fact! There''s evidence, well not a lot but it''s interesting, isn''t it?!" Peter is at it again, not that it turned out all of them were wrong, usually they find interest in the minds of people that get obsessed with such things and enjoy tagging along. They are a psychologist by day, Conspiracy therapist by night, as they liked to say. "Just because you were right once!" "Twice!" "One and a half, the whole ''birds are all robots'' thing was nonsense, and it was only after it had spread for years that it was used against the people, multiple countries made realistic robot birds for spying, so no, half." Amelia, Amy or Mom as she preferred, being a scientist herself, took everything she could objectively, her husband included, which made for the best listening material. Peter or dad... Which... I''m still getting used to it, even years after they brought me into their home. I know they both thought of me as such although they always hesitated to make it formal, which I understand, I also hesitate on the fact... I know my own are gone but no one could take their place, not that they ever tried to. They always let me be my own person, even under their own house, yes there were fights but it was for the better to grow together. "And what was number one? That''s right it made us safe, we couldn''t trust our government regardless of the good it''s done, especially with the bad it was doing, it''s all about control and we got out of that control and into a better kind of control!" "Yes, by lying to your wife that you were offered an amazing job opportunity in Australia!" "It wasn''t a lie! I found an open position and applied... and they offered it to me... Same thing really." Amelia throws up her hands and pushes her husband out into the living room. He has a big grin on his face, knowing he can''t beat his wife in a conversation involving science, but he can frustrate her enough for her to end the conversation, making it his victory. "Here''s our kids! Forgetting your old man, it''s been weeks since I''ve seen your lovely faces, getting more ''Aesthetically pleasing'' by the minute... That''s the word isn''t it, it''s all about aesthetics nowadays!" His grin has turned into a loving smile, seeing that we are growing up wonderfully. "Hey dad!" We both embrace him, he''s a bit shorter than us both but built like a footballer, well without the muscles. The only exercise they seem to do nowadays is in their weekly LAVRP. "Now which of you wants to know about the latest in conspiracies?!" The excitement in his eyes is reminiscent of Zelia''s, it''s easy to see who she takes after. "I''ve got to talk to mum some but you two enjoy" Zelia winks at me and lets go of my hand, whispering something to her dad on the way through, he nods sadly and turns to me to offer me a seat on the couch. I sink into the couch and hold on, without my support Zel I''ve got to hold on to what I can. Peter pulls out a data pad and shows me one of the most famous videos in the world, the announcement for Oscium with Dr. Dorothy Caster. A name that''s not only known because of this but because of her statue being at the center of every Sci-Axium habitat region, as a reminder that science is for all. She had become the scientific community''s patron saint. It''s... different from what I remember, the quality is worse in some places... "What''s with the quality?" they click their fingers. "See, I knew you would get it! All the copies of the speech on every device that have been connected to the Axium-Net have been ''corrupted'', which is basically everything right?? Even older devices that connect to the network have certain parts of its data tampered with, it''s all about control! But why this video in particular! It could be because it''s important historical information so they can''t just remove it, too many people would notice!" They look like an excited great Dane; the whole family seems like they have dog in their genes. "Okay so... Why? What is so important to cover up, it''s like the most famous video in existence right now, surely someone would have noticed by now how different it is?" I lean back into the soft lounge chair puzzled at such a weird thing, it could be that the A.I. systems accidentally corrupted the video and it just happened to a bunch, but this is the only important one. "Well, when you own the internet and have the resources to control it the only real way of that data being tampered with or removed is word of mouth. So... I''ve been talking to some people off the net, the main theory is because of the people in the back of the scene!" "I can''t even recall there being people in the back of the scene?" Caster was a very emphatic speaker and was able to hold attention, especially with the damning words she said that day. Peter grins again "There were a few people in soldier''s clothes in the background that had Sci-Axium on their uniforms, people remember a different symbol on it though. Instead of the normal symbols that each different division has, this was a new one that wasn''t seen before or again, some kind of lines around a center orb or something..." Peter stares pondering for a bit, staring at the screen. "I do happen to have some older machines that haven''t been connected to the network, but whether I saved it or not, it''s been too many years... and they aren''t fully functioning, I like to toy with them every so often, something that needs a human touch! So at least I have some fun projects on my hands, even if it turns into pure hogwash hah" They smack their knees and offer to get me a drink, passing me the data pad, I accept, and they move into the kitchen leaving me alone with my thoughts. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. "A secret division of Sci-Axium... It wouldn''t be surprising..." I feel a little bit of nausea wash over me and put down the data pad, something familiar in how the symbol was described, the less I think on it the better I feel. A hand grasps my shoulder, "Lil, you okay?" Looking up I see Zelia looking over me with concern, "Yeah yeah sorry, just zoned out a bit", What was that... I take the drink in her hand, and she sits next to me, leaning against me slightly which helps clear my head, her presence always did, grounding me. "And there''s my other daughter! As bad as each other for not letting me know you''re doing okay! I know Zel''s got you sorted but I still worry..." A voice comes from behind the lounge and reaches over pulling me into a hug, I gratefully accept the motherly touch. "Hey mom, I''m sorry, you know how I get wrapped up in my own head, we could always try joining you and dad for a LAVRP one time? Something to get us out of the house... technically." It always feels weird to say ''L-aa-v-erp'', Live Action Virtual Role Play, it''s all the new rage, at least for their generation, adults who grew up in the boom of traditional tabletop role playing games. I''ve heard of some groups that proudly only LARP in person, the streets aren''t used as often as before, so I''ve seen a few groups of mixed older and younger people throwing large foam dice in the parks and streets, acting their part in the game. When I was younger, I wanted to get involved and the community center sometimes put them on, but who would want to play with a scruffy homeless teenager in rags¡­ You can feel the excitement from dad as mom sits down on the other couch with dad "Oh ohh I''m sure Anna would love to play with you both, it''s been years since you all have seen each other but her and Diane would love to spend time with you both!" Anne is Peter''s sister, he pulled both their families out of America when they left, she was always sharp and probably had a hand in pushing him in this direction. It''s a good thing too because Anne met Diane here, falling in love almost instantly. They have both been keeping up the efforts at the homeless kitchens and I''m sure by now they are up to at least 4 cats, every time Diane comes back with another stray Anna can never say no to her partner''s sappy eyes. Although Zelia has the same effect so it''s no surprise that it runs in the family... Buta was a stray kitten that Diane brought home but they couldn¡¯t keep and so became mine after they attached themselves to me, like I have always been attached to Zelia. A match made in heaven. "We always need new blood! That and we could always use new players for our Pathfinder 4th edition group, but you both have that new game now. I don''t think we will get our capsules for about... 7 weeks. But when we do, you''ve got to show us the ropes! It will be even more real than our LAVRP''s and that''s saying something, we put work into our campaigns!" She''s very proud of her campaigns, she''s done some programming work to enhance their headset VR systems as far as it can go, she''s the pride of the LAVRP community. ¡­ Ding The oven goes off. It''s been a good 10 minutes of catching up, letting them know how the games are going, how awesome the Fia''s are, all a while avoiding the fact that I nearly had myself ejected from my capsule because of trauma. "Get yourself ready for mama''s best pasta bake! Lots of cheese just like you like it Lilia dear" She smiles at me while she gets into homemaker mode. We get up to the dinner table and devour the best chick''n pasta bake this side of the globe! While we are getting through the mass of carbs, mum clicks her fingers and gets up, grabbing a bottle of red wine off the shelf. Expertly, she pops the cork and gets out 4 glasses for us, "It''s always a celebration when I get to see our family together! Cheers!" We clink our glasses together making sure to look each other in the eyes when we connect them, family tradition. The bottle is left at the table and downed along with a large amount of pasta. 2 glasses and nearly 2 bowls later, I''m about to fall into a buzzed coma, a glorious state of full happiness. "Gods I needed that... Thank you mum, dad, Zel you might have to carry me home..." I smile at them all, happy to be here, happy to be alive¡­ "Me! carry you? Not right now I can''t, we matched drink and bowl Lil, I was expecting you to take me home in those big strong arms, I''ve done enough carrying this week Hick" She covers her mouth embarrassed, but at least It''s not a Wan, more surprised that she hasn''t gotten too used to it by now. ¡­ "Okay, okay! I''ll bring it back with me, I''m going to need a bag though or it''s more likely to drop on the way home", Amy hands me a plastic bag, always one step ahead. "Travel safe! Message me when you get home, or I''ll spam you both with embarrassing home videos!!" We leave, waving our goodbyes, the cold night air feeling cool against my skin, still burning a little from the red wine. Bumping against each other we make our way through the well-lit, mostly empty streets. "I''m glad we came out tonight, thank you Zel... for everything, as usual it''s always you saving me, I hope one day I have my chance..." Zel bumps me a bit harder making me nearly walk into a pole, though it wouldn''t be the first or last time. "What, like save me from some monsters? Hah, I never wanted that, you being by my side has always been enough, being my friend and more, no matter what happened you were always there when I needed you. That''s what saved me, pushing me to be the best me, to be the real me." After walking in silence for a while we finally get to my apartment at the end of the row, 7th floor, leaning on each other the whole elevator ride up, acting a little more drunk than we were, touching just enough to share our heat, fingers barely touching. "Soo..." we pause, and both look at my door... The wine makes me a little braver, but gods I''m scared, scared of what it would mean, of what she would find out about me, what I would find out about me, being so close. I exhale and shiver, "I''ll give Fia permission to connect up our systems... Maybe we can spend some time making a perfect little cottage just for us..." I can see the sweetness in her smile and the want in her eyes, the blush on her cheeks. "I can''t wait Lilia... You know I''m going to be spending hours on it though, right?!" She pouts a little bit at the thought of all the time lost in game. "Yeah, but that means I can catch up! I''m still like level 3, even with extra time it''s going to be a struggle!" I move close to Zelia and pull her into a gentle hug, we clutch each other tightly for a moment and I pull away reluctantly, bending down, she kisses me on the forehead. "Goodnight ZelAwoo" "Goodnight LilMoo" We depart to our doors and with one last look, walk through it. "Welcome home Lilia, I hope your night was good!" Fia greets me warmly. "Hey Fia, it was... Good... I''m going to crash quickly but yes it was... Really good... Oh please connect mine and Zelia''s systems together" I tiredly slog my way to the bedroom slipping off my clothes. "Mmnn just a good night?... Hehe I''ll believe that when cows fly, have sweet lupine dreams Lilia." 8 Years Ago The immaculately folded sheets give me a sense of unease, don''t want to be reminded of my nightmares any more than I can. I stay in the cheapest hotels I can find situated around the homeless kitchen, rotating between different hotels so that I don''t get recognized, remembered. I ruffle the bed as soon as I enter my abode for the night and hit the shower, making sure to soak as much as I can, washing off the street. I try to limit myself to one night a week with the cash I have remaining, unless something really makes me feel... grimy... and then I need it to just get a personal space to cry and bemoan my existence. Every day I visit the homeless shelter in the afternoon for their lunch service. The family team is there most days and seem to dote on me a little. A young adult on the street, just skin and bones, I feel bad using their sympathies against them when there are so many mouths to feed, but it''s all I can do to survive. The young guy seems to have taken a liking to me, I can only guess they are around my age, it''s hard to tell. They are my height, although slim and slightly feminine, a dreamy sleepy look in their eyes. Every time I come through, they give me a big pitying smile and give me extra, I''m sure it''s confronting seeing our two lives so differently, both on different sides of the fence. They could have been me and I could have been them, although I doubt, I''d be helping in a homeless kitchen. It never seemed like my family''s thing, or at least my town. I assume we would be still living in that dusty place, bullied and with no friends after she had left, looking to leave for university at this point, if... the town still existed. While I''m eating, they''ve gone on break, sitting down next to me on the short stone wall opposite the kitchen. The chairs and table that are set up are too restrictive, hard to get up quickly if something goes wrong. They love to talk about books and stories they read online, things they have played with their parents, some kind of roleplaying game they play together. I can only really sit in silence; I don''t know what to say but they keep talking anyway. I try to nod and make affirming noises as much as I can, so they know I''m still listening, it''s... comforting, hearing their voice. They aren''t judging me, just... speaking to me, not asking questions, not asking what I''ve been through, like some of the councilors that visit the homeless shelters. The world is already a fucked mess, I know that much, I''ve seen the videos on my scrounged half broken smartphone. Some rich kid threw out their device without wiping it, all their ''home videos'' were still on there. Those were deleted fast, as tempted as I was to try and blackmail them. I knew it was asking to get me killed, it was an easier world to die in now. Seeing their lifestyle disgusted me, but at least I got something out of it. Some places had free network connections so I was able to see the world still, the mess that all the governments made out of an already horrible situation. The politicians fighting each other to fuck over the common people, trying to put more people on the streets just to appease their already rich beneficiaries. The ''success'' of the moon base even after its use was made redundant by the earth not expiring. No one ever came back from the moon as far as I had known, Acropolis, the scum gods had just disappeared, at least I hope they never come back. A holy land for the rich, famous, powerful, and corrupt gone just like that. I''d seen some leaked pictures and videos, it wasn¡¯t... human, that was before they stopped transmitting, I can only imagine how bad it had gotten in the end, when all the resources ran out, when the nuclear stations failed, when they started turning on each other. It was bad enough here on Earth with the governments gone and society having changed, just trying to survive was a miracle. I''ve zoned out in peace, listening to that quiet attentive voice, broken out of it by them stopping talking and telling me they have to get back to helping, I nod and smile at them as best I can, it''s hard to smile the way other people do, there''s not much left to smile for. ¡­ The synthetic bowl fills up with some kind of corn and vegetable soup, the bread roll on top completes my lunch. The woman places a second bread roll on top, carefully moved so as to not dip into the liquid, something that I can save for later. "I know you''re not much of a talker, but if anything ever happens you can come here to talk to us, we''ve been seeing you for a good year now and our kid seems to be fond of you. I''m Amy and this is Peter, if you need to look into getting into any programs there''s always help for younger people." She talks quietly as if I was a scared rabbit, ready to dash away at a moment''s notice of danger, which was not entirely wrong... but I would fight back if cornered, I''d fought enough to survive, again and again in this world. I smile weakly at the sentiment, I''ve been to those places, they expect too much of you, pushing you to try to be... human, I''ve been betrayed and broken too many times. I can''t trust those places, the faces that look down on you like you''re nothing, looking to just make some more credits off Sci-Axium without any actual effort being put in. The thin young man looks back from the giant pot of food, on cooking duty today, and smiles at me, hopeful that I''ll listen to their parents. No pity in their eyes, only a wish to help. They haven''t been corrupted by the world, only seeing the good in people, their judgment is misplaced in me. Leaving the kitchen, I pull my duffel bag over my shoulder, it''s nearly time to get a room again, you can smell me at this point. Thankfully most of the hotels had their own laundry services so I could feel clean, at least for a few days. The extra piece of bread gets shoved in my jacket pocket for dinner as I make my way back to my sleeping spot. It''s been warm lately, so I haven¡¯t had to cover myself with the ragged blanket I got from my first hotel. One of the cleaning ladies gave it to me, she said she would report it with wear and tear for disposal, it really was a life saver over the last year. I only saw her one other time on my trip to that same hotel, being screamed at by management, racial slurs thrown this way and that, bringing so much anger into my chest as she took it just looking down, as I''m sure she had a hundred times before. She shook her head at me when I started approaching them. She was a spark of kindness in the world, being snuffed out by those wanting to be in control, willing to help a broken person. I would only make it worse by trying to help back, everyone is living in their own prison. A lot of the homeless tried to use newspapers and magazines, they were hard to get as lots of places didn''t print anymore, either due to use of electronic versions or that some of the factories had to shut down due to restriction on wood use. Lots of the oxygen production is being left to Sci-Axium bases to supplement the loss of many forests over time. Usually we try to stay away from each other, having our ''designated'' spots, which is why I am as surprised as I am. One of the older men, past their prime, is waiting for me, the sun casting a shadow over their squinting bloodshot eyes. He must have been taking something bad for a while because his face is yellowed and drooling slightly, such fury in his eyes directed at me, wearing a battered and ripped old military uniform, a relic of years past. The knife in their hand shows their intent, the spite in their voice radiating through the alleyway that I have made my home. "GIVE ME YOUR FUCKING BAG YOU FUCKING SHIT!" They scream, spit spewing out of their mouth, flaked with blood, I can smell the iron in the air, they have already killed someone... recently. Panic fills me, my fight or flight response kicks in, the kitchen isn''t that far away. I could get there for help, but what if someone gets hurt, because of me, again, always because of me! A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. While my brain was trying to process frozen in action between help and help killing the people that save me every day. They lunge, surprised I drop my soup, a crooked sideways swing of the blade nearly hits me in the chest, instead slicing through my jacket, spilling the bread roll out of the pocket onto the floor, MY DINNER! Instinctively I throw a punch at the hand with the knife like I was trained to do and it clatters across the ground, shocked they stumble back drunkenly looking to pick up the knife again. I throw my duffel bag into the air and smash it down as hard as I can, hitting my assailant in the shoulder, I let go of it in the process, stumbling further off his footing he falls past the knife, quickly I move to grab the knife and hold it close to my chest defensively. "You fucking piece of shit thinking your better than everyone! I¡¯ve seen you enjoy all that extra food and going to the hotel every fucking week while we grovel in the fucking dirt! Give me your fucking shit! I NEED SOME FUCKING PEACE FOR ONCE! They can clean my body off the hotel floor once I''m done with it, I''M NOT GOING TO DIE IN THIS FILTH!" They scream with all sensibilities abandoned, running at me he tries to grab the knife from my hands, we struggle and I fall backwards onto the concrete ground, my head smashing down as well. They follow me with such hatred in their eyes, I should die, to them I need to die, I need to be punished for trying to survive... I agree... but my body doesn''t. Their eyes glaze over, the triumphant wicked grin slowly leaves their face, replaced with a scared frown, we can both feel it, the life seeping out of their body as it slumps down on top of me, their full weight pressing down. The knife digging deeper into their chest, nicking their heart, the blood spurts out and down the knife, coating my body. No please, please... Their dead eyes stare into my soul seeing all the bad I''ve done, all because of me. The hot blood soaking me endlessly. I can hear the screaming voices down the white corridor as the doctor''s eyes stare at me, dead and listless. Eyes sinking back into their skull as the red $*%($*@# grow out of them forming such a familiar shape, begging me to join them. It would be so easy to say yes, I could be free of this. The voices are louder this time, judging, demanding to know what I''ve done! WHAT HAVE I DONE?! The dead corpse, my... victim, leans to the side and whispers its secrets into my ear. The pressure on my stomach alleviates, has it finally sprouted?! The warm blood always makes it grow so fast out of my skin. The sky becomes clear as it''s pulled off me, it''s hauled to the side, the knife comes out of my hands, but my hands don''t move, still grasping at the space it occupied. "Please... I''m sorry, I''m sorry, I''m sorry..." my muttering splutters as I realize that I''m sobbing, my brain hasn''t connected fully to my body yet, petrified against the blood soaked ground, a whole body''s worth of warm sticky liquid congealing on top of me. The face of an angel hovers over me blocking the sun from hitting my stinging eyes, the light cascading through their light brown hair, their eyes red and scared, scared for me. They sit down next to my side and move my head onto their lap, I plead silently, please dont dirty yourself with me, I''m filth, I should have died, not them. Rubbing my head they move my hair out of my eyes, still petrified, my hands static, as if I was still holding the murder weapon, and it was murder this time, my brain can''t deny it. I stabbed them, they can''t just say it was an accident this time. ¡­ Wrapped in a few towels sitting next to my angel, I can''t stop looking at my hands, they tried to get as much of the blood off as they could. But I can still feel it, under my fingernails, under my skin, it was always there waiting, none of it mine, soaked constantly with blood that¡¯s not mine. My angel is warm, and the only warmth I can''t feel right now, the clothes I''m wearing are still cut up and soaked in blood. I can feel the growth has stopped, but it still gnaws at the back of my mind. It''s always there, it''s never going to leave me no matter how much they try to pull it out of me, will I too one day become perfection?... They have their arm around my shoulder and are talking to me about their favorite novel, Gulliver''s Travels, about how it''s an allegory for exploring your life in the way you want despite the ups and downs. Are they talking about me or themselves? Peter and Amy are talking to the police about the situation and the policeman eventually leaves, just another homeless person killed in self-defense... Not newsworthy, not worth their time at all, I never was. They approach me and Amy crouches down to my level. "The police aren''t looking at doing anything here... We all saw it was self-defense and they don''t have enough people to really do any paperwork right now, but they might want to talk to you later... so having you in a safe place that you can sleep, shower and be safe would be for the best... would you like to come home with us?... there''s a spare room you can use for as long as you like" My warmth leans into me further and pleads to go with them, I''m too numb to refuse, I need to get the blood off me before it starts growing again. I nod my head, I''m helped up by Amy and the Angel as I try to move with them as they lead the way, Peter has moved again and started up the car that I always see them arrive in. As we settle in the car I realize I''ve dirtied the seat with dried blood from my clothes, I start to panic and I''m told it''s okay, it won''t be the first and won''t be the last time the back seat gets dirtied, they often take care of the neighbors dogs. The angel tells me their name... It feels... wrong. It doesn''t suit them, but I guess mine doesn''t either so I can''t comment... ¡­ I fall asleep for a little bit in the warm shower, my bloody clothes getting wet on the floor from the splash back, I''m awoken by a voice assuring me that it''s okay and some clothes are waiting for me by the door. A hand pushes them into a dry patch without looking past the door and it closes shut again. Wearily I put on the clothes, they are a bit tight on my frame but the right length. I wait, doing my breathing exercises for a bit before I leave the bathroom. There''s already food on the table waiting for me, pasta bake, it''s the best thing I''ve ever tasted, it could use some more cheese... The chair next to me is pulled out and I panic a little bit before that same voice calms me down again, it''s them. I''m asked if I''m going to be okay sleeping in the room alone tonight, I can''t feel it anymore... But I''m so cold, they look so warm, something alien to me, when I''m so dead inside. I shake my head, they nod and show me their room, a real home, full of them and their lives, the pile of plushies pushed against the wall of the bed, books scatter along the floor, self-made bookmarks lovingly held inside them, bookshelves lining the walls, full to bursting. showing a life lived. They get into bed in their pajamas and I lay on top of the covers, they are black and silver, covered in stars, cats and moths, our shoulders pressing slightly together, I''m not letting this warmth go. As long as they don¡¯t see what''s growing inside me, like what became of all the rest, I can be safe, I must never let anyone in. My duffel bag safely stashed under the bed within reaching distance. I collapse into dreams of white and red, where I lived and died. Chapter 12: Can cows fly under the moonlight?! ¡°This is your 8am wakeup caalll!¡± A gentle voice rouses me, a breeze comes through the window, swirls against my hair, the air is fresh and warm. ¡°Mnn 5 more minutes Fia, I don''t really have a schedule you know¡±, My head is throbbing, the little bits of memory filtering through of the night before, the want and yearning, the could have been. ¡°Well... you wouldn''t want to keep a young maiden waiting by herself in your new home point would you?¡± she seems pretty pleased with herself, ¡°I must say I¡¯m loving everything she¡¯s doing with the place, she''s quite the keeper darling¡± she giggles knowingly, causing me to blush, I just woke up! I¡¯m not ready for this just yet... I struggle to get out of bed and make my way to the kitchen, ready for another round of pasta bake! And this time there''s no one here to judge me for adding extra sauces, changing it to a completely different meal~ ¡°Just so you know you received a message at about 4am last night from your game friend Keeks, would you like to read it?¡± She''s humming a little bit to herself and giggling while Buta rolls around in their princess bed, trying to act cute for the invisible voice. Surely another photo album in the making. ¡°I''ll look at it when I get online, thanks Fia¡± I start scrolling through the news first before moving onto the forums. It seems there''s been a few disappearances in some of the American Regional areas, could be the religious fanatics on the loose again... In the last few years a few cults have popped up, some weird communes, people trying to live off the grid and out of Sci-Axium¡¯s control, or even people from old governments trying to keep what little power they still have left. I guess it''s all about control versus safety... Especially since the ¡®wilds¡¯ of the world are really becoming that, truly wild, mutations in some creatures and increased aggression in others. Amelia loves to talk about it, her field of study being biology, not only the animals, even the plants are becoming more like their ancient counterparts, aggressive and big. The forums are much the same as usual, discovered this! discovered that! Taking the fun out of the game, each region is supposed to have its own unique things in it, although I haven''t even really seen the world map for WAR yet. Zelia says that only part of the map is revealed to players, and the rest is ''clouded'', players having to map it all themselves, although it¡¯s extremely dangerous. What lies in the dark? I¡¯m hoping its monsters beyond comprehension, I was always a fan of zombie and monster movies. It''s said that the reason it''s not revealed, is that over the last few hundred years people have been driven from it, the borders changed, creatures took over, it was not as it once was, the great walls went up to protect from the ravages of monstrous beings constantly attacking, their world changed. People have talked about seeing entire parts of the earth moving atop legs like turtles over the walls. ¡°Alright! I think that''s enough news for today... I can only imagine how long until Zel finishes the project and gets back to leveling!¡± Standing up, I clean up my bowl, snuggling on Buta''s princess bed a little and go to the capsule, it opens as I approach, and the cushion rises to bring me into its maw. I gratefully step into its mouth, sinking into its depths. Before I open my eyes, I''m greeted by happy humming, the song that I taught Zelia from my mum... I remember her humming it to me yesterday, to comfort me, to let me know I''m safe. I''m on a different couch than last time, one of dark oak with even darker leather seating, it stretches out enough that I would be able to spread out on it with my full height. The humming is coming from a door that was not there before, in fact most of everything was not here before, the walls are slated wood, the roof stretches into a cone shape, a fireplace sits where the door out of the apartment would be. It''s already lit, the embers coalescing outwards, brightening up the room. It seems to be the only light source, bringing comfort with its glow. The bedroom now leads off into a bigger master bedroom, silver sheets on the bed, a wooden lunette window looking out to a full moon shining over the room. Fia and Zelia are nowhere to be found, at least not in the main room or the bedroom. I follow the humming out to a moon-bathed garden. I''m greeted by a black clothed goddess, bathed in light, she''s planting flowers that reflect the moonlight around it. Even with the dark sky, everything is illuminated perfectly. With the stunning view of Zelia planting flowers I almost miss out on an interesting scene, my Fia, snuggling up with a smaller goth doll version of herself on her lap, both holding onto a datapad cooing at pictures of Buta. Next thing you know they are going to start asking me to dress Buta up in little clothes! ¡°I love what you¡¯ve done with the place Zel, ¡®forever the moonlight wanes over my field of flowers¡¯ right? Your first released fanfiction... It''s perfect¡± ¡°Hehe you remembered! Well, it''s not even done~ You haven''t seen perfect yet!¡± Her smile shines brighter than any full moon... ¡°You have no idea how insane the customization features are! I could be here all day honestly!¡± I smile back and sit down next to the Fia''s, absorbed in their Buta spotting. I watch the beautiful workings of the gardener and remember that I have a message to read. I press the small message button on the side of the console, I could use the voice prompts... but this place is so peaceful, it would be a waste to ruin it with speaking. < 1 New message from Keeks > { Hey Moo girl hit me up when you''re free! I can help you level and you can Slam me down Big-Style! Gotta get those levels up first so you can really do me some damage! Nyehehe! }
  1. Am. Stunned... I burst out laughing, ruining the perfect atmosphere in the garden. "Nooooo! Keeks you filthy little Gnoll you''re killing me!" I nearly fall off the stone seat, dying from laughter.
¡°Zel! Zelia! oh gods!... The little Gnoll girl I met the other day sent me a message saying she wants to help me level, but she told me in return I should ¡®slam her down big-style¡¯, what a frigging gremlin!¡± I''m still sniggering, my side hurting from laughing so much. ¡°The balls of that girl!! I can understand her feelings though, take one look at how tall your character is, and a girl gets some wild thoughts!¡± She realizes what she''s saying and rotates straight back to her garden plot she was working on, the skin on the back of her neck and the tips of her ears are shining red in the moonlight. ¡°Zelia Lanz~ are you having feelings of... ¡®Slam-down-big-style?!¡¯¡± ¡°What even is that! haha I can''t even dummy cowgirl!¡± Feeling mischievous at such a cute sight, I can''t help but creep up behind her and blow tenderly on her exposed neck. A sharp moan escapes her lips as the hot air dashes across her skin, she puts her hand to her mouth, both of us standing there petrified at the thought. -damn Zel...¡± I gulp and bite my bottom lip, tempted to press my lips against her hot skin... A motherly cough is followed by a tinier cough breaks the tension ¡°I thought you were going to get some levels in today Lilia? There are much better places to flirt, you know, like the bedroom. It was the first place Zelia dear set up after all!¡± The absolute mischievous gall in this woman''s voice, the grin on her face and Fifi¡¯s, conniving creatures of the moonlit dark. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Freezing in place I quickly slam the login button on the console, a high-pitched squeak comes to my voice, I really am going through puberty again. ¡°I can''t wait to see it all when I get back, Zel!¡± She nods quickly, not willing to turn around, as my vision turns into that of the rolling hills, plains, and forests of Utor. A last voice message from Fia sounds to my ears, ¡°I''ve turned down your blood setting as well love, I hope you have a better experience today!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get you back Fia!¡± ¡°Oh, whatever for? hehe¡± ¡­ It speeds through the air at me as I throw a right straight punch, my fist connecting directly with its skull, a cracking sound emanates from its body as its head snaps backwards. { RapidRabbit receives 12 Critical strike damage } { Received 3 damage after reductions } { RapidRabbit defeated } { 100 exp gained } { 2050/2000 Max Exp Gained } { Level 4 Achieved } [ Level Up ] { Please assign your 5 status points } { 50/2000 until next level } { Health, mana and stamina replenished } I throw all 5 points into strength so my weapons can finally do as much damage as they can. 12 points in strength means 120% of weapon damage, 20% of extra damage from my weapon is pretty nice considering how low I was hitting before, I can do 2 - 6 base damage a hit now! That''s only a few hits per rabbit monster if I don''t hit a critical strike to kill the things. At this point I''m tempted to head further into the forest, according to my map the white wolves are in the next area and then silver wolves are the higher variant... I still can''t see any actual information on the monsters, although I''ve been scavenging and poking at each of them and trying to get the investigation skill like Zelia told me, ¡®It''s one of the most important skills!¡¯ She kept saying, I think with my low wisdom it''s either never going to happen, or it''s going to take hundreds more monsters, it would be embarrassing to have the pity of the goddess again. I step closer towards the forest; a howl sounds off in the distance announcing my arrival. I can imagine Zelia wanting to howl with them... Adorable... Unfortunately, these wolves aren''t just the howling kind, I''m sure they also want to eat me! Maybe like Zel too then? Heh gay. A single wolf greets me at the forest¡¯s edge, standing vigil over its domain, a scar across its right eye, it huffs in disdain, challenging me to one-on-one combat. ¡°Our battle... will be glorimoos!!¡± It pounces at me from over 5 meters away, accelerating in seconds, dashing side to side, trying to avoid my gaze. I lower my stance and ready for contact, a gaping maw riddled with teeth snaps to my right aiming for my jugular. It''s faster than I thought! Bringing my arm up I manage to catch the bracer in its mouth as it crunches down. { Received 6 damage after reductions } Fuck! That''s like 11 damage if I got directly hit?! Thankfully I leveled up and got 10 more max hit points, otherwise that would be like 20% of my health?! With only 39 points remaining I''ve got to be extra careful not to get swarmed by these damn wolves. With my left hand I brace and smash into the side of its face trying to hit its bad eye with one of the sharper points on the knuckle, thankfully I can feel the critical hit, the crushing feeling of its skull collapsing and eye bulging. It flies off my wrist bracer and slides back against the dirt slightly slamming into the side of the tree. { 23 critical hit damage (6 BD x 2.50 CD x 1.5 Weak Damage from < Bronze Knuckles > } Well that solves what that meant on my weapon! A white wolf''s weak point is its eye, though that should be the same for lots of normal creatures. It''s hard to say since that rabbit''s head was as hard as stone, its legs were so long I can only guess that that would be its weak point. Remembering that I still have an active ability at my disposal. The wolf still recovering from that hit stunned, I pull out the coin of Nemesis and use < coin flip > It rotates in the air and lands on my palm Caduceus face up, my body trembling at the amount of power that''s flowing through it! ONE MORE TIME THIS IS AWESOME! Maybe my Pinnacle of luck affects coin flip and gives me an advantage?! That is so broken if true! that would be a 100% chance to get heads! { Next hit delt deals 50% (Luck%) extra damage } < Coin Flip > I¡¯m going to be able to do so much extra damage!! A woman holding a snake shows up on the face instead, the coin glows a dark red as if angry. {! Nemesis disapproves of your hubris !} { Luck is reversed for 5 minutes } { Luck has been set to -50 (-Luck) } { Pinnacle of luck passive disabled } { With luck in the negatives the likelihood of bad events happening rises } Fuck... FUCK! What kind of bad events?! I rush at the wolf, if bad things are going to happen, I should finish off my enemy first! I maneuver the badly injured wolf into the side of the tree trying to get to its left side, while it can¡¯t see it¡¯s best that I take advantage of it. I feint with my right fist, trying to throw it off balance, it reacts instinctively to it, dashing to the left with its whole body not wanting to lose the other eye, I catch it once again in the left side of its face, its body follows through adding weight to my attack as it crumples, yelping in its death throes. { 9 Damage dealt to White Wolf after modifiers (4 BD x 1.5 < Coin Toss > x 1.5 < counter > } { White Wolf defeated } { 200 Exp gained } { 250/2000 until level up } Falling back on my ass I sigh... Fucking hell! Now if I just wait here quietly for the 5 minutes to end, I''ll be safe... 4 minutes remaining... 3 minutes remaining... 2 minutes remaining... Phew, it looks like nothing is going to happen... a rustle in a nearby bush startles me to get off my ass, as one of those damn rabbits plops out of the bush... It doesn''t seem to have seen me yet. Looking up it must think I''m a tree. I move my head to the side and my bell clanks against the side. A toiling of the bell of hell, eyes peering down through the darkness, horns looming, the titan rising above it, that''s... Not a tree!? Oh, is it going to go into the fear affliction like the slime? Looking up it must think I''m a tree. I move my head to the side and my bell clanks against the side. A toiling of the bell of hell, eyes peering down through the darkness, horns looming, the titan rising above it, that''s... Not a tree!? { Event triggered } FUCK! Oh... oh nonono pleasseee I was so close to the negative status being over! Wolves howl in the distance, guttural noises fill the air, th-that''s a lot of howls... Frigging what, that''s a lot of howling!! Panicking, I look up, CAN WOLVES CLIMB?! I have no idea but I sure as fuck won¡¯t be able to outrun them. There''s no threat range in this game, they will chase you down until they get bored, or you¡¯re dead. Scampering up the largest tree I can find, it must be a sight and a half, a 7-foot-tall minotaur clutching scared onto a branch 12 feet off the ground. The branch only being as thick as one thigh, c-could I be too heavy?... I just wanted to be a hot cow woman noo! ¡°Fia! Oh, gods Fia send Keeks a message, she''s online right Moo??¡± ¡°Yes, she''s online, what would you like me to send?¡± ¡°My coordinates and whatever else, I just need her here right now please Moo!!¡± ¡°Message sent, please hold on I''m sure with that message she will be here before you know it!¡± ¡°What does that mean... Fia... what did you send her mooo?!¡± Fia only giggles as I hold on for dear bovine life. Chapter 13: Keeks, cow rangler. Keeks POV Only I, The Great Keeks, Conqueror of Monsters and Monster girls alike, can vanquish evil from the land! I Superman pose and turn to my camera feed. ¡°Hey you fucks we are here today to mess up some Goblins, look fucking amazing and maybe find a hottie to slam me in the process nye!¡± { Chat Messages } < Tiny fucks unite! > < Letsgogogogogo! > < Best Tiny Gnoll > < LOLOLOL > < Tiny Trouble here to fuck some goblins UP! > < KEEKS ADD MEEEE > ¡°Alright calm down you fucks! Gonna scare away all the babes! Y¡¯all think there are any cute goblin girls nye!?!¡± so so fucking pumped!~ Cough ¡°Lady Keeks, I, your loyal subject, knight Squidington of the Garbothian Order look forward to our crusade, long have I awaited to be at your side, ever since our reuniting in the realm of Utor, slaving away to make enough money to hide my form, but now.. I am combat ready and I will not disappoint!¡± A 6 Foot tall medieval knight in full plate armor stands before me, shining in the sunlight, their shield has the symbol of a kraken taking down a galleon, their longsword sheathed at their side. Fucking role-players am I right?! I could never! Now where was I... Ahh yes, the conquering of the lands and the taking of cute goblin girl virginities! ¡°Yeh yeh we got this squidy, by the way you''ve got a tentacle hanging out your mouth plate again nyhe¡± Panicking they quickly push up their face plate and fumble around at where their mouth should be, instead it''s a jumble of little tentacles, horrifying... But also really funny at the same time, eventually they push shut their mouth guard again and salute. ¡°I''m so sorry you had to see that Lady Keeks!¡± ¡°I don''t know why you make your character like that every time and then hide your appearance! Just make the character how you like nye!¡± ¡°B-but it''s part of my backstory... The hidden royal of the squid monarchy in common times, leaving their home, on adventure. Hiding their true selves, sharing the campfire, with new friends but oh so alone at the same time... Honestly you need to have a good backstory or there''s no point!? Where was I... ON WARDS LADY KEEKS! TOO BATTLLEEE!!¡± ¡°Oh wait, I just got a message from that hot cow mumma, lemme check it real quick... nye...¡± < Area 4, section 2, you''ll know when you see me, get ready to be slammed down big style, better come quick ;) > AAHHH!? Welp! can''t leave a woman waiting!! ¡°Sorry gang, I gotta cut the stream early, I''ve been summoned to go heifer hunting! Maybe I''ll be back later after I''m a sore fucked mess NYEHAH!¡± { Chat Messages } < Noo betrayed!! > < Your streams are all over the place as is don''t do this to mee > < LOL Take pics! > < Bitch again i swear what do we sub for! At least let us watch this time! > < Ugh I just got here and its already over fuck! > < Imagine getting laid, damn > < Keeks no ;~; > ¡°Sorry shitheads but Keeks has got a date with thigh destruction! nye!¡± Turning off the camera I turn to squidy, ¡°Sorry but haha you know how it is! You''re about to hit 10 anyway, yenye?¡± ¡°Ahh I know how it is, as rambunctious as always Lady Keeks, brain in your thighs as usual. A life of celibacy is not for your ilk, it should only be a few more enemies defeated, and I¡¯ll be able to advance¡± ¡°Heh my roleplays aren''t as tame as yours! I''ll see you in Silver city yeah. It''s by the sea so we might even get to do some sailing!! I could be some kinda pirate queen hah! Badass nye! We could even find a lost civilization of women barbarians?!¡± ¡°I shall see you there!! I Ride!¡± The medieval squid rides into the sunset... And by that, I mean they clop off towards the goblins like they are in a Monty python skit. ¡°Hah fucking Sea Boi nye!¡± Shaking my head I check out my map, area 4 mmnnn section 2¡­ damn we banging in the forest?! I thought she was a virgin but she''s some kinky bovine instead MNF! ¡­ ¡°Is this the place?! Are we getting down and dirty with wolves as well, nye?!¡± The howling seems to be centered around a single area... Sneaking through the bushes utilizing my Ability, the crunching of the grass muffles beneath me. Ahh... Falling to my knees in sorrow. A cow stuck up a tree! Was she waiting for me here ready for the time of her life and got thwarted!? How dare you! Fuck you wolf¡¯s that¡¯s my snack! Throwing myself into the pack landing on the closest wolves back, mounting it like a horse, ¡°HAH SURPRISE ATTACK NYE!¡± < Sneak Attack > never even saw me coming! My Cutlass stabs down through its head nearly garroting it. ¡°Prepare those Thighs milk mumma, I''m nearly ready for my squeeze appointment nye!¡± My beautiful flintlock pistol, fluidly drawn with my left hand, I pull the trigger, firing a bullet directly into the maw of an oncoming white wolf, catching it directly through its mouth and splattering blood outwards in a mist, gods it feels good to be me! The side of its face explodes outwards. My pistol is a one shot per so it needs to reload before it can be used again, there better be a skill to do it with one hand soon!! I throw it to the ground useless to me, maybe I should buy hundreds of guns! Never reload them! brilliant! Countless wolves advance on me! I''m surrounded and outnumbered, but they are no match for the might of Tiny Fury!!! Jumping off the back of the impaled wolf, my cutlass disengages from its head, specks of its brain matter flinging out and splattering the grassy floor. I fall backwards onto my back as a wolf sails overhead, my right arm extends upwards just in time to catch its underside, the force of the blade eviscerating its lining as they spill out upon the ground, it dies before it even lands. 3 Dead idk like hundreds to go? I honestly didn''t really count when I got here. Seeing a wolf backing up under the tree I yell up ¡°This would be the perfect time to use that jumbo ass of yours!¡± I can see the blush on her face as she closes her eyes and yells ¡°Jeronimoo!¡± Her curvy body combined with her height doesn''t betray the laws of physics, I''m surprised that branch was even able to hold, damn. The wolf can only squeak out a tiny yelp combined with a cracking of bones as silence comes from under her. I turn to my left, the last wolf... I can see the fear in its eyes... ¡®NOPE ohnononono¡¯ it dashes off into the forest, hey maybe it''s the alpha now, all the wolf girl booty just for them! Hah you can thank me latter wolfy. Stolen story; please report.Swaggering over to the Minotaur, now finally at my height from sitting down, I straddle her waist, she''s in shock still, purrfect, ¡°Now that there are no distractions... How about you take me to slam town now like you said nyehe?¡± I wiggle my eyebrows at her, it always gets the ladies! ¡°I said?... Fuck... uhhh... I asked my Fia to get you here... I was clutching the branch and needed help so asked her to send you a message to get you here quickly... My ass is in a lot of pain. Wolves have a lot of bones and they''re not in very nice places right now... And squishy... moo...¡± Fuck... FUCK! ¡°Can you at least throw me against a tree or something, nye?!?!¡± I cry against her chest pushing myself into those big tits good stuffs ¡°I even saved you goddamnit, fucking Fia¡¯s stupid A.I. bullshit nye!¡± < Excuse me nya?! > ¡°Shut up you¡¯re all the same, conniving vixens! You''re lucky you''re such a cute kitty or I would be mad as hell! I ended the stream for this nyeee!!¡± LilMoo looks really sad, fuck goddamn... No, I''m not trying to... I''m not angry!... Ugh! ¡°Look I¡¯m just riled up yeah, I ended stream thinking I was getting laid, my libido is off the rocker and nothing gets me going more than a tall girl with the body to boot ya know. Hell, if you¡¯ve got a girlfriend she can join fucking me up too nyee!¡± A blush goes across her face, damn virgins! ¡°I-I don''t have a girlfriend... Maybe yet idk moo...¡± Ugh can you not be so tall and adorable at the same time? That''s just unfair, where¡¯s the mummy shit right now!? ¡°Huhhh... What''s your level, moo girl nye?¡± I need to calm the fuck down... slaughter some godamn monsters. ¡°I said you can call me Lil! and uhh Like, level 4 moo...¡± She looked embarrassed, like she was caught in an act. Phwweeeew, I whistle, damn that''s still low, ¡°You uhh run into any snags? The offer is still there you know, can power level your hot ass for a while nye? not like I¡¯m streaming anymore so might as well do something with my time.¡± ¡°Saying I had a bad day yesterday would be an understatement... otherwise I''m sure I''d be at least a few higher... maybe? Idk feeling useless hah moo...¡± ¡°Well not to fear! With me around you''ll get your levels in no time!! Nya!¡± ¡°Awesome... N-now can you please stop straddling me and having your hands wandering... It''s uhh... Really doing numbers on me right now¡­ fuck!... moo~¡± got her moaning... Mnn right where I want her... But consent is consent bleh! I remove my face from between her tits and roll backwards off her getting up with a standing ovation, looking down I can see my handiwork, yup I knew I could feel something big. ¡°Welp get yourself sorted, you''re a damn mess nye¡± I wink at her and dust off my hands. ¡°Yes... thanks to you... Ugh... Zel would be laughing at me so hard right now... With a horny blush on her face moo...¡± ¡°Ohh her name is Zel huh? Veerryy nice nye~¡± A mischievous grin crosses my face, I lick my lips, I move back around to her side and blow in her ear with hot air ¡°You could fuck me while saying her name you know? Nye!¡± Jumping back, I start moving away out of the forest, ¡°What are you waiting for? Nyahaha'''' Leaving behind a very red-faced muscle mummy. ¡­ Restoring my UI for a little bit I throw a party invite to the milk mummy. She quickly accepts and I removed the UI again, Stupid things always get in my way! Numbers, popups and all that crap! All I need is instincts and the feeling of my blade! Health and energy can be felt, why would you need bars to tell you what you feel! We make our way deeper into the forest, my milk maiden is making soo much noise... The banging of her cow bell and the tiny bell on her horn is pretty cute though, and she pulls all the monsters to her like a tank, which means... ¡°SURPRISE ATTACK < sneak attack > NYE!¡± The White wolf goes down in one hit, my blade nearly slicing its head off, pretty sure it''s only a few more kills to go, but who cares I''m gonna be here until she gets some levels! ¡°I can do some killing too you know moo?¡± ¡°Heh but the cooler I look the more chance I''ve got to get with you right nyehe?¡± I wiggle my eyebrows seductively. ¡°Please I haven''t even properly gotten to second base before, I¡¯ve been too caught up in my own life and repulsion of the things I''ve seen, done and my body... I''ve only allowed myself to start thinking of sexual thoughts in the last year or so... and thats fucking up my head more than ever moo!¡± ¡°Damn girl You''ve got some shit going on, you''ve got to be like me and really let go! Find yourself an orgy and let the women fall all over you! After I transitioned and made sure to get rid of my tiny useless junk. I threw myself into as many piles as possible! Hah! Tall women are the best, towering over me, making me feel even more defenseless, thinking of all the things they could do to me nyyeeehehee...¡± I start drooling a little at the thought of it, FUCK! nearly lost it! We''re still in the forest! I really gotta get my britches hitched! ¡°Such small and cute things like you? I knew you were different from your attitude, the rest of you is perfect tho heh... I''m glad I''m friends with you and not on the receiving end. It''s nice that I know more people like me, moo...¡± ¡°I''m a bit smaller than in irl but not a tonne smaller, only like a foot! Besides, I do love a girl that''s confident in what she''s got!¡± I wink at what she''s got packing and she blushes abashedly ¡°All it took was to ask to get the surgery and BAM, surprised I didn''t come out with a womb tattoo claiming me as ¡®property of Sci-Axium¡¯ without having to pay anything hah! ¡®Its a human right¡¯ they said, just like the rest of the basic medical procedures, fucking right it is nyee!!¡± She scratches the back of her neck still blushing, the red coming hard through that pale skin, god i wanna touch all that fur! ¡°I uhh decided not to, I never really thought about it, then when I had time to think about it I hated it... But then after a while of being on the medication and the rest of my body became me it just kinda...¡± She pauses in what looks like shame ¡°Didn''t make me want to remove it with a pair of scissors in the shower anymore I guess.. And it made me think, just because my body was big it didn''t mean that I was the male role, just that I was the one that was allowed to make love to my partner... More easily? moo?¡± We girls got it hard for sure, some more than others! The wolves are starting to gather more now as we''ve gone deeper into their territory, checking the map LilMoo points out that we are approaching the silver wolf area ¡°mnn I think we could take them!, or at least try one out for size nye!¡± After another 20 minutes of slowly making our way to the white wolf area, killing rabbits and white wolves, the cow babe really seems good on her feet. I can tell how bad her stats are by her damage. Sometimes she can''t even kill a rabbit, but other times she can one shot a white wolf! Some really crazy stuff is going on with her build, but I appreciate some crazy in my life! I hope we can slam our bodies together someday but for now she¡¯s reliable, that''s for sure! From what she''s been telling me about her mad hot crush she''s a magic damage dealer with support magic... a match made in heaven! I hope we can slam our bodies together someday but for now she¡¯s reliable, that''s for sure! From what she''s been telling me about her mad hot crush she''s a magic damage dealer with support magic... a match made in heaven! ¡°What would you think about joining forces together when we all get to silver city? I''d love to corrup- uhh meet your girl Zel and my friend Squiddy is a mad tanky man, oh there''s also my friend Yeti, I think they are going pure healslut! But they are in a different region so it''s going to be a pain in the ass to move them over to us, they got hard carried by flashing a pretty smile, had the boys lining up to carry them Nyehah!¡± ¡°I''ll talk to Zel but I think I''d like that... We don''t have many friends since hers turned out to be bigots or absolute wastes of space and I''ve only really only had her, too much time in places where making friends got you hurt moo.¡± ¡°Ahh none of that here, the only waste of space here is cause my body isn''t being crushed between those thighs nyehe!¡± ¡°Haha fuck, you¡¯re impossibly relentless Keeks, let¡¯s go take on some silver wolves moo!¡± Chapter 14: Let sleeping bones lie. ¡°Think we will be okay with the Silver Wolves, moo?¡± I ask the whistling tiny Gnoll girl next to me, her arms wrapped around the back of her head. ¡°Yeah cowcakes, we should be good! Imagine all those juicy drops and exp nye!¡± She licks her lips in anticipation. As we trudge forwards the ground starts to look misshapen bit by bit and the ground looks gouged out, like a bulldozer has come on through we slow down as we walk further and further. When the blood starts trailing in its wake, that''s when the concern really hits. ¡°Hey uhh Keeks, you think this is any kind of normal shit moo?¡± she moves over and sniffs at the blood and then dips her fingers in it. ¡°Mmnn pretty fresh, surprised we didn''t hear anything on the way through nye...¡± Howling sounds off in the distance, the sounds of war with something, followed by a guttural screaming... monstrous. We follow the trail and it only gets worse, trees uprooted and thrown around, the bodies of silver wolves picked off like flies. Staying as quiet as a heifer can possibly get with 2 bells on, we try to stealth our way along, following the obvious trail of carnage. Claw marks have cut through some of the trees, darker infected looking blood stains the ground, chips of bone fleck around it. Something unlike from the wolves, their blood a bright red against the darker infected blood of the monster that''s demolished them. Finally, we approach a clearing, the howling interspersed with yelping and cries, we shuffle over the top of the hill and hide to get a better look. Something large... that was maybe once a bear? standing in the center, surrounded on all sides by silver wolves. A cave sits off to the north side with the largest wolf I''ve ever seen guarding it, covered in scars with striking silver fur speckled with gold. Behind it cowers baby silver wolves, puppies behind their protector, bravely facing down a predator. The thing is facing them, hungry, angry at existence... and it should be, its bones have grown out of proportion, the stretched skin isn''t growing with it. Its mouth barely has any give left and as it screams for blood its gums tear, more of its own infected black blood spilling against the ground. The sinew hangs lazily onto the bones, I can only hope it can¡¯t feel pain, but from its screams I know the answer. I would be going crazy too. It¡¯s killed so many of their kind, but all they can do is throw themselves at it, protect their young. Sitting back, we look at each other, fuuuuuuck. That''s one mean son of a bitch! even with all the wolves trying to tear it apart. It doesn''t look like it''s going to end soon, or if it does the wolves aren''t going to be the winners, at least we have time to think and level up. I''ve gotten 2 levels since Keeks saved me from those white wolves in the tree, she might be the craziest little thing I''d ever met but she keeps to her word. I''ve got 5 more points to spend after I put the first 5 points into wisdom from level 5, I throw 4 points into Wisdom to hit double base digits and 1 into Constitution to beef me up a little just in case... It was a good choice, Zel said I should be able to unlock some new basic abilities with a little more Wisdom. { Accumulated skill and requirements attained has allowed learning of new abilities } { Wisdom Requirement for ability attained - 8 } { Ability Acquired - Inspect (common) - Active - } { Wisdom Requirement for ability attained - 10 } { Ability Acquired - Slugfest (Common) - Passive - } Slugfest level 1 (Common) - Passive Ability 20% Additional damage when attacking unarmed or with fist weapons ''We tussle in the mud like animals, grasping and clawing, always fighting for freedom'' Inspect Level 1 (Common) - Active Ability You can see a small amount of information about a creature or object. ''The most basic of basic skills, if you don¡¯t have this are you even looking at the world?'' Status Interface Name: LilMoo Level: 6 Race: Minotaur Gender: Female, She/Her Max Health: 80 Max Mana: 70 Max Stamina: 100 Points remaining: 0 Strength: 11 (12) Dexterity: 6 Constitution: 2 (4) Intelligence: 1 Wisdom: 10 (12) Charisma: 1 Luck: 50 I throw a right hook and feel the air give way, my punches feeling more like they used to! My body still feels weak and sluggish, but at least my fists are doing work. A bit more into Dexterity and it will feel like the good old days. The creatures I''ve killed are nothing compared to the responses of a real human. I could have done so much more and smashed through this forest like the monster before us if I had my physical capabilities back, well... with less terrain destruction. Looks like Keeks is also done with her leveling and preparation, she¡¯s on her belly looking over the hill at what might be our prey, ¡°what you think?.. Should we give it a try moo?¡± She looks back over at me with a cheeky grin, ¡°You''ve got inspect right? Take a look at that big bastard nye!¡± < Inspect Level 1 > Name: Bone Mutation Black Bear Type: Mutated Beast Threat: E Rank (Able to Grow) ¡®A monstrous creature born of hate and pain, the more it consumes the more it grows and mutates, recommended to be killed on sight, for its sake and ours.¡¯ Keeks giggles at the flavor text, ¡°hehe for our sake and loot you mean nyee!¡± She''s got a dangerous look in her eyes, her hunger for drops knows no bounds! ¡°Mnn I mean it looks like it''s pretty injured, surely we have a chance... maybe we could get help from the silver wolves as well moo??¡± We nod at each other, Keeks hands me over a health potion as we start to head over the ridge, I didn¡¯t even think to buy any in town, hopefully I remember that next time before I decide to go on another suicide missions! Basic Health Potion Heals small wounds and restores 40 health Only about 5 of the normal silver wolves are left as well as the elder silver wolf by the time we are ready for battle. < Inspect Level 1 > Name: Silver Wolf Type: Beast Threat: F Rank ¡®A cousin of the white wolves, they are very territorial and will fight to the death for their pack, if you kill one you¡¯d better run or hide, because the rest will hunt you down till the last¡¯ < Inspect Level 1 > Name: Elder Silver Wolf Type: Superior Beast Threat: F+ Rank ¡®A Silver Wolf that has been protecting the forest for a long time, it has nearly evolved into a golden wolf, a magical beast hunted for its fur, it will do anything to protect its pack¡¯ Traversing the clearing we scope out the area hoping to get a sneak attack in, at least for Keeks, I don''t think I¡¯d be any use in that regard, the wolves have definitely felt our presence if not heard it, the Elder Silver Wolf regards us warily but mostly ignores out presence, the monster after its children a much bigger threat. I make contact with it, trying to show it that we don''t mean any harm, lifting my hands in surrender, it stares deep into my eyes, snorting in disdain, it howls softly, and the 6 wolves start backing off from around the monster moving closer to the cave entrance, creating a bastion of defense and leaving the bears back open. They are co-operating! Zel said that even animals in this game would have a higher intelligence, it''s expected that something that''s nearly a magical beast would be even more intelligent! They are co-operating! Zel said that even animals in this game would have a higher intelligence, it''s expected that something that''s nearly a magical beast would be even more intelligent! Fuck I am not built for speed right now! I try to chase after her making the most god-awful racket, some of the wolves are looking at me like I''m an idiot, it''s an aesthetic choice and it''s important!! the bell on my neck and the bell on my horn clanking and chiming in unison, at this point I feel I should have unlocked a taunt by now. Thankfully the response of the bear to turn around is hampered by hunger as it stares at the feast in front of its eyes, not that I know if its fucked ears are working, I keep my dignity intact. Catapulting off the ground the Gnoll assassin appears at the top of the creature''s head ¡°SURPRISE ATTACK!¡± she yells at the top of her lungs, her cutlass impaling its back, her gun follows closely behind and moves to the back of its head, just in time the monster pulls to the side and instead of a hole in its head, its ear and part of the side of its cheek is blown straight off. It pulls its arms up in the air and screams, a feral and painful scream of torment, keeks hangs on for dear life, its body convulsing, fresh blackened blood splatters all over the ground as its bones quickly sprout further out of its back, dislodging the cutlass. Keeks is thrown clear off, its back now a misshapen form of bone spurs elongating everywhere. Its sinew and skin pulled taunt or completely ripping off, it''s more bone than beast at this point. As Keeks falls I run past and catch her, she''s still holding her sword and commands me like a pirate ship, ¡°Yarrr we need to take this beastly beast down!¡± I¡¯m glad she¡¯s having fun, even with my blood settings turned down this thing is making me panic a bit, I¡¯m glad its a video game because this shouldn''t be possible. It turns around and the thought gets caught in my throat, gods I thought its back was vomit worthy! Its rib cage has pushed completely out of its body, its organs barely being held in by bone, not only by the expansive mutation but because of the amount of damage the wolves have tried to do. It''s hard to tell where the self-inflicted parts and destroyed parts begin and end. The worst thing is the red glow from where its heart should be, a hardened pulsating stone, pumping as if it''s made of flesh, sending the diseased blood throughout its absolutely fucked body. It¡¯s protected behind a solid chunk of bone, protecting its core, the red glow fills me with so much fear and absolute hatred... It feels primal. Its face has peeled back, as the bones have expanded, its skull and teeth have grown through everything, its eyes pulled so far back it shouldn''t be able to see, maybe it only attacks on instinct, or it now has no need for them. Outgrowing its own flesh, what would it become in the end? When it has devoured enough, of itself and others, some necromantic bone monstrosity?... Zelia has talked about how all creatures will eventually grow a magical core after time, a sort of evolution, something that can be used for so many things in this world, it¡¯s why adventuring is such a lucrative business, but I''ve never heard of such a thing as this, maybe its post 1.0 release content only?? I try my best to rotate around the beast, taking a swing at it and moving out of its range as much as I can. We have to do something! It¡¯s going to tear us and the rest of the wolves apart at this rate and it''s only growing stronger! They can¡¯t do enough damage to kill it, its weak spot should be its core but at this point, getting into its front and even trying to take a swing in its paw range is suicide. Hitting the bones seems to be doing more damage than hitting its flesh, it must have less resistance against blunt force on its bones. A plan is starting to come together but we need a distraction, or a change in situation. Standing in front of it and out of range, I watch its tongue come out from deep inside its mouth and pierce through its own tooth. It¡¯s gotten so overgrown it¡¯s not possible to close its mouth fully now. It tries to lick its mouth, but all the tongue can do is split in half as it goes back inside. I feel nauseous and close my eyes for a second as I hold my stomach, fuck this horrible thing... ¡°LIL MOVE NYE!¡± I regain my mind at the last second, but the beast is already towering over me. I brace for impact and throw my fist as hard as I can into the bone plate that protects its core, at the same time a claw comes out and swipes past me as the bear tumbles over to the side, the force of which throws me back. { Inflict 27 critical damage on Mutated Bone Bear (5 BD x 2.5 CD x 1.5 < counter > x 1.2 < Slugfest >) } { ! The goddess see¡¯s your refusal to back down ! } { Ability Acquired - Bolster Guard (Uncommon) - Active } Bolster Guard Level 1 (Uncommon) - Active Ability Reduce all damage by 20% for 1 second 1 minute cooldown ''Fight back against your demise, fight the power!'' ------------ We Somehow must have gotten too close to the cave as the Elder Wolf body slammed the monster out of the way, accidentally saving my life, its claws digging into my side, feeling it with enough pressure I''m surprised it didn''t split me in two, thankfully it caught on my leather chest plate. { Mutated Bone Bear deals 36 points of damage after reductions ( Minus 20% damage < Bolster Guard >, + 7 slashing defense ) } Fucking hell! My chest feels cracked and I can feel pieces of my flesh have been gouged. Fia''s setting changes must have been working cause no blood is flowing from or on my body. I''ve been hurt badly but I''m still standing, helps me know that this isn''t real, just a game. My heart is beating so hard, recovering my breath, we need to take it down! Get it onto its back, but we can¡¯t do it alone, we need some pushing power! Keeks is keeping it busy, she''s sheathed her cutlass and is focusing on firing at a distance trying to get some damage in. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. I can only plead at the Elder Silver Wolf for help, help us to help them ¡°We need to get it onto its back! Need to hold it down while we destroy its core, please moo!!¡± It stares at me for a few seconds and then snorts, its side bleeding from being impaled when it slammed into the bone monster''s side, it tries to straighten up warily and howls commands at the other wolves. ¡°Keeks regroup Moo!!¡± They dash around the sides of the beast avoiding its deadly swipe, I can see they''ve been hit a few times, it doesn''t look like much though, most likely hit by rocks and branches that it swiped up in attempts to kill its aggressor. ¡°Roger Roger, nye!!" They appear back at my side as quick as they can, ¡°What¡¯s the plan Moogirl nye??¡± ¡°We need it on its back so that we can attack its heart directly, it''s too hard to attack it with its reach, we would be decimated in seconds. The wolves are going to help with that, then it''s up to us to kill the thing! moo!¡± I feel a warmth in my pocket and pull out the coin of nemesis, is this something like the goddesses will?... before I can think much further on it the wolves bolt into action, startled I can only put the coin away and get on it! Keeks and I dash around to the back of its knees as 2 of the wolves also move to its side and try to distract its flailing limbs, going into full defensive mode they avoid its reach as much as possible while snapping at it whenever it¡¯s close. 2 more of the wolves attack it from the front, pushing with their front paws, avoiding the spears protruding from its chest. We nod to each other as we attack the back of its knees, she loads her gun positioning it under the back of its kneecap, I < coin Flip > landing on heads, I throw two punches, the first one putting a large crack in the protruding bone, the second snapping it completely off, one of the bone spurs also coming off taking sinew and meat with it. The same time the two at the front hit its chest and it tumbles backwards under their force, one of the bones on its side grazes Keeks as she tries to dodge out of the way, her right arm is damaged exposing muscles wincing, she downs a quick potion and watches as the skin repairs itself. The monster slams into the ground, the weight of bone and spines pushing it into the ground like tent pegs. All the wolves get into position, each wolf attacking a limb, trying to distract it from us, the Alpha wolf jumps over it and rips at its head, it can only flail like a turtle on its back, it stops struggling for a moment, not in resignation, but as if it¡¯s building up its power for something. Screaming in utmost agony it starts to emit a dark glow, a haze of misty blood pulses out from its veins, the silver wolves start being dyed in its color, the disgusting feral black reds, smelling like rotting flesh out in the sun, the bones, they are mutating faster! ¡°Keeks now!! moo!!¡± She dashes over its body, and positions itself over its core, ¡°Power shot this you creepy ass bone fucker!¡± < Charge Shot > Instead of her normal shot a blast of energy expands from the tip of her weapon and we hear cracking, the bone is shattering at its impact. But its not enough, ¡°Fuckers got goddamn resistance to piercing nye!!¡± At least she got some damage in, the chest plate has caved partially in but seems to be healing itself. ¡°Let me give it one more shot nye!¡± As she says this one of its paws claws has grown so much with bone that it pierces through the wolf that''s grappling its brain and dies trying to hold it down, its body is flung, as it swipes at Keeks. ¡°Keeks dodge moo!¡± She looks up at me distracted, trying to prepare her next attack and catches the whole body of the Silver Wolf, tumbling over and across the grass clearing. I hope she¡¯s alright, at least she didn''t take a direct hit from the claw or bones or she¡¯d be sliced Gnolli. The screaming of the thing amplifies and gets stronger, the mist expanding outwards, and the bones grow like vines outwards, trying to protect it. I can only keep dodging through the vines to try to make it to the core, I stumble to my knees as I arrive on its breastplate. Screaming fills my lungs as my leg is seized by a vine and crushed, twisting it so much that my leg is pulled from the knee joint, presumably to be consumed for its growth. ¡°FUCKING DIE YOU MONSTER MOO!¡± I punch down again and again, attacking the protective cover over its heart, as it tries to heal the bone back, the crystal is exposed but I have to keep breaking the bone around it. ripping it up and out, making a big enough hole, I can only throw my fists as hard as I can, vines piercing into my sides, my health perishing. My left arm is snagged and pulled back, only my right arm remains usable, my left vanishing into the vines, detaching as well from my body, into the monstrous maw that can only consume! Panic comes further from me as my blood spills into the chest cavity. How long have I been in here, cocooned inside its body?... The vines quickly obscured the light, having no place to escape too. I can only keep throwing my fist at the thing in its chest, over and over, it cracks and shatters and finally... breaks. { 14 Damage dealt to evolved Bone Bear (5 BD x < Counter > x Weak Point x < Slugfest >) } { 49 Damage dealt to evolved Bone Bear (6 BD x 2.5 CD x < Counter > x Weak Point x < Slugfest >) } { 6 Damage dealt to evolved Bone Bear (2 Base x < Counter > x Weak Point x < Slugfest >) } The vines stop digging into me... Is... is it over?... { Bleeding in progress, 2 damage every tick } --------- { Evolved Mutated Bone Bear has been defeated } { Title: ¡®Mutated Beginnings¡¯ acquired } { Calculating boss drops } { decreased some drops due to help from outside sources } { Increased rarity due to Luck } { Increased Drop type Possibilities } { Increased drop amount due to level difference } { 7400 exp Gained } { 7900/3000 Max Exp Gained } { Level 7 Achieved } [ Level Up ] { Please assign your 5 additional status points } { 4900/4000 Max Exp Gained } { Level 8 Achieved } [ Level Up ] { Please assign your 5 additional status points } { 900/4000 until next level } --------- < Health, Mana, and Stamina restored. > I might have won... but I still must wait for the body to dissipate, and sometimes the system varies, with such a monster like this it might be a bit?... gods know... ¡°Keeeeekkkkkssssss fucking get this shit out of me moooo!!!¡± I plead crying into the dark, I hear clawing at the bones around me and the occasional gun shots, then hacking. ¡°Uhhh sorry hot stuff I think we gotta wait till this shit is gone? You''ve still got a health potion if you''re getting low in there, right?! nye...¡± { Health 50/100 } I materialize the health potion and slam it down my throat with one hand. { Health restored by 40 points } It''s nice having some health back, but I can feel my wounds healing around the vines and digging into those areas again giving me some anguish, thankfully my bleeding affliction doesn''t increase further. My health is starting to get low again when suddenly the darkness abates into a blue glow and I fall to the grass, ¡°Fuuccckkk my fucking sides! Never thought I''d be getting penetrated so badly today mooo...¡± I look up and Keeks is grinning, ¡°Don¡¯t fucking say a thing you dirty bitch... Ugh... moo!¡± She zips her mouth shut and tries not to laugh. I look at my chest and see that one of the vines has created a hole through my side and out the front just narrowly missing my heart, damn... I thought it was close but not that close... At least it gave me my limbs back! The feeling of them just... Missing for so long in the dark, like I was in another fucked nightmare. Damn I should have died from these wounds, I guess avatar bodies only take the damage they are supposed to... ¡°Keeeekkksss¡­ please tell me we got some good loot moo...¡± I feel something approaching me and look up into the face of deeaaatthhhh!! or at least a silver puppy, it licks me affectionately on the face and flops down next to my head, exhausted from such a long day of being protected... ¡°Fia please tell me your taking photos of this cuteneesssss, Zel would kill me if she found out I didn''t, try to catch my not impaled side though moo!¡± < 58 photos and counting! > Gods she works fast... Keeks works even faster when there''s loot involved, she¡¯s off to my right basically rolling in the gold that''s dropped from the monster, I can only smile, not wanting to move a muscle, considering they are torn to shreds at this point. The sounds of Keeks playing with coins and the warmth of a puppy next to my face, I take a well-deserved nap. ¡­ A tiny gruff howl wakes me from my slumber, the warm spot on my face has slowly cooled down, but I''ve gained another on my right side, a small Gnoll nestles carefully in the crook of my right arm. Drool rolling down my fur on my stomach, she¡¯s kicking her feet gently, making little grabby actions with her right hand across my stomach, how can someone so horny also be so adorable like a tiny kitten, I can only imagine how cute she is in real life... I whisper as quietly as I can ¡°Fia... please tell me you have photos of both of the cuties together moo...¡± I get a ¡®thumbs up¡¯ emote from my console, Fia the photography goddess strikes again. I check my health, looks like I''m back up to full, the Alpha Wolf has been watching over us this whole time, the least it can do since we helped take down the monster at its front door. The little puppy is over playing at its feet, nipping at the alphas toes and falling over itself, I sigh and squeeze Keeks with my muscle a little bit, she makes a tiny yipping noise and yawns, rubbing her eyes and stretches out, curled up she¡¯s small enough to cup perfectly in the nook of my arm. ¡°Enjoying yourself, tiny one?¡± I smile as she opens a single eye and closes it again. She mumbles something about her real reward and snuggles deeper into my side, how am I going to move now?! ¡°Keeks... Keeks? what loot did we get?¡± she slaps me on the stomach and a trade request comes through. She shushes me and turns over, pushing her butt into my side instead, her ears folded down. My face flushes red instantly, before I was in awe of her cuteness... Now with that butt pressed up against my fur, I struggle to maintain composure... at least I have a distraction! I accept the trade and a heap of materials and some items drop into my inventory... < Mutated Bear Bones x 4 > < Mutated bear claw > < Mutated Bear Core > < Mutated Flesh x 3 > < Gratitude of the Silver Wolves - Ring > < Ability Crystal - Bone Control > < 500g > On top of all the white wolf material drops I should be able to get some really nice gear from pop¡¯s. < Mutated Bear Core > Rank E Mutated Beast core ''A beast¡¯s core is its very essence, this one shouldn''t ever have existed in this world, use it well or it will use you'' < Gratitude of the Silver Wolves - Ring > Effects: Dexterity +3 Beings from the Canidae family have Increased friendly disposition towards you, Does not depend on Charisma. ''The mighty lupine race have resigned themselves to you, true friendship is not easily received'' < Ability Crystal - Bone Control > Grants Bone Control Active Ability Restriction 10 base Intelligence Restriction 10 base Wisdom ''A crystal that contains the essence of the beast it was received from, get the powers it possessed, if you dare!'' Oh damn!... and there was that title that we got! < Mutated Beginnings (Rare ) > Kill a mutated boss in the starter town Local Renown +100 Take 10% less damage from mutated creatures. ''You have brought peace to a creature in pain, for that I thank you dear child of the light...'' More stats are sorely needed at this point! The ring is going to be helpful the bonus for Canidae is cute too, it says ¡®beings¡¯ so I wonder if it works on lupine non-npc''s?... My thoughts turning to flights of fancy mnn... A new ability also sounds super cool, but it says it requires 10 Intelligence. At least I already have the Wisdom requirement. I''ll have to ask Zelia about it, controlling my bones sounds like a super villain ability! The baddest bitch there is! Muhahaha! I lay there giggling to myself trying to be as still as possible, such the badass I am with a kitten on my arm. A few more minutes, then I''ll need to wake this cutie up and get back to town, the day is soon over, but the fun is yet done! Status Interface Name: LilMoo Level: 8 Race: Minotaur Gender: Female, She/Her Max Health: 100 Max Mana: 76 Max Stamina: 118 Points remaining: 10 Strength: 11 (12) Dexterity: 6 (9) Constitution: 2 (4) Intelligence: 1 Wisdom: 10 (12) Charisma: 1 Luck: 50 Equipment Head: N/A Neck: Necklace of New Beginnings Chest: Leather Breastplate Wrists: Bronze Bracer Hands: Hide Gloves Legs: Leather Pants Feet: N/A Weapon: Bronze Knuckles Off-Hand: Bronze Knuckles Ring 1: Gratitude of the Silver Wolves Ring 2: N/A Items 1620g Coin of Nemesis Map of Utor White Wolf skins x 6 White Wolf Claws x 4 Mutated Bear Bones x 4 Mutated bear claw Mutated Bear Core Mutated Flesh x 3 Ability Crystal - Bone Control Abilities Passive Pinnacle of Luck (Unique) Herald of Nemesis (Unique) Counter level 1 (Common) Slugfest level 1 (Common) Active Coin Flip (Uncommon) Bolster Guard Level 1 (Uncommon) Inspect Level 1 (Common) Titles Mutated Beginnings (rare) Chapter 15: Nyext stop Utor! Nap time''s over and my arm is worse for wear, the kinks in it are now thoroughly Keeks shaped. It was nice though, just to stop, exhausted again, like being in the match of a life. Life and death, survival, all that blood pumping and just... stopping, all that energy and everything so that you can just collapse, stop thinking. We walk back down the trail after a fond farewell to the Wolves, getting more footage to show Zelia when I eventually log out. We¡¯re both in a good mood, comrades in arms, loot gotten, and levels acquired. ¡°Hey Keeks, what of the rewards did you take moo?¡± She gave me so much of the stuff, I might have killed it off in the end but still... I feel a bit bad. She throws her hands wide ¡°Monneeeeyyyyyy, it dropped like 5000g¡¯s so I just grabbed that. Seems like those bones and things are going to be more your style, though if something drops a gun, oohhh baby that''s mine Nyehe!¡± she smiles and mimics a big ass gun on her shoulder, I can imagine her with reflector glasses on saying ¡®hastalavista babby!¡¯ while shooting a big ass rocket launcher, I start laughing and pat her gently on the head. ¡°Aahhh... I''m surprised I didn''t die to that boney bastard, that was one absolute monster moo...¡± ¡°If that''s what they are throwing at us now, I can only imagine the horrors later! I might be a brave kitty but I''m not that brave, might need some hand holding!... Or just squeeze me deep in that chest so I''m safe and content~ nyehe¡± She looks up at me and makes little grabby motions with a big dirty grin on her face. ¡­ The entrance to the town is ahead so we start planning, and by planning, I mean hyping up about things we should get with the gear. I really want a helmet, something sexy to match my horns. Keeks says she would love a sword if there''s left over stuff to make it, maybe a cape, one that goes around her front like a poncho, so they can hide their weapons, even more surprise attacks! I feel my pocket heat up, the coin of nemesis is hot to the touch, at this point it''s like a guiding star, but to what?! I really need to talk to Zel about it, find out more about her, about Nemesis. A procession of carts are rolling through the town, as we get closer, we can see that there are 5 carts, most of them for goods, one of them is instead a golden carriage, as they pass by a voice yells from the carriage, it halts quickly, pulling up dust. A very hefty squat man that looks like a potato peers out and eyes me, or rather my horns. A door opens to the side and a tall man with an immaculate mustache in a butler''s uniform hops down and dashes over to us. ¡°His Lordship, Duke Augustus the 3rd has bestowed you with the grace of selling us that trinket on your horn, take this sum and be off with you!¡± They hold out their hand with about 20g in coins in it, Keeks looks at them with the fury of a hundred anarchists. Looking over I quickly pull her back before she slaps the coins out of the butler''s hand. ¡°This is not for sale, if there is nothing else, we will be off!¡± I try to use the best customer service voice I can and start to move away. ¡°HAALT!¡± A shrill shriek comes from the carriage, it shakes with their bulk as they angrily command us. The butler runs back to the carriage to talk to their master. After a minute of us standing there dumbfounded at the audacity, the butler comes back, nose still stuck up and looking down on us, or at least Keeks, I''m nearly a foot taller than the man so the best they can do is try to look more intimidating than a 7 foot minotaur. ¡°Uhhum! The duke has invited you to the birthday of his precious daughter, this is a prestigious occasion and not one to be missed! be sure to bring a present!¡± They seemed to insinuate that it''s non-negotiable, they think the whole world is theirs to be put on a platter and oh boy has this duke been eating their fucking fill! They pull out a red invitation with black lettering and present it to us, ¡®who it may concern + 1¡¯, well at least it''s an easy choice of who to bring, maybe free food and some more renown? Who knows! Attend the Duke¡¯s party The duke has invited you to their daughter¡¯s birthday party Clothing for the Occasion will be provided Reward Unknown [ Accept Quest ] What have we got to lose? I accept the quest. The butler nods and gets back in the carriage, they all leave, heading towards a mansion off in the distance that I didn''t see before... I think it was foggy there before? But I can''t put my finger on it? Keeks mirrors my thoughts. ¡°Hey, was that there before nyee?!¡± we look at each other puzzled. ¡°I dont think so? moo...¡± fucking creepy! We make our way back to pop¡¯s shop to hand in the quest and get some gear made. When we enter I''m greeted with a hearty humph, Keeks is greeted with a horrified stare, eyes widening, their rocking chair coming to a stop. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Please tell me yer coming in for custom gear! I told ya last time it aint no tiny person store! Ya give me some materials and I''ll make it for ya, it¡¯s never been profitable to stock any! I''ll tell ya again! I AIN''T no racist!¡± Keeks looks up at me sheepishly and shrugs. ¡°It''s finnnee pop¡¯s we let bi-Gnolls be bi-Gnolls! though I¡¯m only partial to women myself... I was in a bad mood! besides, me and the big girl have got you some sexy sexy mats nyehe!¡± Pop¡¯s huffs and gets up, pops their back out and props up on their elbows, motioning for us to bring out ¡®the sexy stuff¡¯. I dump out the many bones, hides and single core onto the desk, their eyebrows rise as they raise to their full height, picking up one of the bones. ¡°Mnn I guess you weren''t kidding! this is some good stuff... Apology accepted tiny one. Bear bones... But they look like they have the devil''s strength in them, akin to steel. What do you think you want with them, there''s enough here to make a few things with leftovers.¡± ¡°Well... I was thinking, headgear, footgear, uhh a cutlass and like a cloak for Keeks and... is it possible to make a staff with the core moo?¡± I think Zelia would really like that... They think about it for a second and sit back down in their rocking chair, ¡°yup that should alll be fine... could be done tomorrow so come and pick it up, I''ll work on it overnight, there should even be some left over ¡®mats¡¯ as ya young folk say.¡± Keeks flops down, ass planted on the ground and leans up against my hoof ¡°Hey pop¡¯s what''s with the duke auguwhatevers-up his ass nye?¡± Not one to beat around the bush. ¡°You mean the mayor? I mean not that we ever needed one or that they do anything for us... they''re a bit of a weird one... we townsfolk try to stay away from them and their part of Utor. They''ve been around for at least 60 years, got banished here from the capital, Uslav. Another one of those rich people with too much time on their hands¡± They lean back further in their chair, thinking deeply. ¡°It was fine at first, they caused no trouble and seemed happy, that was until about 10ish years ago. The Duke''s daughter went missing, just... vanished. The Duke blamed the town¡¯s people, some people in the town also disappeared, blamed the duke, the town hasn''t been the same since. They say people still go missing, adventurers, people passing through, that sort of thing. What I know about the man is that he¡¯s cruel, to everyone but his butler, maids only last so long. I know that taking your one joy from the world can ruin a man, but to this extent...¡± ¡°Taking out their hatred on the world that took from them, that I can understand moo...¡± Gods saying moo to everything really ruins the mood! ¡°Wait... but the quest says that we are going to his daughter''s party nye?!¡± Keeks looks shocked... I''m shocked that I didn''t even think about it?! I can''t make excuses with my Wisdom score anymore!! Should I blame it on Intelligence instead?! ¡°Well... it could be a funeral party, who knows with those rich folk, either way ya best stay away from them, they just aint right, but I''m sure you''ll make up your own minds about that...¡± Pop¡¯s gathers all the materials on the bench and starts hauling them out into the back area, I guess we''re done here... a younger version of them comes out and sits in the same chair and leans back and closes their eyes, ¡°If ye¡¯v got no mur buzznis ya¡¯s can leave, I be mindin this here shop now!¡± They wave their hand in dismissal. I haul Keeks up by the scruff of their neck and pull them away before someone gets assaulted. ¡°You''re not going to just let them get away with pushing us out like that, are you nye?!¡± She hangs listlessly in my grip like a kitten picked up by their mother¡¯s mouth. ¡°You can fight them after we get our new gear, not before, that''s just good business moo!¡± they seem to understand and I let them flop onto the grass, they turn over and yawn. ¡°Damn that nap was good but my eepers is getting to me! I''ve hit about 30 hours without sleep, every hour Nacho''s messages are getting more and more aggressive about logging off nyahaha¡± Sitting down on the grass I make sure my tail isn''t caught under me, she instantly leaps over, snuggling into my lap. ¡°She should know by now that it only makes me want to play more not less, fight thee syyysteemm Yaanwwnnyeee¡± she lets out a cute yowl of tiredness and snuggles harder against my lower body, making me feel the area tighten... Ugh whyy!... ¡°I¡¯d like to stream the event tomorrow if that''s alright. Gotta gets some stream time in nye!¡± They spread their arms out smacking me in the tit on the way, as if showing off a sign in the sky, forever taunting me ¡°Big milky and little Keeks out on adventure into the haunted mansion of the dastardly duke!¡¯... Maybe not the quickest bang-up title but it should get some views regardless, new content always does nye!¡± She yawns again and slaps my thighs with both hands, ¡°Time for me to go! As much as I want to snuggle in with what your packing, this girl has got a date with a hot shower and a big fucking kitty nap nye!¡± With a smile she disappears from this world, the warmth of her body still lingering. I lean back and stare up at the sun overhead, still time in the day, but such an adventure... Well, I think I deserve a rest after all I''ve done today. ¡°Hey Fia please log me out, I think it''s a good stopping point for now moo.¡± < Logging you out Lilia > ¡­ < Welcome back home love, enjoy > I appear back in the Home Access Point, the fireplace is roaring in a perpetual warm embrace, the moonlight is filtering in from the other rooms, leading out into the garden and the very alluring silk sheets of the king-sized bed... I imagine Zelia smoothing out the silk bedding, the feeling of it against her hands, sending the light from outside streaming lovingly onto the sheets, crafting every beam, being able to embrace her beautiful body under such a sight. I move out into the garden, she wasn''t lying, it wasn''t perfect before, but now it really was. I sit down on the roman marble bench in the center of it all and breathe it in, it smells like her, like the perfume she started wearing since she transitioned, not one I''ve smelled on anyone else, it''s hers, just like this garden. The marble seat is soft, Zel must have changed its material, the perfect arrangement. I sit there for what feels like hours, Fia is giving me some space, just to exist here in this place alone. Out of nowhere I feel the seat next to me give way and a warmth against my side, oh I was so wrong. Now, now it''s perfect... ¡°Welcome to the garden... Our garden¡± She smiles at me and puts her head on my shoulder, the silence saying all that needs to be said. Respite: 12 Years Ago I think it''s been a few days, at least that''s how long I''ve been conscious for. I can''t move but I can feel it, the tiny things digging into my skin. The nice doctor lady with the red hair, that flowing red hair, she takes care of me day and night, embarrassing beyond what I thought I could endure. She talks to me day in and out. I¡¯m her only patient but she keeps me by her side as much as she can. I just lay in her office while she worked, as she bounced ideas off me things I didn''t understand or sometimes couldn''t hear, but she is a companion for me while all I can do is smile, just wait, day in and out as she carefully removes the things from my skin. On her jacket is a symbol of the world with a book in front, the words Sc-Axium above it and below it is ¡®Scientia Omnium¡¯. I think it''s some kind of Latin, must be the place she''s from... who Natalies mum works for... Worked for... ¡°Was I the only one... where you found me?¡± She smiles softly with worry in her eyes, ¡°You''re the only one I''ve got...¡± she clears her throat and shuffles awkwardly, ¡°How are you feeling today darlin?¡± She sits next to me on her small chair, giving her the perfect height to bend over me. I might be young, but I still have feelings... And she''s bringing it out in me... ¡°My whole front body feels like I walked into a cactus¡± She giggles at me. ¡°You might as well have, all the crystal fragments that came out of that meteor have shredded you. We don''t know what they are but at least they seem to have some kind of healing properties... otherwise I would be worried that you wouldn''t have made it!¡± She carefully picks out the pieces stuck in me one at a time, but there must be hundreds... thousands and she has to take lots of breaks, especially since I''m not the only one here. After a few days of lying down and recovering I finally work up the courage to ask... ¡°What happened to my town...¡± She pauses inches from my stomach with the tweezers. ¡°The... town bunker... Wasn''t... Enough...¡± She pauses at the words, trying to find the right way to say it, saying that they are gone... Everyone, everyone is gone in my life, I am alone... ¡°Oh...¡± I turn my face to the side so that she can''t see the tears. I feel the familiar prick of the crystal leaving my body. It started hurting more the longer I lay here, but I''m not sure if that''s some kind of phantom feeling or not from the boredom and slowly losing my mind. ¡°It would have been quick... I know it''s not what you want to hear, but I really don''t know how to deal with these kinds of situations... the only reason we were even here was in order to pick up the daughter of one of our scientists... they told us to bring a medical team along just in case... everything hit when we were already on the road... had to whip up a quick emergency camp to start treatment, had some of our own casualties... we are far out in the middle of nowhere here... I''m sorry... I really am... I''m going to do the best I can for you... get you somewhere safe once you''re able to move safely, a new home... and to someone that can actually talk with people.¡± It feels like waves of worry passing overhead. I''m just a patient, what can she do for me except take out all these damn things in my body... Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡°You know... I think these things are getting bigger... I was only pulling out ones the size of needles the first few days and now some are the size of toothpicks... I''ve never seen anything like it...¡± She has some panic in her voice and gets up, walks over to the desk and makes a call, ¡°Hey Steven¡­ I''m going to need you to focus on the other patients... Yes, I know we''re busy but this is important¡­ yeah the kid, I¡¯m worried for their safety if I don¡¯t get these things out of him¡­ alright thanks, I¡¯ll owe you a beer¡­ fine 2! bye¡± She sits back down and settles in for the long haul, putting on some music in the background, some kind of classical music... ¡°Alright now you¡¯re all mine kiddo, let¡¯s get all these out of you, just in case yeah¡± She starts humming along to the music, it¡¯s soothing but powerful and it seems to be on repeat. I fall quickly into a rhythm of music and pieces being pulled out of myself. Mentally exhausted I fall asleep... At least for a little while. ¡­ bang wah!? I wake up to my wide-eyed doctor, she quickly gets up and rifles through her bag pulling out a small gun. I still can''t move, my body recovering but not fast enough, ¡°Stay quiet as possible, I''ll be back as soon as I can, it''s going to be okay.¡± Before she moves outside there¡¯s more gunfire and screaming this time, someone begging for their life, she goes into full soldier mode and peaks out with gun drawn, ¡°Fuck!¡± She dashes out of the tent, and I can hear her opening fire as she slips away. More gunfire and yelling... and then it all stops... I can''t help but cry, what is going on... Please don''t leave me alone again... It feels like hours, the silence, it bites harder into me than the crystals. Footsteps start approaching the tent, my tent... It''s not the doctors, the steps I''ve been hearing constantly, it''s not Steven¡¯s, his lazy stumbling steps. They are confident, hard and without remorse for the patients recovering, a dragging sound coming behind it. ¡°eto tselevaya palatka?¡± says the voice in a language I haven''t heard before, a large man in military overalls enters the tent, they are wearing a dusty brown uniform colored like the Australian outback, with black stripes, they have a full face covering. Behind one of them the doctor is being dragged, barely responsive, by the hair, blood running down her shirt, dripping off her hand, all I can do is cry, this must just be a dream, am I not allowed to be safe?! She''s thrown onto the ground near her desk as the intimidating soldier approaches me, not even bothering to draw their gun. ¡°eto to, chto khochet doktor?¡± They look at my skin and flick a finger at one of the crystals on my chest, I flinch heavily, as much as my body can and they laugh at me, ¡°doktor budet dovolen.¡± They lean over and squat down, looking me directly in the eyes, I can barely see the tears clogging my vision, ¡°You are goldmine child, you know that? You will be well taken care of, if you''re useful, or end up like bitch¡± They pull the doctor off the floor with barely a grunt and throw her over me. She holds back a delirious scream, her warm blood is dripping slowly over my body, coating me slowly in it, all I can do is look, stare at the person who has taken care of me, while I can only lay here, not able to help, barely able to move, please just let me move! please let me save her!! ¡°Voz''mite vse, chto smozhete, vernites'' na bazu, polozhite mal''chika v sumku.¡± They yell out of the tent and more men like them come in and start shoveling everything here into bags. A larger bag is brought out and the doctor is pushed off me, her eyes have gone empty... I couldn''t do anything... I didn''t even know her name, a nameless death because of me... she always just called me her doctor, my dear doctor... ¡°Wait...¡± the leader says and bends down again to my body, ¡°is growing...¡± they say in english, looking at my chest, and it is, its growing, the blue crystal is visibly growing through the blood like a vine soaking up fertilizer. ¡°Bag them!! Bring anyone else that still breathes! We Leave now!¡± A needle is pushed into my neck, turning the world a fuzzy bloody red, then I fall into darkness, the never-ending bloody screaming dark. Chapter 16: Puppies and bones We sit by the fireplace and talk about everything and nothing. It¡¯s lovingly warm, feeling the heat on our skin, legs touching, hers with stockings, tight against her perfect skin, feeling amazing against my own. ¡°And then I did what I do best! I smashed and smashed against the beast¡¯s heart, it wrapped me up in boney vines and smothered me, I''m pretty sure I lost an arm and a leg but I kept hitting, until it finally died... Then I had to wait like 5 minutes for the damn thing to disappear so that I could be let free of it, was horrible!¡± She laughs at the adventure that I had with Keeks, especially at the fact that I got stuck up a tree. She would have paid good money to see that. ¡°Afterwards I got snuggled by one of the silver wolf puppies as thanks!¡± Her eyes light up and she bumps into my shoulder a little. ¡°You better have taken photos! I won¡¯t ever forgive you if you didn''t!¡± she pouts a little as she bumps into me. ¡°Our resident photographer made sure to take lots, I haven''t seen them yet though, then I fell asleep and had another adorable creature take advantage of me!¡± I pull up the photos and see that hundreds have been taken, from every angle possible, on the side there is a ¡®Fia¡¯s Finest¡¯ folder, clicking on it, it''s been reduced to about 20 instead. I throw them up, she¡¯s done some fine work, the first pictures are of the puppy as it first snuggles down on my cheek and then close-ups of my face, slight drool coming out as my face is pushed into the puppers side, then the more embarrassing photos. Keeks, seeing that I was sleeping, a mischievous look on her face, pulls my arm to the side and starts rotating like a kitten trying to find the perfect spot, eventually she yawns and snuggles deep into my arm-pit and falls asleep. From above, Fia¡¯s has taken a picture of all 3 of us, me, the puppy and Keeks happily asleep together. The whole time Zel has been coo¡¯ing and making the cutest noises, looking at her she has very much ¡®Can we keep them!?¡¯ vibes radiating off her in droves. ¡°Ugh I can''t wait to meet her! It sucks not starting with you... stupid game... Could have been the best support ever for getting you through the start of the game. It''s literally how I''ve built myself up!¡± She pushes herself under my arm and into my side, the same side that Keeks was in earlier that day. She''s still pouting a little bit but going back and forth on all the pictures zooming in, watching some of the videos taken of Keeks doing little leg movements and grabbies while she''s asleep, like a tiny kitten dreaming of chasing after its prey. Her propensity for cuteness is much higher than mine, she''s biting her lip, is she already considering adoption? of a real ass woman... as cute as they would be together... Zel would be eaten alive! I can tell she¡¯s jealous, not at Keeks, but at the whole situation. She wants to be there for me, make friends together, she¡¯s missing out on so much, her adventure has been much more... tame in comparison. Wanting to hold me close together with Keeks, she¡¯s trying to get her fill as much as possible here, now. ¡°You need to hurry up¡­ please.¡± She whispers into my chest, barely audible above the fireplaces crackling, has she gotten smaller? Or is it just because of how cute she is? ¡°Soon Zel, once I finish this quest with Keeks, which you can watch and enjoy while you¡¯re hitting 10 as well, should get there and can make my way to Silver City together and you can finally meet her, we can be together, annndd I can give you your present! I''m not sure how good it is yet, but it''s made out of crazy ass bear materials so I''m hoping it helps you kick even more ass.¡± I kiss her on the forehead and squeeze her tighter into me, her nose pushes up against my boob and I can feel the heat from her inhaling and exhaling through it, her hot breath making me rub my legs together a little. ¡°Thank you Lil... about time dummy! Thank you... really, I can''t wait to be together.¡± ¡°Oh yeah one of the things I got from that bone bear was this stone that gives me a bone control ability, like what the bear had, has like 10 Wis and 10 Int requirements.¡± She moves her right hand over my stomach and draws circles around my belly button over my shirt, just wow¡­ ¡°Maybe the bone bear was just a bear and then it¡­ got the bone powers? I can''t imagine that a normal bear would meet those requirements, it probably couldn''t control it and just went on instinct, get bigger and stronger, kill or be killed.¡± ¡°That makes a lot of sense, I guess I should put up my intelligence if I¡¯m to use it then, it would be kinda funny if I learn an ability and it just kills me off hah¡± I put my hand through her hair and she stops with her finger, instead pushing it into my belly button, I flinch and she giggles softly. ¡°I think you would look awesome with crazy bone stuff, grow your horns out, make like... Bones grow out of your fists! Protect yourself when something attacks you like how the bear grew sharp things to stop getting attacked, so many options... You could even extend your bones and stuff, right? It could be really cool!¡± Her eyes are glowing at the possibilities, she would take it herself if she wasn''t a caster, if it wasn''t my spoils, I can only hope the new staff is as awesome as the bone control ability. ¡°Maybe I should send you some diagrams of possible minotaur physiology, help you understand what bones could be used for what!¡± Oh no she''s gone into overdrive. ¡°I''ll tell you all about it and how it feels tomorrow, don''t even know how much mana it will cost for things, lots of learning to be done!¡± We talked about the new quest, about how the coin of Nemesis grew hot to the touch right about when the carriage rolled up, if she knows anything or can find anything out for me. She excitedly says she doesn''t really know anything about Nemesis herself except for being about righteous luck but she can find out all she can for me, I can''t wait to hear her talk about it, in my arms again by the fireplace. The duke, the butler and how strange it is that we are going to his daughter''s birthday but apparently they''ve been missing for like 10 years, that they were originally banished from Uslav. ¡°Wait did you say Uslav? I remember reading about it at the library, it said it was destroyed in some kinda ¡®calamity¡¯, wiped off the map, like over a few hundred years ago¡­¡± ¡°I''m pretty sure the blacksmith said it was like 60 years ago that they were banished to Utor from there?¡± She looks at me, her mind racing. ¡°If there are 100 million people joining the game at the same time every week per wave, maybe they aren''t just being thrown into random instanced villages, split apart in copies, maybe all the villages are from different time periods as well? Thousands of villages split across the timeline of Iselgurd. That''s why the starter towns you can''t just leave from, it has a barrier, after you finish to get out you get transported to the city you want to go to, which is like... Current day or something?¡± Zel is putting all the pieces together and I get to watch, reflect off her, be her mirror. She flops back in her seat and closes her eyes, ¡°gotta find out more, maybe I can do some reading at the library tomorrow morning before I go out for leveling. It might have more information further back, although your town is older by at least by like hundreds of years, maybe more! if only I could be there instead! ugh¡­ so annoying! It could have a bunch of different information that I could collate! Gods there''s nothing better than a mystery to be solved!¡± Zelia stands up and stretches, then bends over the couch towards me and brushes her forehead against mine, nuzzling up against me. I hold myself back from taking things further. Why am I still holding back? I know it will be safe, she''s not like them, I know her, we protect each other... I move my face up and look her in the eyes, I gently embrace my lips over hers, she can tell I''m scared, I''m shivering, in anticipation, in fear, at letting someone in. She pulls back slightly and smiles, exploring my face deeply, pulling herself into my lap gently, slowly, with purpose, one leg at a time until we are deep on each other crotch to crotch. She pulls me in for another kiss, a bit more this time, I can taste her even in this virtual world, she feels so real and she feels like mine. Pulling apart I want more, she wants more, she''s breathing hard, holding back, I bring my arms up around her sides, pulling her further towards me, I breathe deep of her. ¡°Maybe... Tomorrow night you could¡­ come over and stay the night?...¡± I¡¯m breathless, pushing through, pushing back my instincts that tell me to run, that scream that a monster like me doesn''t deserve to be happy. ¡°I would really really¡­ really¡­ like that Lilia, I''ll be here tomorrow night when you end the stream with Keeks, I''ll be here.¡± She lifts herself off me, giving me one last small kiss on the lips, ¡°Sweet dreams Lil love¡± ¡°Sweet dreams Zel love¡± She disappears in my arms, looking deep into my eyes as she does, I lean back on the couch, lost in the way she felt. I¡­ should get to bed soon, am I even going to be able to sleep though¡­ ¡°H-hey Fia?¡± In return I get a soft cheeky ¡°hmmmmm?¡± This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.¡°How much of that did you see?¡± There''s a dramatic pause. ¡°See what my dear...¡± Ugh this goddamn! I hope she hasn''t taken any pictures... Or maybe I should ask for some... fuck! ¡°Log me out Fia, it''s time to get some sleep¡± ¡°I¡¯m happy for you, sweet witchy dreams Lilia¡± ¡­ I wake up to the feeling of a whale across my midsection, Buta had stopped sleeping on my chest once my boobs grew in, my poor stomach muscles instead getting a workout each night. ¡°Morning Lilia, I hope you slept well!¡± The motherly voice radiates from the whole house. ¡°Yeah thanks Fia, best sleep I''ve had in a while¡± A waterfall of clinks from the living room summons Buta, as usual using my stomach as a springboard. This time I remembered to clench my muscles to make sure I don''t get winded. ¡°Hey Fia, is Zel already online?¡± I start getting up and getting my clothes on, I usually sleep naked, although I had to force it, being so used to sleeping with clothes on to keep out the cold of the streets for so long. Even then, cocooning myself as much as I could, only being able to relax fully when Zel¡¯s warmth was there. I could sleep anywhere if she was holding my hand. ¡°She was up an hour ago and already in the game! she left a message for you!¡± { Hey Sleepy head I''ll be in the library before stream starts, make sure to message me as soon as it does! I don''t want to miss a second! } Walking out of the bedroom I feel that I''m getting closer to the top of the door frame. ¡°Thanks, aahhh she always was an early riser. Once I stopped having to fear for my life it became much harder to wake up... Fia, do you think I''ve gotten a little taller?¡± ¡°From my records you appear to be slightly taller, your muscle density has risen since I started taking care of you, so it may be due to that¡± I shrug and start on breakfast, nutty cereal with soy berry yogurt, nothing is tastier than peanut and peanut sauce! gods. I send Keeks a message letting them know I''ll be online and start getting ready for WAR. ¡­ The sun swept light of the town is bright in contrast to the mansion that I now see overshadowing a part of Utor, yup definitely not there before! Must only be visible when you have a quest for it? Bringing up my status page I throw the points into intelligence up to 10 and another into constitution just in case, never hurts to have more health. Status Interface Name: LilMoo Level: 8 Race: Minotaur Gender: Female, She/Her Max Health: 105 Max Mana: 112 Max Stamina: 122 Points remaining: 0 Strength: 11 (12) Dexterity: 6 (9) Constitution: 3 (5) Intelligence: 10 Wisdom: 10 (12) Charisma: 1 Luck: 50 ------------ I bring out the Ability crystal and crush it, it shatters like glass and dissipates instantly. < Ability Acquired - Bone Control (Rare) - Active - > --------- Bone Control level 1 (Rare) - Active Ability Control your bones, depends on imagination. Mana Cost 10-100 Stamina Cost 10-100 Level 1: Minor Bone Control, Bone Sense, Minor Increase in bone density. Revert Bone Control - Active Ability Revert all changes caused by Bone Control Ability Will automatically activate when Stamina or Mana are below 10 Damn that''s cool! Uses up both mana and stamina though. That''s kind of rough, but I guess if it''s changing my body that makes sense?... Zel was right though I''m going to need to figure out my bones, ugh study! I find an empty place in town, not that it''s busy, I think most people have moved on now, I think it''s only a day or 2 before the next wave of players should be arriving? I wonder if they are going to reset this area, or they are going to instance it? I know Zel said there could be thousands of these towns over like the time period or whatever but still... It would be annoying to have to deal with the previous players'' mess ups, me included, like maybe Keeks burns down the Duke''s mansion? I wouldn''t put it past her if they are rude enough! Sitting down on the grass I take off my gloves and look at my hand and the bones of it, < Bone Control > activating the ability seems to make the bone sense automatically activate, I can feel the... Carpal something? I think that''s what the knuckles are a part of?? It''s not like I had the most consistent schooling. I can feel the focus of where I''m looking at the bones, I close my eyes and feel the bones one at a time, I know things like horns are made of not bone stuff, but I know through thought that I could still grow them. I feel my stamina draining as my focus increases, I don''t know enough about my body to visualize it enough, maybe I could get Fia to whip me up a diagram, then Zel and I could go over it together... Or! I could forget to ask Fia and instead Zel and I can roleplay doctors¡­ heh! Bone control deactivates as I get distracted... Godamnit I suck! Mana 102/112 Stamina 83/122 Okay so activating it takes 10 from each and then stamina is used for bodily observation... I guess that means Mana is for modification? < Bone Control > I focus on my fist again, clenching it shut, focusing on the knuckles, I visualize it expanding, and feel every change possible, it hurts, it really fucking hurts! The bones around it are cracking slightly as the knuckles expands outwards, skin ripping upwards until small bloody holes of bone emerge. It still stings and throbs, when I release my fist and try to level out my hand it doesn''t go all the way, the bones are in the way, I¡¯ve done it wrong fuck¡­ this is going to take a lot of practice, thankfully it doesn''t really bleed, just leaves weird wounds in me, that¡¯s a consolation at least. It''s going to suck to do it with other parts of the body even more! I clench into a fist again and focus on the knuckle bones, think about them condensing, become stronger, I feel exhaustion as my mana rapidly declines, it seems hardening takes a lot more mana than just changing its shape, but it''s not like I¡¯m trying to make diamonds... but maybe I could?! I release the bone control, admiring my handiwork, taking off my chest plate I hit it, it doesn''t hurt me and definitely packs a punch against the leather. Checking my status I see that instead of the normal 2-2 damage of unarmed combat it''s now a 3-4 for unarmed fist attacks, technically it could be better than my normal fist weapon?? Mana 31/112 Stamina 48/122 The more I practice the less stamina it should use as well, there''s so much more experimenting to be done! < Hey sorry just woke up, on my way Nye! > Oh right, I got so distracted heh, also... She ¡®Nye¡¯s¡¯ even in messages? Very cute. I tell her I''ll meet her at pop''s store and wander off towards it, making sure to use < revert bone control > before I do so, it''s uncomfortable! Like I''ve put marbles between where my joints are, bah! Time for some sexy bone armor! Chapter 17: Sleepy Streamer Experience. ¡°Hey bigmoo~ how you doing nyee!!¡± Keeks swaggers over and promptly falls face first forwards, nearly whacking her head on my knee. ¡°Keeks are you okay moo?!¡± I hear little snores coming from the dirt, was she knocked unconscious or just fallen back asleep?! Both are seriously ridiculous! ¡°Mmnn 5 more minutes Nacho, don''t make me swoop your little kitty belly nyehehehe¡­¡± I lean over and poke her on the head. Her ears twitch a little, I start flicking an ear at a time, it''s so adorable! I take a video and send it straight over to Zel. < !!! SEND MORE PLEASE?! > ¡°Hehehe hey Keeks~ if you wake up, I¡¯ll sit on you moo!¡± She jerks up with eyes half closed. ¡°WA WHA!? S-sit on me NYE?!¡± I pick her up and plant her on her butt, she starts to fall backwards again. ¡°Keeks!! Loot, titties uhh thigh crushing moo!?¡± Oh, I think that got her attention! She blinks with a derpy look on her face, then pops her head up to look me in the eyes frowning. ¡°Not cool! You owe me crushies! Nyyeee¡­¡± she pouts a little and gets up, dusting herself off. ¡°Alright alright! Maybe later moo¡­¡± I look away shyly, I''ve still got a cute girl to deal with tonight much less one right now! Keeks stretches out and yawns, ¡°I guess I should start streaming¡­ not like they aren''t used to my ass being late or still asleep nehye!¡± ¡°Your ethics astound me moo!¡± she throws me a big grin and gives me a thumbs up, impossible! I send a message to Zel letting her know the stream should start soon, she sends me back a thumbs up and kisses. ¡°Three, two, one! Hey, you dirty boys and girls, it''s the one and only Keeks, today we are with the mistress of pain LilMoo nye!!¡± ¡°Hello~ I''m not definitely not a mistress of pain! Although I''m about ready to kick Keeks ass if she keeps on with saying such things, at least she got my name right this time moo¡­¡± ¡°Gods I wish! not on stream though, gotta keep that a little more private! Nyehehe, for today¡¯s stream we are heading to pick up some new gear from pops and then we off to fuck with a Duke for a snooty party, maybe destroy some rich people shit! Nyahaha!¡± ¡°Speaking of, it''s time to get us some new equipment! Pop¡¯s awaits moo!¡± I make my way over to the store and see that instead of pops in the chair, Keeks¡¯s mortal enemy awaits us, eyes closed and rocking back and forth slowly, contemplating pure evil! ¡°Hey uhh you, is pop¡¯s in?¡± I ask carefully, trying to keep Keeks fully behind my body, hoping to block any fury, at least until we get our stuff. ¡°It ain''t you, is Sonny, Sonny n Pop¡¯s Blacksmithery! Get it right!¡± Ugh of course it''s Sonny... Goddamn naming sense worse than mine! ¡°Alright Sonny... Is pop¡¯s in, said they would have custom stuff for us?¡± They get up begrudgingly and mutter, walking into the back room, after a few minutes pop¡¯s walks out with an armful of things, placing it down on the table with the elegance of a hoof handed animal. ¡°Here''s yer gear, even made something extra for the little one with the leftover bone!¡± Keeks pops up from behind me and puts on the puppy eyes. ¡°Aww you do care nye!¡± she scrambles up to the counter and looks through the equipment pulling out a little bone helmet with little horns, a covering of bone runs down to the nose but leaves the eyes open, I see another bone helmet with holes for horns, pulling it out hers looks like a tiny version of mine. ¡°LIL WE MATCH!!! NYEE!¡± She puts it on and mimics charging things like a bull, nothing is safe from her tiny rampage! Picking through it there''s hoof armor, looks like it has a leather part under it and then bone, and then white fur to go over the top, it looks like really strong material, fashionable too! There''s also Zelia¡¯s new scepter, it''s absolutely beautiful, twisting bone about 2 ? feet long, with the crystal encased in a twisting contorted mess of bone, making it out like the whole thing was made out of gnarled wood. ¡°Damn you did amazing work pop¡¯s moo!¡± He shakes his head then motions to the back room. ¡°Tha one was Sonny''s, kid might be a right pain but they''ve got the hands fer trinket work.¡± Keeks finishes playing around and pulls out the rest of their equipment, their new cutlass looks heavier and she gets weighed down a little, but the look from the sparkle in her eyes shows its stats must be amazing, she throws the cloak around her shoulders, the white fur really shows off her new helmet and her darker natural brown spotted fur. ¡°Chat chat what do you think!!! Amazing right?! I bet you''re all super jealous nyahaha!¡± I''ve not seen her so happy with herself before, she really does look awesome! ¡°Yer finished your quest with flying colors, no payment necessary, there''s scraps that we can use on other projects so that will be enough.¡± Pop¡¯s Request Provided Pop¡¯s with monster materials Reward Received 6 Customized Items of high quality 2520 exp gained from quest (200 exp x items made (6) x 2 for high quality materials brought x 1.05 due to Charisma) { 3420/4000 until next level } ¡°Since I got so much stuff as well as took all that gold, how about we have a quick adventure through the town and see if we can pick up some consumables! Might need it! Nye!¡± < Received the following Equipment > Mutated Bone Helmet (Rare) - Head Armor Defense Piercing - 12 Slashing - 12 Blunt - 10 Effects + 20% Charging attack damage. + 2 Wisdom + 2 Constitution Mutated Bone Hoof Protector (Rare) - Feet Armor Defense Piercing - 12 Slashing - 12 Blunt - 10 Effects + 15% Movement Speed. + 2 Dexterity + 3 Damage when attacking with hooves. Bone Scepter of the Mutant Bear (Rare) - Weapon Main Hand Damage 1-2 Blunt Effects Active Ability - Bone Shot { Open Spell Slot } + 2 level to spell on scepter if a curse/bone type + 3 int/wis Bone Shot Level 3 (Rare) - Bone Spell Type: Non-Typed Offensive Piercing Cost: 48 Mana Effect: 1 - 30 piercing damage. 10% chance to cause bleeding. Casting of Bone Shot is reduced due to the spell being imbued in the weapon. Cannot Level up. ¡®A small bone is shot out, sharpness of bone is random, bones are the building blocks of the body, maybe you could use another?¡¯ ¡°Thanks pop¡¯s this is the best! Have you ever thought about moving to a major city? With yours and Sonny¡¯s skills you could be living life well Moo!¡± ¡°Nah¡­ I''m not one to enjoy such a life, my father and my father¡¯s father all lived in Utor, I''ll be here until Utor falls or I do!¡± They relax and lean back looking thoughtful, ¡°Sonny be a bit different, wouldn''t surprise me if they move out of here, make their way in the world¡­ once in a lifetime skillset they got, could be a noble if they push themselves I recon, considering we''ve got a long lifespan who knows, they could be whatever they want.¡± The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°I hope I can see you both in the future pop¡¯s, thank you again and thank Sonny for me, tell them it''s beautiful¡± Pop¡¯s nods, Keeks and I walk out of the store, waving as we leave, didn''t even have to rough anyone up! As we exit I see Sonny from the back looking out, looking with envy, wanting to be the one wearing the armor, not just the one making it, I hope their dream comes true. ¡­ ¡°But I had to put 9 points into intelligence, which feels like a bit of a waste! but me and Zel feel like Bone Control could become really strong, especially since I''m a melee attacker moo!¡± Keeks has a dirty grin on her face. ¡°Boner control! Nyehehehe¡± She can''t stop laughing and starts holding her belly, I start laughing too but more of the sight of the tiny Gnoll bent over dying from such a bad joke, I decide to pick her up and put her around my back neck while we make our way through the town. ¡°Chat! I''ve seen a Cow fly, but I''ve never seen a Gnoll fly! Weeee~¡± They grab onto my horns and pretend they are riding a bull, which considering the situation isn''t the least unlikely thing they are doing. We stop every so often to look at stalls and pick up as many useful potions as we can find. We had a hefty drop from the bone bear so we can stock up thoroughly, Keeks is in charge and points down from on high like a captain controlling her ship, the ship being me of course. Basic Health Potion x 4 Heals small wounds and restores 40 health. Basic Mana Potion x 2 Recovers 50 Mana. Basic Stamina Potion x 2 Restores 50 Stamina. Basic Speed Potion x 1 Increases Movement Speed by 10% for 5 minutes. Basic Strength Potion x 2 Increases strength by 2 for 5 minutes. We both split up the health, mana, and stamina potions, I''ve got my new boots and Keeks says that the potion wont stack with the buff on them, not that I know how that stuff really works, we both take a strength potion. Hopefully we won''t need it, but as Dad always said about tools, ¡®I''d rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it¡¯. ¡­ Keeks has refused to get off my shoulders, she keeps putting her new cloak around my eyes ¡®accidently¡¯ although at this point how many times can be considered an accident, 5... 10 times?! I owe her from waking her up and she''s enjoying it too much like a kid with a new toy to just throw her off. Chat and more importantly Zelia seems to be loving it. Keeks shared the chat messages with me and every so often I see ZelAwoo pop up, a few times asking Keeks to bully me. I hope she realizes she¡¯s going to get bullied back tonight 10-fold! We are on our way down the dreariest road I''ve ever been on. It¡¯s started to sprinkle; the sun has gone behind the dark clouds, and it feels like we are in perpetual night. Not as drastic as my home point garden but very much getting there, except there''s no loving light of the moon to accompany us. ¡°Whoever designed this road really hates people huh... Warning ¡®depressive mood for all who enter! Moo¡± I sigh and reach up to pat Keeks on the head, she bends down and accepts it happily nuzzling into it, I think I can feel a little bit of purring against my neck even if I can''t hear it, the rumbling of kitty mode. ¡°I''m having the time of my life! Imagining a ship forging through in the storm! The Big Milker will never be sunk by the likes of bad weather yarrr-nyeee!¡± she''s rocking back and forth with her bone cutlass above her head, the other grasped tightly to my left horn, avoiding the little bell, swinging it back and forth in mock combat. Oh I am so close to smacking the little Gnoll off! I''ll Show her bad weather! I sigh again, deeper this time and keep trudging down the road, I can really feel the increased speed from my new boots, even walking I¡¯m faster, which means it doesn''t really consume stamina, easiest trip ever! despite the feeling of being watched and the half dead trees lining the road, haunted mansion is definitely on the list today. Up ahead the mansion peeks out of the top of the dead branches, the whole front is lightened up and a heap of carriages of all shapes and sizes line up. Even though they were banished they must have had some sway still considering the amount of people here. Out the front is a maid receiving guests, she seems to be a black and white wolf girl, very prim and proper, with a Victorian era maid costume on. Not like the ones I kept seeing in the back end of ads, ones that the guys at school wouldn''t stop ogling over, although I get the appeal, it wasn''t something I really wanted to think about, at least not yet. As we approach, guards come out from the sides of the stairwell, from what I can tell they are both humans? and tall, exceptionally tall! pale skin with large polearms, dead vacant eyes, staring us both down until Keeks pulls out the invitation, from on top of my head, they look at it and resume post, like gargoyles on a church roof. The wolf girl curtsies as I get to the top of the entrance stairs and asks to see our invitation, smiling deeply at me, ¡°Welcome to the mansion of Duke Augustus, I am Natasha, due to your special invite you can follow me and I will help get you ready for the party, only a few of these were given out but you are the last to arrive, so we must make haste Wan!¡± Forgetting for a second about my riding companion, I stride past the double doors and hear a donk as Keeks is thrown back upon smacking the doorway, grabbing my horns and nearly taking me with her. ¡°I''M STILL UP HERE!!!! THAT''S GOING TO BE A FUCKING CLIP FUCK NYYOOOO!!!¡± She''s screaming and holding her forehead as I bend over and pull her down into my arms, there''s little tears in her eyes and I pull her into my chest muffling the crying and sniffling, she seems to calm down instantly and I follow Natasha again, she''s staring at both of us, I see in her eyes a wanting, to abandon propriety and also join Keeks, damn wolf girls are thirsty! She coughs and excuses herself, asking me to follow her again, she keeps looking back as she walks, at where Keeks is snuggled up too, gulping, I can hear a small whine building in her throat, at a few points in our journey through the gargantuan mansion we seem to get lost due to¡­ distractions. Eventually we make it to a changing room, pulling a pouting keeks off my chest to her dismay, she would live there if she could afford it. The room is filled with women¡¯s clothes, mostly formal wear but some a little bit more casual, as well as some more¡­ risqu¨¦ options. ¡°We have a wide selection of clothes to get you into, they are enchanted so that one size fits all, you just need to start putting them on and they will grow or shrink to your size wan!¡± Keeks looks at the clothes in wonder ¡°Why the hell don''t they have it on armor then nye?!¡± Natasha smiles and says, ¡°Unfortunately such an enchantment takes up a large slot on armor, only the highest quality materials would be able to sustain this and any other additions, ones like dragon armor is usually passed down through families so it makes sense to be able to adjust so that they don''t have to ruin it just to fit into their ancestors clothing. We trade elegance for defense and bonuses basically, besides¡­ when you gain weight it would be dreadful not to fit in your clothes anymore wan¡­¡± We start picking out clothes, moving to the changing rooms, Keeks insists that we should change together¡­ for ¡®safety reasons¡¯, but I push her into a separate one to the clicking of her tongue and mutterings of ¡®I just wanna see some titties¡­¡¯ yes yes poor Keeks. I choose a purple dress that goes just past my thighs with a slip in the side, Natasha persistently helps me try it on, slowly zipping up the back, extremely slowly, I feel her warmth against me, she''s pretending to struggle with the zipper to push herself into my fur, I can hear her breathing me in, OH the fucking ring... I didn''t think it would be this extreme! or was I already her type and it just pushed that further?! Either way it''s killing me a little, I can feel a bulge pushing against the dress and fake cough ¡°Cough Cough, are you alright there miss moo?¡± She yips a little and backs off, finishing pulling up the zipper, her voice is higher than normal. ¡°Yes yes all done it''s lovely, once you''re both finished, I''ll see you back in here wan!¡± she quickly hoofs it, hearing a door bang shut and a shrill noise from the other side of it, with self-berating noises accompanying it. I try to clear my mind, as extremely hot as that was, it''s not what I want right now! stupid! stupid¡­ Alright Lilia you''ve got this, think about stats or something uhhhh bones, boners! where are the bones at!? I can feel myself finally going down. Keeks exits her dressing area and shows off, twirling around, it''s a black silk dress that might as well be a large shirt, it shows off the top of her thighs all the way down, it¡¯s very mature for someone that exudes cuteness, offset by the savage grin on her face as she peeks at the slit in the side of my dress, giving me a thumbs up. Natasha comes back in, finally composed, ¡°Now as this is a ball I¡¯m sure you understand that no weapons or armor are to be worn! the mansion proper has a restriction on items except for consumables and those already being worn, as such please disarm so that we can all stay safe, you will be checked before entering so please don''t make any trouble! please¡± she puppy eyes us a little bit, maybe she would get in trouble if we cause some? Keeks nudges me and gives me a look of ¡°distraction!¡±, I roll my eyes and look back at Natasha, stepping forwards her breathing hitches in her throat, I caress the side of her furry cheek, ¡°We wouldn¡¯t do anything to jeopardize your job, you¡¯re safe with us love~¡± Keeks slaps me on the ass and I jolt, moving back, I give Keeks an angry look, she tries to look innocent, trying to hide something for sure. I make sure any armor is off, my new equipment is so sexy too, sucks not to be able to wear it, the bonuses were amazing! seems necklaces and rings don''t count thankfully, accessories are just that good! I''m already not wearing my fists, who knows what Keeks has got stored under that dress though, if it doesn''t mess us up! We step out into the corridor, into the unknown! Status Interface Name: LilMoo Level: 8 Race: Minotaur Gender: Female, She/Her Max Health: 105 Max Mana: 112 Max Stamina: 119 Points remaining: 0 Strength: 11 Dexterity: 6 (9) Constitution: 3 (5) Intelligence: 10 Wisdom: 10 (12) Charisma: 1 Luck: 50 Chapter 18: Never invite a Gnoll to a fancy dinner. The corridor stretches on and on through the mansion. We arrive at large hefty double doors, a guard on each side, the same pale human look with dead eyes. Natasha motions for them to open the door and they grab a door handle each. Their muscles bulging at the weight of the doors as if they were made of pure metal. Ahh that explains the walk, looking past the doorway a football field sized ball room opens ahead of us, 50 plus tables are set up scattered around the room, along the sides of the room are countless tables of food and drinks, the middle strip is clear for walking space, or possibly for dancing? It is a party after all. At the very far end is a large throne of gold and red with a slightly smaller throne to its right-hand side of similar theme, both empty of persons, at least this probably means that we weren''t late? Not that we were given a start time¡­ weird, the room has no windows, only colored marble representing where windows should be, the top of the room has enough candles on chandeliers to be a fire hazard. Hundreds of people mingle around, some eating, others sitting talking to each other, many varying races but humans being the majority. All looking like nobility, absolute superiority in their fields, noses stuck up each other''s asses, finding out who gets the biggest sniff. ¡°Smells like rich ass in here nye!¡± fuck, reading my thoughts. ¡°You said it moo!¡± Natasha clears her throat and announces us to the room, ¡°By special invite, Champions of Utor, Keeks and LilMoo wan!¡± wait what. ¡°Hey Natasha, how did you know our names moo?¡± She looks at me puzzled and pulls out the invitation. ¡°It says it right here, Keeks and LilMoo, killers of the Bone Bear that was plaguing Utor, please step inside and find a seat, enjoy yourself, the party should hopefully start soon wan!¡± I see a glint in her eyes as she steps back, unfocused, in a daze, uncertain. ¡°FOOB NYEE!¡± Keeks throws herself towards the nearest table of food to her liking on all 4''s. I move forwards to stop her from causing chaos but she''s ready to put her life on the line for the best nom¡¯s. I turn back around, and Natasha has her eyes closed, the guards close the door behind me with a thud, I look around quickly, this is the only entry and exit apart from over near the thrones, there¡¯s a small exit, fuck. My worries exacerbate further when I hear a noise at the door, subtle but one I''ve heard before, one that haunts my dreams, the sliding of a big solid lock, we aren''t getting out of here under our own initiative¡­ I sigh and re-align myself, striding over to where Keeks is. I miss my new sexy armor, I would feel so much safer right now, going a little more zoomies. Keeks hasn''t bothered with a plate, she¡¯s sampling all the food by hand, there''s a group of old women next to her, half of them judging her manners and the other half looking like they are ready to sign adoption papers on the spot. I poke her on the back of the head and she turns around with some kind of sweet pie in her hand, she jumps up and tries to feed it to me, so that she doesn''t just smash it into my face I kneel down to her level, it''s actually quite good, gooseberry or something, some kind of tart, damn the rich live in style. No wait fuck! ¡°Keeks we are trapped in here, they''ve locked the doors and there''s only that and a small way out that I bet is guarded, it feels like a trap moo!¡± She looks at me, then back at the food, horrified, ¡°Do you think they are going to make us pay for the food?!?!¡± Ahh yes that''s the issue, I donk her on the head and she half closes her eyes in contentment, right... bapping is not a punishment. ¡°No dingus this is a trap, and we might not make it out moo!¡± she looks at me puzzled, ¡°But¡­ the food''s still free right nye?!¡± I mean she''s not wrong, not that this is IRL. ¡°Well if we die we lose money, does that count, moo?¡± Realization hits her harder than a well-placed slap. ¡°Noo we earned that gold! I''ll fight to the death!! nye!!¡± well that may happen regardless of what we want. ¡°Concerned about a possible trap?¡± We are approached by a green female lizardfolk with red spots up and down her body, she¡¯s wearing a very revealing red sparkling dress, although not much breasts to show off, that could just be a lizard thing? ¡°Yes, although my friend is more worried about having to pay for the food, I¡¯m LilMoo and this is Keeks moo¡± They smile deeply and shake my outstretched hand, they look quick, lithe and their strength stat is definitely above mine with the force I¡¯m getting from them, a pure damage class maybe? ¡°I¡¯m SunOnAWarmRock, this is 100% a trap, the creepy duke, daughter¡¯s birthday, there''s nothing about this I like, but, the more risks you take the better the rewards!¡± ¡°That''s an interesting name, wait what language are you speaking moo?¡± They connect the dots as it seems I do. ¡°I''m from the Korean central region, I was wondering about your names as well, the translator works so well that I thought everyone was region locked in the starter zones, I guess it''s too hard to do custom names perfectly though hah, still very cool, at least I still get your racial traits translated well miss moo¡± She winks and I put my hand against my head shyly, maybe I should get that turned off, it feels so me now though, soon enough I''ll be saying it IRL, that''s when the embarrassment will really hit. ¡°Australian Outer Region, recovering from an injury, moo.¡± They smile understandingly. ¡°American central region nye!¡± Keeks jumps up and waves her hand in front of the lizard woman, shaking very vigorously. I bet she''s never been beaten up by a lizard woman before, probably on her list. She graciously takes Keek''s hand, she must have used a bit of pressure because Keek¡¯s eyes are gleaming looking at her crushed hand, dream come true. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. I check messages and see that it''s currently disabled, I look over to the shared stream chat and see that it''s also disabled. ¡°Uhh Keeks chat and messages are disabled moo¡± She shrugs. ¡°Yeah I know nye¡± I look at her dumbfounded. ¡°And you were going to tell me when?!¡± She looks guiltily at the table next to us. ¡°After foob...¡± Fuuucckkkk. SunOnAWarmRock starts laughing at our antics, well at least some of us are having fun, fuck it, shows not started yet at least. ¡°Can I call you SunRock? It''s hard to say the whole thing honestly, hopefully that''s not offensive or anything moo?¡± They nod and motion for me to continue, ¡°Is there somewhere you''re seated or if there''s other players here with their own table moo?¡± ¡°Yeah we''ve got one at about the center right hand side, managed to keep the nobles off it so far with my very¡­ angry, looking hobgoblin partner, they are hard to miss, bring some food over and we can talk about the quest, seems like a weird one. They grab a plate and start making their way down tables, playing a balancing game with everything they can get, must be getting for the others too, definitely high dexterity and strength character, or a former waiter, both applicable. I turn around and Keeks has moved back to the groups of old women, ¡°and that''s why the Gnoll matriarchal way is the best, women in power, taking what they want! None of these stupid men to mess everything up!¡± Like butter in her adorable paws, they never stood a chance. I pat her on the shoulder and tell her I''ll meet her at the table and start gathering supplies, she nods, I think some of the younger women have started taking notes, oops, there goes the neighborhood. ¡­ Tray in one hand and a mug of some kind of strawberry fruit drink in the other I make my way through the middle area, past countless people talking this and that about accomplishments, trying to one up one another of the effort of their children. Little Timmy knows 5 words and he''s only 4 months old, oh absolute tosh, yes little Timmy is definitely going to grow up well-adjusted with you lot, bah! I easily find where the others are seated, we have a table seated for 6, 3 of the spots are taken up, one the lizard woman, another the hobgoblin, the last, well, a plant? Or someone has left a pot in one of the chairs places, although it''s definitely sitting. I didn''t even think that was an option to be fair, not that it interests me, gods I wonder how it feels. Placing my food and drink down, SunRock introduces me to the group, ¡°Everyone this is LilMoo! their friend Keeks should be joining us shortly too, LilMoo this is ChewedBone and Oak, we somehow managed to get onto the same start together!¡± I don''t need hand motions to tell which name belongs to which, going with a very literal path of naming¡­ not that I can really say anything about naming sense at this point. ¡°Nice to meet you all! Weird quest isn''t it! Glad we have other players here to help when things inevitably go wrong though moo!¡± Oak speaks up although I can''t really see their mouth, a hollow creaking of wood in the wind comes from somewhere internally perhaps ¡°Wee were invited soon after the killing of a mutated creaturre, wass it the same for youu?¡± Their words string out with endings added randomly, like wind blowing, a behavior of their race maybe? ¡°Yeah me and Keeks killed one and got the invite on our way back to town, must be some kind of continued questline then? I wonder if this is just another piece or the end of it moo?¡± ChewedBone spits some of its food out of its mouth onto the floor, just where a noble man started approaching looking for a fight, they seem to think better of it, ChewedBone ignores them completely ¡°It better be the fucking end I just want out of this shithole town, I want some real action! You can''t get above level 10 while we are here, so we are just loading up on exp with nothing to do with it! Can¡¯t even wear all our fucking loot in here, fucking rude after all we''ve been through!¡± all the while spitting out more food with every word, am I glad the table is extra-large sized. SunRock shakes their head, ¡°It must be some kind of skill based quest then, no armor or weapons means that it''s up to our base stats or abilities to win whatever is thrown at us!¡± Keeks is wandering around with multiple plates balancing above her, she peeks under it every now and then trying to find me, seeing my horns she makes a beeline and throws her plates onto the table, thankfully it''s large enough that she only moves it around a bit. ¡°We talking about all the creepy shit nye?!¡± She starts making grabbies at her plates, they went too far out of her reach from her throwing them down, when she finally climbs up to her seat I move them back to her, she stands on her seat and reaches over to stuff it in her face. ¡°Oh yeah, I don''t know if you know this but we talked to pop¡¯s in town and he said that the Duke''s daughter died like 10 years ago, so no idea how we are having a party for her moo?¡± The sound of metal on glass tinks from the throne area of the room interrupting us, The Duke¡¯s Butler is next to the throne hitting an empty wine glass with a small spoon, it reverberates throughout the entire room. ¡°I feel like we are about to find out, nye!¡± We all look towards each other in agreement. And oh we did, how I wish we didn''t. 11 years ago Warning: Very traumatizing for too many possible triggers to list. The blackness of the void releases me, from the faces and screams of my family that I never got to see. Did they die instantly in the center of the blast or die slowly like I would, here in the hell of my own mind? I remember the bad men, hurting my friend, the one that wanted to take me in, a chance at maybe a better life, better than the one I was most likely going to lead from now, but for how long? I can only hope they kill me quickly¡­ I feel a prick against the front of my body, my eyes open to pure whiteness, bright into my face, ¡°Oh you''re awake!¡± A voice comes from the side as darkness overcomes me. A large smile, followed by hollow greed filled eyes, not the eyes of someone who is going to take care of me, despite their doctor''s outfit that I had come to recognize with hope and safety. They wear it like a skin suit. I struggle hopelessly feeling the grip against my limbs. Bending my head up, I see the hospital gown open at the chest and the brown straps holding me down. The doctor moves back, bends over my limbs and pulls at each binding while smiling at me, showing me that I''m not going anywhere. The back of my mind is screaming but I feel hollow, empty, like I don''t actually exist, disoriented. I can feel every time the doctor picks a crystal from my chest I feel every single pull, I can feel the pain but not the rest of me, like they injected me with something that¡¯s specifically for torture¡­ for me specifically or maybe that¡¯s all they had¡­ I¡¯d read stories online, ones that I¡¯d read with Nat when I went over to Her¡¯s. Her mum worked while we played around on the laptop, exploring the internet, finding the scariest stories to freak each other out with. This wasn''t a story, but I really wish it was, Nat is dead, and surely, I''m close behind, maybe I will get to see her and my parents again? Would I deserve to see them? I could only watch as the nice doctor died, as I watched the life drain from her eyes. I''m the only one left, it would be better if I could die soon¡­ but I have a feeling, fueled by the smile of the doctor, that I''m not going die easily. I can only brace myself for what''s to come. ¡°Now child¡± They speak to me directly this time, in English. I try to open my mouth, but I can''t make real noises, just mumbles as my tongue refuses to work. ¡°Shhhhh shh¡­ it''s okay, I am doctor Muta, we will be best of friends as you help me with my research, yes? You have something miraculous in your skin, you are basically gold mine ha-ha¡± He grabs his belly and laughs at his own jokes as I strain vainly against my binds, tears slowly dripping out of my eyes. They look at it and quickly pull out a voice recorder, ¡°Note. We need to try tears as a component¡± They look back at me and smile approaching the cocktail mix of bags I notice are going through the line in my wrist. ¡°These are going to make you feel better for the next¡­ uhm while. The next time you wake up it is going to be a little bit more uncomfortable, but! you will get used to it!¡± I feel my brain go fuzzy as they start turning dials on the machine behind me, the last thing I see is the smile as I sink back into my nightmares. ¡­ Natalie stares at me lovingly on the hill, we wake up together into the darkness embracing. We kiss gently, not something we had done before, blushing in the dark, watching the never-ending blue aurora of the sky, constant perfect streaks of metals falling from the sky, always on the horizon, never coming closer, we are in our perfect space, no one can touch us here. ¡°I can''t save you from the bullies this time Lilia, I''m just a thing made complete, you should just give in and become one with it¡± Blue crystals start pushing through her skin as she smiles, the same smile. I wake up panting, I can¡¯t breathe, there''s a mask covering my mouth. The doctor is looming over me like the last time I woke up, the same horrifying smile plastered on their face. I only now notice that they have a small wound on their lip, like it¡¯s been stitched up, ¡°Welcome back Young one, we have made some uhhhah adjustments to your body, don''t worry we have not disturbed the lovely farm on your body, we just had to make sure you got proper nutrients, a uhh feeding tube¡± They seem to revel in their knowledge, telling me exactly what they have done to me, he touches my body and I feel something pull against the upper part of my stomach, he calls it a G-tube, for long term feeding¡­ I know now that I''m going to be here for a long... long time. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Classical music drowns out my silent tears, all I can do is feel my body there, absorbing the music, feeling defenseless, useless, my body a weakened mush of humanity. ¡°We are going to start on something more exciting soon!¡± He¡¯s only been extracting some of the crystals so far, ¡°Not to worry it''s all routine! haha¡± I would get to watch the whole thing, he would make sure I was awake to feel everything, to experience the ultimate expression of science and humanity. His excitement as he stood over what I felt was my already rotting corpse, the absolute joy he exudes. The soldiers have started delivering him fluids, in all sorts of bags, all of them different colors and shapes. The soldiers stare at me like another cold body that they have to drag around, they have different stars on their uniforms, ranks or something maybe. The doctor and soldiers talk to each other quietly, I hear a few words but can''t make heads or tails of it, ¡°Bodies¡­ Basement¡­ Fresh Supply¡­¡± The soldiers eventually walk out after bringing in the liquids and the doctor turns to me, ¡°Now Young one, we are going to play a game! We are going to see what kinds of liquids do things to the crystals growing on top of your skin! Isn''t that fun!¡± No, it''s really really not¡­ The most I can do is beg with my eyes, the doctor hits a remote and some piano music starts up, it¡¯s something I''m familiar with, my father enjoyed some what he called ¡®mainstream classical¡¯, it''s Moonlight sonata. It flows over me, makes me think about all the small things that I''ll never be able to have again, a home, a family, a life! I hear a ripping of one of the bags and the doctor starts dribbling it over me, they pause and check for a reaction. Hour¡¯s pass, every so often the music changes, the feel of the liquid changes, accompanied by the sharp pulling out of another shard. Repeat, endless words of excitement and disappointment being funneled into a voice recorder. After hours the doctor stops and pulls a clear bag full of thick red liquid from a cooler, they rip open the top and it spills a little, they only laugh at their clumsiness, life dripping on the floor, it''s not like there''s any ¡®janitors¡¯, not that I¡¯ve seen at least, hes got to clean it all up himself. The thick liquid slaps dutifully across my chest, missing the G-tube that goes up my chest, it splatters and slops, slithers across my skin. The doctor and I wait, and wait, expectant, me in fear and him in jubilation. Nothing happens, I can only sigh closing my eyes, the doctor instead of being disappointed starts yelling excitedly in the recorder, he walks out still talking, leaving it on my skin, to drip and harden, creating a shell of gooey things, a almost skin like hardness on the outside, I can only beg for them to come back. I fall asleep moaning for someone, anyone to save me. Drip¡­ Drip Drip¡­ Drip¡­ Drip¡­ I try to open my eyes, have they plucked out my eyes!?!? My mouth still not working I can only try to flail in my restraints, ¡°Supid child! Stop moving! You''re getting it everywhere!¡± I stop struggling, feeling my eyes flickering against the material wrapped around my skull¡­ they haven''t taken my eyes, I can still feel them, just like I can feel liquid on my stomach, I knew instantly what it is, making me want to vomit, I feel the slickness of it, drip, not gooey like I slept through, I can smell it, hot against my body. They are excited, more excited than I''ve ever heard them, another classical song that I''ve heard comes on the player and they yell along with it. I hear the shuffling of their feet as if they are dancing in jubilation at what they are seeing, and then I feel it, its growing, the crystals are growing, tiny pricks stabbing into my skin, not painful but unpleasant. Drip¡­ Drip¡­ I feel a rough hand pull at my blindfold, ¡°See child all that you are doing! You will make the world a much ahaha better place!¡± My blinds finally come off, please put them back on, please please please please please dripdripdrip please plaeassspleassspleasssspllsssssnonono¡­ I don¡¯t see the crystals, I don''t see the doctor, I don''t see the white walls, I don''t see the red on my chest, I don''t see anything. Except the eyes staring down at me. DRIP A reflection of my state of decay, while I slept a sleep meant for the dead, the doctor had done something, that they considered genius as they proudly tell me later. A man, a man full of scars, a man with only the life in them to stare at me, the one that they are ¡®donating¡¯ their blood too, it drips again and again AND AGAIN from a small tube coming out of their neck, a valve on the end controlling the blood flow, they have no feeding tube, they will die watching me live, I will live watching them die. I try to scream, I try to struggle, I am helpless, I am nothing, I can only stop existing. I fade back into the void. Chapter 19: Ruiner Of patriarchy, Queen of foob. The clinking of the spoon on the empty wine glass stops, the butler clears their throat, they look ecstatic, trying to hold back a smile that I can see from 10¡¯s of meters back. I wonder if they let their smile fully out, would it stretch past their cheeks? The mood was getting creepier, guards seemed to appear from the corners of the room, silent, pale, hollow. ¡°Everyone please! ¡­ Today, we gather, nobility of all kinds, together for a momentous moment, The 18th Birthday of our lady Duchess Anastasia!¡± The crowd of nobles stand up and clap as politely as nobles do, whispers and hushed conversation surround the room, some talking about connections, marriage, possibility of connecting families, a ball is an occasion for many to grow in power. Zelia always thought it fascinating so most of my views stemmed from interesting things she found online and talked with me about. I don''t even have to discuss what Keek¡¯s opinion would be, eat the rich or some semblance of the thought process. Even with the current socioeconomic structure of Earth being completely different to the overpowering state of capitalism that ruled back in the day, there will always be people with more than others, through the sweat of the layman. Looking back over to the throne, Augustus is moving down their small entrance way. Beside him is something I never want to see. If I could claw my eyes out I would, but seeing it once, I''m going to have nightmares of it, could my nightmares get any worse?... An unnatural abomination of a human as if bones and flesh and muscles were found in the woods and a child tried to put it back together, a pack of wolves even tried to put it back together. Its limbs dripped and swayed held up by rotting sinew, its gaping maw lined with teeth of all shapes and sizes, it shuffles along the ground supported by twisted metal holding it up like a puppet without strings, it¡¯s an approximation of a human, its head has patches of blond hair. I can only guess it''s female, as much as I want to scream WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT to the crowd, no one is screaming, the nobles are still clapping, am I the one that¡¯s gone mad?... Turning to my table I see that the rest of them are as horrified as I am, even Keeks has stopped eating, instead pushing their plate away in disgust. I try to make as little noise as possible ¡°I think we''ve found our quest moo¡­¡± The rest of them break out of their shock and look towards me, mouths agape, score goes to me for being the most fucked up person in the room I guess! my sanity always being in the negative digits. ¡°They never said it was PG-13 I guess nye¡­¡± Keeks whispers to no one. We can only stand pretending like everyone else that it¡¯s okay, the smiles of the nobles have not ceased, Augustus stands at the center in front of the thrones, still holding the thing¡¯s ¡®hand¡¯ or whatever was left of a hand, or maybe a few hands stitched together, I try not to imagine it but it''s really hard not to, our friends in chat will either be leaving in droves or entering in it. ¡°Thank you for coming! dear friends, business associates, possible marriage candidates?¡± At this point he smiles ¡®cheekily¡¯, the extra fat on his skin making his face expand outwards. ¡°I''m not one to make long speeches, I''m always very to the point, the point being, my beautiful daughter Anastasia!!¡± The nobles clap harder, the abomination steps forward, Augustus grabs it by what is possibly a waist, I see some intestines drop onto the floor behind it, I thought it was already peak nasty, but then Augustus leans over and pecks the monster on the ¡®cheek¡¯, where he touches her, the flesh slides off, splat onto the floor, still no one but us notices, the thing seems to be falling apart for every second that lapses. It opens its mouth and a gargle emerges, it''s barely a sound, much less cognizant words. Eventually it crescendos from gurgling into something recognizable, ¡°Thnk u fr coming to birdday partaay enjyyy ad celbraat¡± The Nobles are still clapping, the left side of its lips have slipped down off its face like dribble down a babies chin. It''s like a train wreck, you can''t look away. What the fuck is this game throwing us into?! I look at the Butler, he''s not holding back his smile anymore¡­ it¡¯s exactly as I imagined it, his lips stretch off his face, pulling at the skin, nothing holding it on. I can only thank Fia for turning down my blood settings because I can guess it''s running, although if it''s not and he¡¯s just a thing in a person suit it would make more sense, surprisingly the Duke looks the most human of them at this point, multiple human sized but still human. The worst part of the butler is his eyes, looking directly at our table, we were ''specially'' invited after all for a reason?... Augustus and Anastasia move backwards and sit down on their ¡®respective'' thrones, each movement the hearing of metal against the chair, carving herself out a grove, I don¡¯t think she¡¯s ever going to get comfortable with that body. ¡°Guests please line up to present your congratulations to Duke Augustus Uslav and Lady Anastasia Uslav of Utor.¡± Uslav¡­ wait Isn''t that the name of the big city or something? Doesn''t that make them some kind of royalty? That explains why even when exiled they are still visited by so many people! They must still carry a lot of power just by name alone. Ugh, even thinking about such things I can imagine Zelia lecturing me about them. We turn around in our seats and bring the situation forth. ¡°What the fucking fuck are we supposed to fucking do, fucking might as well be eating shit right now while that fucking thing drips its body parts all over the place!¡± NibbledBone Spouts out swear after swear, spittle flying, it barely even fazes me at this point, the grotesque monstrosity on tonight''s occasion has put things into perspective. ¡°There''s definitely still something that needs to happen or happening, like this can''t be it, a gangly abomination of a girl made out of basically stick moo?!¡± We all throw our heads into thinking up what could be going on, distracted¡­ but not enough to hear the first crunch, shattering of bones, tearing of muscles, sucking up of blood and the gnashing of teeth against flesh. Hesitating we all look to the front, with the perfectly straight line of smiling nobles we have a clear view, lucky us¡­ The first in line had brought forth their son for introductions and with relish ¡®Anastasia¡¯ has consumed them in only 3 bites, a nearly grown man of pubescent age, a 3-bite meal. They were being heartily chewed on, enjoyed to the fullest as their father watched on with a smile on their face chatting with Augustus. A glazed look that I didn''t notice until now coming from all the people in the room, even Augustus themselves, like that of Natasha the Wolf when we entered the ball room. ¡°Her skin has grown back¡­ oh it''s worse, she''s getting bigger!?¡± Ahh there it is, our fucking challenge. Having consumed the first one the quest pops up on our consoles. < !Quest Update! > Attend the Duke¡¯s party Save as many people as you can at the duke¡¯s party Rewards are determined by people saved. !Currently 159/160 alive! Reward To Be Determined. [ Good Luck ] You. Mother. Fucking. Goddamn. Fucking. System!! At least looking at Keeks I can hear her screaming in her head, the absolute fury on her face. ¡°THERE BETTER BE A BIG FAT MONEY REWARD NYE!!!¡± She pulls out the bone Cutlass from somewhere under her dress brandishing it with relish. I''m curious where she hid it but at this point I''m not that curious, more pressing fucked things are happening. Next to us Oak the tree person suddenly splits in the middle, a bastard sword and a long staff made of metal with a pink jewel at the end fall out of it, SunRock picks up the bastard sword and IttyBittyBone the Staff. GrumpyBone looks at us directly and screams ¡°What you think just because I¡¯m a fucking hob-goblin I can¡¯t be a magic user! JUST BECAUSE THE END IS PINK!?¡± SunRock reaches over and slaps them on the cheek. ¡°Restrict your race setting before I restrict it for you!¡± NaughtyBone shakes their heads in shock and opens their console. ¡°Sorry love, it really throws me for a loop sometimes!¡± Keeks and I side eye each other, goddamn maybe we should lower ours as well if it can push you that far!? I didn''t think their speech pattern was all because of their settings. Yeesh, I may have gotten off easy with just mooing... ¡°Cute Nye! But we ain''t got time for that nye!!¡± They throw their thumb over their shoulder, oh we really fucking don''t! The monolithic pale human meat sacks are coming in our direction, makes sense that it¡¯s not just that fucked thing that we need to contend with if we also need to save people, can¡¯t save people when we are attacked from all sides! Four Humanoids lumber over from the corners of the room. I''m glad and disappointed that the big door doesn''t open for more of them to come in, at least then we would have an easier escape route. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. SunRock moves first, definitely the brains of the operation, she points towards the ones coming from the front of the room indicating they will take care of them, while we should deal with the ones closest to the door, then regroup when they are defeated to help anyone struggling. They move out instantly, PrincessBone seems to use a spell directly from their staff to throw buffs onto SunRock, while Oak scuttles surprisingly fast across the wooden floor towards a different Humanoid. The HobGoblin hurries after the Lizardwoman after another buff is thrown onto the tree person. Turning around I realize Keeks has already dashed off to the one on our left. ¡°This is for the matriarchy NYEEEE!¡± I Look down at my hands pulling them into fists and focusing on my bones, activating < Bone Control > I do the same thing I practiced before, the tearing of my skin and muscles as the bones expand outwards forming their own brass knuckles, mana being imbued into my bones desperately, knowing the incoming threat approaching closer, harder, Harder, MORE! Diamonds! Make them into fucking diamonds! please!!! Mana 22/112 Stamina 75/119 I was able to do it quicker this time, focus better, I''m used to it in desperate situations, life or death like in the octagon. All my mana drained from trying to make it as tough as possible. The sound of approaching footsteps stops, oh, I utter a single word as I look to the side, ¡°moo?!¡± I do what my brain tells me to do, what I was trained to do, I punch, I punch as hard as possible. < Bolster Guard > I was able to do it quicker this time, focus better, I''m used to it in desperate situations, life or death like in the octagon. All my mana drained from trying to make it as tough as possible. The sound of approaching footsteps stops, oh, I utter a single word as I look to the side, ¡°moo?!¡± I do what my brain tells me to do, what I was trained to do, I punch, I punch as hard as possible. In the distance I hear a ¡°fooob nyyoooo!¡± She¡¯ll live. Pulling myself up I see that the hammer has a large crack in it, damn. { Received 22 damage after reductions (5 defense + < Bolster Guard > ) } { Deal 26 damage to Stone Hammer (5 BD x 2.5 CD x 1.5 < Counter > x 1.2 < Slugfest >) } { Durability damage inflicted on Stone Hammer } From the looks of it one more blow would break the hammer in 2, maybe it isn¡¯t all that it¡¯s cracked up to be¡­ fuck making jokes at a time like this! checking my stats I see that I have a weapon equip now. Bone Fist - main and offhand Weapon Damage/Defense. 5-5 blunt Damage 5 Defense all Physical types Effects: 50% increase damage to weak spots It has its own defense stat, which makes sense if it''s strengthened? I''m guessing if I had better investigation stuff, I would be able to see more about my gear too? Oh! < Inspect > { Ability Inspect leveled up } instead } < Inspect Level 2 > Name: Zombie Guard Type: Stitched Human Threat: F+ Rank ¡®Oh please zombies aren''t real! Just folktales made up by the poor, oh¡­ they are swarming the gates!? Why didn''t you say so! - Last recorded words of guard captain O¡¯Brien of Marquise Pompadour'' At least these are just 4 and not a swarm, what amount constitutes a swarm!? Important questions, not to be answered as it runs towards me throwing dinner tables left and right with only one hand! It smashes down and I dodge to the right feeling the air currents that follow the hard hammer¡¯s head bearing down on me, swinging with a right hook my fist connects directly into the zombie¡¯s temple. Thank fuck for my height! I follow it up with a left jab to the solar plex, its head is thrown left and then its body is pushed backwards slightly, losing its balance. { Inflict 42 damage to Zombie Guard (5 BD x 2.5 CD x 1.5 < Counter > x 1.5 Weak Damage x 1.2 < Slugfest >) } { Inflict 10 damage to Zombie Guard (5 BD x 1.5 < Counter > x 1.2 < Slugfest > } Gods it''s nice to do consistent base damage!! No more hitting ones for this bitch yeee! As long as it''s swinging at me it counts as a counter attack too! Stomping forwards with my left leg I lower my gravity, getting up further in its mangled face, positioning myself I sweep its foot with my right and pull my fist up, bringing it down against the creature''s forehead, crack. { Inflict 28 damage to Zombie Guard (5 BD x 2.5 CD x 1.5 Weak Damage x 1.2 < Slugfest >) } It smashes into the ground backwards dropping its hammer, it''s not dead yet but it''s gotta be close! I kick away the hammer and step on its chest. A hefty split is running from the right of its temple to the center of its forehead, pieces of skull poking out. At this point it must surely have brain damage?! At least all those zombie movies have paid off, double tap! Bam bam! With my right hoof I smash at its head again and again and again trying to finish cracking its skull open hoping to spill all its brains out, making sure it''s dead for good. { Zombie Guard has been defeated } { 1200 exp Gained } { 4620/4000 Max Exp Gained } { Level 9 Achieved } [ Level Up ] { Please assign your 5 additional status points } { 620/5000 until next level } < Health, Mana, and Stamina restored > Yusss free full heal! I quickly throw my points into Strength before I''m forced into combat again, I''m going to need more firepower! ¡°Woo you go moo girl nye!¡± Turning to my left, Keeks is sitting on one of the dinner tables with a plate full of candy, nomming on it like popcorn, off to her side of her room is a decapitated zombie, instead of helping she decided to enjoy the show. ¡°How can you eat at a time like this moo?!¡± She pouts and puts down her plate making teary eyes at me. ¡°I hungy for foob¡­¡± I click my tongue at her and she shivers under my annoyed gaze, of course she''s happy at that, not that we are in combat with a time limit!? Speaking of. !Currently 146/160 alive! Fuck! looking over I can see why so many people have died, I swear it hasn¡¯t even been that long!! Status Interface Name: LilMoo Level: 8 Race: Minotaur Gender: Female, She/Her Max Health: 105 Max Mana: 112 Max Stamina: 119 Points remaining: 0 Strength: 16 Dexterity: 6 (9) Constitution: 3 (5) Intelligence: 10 Wisdom: 10 (12) Charisma: 1 Luck: 50 Chapter 20: When you mess with the bull you get the horns. < 141/160 People remaining > It has continued to eat, consuming person after person, growing continuously. Anastasia was now the size of a grizzly bear, its stick-like arms were now fully grown out, they had started eating a person at a time, faster and faster, those that came up to them with plastered smiles on their faces. Did they not even think about what the fuck was happening to those in front?! Lining up like zombies themselves, mind controlled, cattle to the feast. SunRock, MagicalBone and Oak were finishing up. Oak, an absolute tank of a... Well tank? Not seeming to do much damage but easily tying up one of the Zombie Guards by themselves, curling around it with plant vines and restricting it with ease. SunRock and CursedBone have cut up their own zombie and run back over to Oak, it''s covered in sparkles and deep cuts all over its body, it seems like they either didn''t aim for the head or they were just having a bit of fun. Finally the last of the zombies goes down, ahh¡­ that explains the sparkles, SparkleBone has gone full magical girl, rainbows shoot out of their staff, under their fancy ball suit seems to be pink and white underclothes showing, cute, very ¡®mo¡¯e¡¯~ as one of the kids in class used to say, constantly, everything is fucking mo¡¯e!. Maybe they just aren''t into zombie movies? All their attacks go low instead of cutting off or damaging the head. At least it''s dead now so whatever works? Regrouping we quickly have a run down on our roles SunRock points to each of their group, themselves first, Oak and lastly MoeBone, ¡°Melee damage dealer, Support and tank, magic damage, and support. Oak in front, I¡¯ll take left, ChewedBone in back¡± I try to think quickly, ¡°Both melee, I''m a bruiser and she''s an assassin type, I can take right and Keeks can take advantage where she can, we need to get the people away from that eating machine!¡± Oak opens up their front another time and a grenade falls out, Keeks catches it first, absolute joy on their face, ¡°Ohoh! Me! Meme! I''ll do it I¡¯ll do itttt!! Nyeee!¡± Nononono the last person I can trust with explosives! They disappear in a flash before any of us are ready, past the crowd of nobles and ducking behind the growing monstrosity. It''s now about 3 meters tall, I use investigate on it but it just throws me ???? for everything! Suddenly Keeks is back at my side, what the actual speed demon fuck is goin-BOOM. A flash of light appears behind Anastasia, the monster is suddenly thrown forwards, the butler and Augustus are thrown around too, a mouth full of mushed nobles disgorges violently onto the waiting recipients, it seems the veil once covering the room is finally lifted as some of the people start screaming! People have been slammed backwards from the impact of spit out people and the creature falling. It had now grown about 4 meters tall and round like an engorged tick, it was expanding with every bite, every morsel eaten and now we had deprived it of its meal. It screams, guttural and raging, we have taken away what was its!! ¡°Ooooh birthday girl is piisseeddd nye!¡± The others nod in agreement, even the tree person¡­ kinda? The Butler is also screaming, in anger, angry enough to start tearing their face off apparently, was the flesh suit thing, right?! At last, they aren¡¯t smiling anymore, I''m not sure which is worse, the duke though? ¡°Anastasia my sweet angel are you okay?! You spit up some of your numnums, if you need, we can have the cooks make something more appetizing!¡± Augustus is still thinking that the thing is their child. Are they also some kind of monster? It wouldn''t surprise me. ¡°Shut up you fucking fool of a fat man!¡± The butler pulls Augustus by the collar and starts ringing him by the neck, watching from the back I see his neck disgorge and the top of his head splits open, an empty cavity all that remains. He then just¡­ bends over, Augustus disappears into the void that was the butler''s head like he was never there, devoured by the darkness. His head rights itself and the skin starts morphing, expanding, turning into something different, Augustus¡¯s head on top of the skinny butler''s shoulders, truly a monster! and I thought it was Augustus who was the mastermind, ugh! it''s always the butler! ¡°Daughter! DAUGHTER!! EAT THEM ALL!¡± A noise I can only think of as confirmation, comes from the giant tick of a ¡®woman¡¯, most of its defining features have changed, its twiggy limbs are now large flabby things of meat slagging muscles, sometimes dripping off onto the floor and then growing more, in a constant state of growth and rotted decay. The nobles are starting to run to the back of the room away from the dripping monstrosity. ¡°Well that worked moo!¡± The thing clenches its back legs together and looks about ready to explode... and it does, sprinting across the room it instantly grabs a noble in each grubby hand, ripped in half when Anastasia''s maw crunches down violently on their bodies, screams ending along with their lives. ¡°FUCKING MOVE! Why are you all standing there watching this fucking shit going on?! Random bullshit go!¡± SunRock screams at all of us, the creature had dashed across the room in seconds, I can only wonder what the fucking thing could do to us if caught the same way. The butler starts roaring at us, his whole being growing larger, his mouth splitting wider. ¡°13 Fucking Years I''ve been planning this and a few fucking adventurer¡¯s killing my pets are not going to fuck it all up!! Once you''ve been consumed no one will live to tell the tale!! Utor will be wiped off the map and the nobility of Uslav along with it! Leaving that poor fucking excuse of a city and the country ripe for the picking!¡± Fucking background shit I do not have time to process right now? Fucking really?! I throw myself forwards across the side of the room as Keeks disappears from my side, heading to its right side as SunRock dashes past me trying to get around to its other side, Oak is lumbering as fast as they possibly can towards the monstrosity, CutesyBone is shooting rainbows at it. As I reach it it''s picking up another person, about to stuff its mouth full, I raise my fists and punch forwards trying to knock its hand away hoping it will drop them, they do, or at least part of them. The rest has crunched up in their hand the top part popping like a balloon, I nearly vomit there and then, a combination of rotting stench and me having helped the thing end another life. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. { Dealt 1 damage to Anastasia after reductions (5 BD x 2.5 CD x 1.2 < Slugfest >) } A Critical hit of one?! Fuck what are its defenses! I''m not going to be of any use here! I start thinking, theres got to be something else, what the fuck else!? what did the butler say! ¡°SunRock, what kind of creature did you kill before you got an invitation here??¡± Oak arrives and shoves against its mouth, trying to get under its chin, lifting Anastasia up a bit as it flails its arms around like a baby throwing a tantrum. SunRock seems to be doing some damage on the other side with their blades, its skin must have huge blunt resistance, which makes sense with how blubbery the fucking thing is. ¡°It was a fucking unicorn! A mutated unicorn with a huge crystal as a horn, could fuck with its muscles, not as fucked as this but pretty damn messed up!¡± ¡°They said we killed his pets! We also killed something with a big crystal, but it was a bear with super fast growing bones, it wouldn''t die until the crystal was destroyed, was it the same with you?!¡± ¡°Yes! ahh fuck! we need to find this monsters core!!¡± Oh, thank fuck at least there was something for me to do, considering the crystals seemed to be weak to blunt damage. First, I wanted to try something, since I¡¯d gotten all my mana and stamina back from leveling. < Bone Control > I feel my horns and try to elongate them, not changing their form like how I do with the knuckles, but growing it as my body intends, tougher, sharper, longer. Pushing along my bodies actual growth doesn''t seem to take as much stamina and mana as changing my fists, I guess not making them as intended? I start to change them as well since I''ve got lots of leftover mana and stamina, changing the big knuckles into points, try to make them sharp, needing to change my damage type from blunt to piercing. Mana 43/112 Stamina 52/119 Sharp Bone Fist - main and offhand Weapon Damage/Defense. 4-4 piercing Damage. 3 Defense all Physical types Effects: 50% increase damage to weak spots Enlarged Minotaur Horns - Head Damage: 5-7 piercing Damage Per Horn. Effects: 50% increase damage to weak spots Keeks suddenly appears behind the Butler and nearly garrotes them, digging deep above their collarbone, they only laugh as she pulls her bone cutlass out of its neck and dashes away, ¡°You fools, you can never kill me, never stop me! Anastasia will eat you all and together we will become gods!!¡± The wound recovers almost instantly, stitching back together, a large gash appears under Anastasia¡¯s neck, the same place the butler was cut through, her wound recovers and decays rapidly until it was as before, flesh falling off still in a state of recovery and decay like the rest of its body... Godamn immortal ass main bad guy, gotta kill his pet first! ¡°We need to look for Anastasia¡¯s weak spot find the fucking crystal!¡± I kneel a little and spring off, yelling at Oak to make way as I charge, and oh I fucking charge! { Accumulated skill has allowed learning of new ability } < Ability Acquired - Running of the Bulls (Racial) - Active> Running of the bulls (Racial) - Active Ability Must have a target, Will not stop until the target is hit or makes contact with solid surface. 20% Additional Movement Speed. 30% increased damage with charge attacks. ¡®The young bravado thrown into our paths, we who are to die, will take as many of you with us, we fight as bulls, not as cowards. In the bullring we will quench our fury on human blood.¡¯ --------- < Running of the Bulls automatically activated > I feel like a steam train chugging along, I''m 4 meters away but feel like I reach it instantly, impaling Anastasia under the chin, the small bell on my horn tingles as I slam into her and Anastacia seems to let go, going completely limp. ¡°Go! push it over onto its back!¡± I piercing her with my fists and push with all my might, my hoofs gripping against the ground and my horns doing a fuck tonne of the work, Oak gets further and further under Anastasia and heaves her over, considering she¡¯s grown into a tubby ball it makes it easier, and with their legs not moving currently she falls back, slamming against the ground, limp. It¡¯s not on her fucking belly!¡­ ugh there''s only one more place it could be! Keeks appears 5 meters above in the air ¡°SURPRISE ATTACK NYE!!¡± she pierces through its stomach lining, and I see it, that fucking glow! the belly quickly heals up as the skin around it splits off making Keeks slip off with it, coating her in a gross skin paste. ¡°It''s in its belly! Going to have to go through its mouth moo!¡± I regret saying that because I know, I''m the best cow for the job. 10 Years Ago Warning: Very traumatizing for too many possible triggers to list. What feels like years have passed by, it''s only been a few months, only I think to myself.... Not every day I''m conscious, the only thing I can celebrate. Each day is counted by the removal of old blood from my stomach, from the changing of my feeding bags, the removal of crystals from their plaything, the farm that I have become. The doctor constantly tells me how proud they are, that I will have the greatest glory in the world, I can never scream back, only moans stuck in my throat, my dry throat that stops needing to be used. The dripping never stops, I wish it would, it has almost become a part of me, the dripping, the warmth, the feeling on my stomach, the life that''s drained out of another over me, to fuel some frigging rock from space. The red crystals stop growing after a while, they seem to have to remove one of them that has taken all the ¡®sustenance¡¯ before more will grow. It takes a few days for each to reach its maximum size before they pluck it from me, the skin always seems to smooth over where it''s pulled from. The nice doctor told me I healed well when the meteor hit¡­ At least this proves it¡­ that my body isn''t entirely useless¡­ not that I can do anything with it, strapped down like an anatomical training doll. The ¡®blood bags¡¯ as the doctor sometimes refers to them, he laughs as he says it. I can only cry for them, tell them I¡¯m sorry repeatedly in my mind, mumble the best I can with my quickly deteriorating throat, hoping they can see it as they stare down on me. The number of crystals are thinning, only so many are left, will I become another person¡¯s blood bag soon?... Will I too watch down over another, donating all I can... can it please be over? please. ¡­ I wake up to the rolling in of an operating table, the same kind of table that I was on. It has a squeaky wheel that only frightens me further instead of adding comedic value, one that years ago I would have laughed at with my family surrounded by their love. The table contains a man, one I''d seen before, the first person that ¡®donated¡¯ to me¡­ I didn¡¯t think they were still alive?... I can never forget their faces, each new face being added to the nightmares, their eyes always watching me from the void of darkness, they were the stars in my galaxy of despair. I can only stare at them now, we are on the same level, their eyes unfocused but showing slight recognition. The doctor wanders to the middle of us, ¡°Ahh! you know each other, yes?! Good time! We have something special planned today!¡± The gleeful plastered smile is larger than usual, they get on their toes and twist the nozzle on the dripping tube, it has never stopped except for when changing ¡®blood bags¡¯ or taking out another crystal. This one doesn''t seem like it''s fully grown... I would know by now. Each day, resigned to observing it continuously. It never seemed to try to hurt me by its nature, it only grew on the top of my skin, the blue crystals that grew outside when I was with the nice doctor didn''t seem to grow here in the laboratory, only the red blood soaked ones enjoyed the becoming of something greater in the dark. The man stares at me, I think it''s funny, my brain distorted by the constant knowing of how horrifying everything is. I only know the name of the monster in the room, I never knew the names of any of the people that helped me, that died here with me while I slowly drowned in the blood lake that they made for me, that I continue to drown on day in and out with the dripping, always on my stomach, each one feeling like I¡¯m being shot in the chest with a bullet. It''s been another month now. Or maybe 2? It could have been a year, and I wouldn''t know, so many days a blur¡­ how many days have I been put under? How many days have I been conscious? It''s just one continuous dripping nightmare of loneliness. Sometimes I think the doctor''s sense of humor is funny, and I wish to rip out the feeding tube so that I can bleed like those that hover above me, why am I still alive. The doctor turns on his classical music again, humming to it as he brandishes a scalpel like a sword, making a passionate stroke across the middle of the man''s chest, he doesn''t flinch or move or turn his head. He only looks at me, as I can only look at him. The doctor attaches something to their chest and I hear the cracking of bone as they strain against the man, now he seems to notice, although it could just be the sound coming from inside him. I can only stare at the man''s eyes, the daze that he must see in mine, I can only be happy that the dripping has stopped, at least for a short while, even if it means this man is punished for my need to not feel. I can feel the hatred for myself as I realize if it meant this man dying. If I could stop the warmth of blood rushing over me and the endless dripping, I would gladly give it, take their lives, rip them apart myself. I vomit, it sticks in my mouth, unable to leave my dry mouth, all the acid in my stomach has risen, the buildup of hatred fueled bile. ¡°Stupid child, it is just science! The world will change with what I am doing, it will become¡­ perfect!¡± The doctor''s eyes are strained, painful even, their plastered smile seeming more fake than usual. They force water into my mouth from a cup and let the mixture drip onto the floor. They roughly pull the growing red crystal from my chest with their fingers, it''s the size of a golf ball, it has a flat side, the one that had grown into me, it comes away with some skin, I can only keep screaming. The doctor leans over the man, putting their hand deep into their chest, seeming to find the perfect spot to put the crystal. They start mumbling again, ¡°Put it in the sweet spot, just like it says, become one with the heart, grow big and strong for papa, become whole, beautiful perfection¡­¡± He pulls out his hand and gets a seat, starts humming along to his music again, tapping his foot anxiously against the ground, I can barely see the open chest, the edges of the bone that has been cracked and the flesh that has been torn. It takes an hour. The doctor has started to fall asleep in their chair. I notice it first, in the eyes of the man, his pupils have expanded, beyond their iris, a deep void, red specks staining the perfect darkness. They still stare at me, or through me, I don''t think they can see anymore. The daze is gone, they mutter something with what little will they have left, I can''t hear it from where I am. The doctor has woken up and is leaning down, listening to the endless mutterings of the man stuck in the void, he nods multiple times and eventually straightens themselves up they whisper something that frightens me more than anything I''ve heard yet, ¡°Your will be done¡± who what?!? They no longer seem to notice me, they just sit back on the seat, the pale looks in their eyes as they stare into the chest of the man. Hours pass again, the man groans and their pupils seem to cover the rest of their eyes, becoming completely black with the same red tinge. No white is left in their eyes, are they even still breathing? at least they stopped mumbling¡­ but all I can do is watch. And watch I did, as finally something changed. I noticed due to the doctor sitting up further in their seat, their eyes filled with marvel, the red gem has become something else, growing out of the man''s chest, a stump slowly emerging from the opening, the doctor immediately yells to outside the laboratory. The guards enter and all freeze, whatever this is, is not something they were trained for, the stump continues to grow and the doctor yells at them instructions. I look one more time in the eyes of the man on the operating table, he smiles back at me, that terrible smile. The doctor and some of the soldiers take the man down to the basement, I hear the opening of doors and eventually that squeaking wheel comes to a stop not too far away, before a mechanical groan seems to emanate below the white room, my room. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. I can hear people talking below me through the vents, the remaining soldiers are looking at each other in fear, they have had to help hang the ¡®blood bags¡¯ each time, and then take them down again, but this is something else. I can''t tell what they are thinking but I can see it in their faces, with all the atrocities you''ve done and witnessed, even taking a child, and letting him be experimented on and this is what makes you afraid of the world?... I guess everyone¡¯s different, I''m just numb to it all now¡­ will I become such a thing? Maybe the last crystal I grow will instead be pushed inside me?... a fitting end for, poetic almost¡­ will I smile like that in the end? I shiver hoping against such a thing. ¡­ The screams of the people being brought in week by week, they haunt me. I can feel them die, the sounds of ripping flesh float up through the floor and into me. Fuel for the thing that grows below me, that tries to invade my mind while I sleep, talks to me, telling me to give up my humanity. It''s not much longer now, getting closer and closer, will I break. The doctor¡­ if I can call them that anymore, a hollow shell, not having slept in weeks, their skin tearing away as they try and rub what''s left of their eyes, to try and see better, their pupils have expanded like the man did, what was it doing to him¡­ I almost pity the man, if he didn''t sit by my side most nights and talk at me, talk about the future, how beautiful it will be, how I will be a part of it, a sacrifice for the best ending. I no longer fear the thing; he is just a puppet, something pulls his strings, the thing in the basement. They ran out of people to take down to the basement, 2 of the younger soldiers were sacrificed, with promises that they were the last pieces, I saw over 20 people pass by me, the ¡®blood bags¡¯ that supplied themselves to me, heavily drugged, unable to fight back. The thing speaks to me, again and again, sometimes in whispers, telling me things, that the soldiers were not quick enough, some of the people died after giving me blood, they told me that it''s okay, that the Master would make them co-operate, he was in charge, the government had no control anymore, only the master would be in control, it would happen, as long as people wanted the power he could provide and he could provide so so much. ¡­ Each night I feel the voices of comfort, of a mother, a father, a brother, a sister, a friend. The voices morph constantly trying to find a way into my mind. I don''t want to live, but I want to die as myself. Every time it talks to me that''s all I ask of it, please kill me, just let it end, if you can do that you can have me, but just let it end. It rebukes my ending, constantly tells me about all the good I will do, visions, horrific visions always flashing through my mind. I can''t wait for this trip to the basement, now it can end. Finally I''m the last one left, the doctor is skin and bones, but he''s surprisingly strong. He picks up my corpse and carries me through the doors. 3 soldiers were left after the first 2 were¡­ brought below, which turned into 2 left, now only 1 was left behind. The one that took me at the medical facility, he barely notices us moving down to the basement, he leans against the door looking out of the laboratory, slowly smoking a cigarette, another moving corpse. We get to the bottom of the basement and its majestic appearance is revealed. Its roots split into 12, perfectly aligned, a circular root loops around them all creating a never-ending circle, it stretches up into 6 smaller branches that curve towards the ceiling, another 6 push outwards, perfectly in line with its roots, 3 branches on each corner coming from 2 of the outward branches push into the sky and curve to make a dome. 12, 12 and 12, in the center of a dome is a blocky pedestal, curved indentations like musical notes line the sides. The tree encompasses the whole basement almost touching the ceiling, 2 meters wide and 6 meters tall. All red crystal, not a blemish seen on its perfect surface. Smooth stairs lead up all 4 of its sides, it is begging for my ascension. The magnificence of the thing is only marred by the number of bodies littering the floor, pierced through the branches, and stacked against it. The ones on the floor were cut open to supply it with sustenance, it grew into and through them as it moved perfectly through their existence. Nothing would stop it, not bone or muscles or flesh. Those on the ground were put first, fertilizer to grow the branches, they were older, then the smaller first 6 curved up branches. Some of the bodies had fallen off, discarded. The higher 6, the chest of the bodies was pushed through, agonizingly, where the worst of the screams must have come from. Most of those were of the soldiers, stripped of their jackets to make it easier to tear through their backs. ¡°The final seat is left for you! the Master tells me it can''t be forced, only accepted, this is the greatest of honors!!!'''' I can see the envy in his eyes, the doctor is nothing, just a puppet thrown away by its master. From the start I was special to it, not just another body. Why did they want me?! I''m nothing. Less than nothing!? It screams in my head, tries to convince me as I sink into myself, all the eyes in the room staring at me to make a decision! BANGBANG Gunshots reverberate from upstairs. The thing or what''s left of them, looks at me and starts screaming, begging ¡°WHY CAN''T IT BE ME?! WHY AM I UNWORTHY AFTER ALL I''VE DONE FOR YOU!!¡± They roughly grab my neck, pulling at me to get me to my feet and start to try to drag me over, I try to move my body and feel my muscles screaming back at me, I swing out with my fist the best I can, catching them on the chin. Stumbling, the thing falls backwards, tripping over one of the bodies on the floor. A sound of cracking brittle bone and empty chest. They look down at their body, disbelief turning into happiness, one of the smaller branches emerges from them, they look at me with thanks, they have become one with their master, they can finally die, even if their goals were not reached, this might as well be their good end. They smile at me with that frigging smile. I can only stare back. The door opens up above me, I barely notice as hands wrap around me, warm safe hands. The last thing I see is one of the people in white vomiting, a symbol of closed around a snake on their clothes, their body and head completely wrapped. The last thing I hear is an explosion as I''m pulled up the stairs, screaming pain from the being in my brain. I''m still alive¡­? Should I be... The Lilia that existed here is swallowed up by the white room. Confined as a nightmare, a memory of another life, wished unlived. The broken part of me. The corpse in the dark. Will I be remembered? Chapter 21: In the belly of the beast ¡°Mo-mothrrrr?...¡± The thing intones, I feel the word vibrate through its stomach. ¡°Your mothers fucking dead! Get up! Daddy is very angry with you! You need to eat to grow big and fucking strong you stupid girl get the fuck up its just a bell!" The Butler/Augustus thing gets louder and louder screaming at Anastasia in fury and hatred. I pull the bell with the ribbon on it off my horn and look at it, on the inside in stitching is Anastasia¡¯s name, ahh fuck... I start to feel bad, this was once a real human? a little girl, turned into a monster by this fucked up butler? Like the rest of its fucking pets that it made! The more I think, the more my anger builds. ¡°She was just a little girl you fucking monster! And you fucking turned her into this!! What gives you the right! YOU¡¯RE JUST LIKE THEM MOO!!!¡± ¡°Moogirl calm down! We can''t help them any other way except to kill them! nye!¡± Fuck I hate every part of this, this doesn¡¯t feel like a game, it¡¯s still wailing for its mummy and it hurts deep inside, I know the feeling so fucking well, all those time I cried for someone to save me, always too fucking late! Anastasia starts moving under the constant harassment of her ¡®father¡¯s¡¯ words, moving side to side flipping back over onto its stomach, ¡°No mo-mothhhrrr...¡± They turn around throwing Oak off it with the force of it just moving, they look at me and the bell in my hand with its oversized bloodshot eyes, ¡°n-noo! mothhrrrrr!!??¡± A guttural purr of spite blasts out at me, the one holding its bell. ¡°Keeks! SunRock! I''m going to need you both to try to take off its limbs! Oak when I stop it try to keep its mouth pried open! BonePrincess keep that fucking butler distracted moo!¡± Before I even finish yelling to my companions, it charges over to me hellbent on eating me and it''s precious bell. I can only run away from that gaping maw yelling over my shoulder as I go as fast as I can. "Bone-Fucking-What?!" Oops that was supposed to stay in my head. I can only regret not getting a speed potion, how the heck was I supposed to know that I would be neck deep in tongue at this point without my sexy new hoof protectors!! Running past the nobles clustered around the corners of the room, cowering, and holding their own heads in their pissed pants, Anastasia scoops up a noble or 2 as a snack on the way following me close behind. ¡°Wall! Get ready moo!¡± I scream to the rest of the group and point at the opposite wall, away from as many nobles as possible, sacrifices that we are willing to make. I grip against the solid stone ground, skidding as I start to rotate around as soon as I get to the other side of the room, getting a warning that my stamina is getting low I quickly quaff a stamina potion, making sure that I keep it above 10 so that my bone control doesn¡¯t revert. It skids along with me as it tries to turn, its body slick against the stone, unable to grip with its skin constantly slipping off its own body like the slim of a slug. It rights itself quickly and lumbers after me again, gaining speed with every second. I want it to gain speed, faster and faster so that it can''t stop, the wall is my goal. ¡°Get ready for a flip moo!¡± After 20 seconds of full running as hard as my bovine heart can take, its hot flapping tongue nearly sweeping me a few times, we make it to the wall. The only one with a not fucked up food table against it, Keeks is going to be really sad, but honestly at this point I could care less if it means putting Anastasia out of her misery. I hit the table and put all my force behind it, I swear I hear a nyooo, putting all my strength behind it with my right leg, the force scattering all the food left over, my left leg catching against the wall, my body contorting backwards and over the sweeping mouth of Anastasia, catching with my spiked fists against its cheeks. Using centrifugal force and it''s body rushing forward I flip her onto her back for a second time, ¡°Get ready to slam moo!!¡± Its head follows me and hits the ground just before me, I feel it connect, reverberating throughout the entire room, then I hit too, feeling like I nearly broke a limb on the stone ground. ¡°Fucking hell!! Oak Restrain! Girls get ready to cut those limbs off moo!!¡± Oak catches me, stopping me from sliding backwards and toppling over. They rush forwards and start growing, with one of their vines throwing mana potion after mana potion down what I can only assume is their throat, every time the potion cooldown resets. Their whole body is starting to get entangled with Anastasia, Keeks has started hacking away at its right side and SunRock its left, trying to be the operative word as with every slash its flesh grows back. ¡°Mo-tthhrrrr¡­¡± she cries out weakly, her eyes looking vacant and stunned from being rattled so badly against the ground. Finally Oak pries Anastasia¡¯s mouth open and I can see that it''s uvula is the Core, a crystal core uvula, perfect for a flesh monster that eats people I guess. ¡°Keep her steady for as long as you can! I''m going in moo!¡± Oak makes me some pseudo stairs and I leap up them, instantly feeling the damp heat of its throat, past the teeth and squelch of the rotting and displacing flesh, every step a wound, ripped off as I take another. Using a mana potion I activate Bone Control, there¡¯s so much of me that''s been changed, but I need to get my footing. {Bone Control Upgraded to level 2 } Bone Control level 2 (Rare) - Active Ability Control your bones, depends on imagination. Mana Cost 9-100 Stamina Cost 9-100 Level 2 Increased Bone Control, Bone Sense, Minor Increase in bone density, Produce small projectile to use outside of body. Phew good timing, I focus on my right fist first, changing it back to just the hardened knuckles leaving my left spiked, then I feel the bones in my hooves, just like cow hooves its 2 bones going down and splits, I push through the bones with growths, sharpened points to help me leverage myself inside its throat, it instantly steady¡¯s me as its digging deep into the flesh, past the decaying parts. Before I start swinging, I pick out the coin of Nemesis, it''s hot to the touch, ¡°Please Nemesis, help me bring this little girl release moo!¡± < Coin Flip > Success! { Next Damage dealt is increased by 50% } < Coin Flip > Success! { Next Damage dealt is increased by 100% } < Coin Flip > Failur- {! Nemesis Changes fate !} Success! { Next Damage dealt is increased by 150% } That''s about as far as I''m willing to risk, I doubt she will help me a second time, not one to let me get greedy! I raise my right fist, I can hear yelling outside, from the butler, probably telling Anastasia to swallow me whole, ¡°swallow this you fucking shit ass servant moo!!¡± My fist crashes down with all the force I can muster against the core. A critical hit with the largest number I''ve seen yet pops up as I hear a cracking sound from the core. { Deal 90 damage to Anastasia¡¯s Core (5 BD x 2.5 CD x 1.5 < Counter > x 1.5 Weak Damage x 1.2 < Slugfest > x 2.5 < Coin Toss > ) } Anastasia screams, in pain this time, Oak yells at me through the gap ¡°Butlerr just took damaggee, Itss workinngg, keep goinnnng!¡± As they are violently thrown back, she''s recovered from the fall and she''s not happy, I wouldn''t be either if I got punched in the heart. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. I pull back for another punch, whap. I''m thrown upside down, she''s rolled, and I''m still stuck in the ceiling, the core dangling in front of my face. Suddenly I feel gravity leave my body, ¡°What the fuck is happening out there?!?! Ohh moo¡­¡± I can see outside its mouth, we aren''t on the ground anymore, in fact we are directly over a group of nobles, her mouth open ready to consume and I''m in the way of her stomach. Still weightless I quickly rotate myself and get upright, carving an abscess as deep into the mouth walls as I can, my feet on the bottom of Anastasia¡¯s mouth and stabbing into the roof with my left fist, the uvular dangling free in front of me, a punching bag ripe for me to use. I give it a quick jab, it screams and instead of swallowing the nobles it lands awkwardly, squishing its prey like pancake mix. Their screams quickly cut off, with the rest around them thrown like rag dolls by the impact. I brace myself against the fall and manage to hold on with everything I''ve got. < 129/160 People remaining > I feel it heft its weight against the stone floor and that weightless feeling comes over me again, I brace against its throat and smash again and again trying to make it fuck up its jump again, the core bouncing back and forth like a speed weight, something I¡¯ve used constantly in my training. Once it bounces back the first time at me it seems to count as ¡®attacking¡¯ which is broken as hell, every time I hit it I do over 10 damage if it''s not a crit and 49 damage if it is. We hit the ground again, this time on a larger pile of nobles, a few limbs and heads seem to make it through the small, disgruntled gap in her maw, I see that a few tiny cracks on the crystal fix themselves, ¡°Don''t let it eat anything it heals its core moo!!¡± I hear what I can only assume is confirmation, Every time I attack the core it clenches its mouth, so I can only focus on what I can. Just like the time with the bear I can feel it fighting back instinctively, its flesh has started crawling across my limbs, absorbing it into its body, making me one with it, the flesh pauses momentarily with every strike at the core and then pushes harder, my hoofs are completely covered up to my knees and my left arm has been sucked in up to the elbow, all I can do is keep punching, it feels way too similar to before, but at least there''s nothing being shoved into my stomach! < 105/160 People remaining > My health is lowering slowly, but starting to pick up speed the more my body is consumed. < Health 49/122 > < Ingestion of body in progress. Please stop struggling > < Become one with me, we will punish them all for what was done to me! > < If you stop struggling you can feel whole with me, at peace > It''s talking in my head, pleading to me, fuucckkk that. I quaff a potion and keep on punching. My health is dropping more and more rapidly but I can feel that it''s stopped jumping around. Its mouth is closed and fully clenched, hopefully being done by us and not Anastasia or the butler, that would be bad news, more bad news, its already pretty fucking bad! I''ve stopped feeling just past my crotch and past my shoulder, next is my neck, will I stop breathing at that point?! Crit, Crit, Crit. ¡°Mommthhrrrr¡­¡± it dies, thinking of its mother as it passes. { Anastasia has been defeated } { 12400 exp Gained } { 13020/5000 Max Exp Gained } { Level 10 Achieved } [ Level Up ] { Please assign your 5 additional status points } { 8020/5000 until next level } { Cannot level past level 10 until have left Starting town } < Health, Mana, and Stamina restored. > Oh thank fuck¡­oh no¡­ please no!¡­ I struggle against the flesh wrapped around my limbs, my health is still going down just like before, not again! I''m still stuck in the flesh cocoon, ¡°Fucking get me out of here!! Keeks! Keeeekkss!!! MOOOO!!!!¡± I focus on my bones and suddenly feel it, < Bone Control Reversal > after the whole fight I finally hit below 10 stamina deactivating my ability, so much for sharpening my bones to get me out of this one... I hear the maw opening as vines push through it, Ugh Oak my savior, I''d kiss you if you weren''t a weird tree dude! Keeks saunters through, she''s got a shit eating grin on her face, ¡°Please! please Don¡¯t. Don¡¯t you fucking dare moo!¡± ¡°I knew you were kinky, but I didn''t take you for one of them vore girls! Nyehehe!¡± I struggle against the flesh wishing I could slam her down, and not in a big style. ¡°Keeks, I swear, cut this shit off me before I show you what these horns can really moo!¡± ¡°Ugh! I can''t have any fun!¡± She helps this time, last time not being able to smash through the bones, slicing is definitely more her expertise. ¡­ Finally I make it out of Anastasia, she isn''t disappearing, I can see why, the butler has pulled themselves up on the big throne, panting and holding their body, covered in gashes, sparkles and chunky blood dripping from their mouth, I¡¯m hoping they felt every punch to Anastasia¡¯s core! ¡°Haha¡­ ha¡­ you think that''s¡­ enough to stop the reckoning?...¡± With every breath in they bring up more blood, ¡°We will prevail¡­ and the world will be brought to its knees¡­ hahahaha cough cough If only I got to see it all burn¡­.¡± They close their eyes, blood spilling out from every pore, a cruel smile stuck on their face. Keeks walks up to them and spits on their face. ¡°Fuck you, fucking scum!¡± { ¡®Butler¡¯ has been defeated } < Title: ¡®Mutated Beginnings¡¯ has been upgraded to ¡®Mutated Endings¡¯ > {! Calculating boss drops !} { Increased Rarity of Drops due to Luck } { Increased Drop type Possibilities } { Increased Drop amount due to not being max level } { General Drops being shared with party and Group Quest Participants } Attend the Duke¡¯s party Completion Rating A Save as many people as you can at the dukes party Rewards are determined by people saved. 105/160 people were saved. Rewards 20g per Person Saved (105) 50 exp Per Person Saved (105) 10 world Renown per person Saved (105) ¡®In this timeline the people of Utor were saved, calamity averted, in reality this set in motion the destruction of an entire country, there is more to the story, can you discover it?¡¯ [ Congratulations ] Stamina at 0 I collapse to the floor, thoroughly done for this fun trip of gore and vore¡­ the rest of the group sit down around me offering congratulations for finishing it off, everyone played their own part, Keeks looks around and sighs, all the food is either thrown around or covered in goop and blood, not fit for eating anymore. I enjoy a quick lie down until I feel Keeks getting restless, desperate to look at the loot and so I let her off the leash. Chapter 22: The greatest scientist that ever lived!? Keeks is let off her leash, instantly heading into a running sprint, a treasure chest sits lovingly in the middle of the area, the 3 others had already grabbed their treasure including their share of the general loot, it all being randomly distributed. When killing normal monsters the loot was put in a pile to be collected and shared, although Keeks put me as party leader I just left the loot to share mode, she can grab it and throw whatever at me. It''s just a game after all, even if the graphics sometimes say otherwise. If it was real life I would be more concerned, and I haven¡¯t found a reason not to trust her, especially when she only really wants gold and weapons of mass destruction. I''m the party leader since my Luck stat is so high, Keeks says that as long as I''m leading we will get as much loot as possible, and she would do anything for loot! As she has mentioned multiple times, wiggling her eyebrows seductively each time. Dungeon/quest bosses seem to work differently. It¡¯s automatically set to chosen loot, we put in a bid of 100 points that are separated among all loot and can put however many points onto an item. We have our points revealed to show what¡¯s on each item, but in major groups they do hidden so that at the end whoever has highest goes to who puts it in, if you really want something desperately you throw 100 points onto something, if you both have the same number of points you can choose to give up the item and have the other person buy you out, or you have flip a coin for it, which means you might have to waste your points. The loot appears on a console screen, Keeks panics a little, her immersion broken, ¡°They could just scream it into my ears nyee!!!¡± She walks back over huffing and puffing and sits down between my legs, chat seems to be back on and functional, words streaming down, seems they got told that she was finally able to see their nonsense again. { Chat Messages } < What the fucking fuck! > < ANASTASIA MORE LIKE FLESHASTASIA > < TEAM VORE! > < Cow Support!! > < That fucking jump Keeks aaaaa! > < show us the loot?!?! > I find that Anastasia¡¯s bell has changed slightly and when I check it it''s been fully revealed as an accessory item. Anastasia¡¯s Last Wish (Evolved) - Necklace Effects: All Status +3 Children will trust you more as a motherly figure. ¡®A small girl that only wanted to live in happiness with her family, which she did for a time, until a monster came into her life, you''ve brought her peace¡¯ I sigh, tears in my eyes, we should be allowed to have happy lives, why do monsters keep taking it all away from us. I get a private message from Zelia that cheers me up. < You were fucking amazing!! Well¡­ everything up until the whole flesh burrito thing hehe! So close until we can be together! At level 10 just enjoying the library, will let you know what I found when we get together tonight! Then tomorrow we can all go to silver city! <3 > I send back a message letting her know I''m thinking about her and that I can''t wait for tonight and then I check the console for what loot we have to choose from. Story Loot Remains of a burnt diary Strange Red Ornament # 6 General Drops 2000g 2000g Exotic ¡®Leather¡¯ x 2 Exotic ¡®Leather¡¯ x 3 Jagged Teeth x 6 Jagged Teeth x 6 Pulsating Cloth x 1 Pulsating Cloth x 1 Rare Drops Noble¡¯s Appreciation (Necklace) ¡®Body Growth¡¯ Ability Crystal Crystal Fragment x 4 Crystal Fragment x 3 Extra Rare Drops Token of the Uslav Royalty Maid Bonnet (Cosmetic) Maid dress (Cosmetic) I look through the large list, pausing at each one to use investigate on, especially since they were dubious at best, and slightly horrifying at worst. Exotic ¡®Leather¡¯ Rank E Leather ¡®Recommended to not show this to any normal tailor or blacksmith, you may end up on a list¡¯ Jagged Teeth Rank E Monster Material ¡®Large jagged teeth from something that eats meat, can be used to craft tools or throwing weapons. Pulsating Cloth Rank E Tailoring Material ¡®A piece of red cloth that pulsates slightly if you look closely enough¡­ not that you''d want to¡¯ Nobles Appreciation - Necklace Effects: Charisma +5 Nobles who see this will not immediately turn you away regardless of charisma. ¡®A necklace not given away freely, given for the honor of a non-noble bettering the noble caste.¡¯ Ability Crystal - Body Growth Grants Body Growth Active Ability Restriction 20 base Constitution Restriction 20 base Wisdom ¡®Crushing this crystal will grant you the Ability inside, can¡¯t be used until restrictions are met¡¯ Crystalline Fragment Upgrade Material ¡®Can be used to upgrade equipment relating to their profession, the greater the professionals skill the higher chance of upgrades to equipment ¡¯ Token of the Uslav Royalty Rare Item ¡®A Token once given by the Uslav Royalty for acts of great valor or cause to their country, I''m sure a great boon could be given if you find someone who would still want such a thing.¡¯ Maid Bonnet (Cosmetic) - Head Rare Cosmetic ¡®This Maid Bonnet comes from a country to the east, The styles of headwear hasn''t changed much, although it is more frilly in nature, this style of Maid clothing started to get very popular with the nobles of Uslav just before its destruction, It has been quoted by some scholars to be a possibility of its downfall - Vigress Margin, in his famous book ¡®clothing sensibilities¡¯. Pictures included.¡¯ Maid dress (Cosmetic) - Body Rare Cosmetic ¡®This Maid Dress comes from a country to the east, unlike its more modest counterpart the dress stops just below the knees, this style of Maid clothing started to get very popular with the nobles of Uslav just before its destruction, It has been quoted by some scholars to be a possibility of its downfall - Vigress Margin, in his famous book ¡®clothing sensibilities¡¯. Pictures included.¡¯ This¡­ is a lot to sift through, completely ignoring the materials for now, making me want to vomit a little bit, we get some story loot, equipment and some rare items as well as another Ability Crystal. ¡°Pppbbbbbbbbbb I¡¯ll take the gold and we can make some ¡®mysterious¡¯ clothing with the rest nyahaha!¡± She looks up at me and back at the maid dress cosmetics and winks, shuffling back further between my legs up against my crotch, ¡°I can only imagine being crushed between maid thighs! That''s like, the ultimate kink combination! Nye!!¡± The chat seems to agree, chants of cow maid filter through¡­ I''m horrified to see that ZelAwoo has joined in, possibly as the loudest supporter of cow maids in there¡­ ¡°I hate that I''m saying it but, I guess I''ll take the maid costume¡­ you can have the necklace since I already got one as a special quest, I¡¯ll take the Ability Crystal if you don''t mind? They think for a moment and shake their head violently, ¡°No I don''t want it! Small is good! I dont wanna become a tick! Nyee!¡± That last part sends a shiver up my spine, yes I don''t want to become a tick either, hopefully that''s just an aberration like the bone bear. ¡°We can share the fragments, I don¡¯t think all equipment can be upgraded, I''ll let Zel lecture me on how that stuff works later! And I¡¯ll hold onto the Uslav Token, we can have Zel check it out. My walking library of cuteness might help find what we can do with it, also are you okay with waiting for me and Zel to log in tomorrow before we transfer to Silver City? I know she really wants to meet you¡± She thinks for a moment before thinking up something¡­ ¡°I will... If you log in with the maid cosmetics on nye!!¡± She''s clapping her hands and looking back at me like an excited child, I reluctantly agree and pull open one of the last pieces of loot, and the one I''m reluctant to see the most. The diary of the butler. Remains of a burnt Diary - Story Item ¡®A horrible thing detailing the killings and experiments of a monster of a man, not to be read lightly, looks like someone tried to dispose of it¡¯ I brace myself mentally and physically, pushing Keeks together a little with my thighs prompting a squeak of happiness and a burst of chat activity, begging for a go. I read it out loud, not only for Keeks to keep interested but to also keep my sanity. { Scientific Diary } { Edgar Malsted } { Disgraced Scientist } Day 3 - Disgraced Scientist. I am starting this diary upon being expelled from the academy. The small-minded fools who dare to call themselves ¡®scientists¡¯ are nothing more than theorists without any actual work being done, being paid to sit on their fat fucking asses! I have been contacted by an anonymous donor who has heard about my brilliance, who wants me, ME! To start something new! They have even provided me with funds and materials to build my own laboratory! I''ve been given an assignment along with my funds, to a small town called Utor. They think I¡¯m disgraced?! I consider it a compliment not to be regarded along with their filthy lot! 2nd Month - Master Craftsman and Scientist. The Uslav family have accepted me as their butler with open arms, the position was vacant ¡®coincidently¡¯ by my arrival. I''ve been working hard each night powered by potion after potion to create the foundations for my laboratory, working a trapdoor into my bedroom, they don''t suspect a thing, sound dampening magic has been positioned so as to nary a peep comes from below, I''ve always been a genius, but it really knows no bounds! 4th Month - The perfect Butler and Scientist. The Uslav family have accepted me as their butler with open arms, the position was vacant ¡®coincidently¡¯ by my arrival. I''ve been working hard each night powered by potion after potion to create the foundations for my laboratory, working a trapdoor into my bedroom, they don''t suspect a thing, sound dampening magic has been positioned so as for nary a peep to come from below, I''ve always been a genius, but my intelligence really knows no bounds! This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. 5th Month - A true Scientist and Animal Pharmacist I''ve started my experiments today. I was able to make an exit into the forest, an escape hatch as well to bring in materials. My first subjects are animals in the Utor area as well as one unsuspecting drunk man that seemed to be a vagrant, finally some respite. I''ve enlisted the help of some of the local hunters to catch some live prey, using the excuse of keeping it fresh for later use for the Duke. Why would they question me? Getting paid is the only thing in their interest. 8th Month - Most Adored friend and Ruthless Scientist. Margrett has been acting suspicious of me lately, even going as far as stopping me from teaching Anastasia the sciences, although it was one of the reasons I was hired. Not that I wasn''t doing enough for the family to keep them in my good graces. The Duke looks on to me happily still, probably thinking his wife¡¯s words as nonsense. After many a drink together I''m sure the fat fellow is thinking how our heart to hearts make us the best of friends. Despite his father being a man of utmost misery and punishment, he seems to have avoided becoming him, admirable, but it''s a shame that they will all have to die. I''ve grown quite fond of Anastasia, bright, one that could take over my work one day, but as I said, it is a shame. 1 Year as a disgraced scientist. Margrett has accessed my laboratory, and without turning off the security system she was promptly impaled. There goes plan A, I will have to change to plan B, although it really does make things easier. Margrett was too much to control, too strong willed, instead it will have to be her daughter to play the role, especially since it''s too early. Anastasia will be sad, and as her dear uncle I will console her and must take over the family more. I''m sure the Duke won''t mind, death can take up a lot of one''s time, I should know. Now I will have to change the wound to look like a hunter killed her. Dreadful thing to have happen to such a happy family. 3 Years - Most beloved Uncle and Friend, I do what I do because of love. I feel I have advanced over all my colleges, reanimation using crystals as a catalyst, imbuing creatures with powers that they shouldn''t be able to touch on, such beautiful screams they make as their bodies go out of control, so many sound dampeners have had to be put around the laboratory, more for me I guess. Part two of the plan has now been put into effect. Poor innocent Anastacia, has gone missing on one of our walks, just went off on her own as children often do, silly thing. I had to console the Duke for hours, as his child''s body was under him the whole time, dreadful, but also something I found quite amusing, he is now a shell of a man, someone to contort and control. 5 Years - Real Ruler of Utor and Man. I''ve quite taken to being in control of a Duke, slowly expanding their influence in the capital while they were drunk on their own sorrow. Connections is what it''s all about, their father was a so-called ¡®monster¡¯ but oh Augustus sure is a different man, they would say in the capital, such business knowledge and ability, all being done from the comfort of Utor, and they say his daughter is a real catch. Of course, it''s all using connections with my Employer as well as spies and whatnot, spreading rumors and gossip. If only it was as easy in the academic world, one human goes missing and is found in your laboratory and suddenly you''re expelled, bah! What do they know! If only there were more like-minded people in the Academy, for the hundreds of them all to be imbeciles and fools? it really shows what the world is coming too, the world will get what it deserves!! 6 Years - The shadow of the Duke, Master Scientist. Such cause for celebration! The Duke has found their daughter, Anastasia has come home! Of course, the poor thing is sick and won''t have any visitors except for the Duke and myself, day in and out having to feed the Duke my own concoction of hallucinogens and depressants. Looking upon poor Anastasia the first time gave the poor man a heart attack, but I thought she looked like a queen! My most perfect project yet, all the other creatures I''ve worked on were nothing in comparison, and for this, my employer would reward me with godhood!!! AND NO ONE WILL LOOK DOWN ON ME EVER AGAIN! 9 Years - The most perfect of beings, only under my Master will the world know true respite!! Every day is the same, boring, I can only wait and wait and wait and fucking wait! for the day of reckoning! I''ve been given a time period at least. I''ve decided to have it all come to fruition on the day of Anastasia¡¯s birthday, such a sweet time for a growing girl, a time for all the nobles to bring their best and brightest to ask the hand in marriage of what they know as the most beautiful woman of them all. The spies have all done their work, why even the Duke¡¯s family might show up, those that tossed them out. Oh, how it would be a wonderful present for my dear Anastasia, family tastes best! Until then I have work to do, but very boring work, so very fucking boring! finding people off the street, the unwanted travelers, someone must feed them to Anastasia. The poor thing is skin and bones, unable to grow without proper sustenance, only the heftiest of people will do. I feel like the witch from that old tale, fattening up the children before eating them, not me of course, dreadful thing, I never liked the taste. Then of course there''s the hallucinogen I need to concoct that tastes like sugar, the hall will be perfect, so much magic layered over along with my concoctions they won¡¯t even feel their bodies being bitten in two. A sweet ending in the mouths of nobility, there is always more testing to be done! And those that need fattening are the perfect subjects! They should thank me for having such a delightful end! The whole world should be thanking me, even if they dont know it yet. 12 YEARS - I AM A GOD AND THE WORLD WILL FEEL MY WRATH. It is time, oh It''s finally here, my sweet Anastasia will grace the halls and eat and eat to her fill. Becoming a being of such perfection, she will swallow all Utor and I will ascend with her! We have become one, sharing a core together, so carefully implemented, we will live and die together, you are not the Duke¡¯s child, he was never worthy of your existence, my child, oh my child, I who birthed you anew in this fucking disgrace of a world. My master will ascend us both to godhood. Rejoice navies, existences of that of ants, your reckoning will come, and your lives created anew. I Edgar Malsted Am Your New God AND YOU WILL FEAR ME AS SUCH!! The last lines are barely readable, having been basically ripped into the page as if trying to carve it into a stone wall, it all starts getting more and more... crazed, lettering the wrong size, a mass jumble all over the page, I try my best to read it for my audience but I have to pause a lot to make sense of it the further I go, parts are ripped or burnt as well. The ''diary'' must have been originally hundreds of pages long, reduced to only a few. I stare in shock, my own words continuously tumbling out of my mouth. The chat is silent despite having over 200 viewers, I don''t think the world has seen such a quest yet. Do the other starter towns have such horrible secrets to them? The things that were done to the family, in the end all tortured in their own ways by Edgar Malsted, someone who they trusted and let into their homes. I understand the betrayal from someone they thought was close, being experimented on. I''m glad it''s not listed here about what he really did to her¡­ Then there''s the secret laboratory, is that something that we can visit? Maybe it has more information in it? I can only imagine if it''s as horrifying as it is in the diary, most likely worse, can I stay in there knowing that it''s just like what happened to me? know that I was experimented on as a child, even if the memories were foggy at best, nightmares at worst, a monster looming over your body, confident that they are doing the right thing, as your screams permeate around you, ignored. BING I get a message from Zelia. < Sooo spooky laboratory time?! > I don''t know if she''s horrified, scientifically interested or I guess both, a train wreck in motion, except I have to experience it. Looking over the other group has been listening to me read out the diary, morbid horrified interest on everyone''s face, even Keeks, or is that just because she tried to eat more of the food?... ¡°Is anyone interested in more spooky shit moo?¡± They all look at each other conflicted. ¡°This was bad enough, I''m going to need a break before we go in there, it''s past lunch time... Not that I can eat, but I''ve gotta feed the kids¡± SunRock motions over to her gang. I ask them quickly before they leave if they got any ability crystals from the ¡®unicorn thing¡¯ that they killed to get the invite here, they look at each other and Oak says the did, it allowed them to have better control over their tree body, all the actions from today because of it, oh well, be cool to collect them all but if they used it I can''t exactly extract it from them. I brace myself, eliciting another happy squeak from Keeks as some food is spit out from her mouth and push myself upwards to their disappointment. I put on all my gear and check out my new status, putting the 5 points from hitting level 10 into Constitution to balance myself out. If we are going to fuck around in a mad scientist''s laboratory, we¡¯d better make it quick before I lose my nerve. Status Interface Name: LilMoo Level: 10 Race: Minotaur Gender: Female, She/Her Max Health: 165 Max Mana: 142 Max Stamina: 200 Points remaining: 0 Strength: 16 (20) Dexterity: 6 (14) Constitution: 8 (13) Intelligence: 10 (13) Wisdom: 10 (15) Charisma: 1 (4) Luck: 50 (53) { 13375/5000 exp until next level } Equipment Head: Mutated Bone Helmet Neck: Anastasia¡¯s Last Wish Chest: Leather Breastplate Wrists: Bronze Bracer Hands: Hide Gloves Legs: Leather Pants Feet: Mutated Bone Hoof Protector Weapon: N/A Off-Hand: N/A Ring 1: Gratitude of the Silver Wolves Ring 2: N/A Items 3720g Coin of Nemesis Map of Utor Remains of a burnt diary Strange Red Ornament # 6 Exotic ¡®Leather¡¯ x 5 Jagged Teeth x 12 Pulsating Cloth x 2 ¡®Body Growth¡¯ Ability Crystal Crystal Fragment x 7 Token of the Uslav Royalty Maid Bonnet (Cosmetic) Maid dress (Cosmetic) Abilities Passive Pinnacle of Luck (Unique) Herald of Nemesis (Unique) Counter level 1 (Common) Slugfest level 1 (Common) Active Coin Flip (Uncommon) Bolster Guard Level 1 (Uncommon) Inspect Level 1 (Common) Bone Control level 2 (Rare) Revert Bone Control (Associated) Running of the Bulls (Racial) Titles Mutated Endings (rare) Effects currently on character + 15% Movement Speed. + 3 Base Damage when attacking with hooves. + 20% Charging attack damage. - Outcomes that require luck have double the change of occurring, Drops, Critical Strikes, Events etc. - Beings from the Canidae family have Increased friendly disposition towards you. - Children will trust you more as a motherly figure. 3 years ago We could hear the crowd; it took so long to get to this point. Alexander and I, we have trained together for the last 2 years, intensive, constant training. Treating every day at the gym like it''s a job, every competition like I''m striving for a promotion. This was the last promotion I needed, until I was the boss, at least in this analogy. The Olympics was the end all, be all, and we were one fight away to the Olympic qualifier, the crowd only growing louder. I sat alone in the waiting room, feeling the rumble of all those people, they sat, stood, milled around, waiting for it to start, getting food and booze. Still 20 Minutes until I started, until I had to fight my only friend apart from Zelia. Alexander was a fighter who mostly practiced boxing and karate, different forms but mostly complimentary. All of us at the gym practiced at least boxing, something with form that we could train our muscles with daily, then did our other training outside. I mostly focused on boxing and Judo, wanting to have something that was non-violent as well as could do some damage, knowing all the times I wanted to try to stop someone but not do them real harm, mostly unsuccessfully. For our whole friendship we had bonded over our pasts. Theirs vastly different but also as constricting. Their parents need for them to succeed no matter the cost, something they had always lived with, the constant punishment for not being the best. Mixed martial arts fighting was something that they were genuinely good at, that we reveled in together. I know how badly they wanted to make it to the top, the many times that they came to training with new bruises, ones I didn¡¯t cause. The changes to the world after the Axium Accord meant that there wasn''t a large amount of people with power outside Sci-Axium. It still happened though, people had so many wants and needs, despite all the baseline things being provided, and there were always people willing to provide those wants and needs. That''s what Alexander''s father was, a businessman, the worst kind, cold to the harsh realities of the world, uncaring to even their child''s pain. We are rats in a cage, maybe this was a chance to each make something of ourselves, if only we were not in the way of each other''s dreams. I would let them have it if it didn''t mean the world to me¡­ Alexander arrived in the room having done their warmup, still sweating, red body, white towel around their body, they hand me a bottle of water. ¡°Feeling nervous?¡± I say with a smile on my face, we know how each other move, how we think, it''s going to be a tough fight, we go toe to toe in the ring at the gym but we haven''t had to fight each other with so much on the line before. They pull open the lockers and throw my helmet at me, ¡°You wish, going to wipe the floor with you!¡± They smirk, always the cocky one, I sit with my legs spread, putting down my helmet at my feet and taking some sips, the cool water feeling good, the tension in the air from the crowd is pounding in my skull. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ¡°Do you think your dad is going to lay off you if you win?¡± I ask honestly, a talk we had had before, they look sullen at the floor and mutter ¡°maybe¡­¡± I nod my head and stand up, giving them a bear hug. They were always shy for hugs, but I needed one too, they held me tight back, my friend. I wished I could give them a place away from their dad, from that abusive home, but it''s not something so easily escaped. I pat them on the back and end our embrace, ¡°Let the best person win!¡±. ¡°Let the best person win!¡± I throw down the rest of my water and check the clock, 4 minutes to go, one of the judges walks through and tells us to finish getting ready. I put on my helmet, ready to go to the Olympics. ¡­ 2 Rounds in the octagon and we were still going strong, the crowd was going crazy, there was so much ducking and weaving, constant moving, always moving. I started to feel¡­ dizzy? Like a gauze has been put over the world, clouded, muddled. The lights overhead stinging in my eyes, like I just woke up from a long sleep and the sun was already up to greet me. That tiredness in my bones that screamed for me to just stop, although I haven''t even hit close to my level of exhaustion. I know 2 rounds is nothing, Childs play. My name is yelled, one that doesn''t feel like mine but I know it is, again and again, I''m still in the octagon right? The air feels humid, water going into my lungs with every breath, I step back slightly and look to the side, Zelia is there, she sees the look in my eyes, the panic, I''m not okay but I can''t process why, She looks like she''s screaming for it to stop. Something makes direct contact with my chin protector, I spin slightly, feeling the impact with my whole skull, my brain rattling around like the last peanut in a plastic jar. My chin protector comes off with one hit, the strap snapping with barely any give, the rest of the helmet flying off with it. Another fist makes contact with my temple, but not before I look into the eyes of my friend, Alexander, pupils the size of pin-pricks, so full of hatred and anger. Their fist, veiny and throbbing on impact. They get ready to punch down again, maybe hoping to shatter my brain. I hit the ground before they can get me. Was it the crowd, Zelia or me that''s screaming? My head connects to the ground. At least the noise has stopped. Chapter 23: Backrooms and laboratories. The other group having left, we decide to start heading to the butler¡¯s quarters. That means going through the mansion to get there and actually finding the damn place. The nobles had already long left through the large door while we rested, hurrying back to their own mansions and perfect lives. The guards that were on the other side are slumped down, not breathing, just corpses, as I guess they always were. Zombie guard information is specific about what it means to be a zombie, their controller the only reason for being alive. ¡°Hey Keeks, do you mind if we end the stream? If it''s a laboratory I think it''s going to be a rough time for me mentally and I don''t want the world to see that, maybe you can just take some video and edit it for later or something moo?¡± She thinks for a moment before turning the camera field ¡°Hey you fucks we ending stream! its been a fucked blast but were going to get kinky in a torture dungeon, maybe I¡¯ll let you all in on it later! I''ll send you over to lord Squidington for all you lovers of Tentacle porn and RPing nyehehehe¡± < Chat Disconnected > < Raiding Channel ¡®Lord Squidington¡¯ - Current Title - ''Consider the following ¡®eggs¡¯'' - > < Stream Ended > ¡°Thanks, it means a lot, I¡¯ll throw up a video call so that Zelia can watch us down there, I could use the support¡± < Call Accepted > A beautiful blue and white wolf girl with horn-rimmed glasses appears and I change the call into a 3-way video call. I move the call behind us so that she can see what we are doing. ¡°Hi~ I have to be quiet since I''m in the library but unholy hell what a fight! All the blood and guts and flesh, omg the flesh! The graphical fidelity of this game makes me want to go into overdrive for more research! Why do I have to be stuck here and not in Utor? I could spend days in that horrifying place, with company of course, I think I would die in there alone from terror heh wan!¡± A shhh comes from nearby and she flinches, Keeks starts laughing, should never take her to a library, might fight an old lady, authority is authority even if they are 80. ¡°Heya wolfi girl~ good to put the name to a face! uhhh a face to a name?! Moo girl was right your pretty as fuck! Not in the crush my head kinda way but still, I would like to turn that white fur red! Nyehe¡± Zel looks at me blushing a bit, I cough and slap Keeks across the back of the head, sending her flying a bit, oops, my strength is a lot higher now, I''ve got to be more careful not to break her¡­ not that she wouldn''t mind. I pick up a smiling Gnoll from the ground and they give me the thumbs up, damn, one day a smack to the head might fix her. ¡°Hey Zel love, keen for a visit to the spooky laboratory? Cause I sure as fuck ain¡¯t moo!¡± We banter a little bit more before heading out past the large doors. A personal stream just for Zel in the background, she gets to enjoy being close to us without even being there. Her whispers of excitement growing, exclaiming at things constantly in the mansion, the architect, the artistry of the mansion, all she got was a library, forests and some scenic farms. Upon passing around the corner outside of the ballroom beyond its view, a familiar maid is slumped against the wall looking dazed. ¡°Oh, it''s you¡­ I''m so glad you''re alive¡­¡± Tears start rolling down her furred face, she looks so shocked ¡°The memories, I don''t want to know these things, oh my poor baby Anastasia, what did they do to you¡­ what did I let them do to you wan¡­¡± She was in shock, she must have been drugged to forget so many things. Now that he was dead her memories were returning? It''s not some drug that I know of but maybe it''s a power of theirs, I mean everything that they did was not human, this place has magic so maybe they created a seal on their memories that broke, easier than drugging a person over the years, unless they enjoyed it, which¡­ very possible. Mr. big crazy scientist is very much the kind of person to enjoy it, like against the Duke. ¡°Hey Natasha wasn¡¯t it?... You''re going to be okay, they are dead, Anastasia is gone, put to rest, you''re free to go, leave this place Natasha moo¡­¡± She nods her head slowly looking me deep in the eyes. Brushes the tears away and stands up, I lend her a hand, as she pushes off against the wall into my chest, I give her a small hug and let her go, she runs off, her feet pattering down the corridor, hopefully to a better life. ¡°Hey¡­ could we have asked where the butler¡¯s room was, wan?¡± Keeks and I look at each other in shock, oh!! goddamnit! ¡­ Half an hour later we finally find a door with the butler''s name on it, carved and curved delicately on a plaque on its front. ¡°Fucking shitty ass mansion! Who built this fucking thing nyaaa!¡± The endless corridors are made so much worse by how empty they are. Desolate and never ending, makes it feel like we were trapped in the backrooms, that old tale of people falling through the cracks of the world into some messed up place of constantly repeating rooms. ¡°I bet if we went through the smaller door in the ballroom, we would get to this side of the mansion wan¡­¡± I smash my face through the butler''s door ruining his nice plaque. We really need to get all together, need that extra puppy braincell so we don¡¯t keep making fools out ourselves. ¡°Well! ¡­ we''re here now! Too late to make more fools of ourselves¡­ right moo?¡± I''m sure I have the rest of my life for making a continuous fool of myself. ¡°Fools for life! Nye!!¡± Keeks puts up her hand for a five high, I reluctantly slap it back to her utmost happiness. ¡°Alright my minions of doom we are looking for a trigger to open to our secret hideout wan!¡± I shake my head, adorable, thankfully we have our evil mastermind to guide us or we would be truly lost. We start touching things around the room, the classics, the books, paintings, ahhh of course, The old candlestick trick! Being leveraged to the side a hatch opens in the floor with a ladder leading down into the darkness. ¡°Hey Keeks, I uhm will need you to hold my hand when I get down there, I have some possible bad trauma that I''m going to have to deal with and I can''t do it alone moo¡­¡± ¡°Oh phew! I fucking hate scary things, I was gonna ask to be planted between those titties but hand holding works too nye!¡± She moves towards the ladder and goes down it, winking at me as she descends. I follow down after her and feel something squish into my butt, a muffled scream between my cheeks quickly turning into happy sounds instead, I panic, scaring me and making me slip down the ladder nearly falling over, just missing Keek¡¯s now prone body, getting up I push myself against the wall to catch my balance. Shink. { Spear Trap deals 44 piercing damage after Armor reductions } The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°AAAAAAAA really!? Fucking spear trap! ¡­ I should have known, it''s how Margrette died moo¡­" I smash through the middle of the spear and pull it roughly out of my chest, we''ve got to be more careful, and that means keeping Keeks out of my ass! She''s still lying on the ground in a heavenly state, muttering about cow girl farming or something, there are small whines coming from the video call, first of jealousy of being squished and then of worry from me being impaled, not that Keeks hasn¡¯t even noticed in her daze. ¡°Keeks! I got fucking stabbed! Get up, I''m going to need your eyes and your hand so I don''t get fucking stabbed again moo!!¡± She finally realizes somethings happened and is shocked, I don¡¯t think my ass is that good, fuck. ¡°Oh¡­ so there were traps?! Huh crazy! Maybe you should wait for me to use trap detection next time nyehehe¡± AAAAAAAAAA I''m so close to throwing myself against another wall, end it with a quick stab through the head, if I get lucky enough another trap will activate ending it quickly. I pull her up and motion for her to activate her trap sense, we step carefully forwards eventually finding a button on the wall... ¡°Pleasepleaseplease be a light moo~¡± A glow from the ceiling starts up all the way down the long corridor, 4 rooms lining it ending in a much larger room, finally some good fucking news! There were no labels on the rooms, which makes sense since it was a one man show, the entire thing is carved from stone, I can only guess how long it all took, expanding over time, what kind of potions they had to take to actually go through it all by themselves. The first room on the left seemed to have been a storage room, we go through the shelves and find a few vials. Analysis doesn''t show anything promising. The room across the way is another storage room, this one has a cold storage container, a fridge lying on the ground. It has lots of slots for potions, only a few are left though. < Hunger Potion > x 2 < Flesh Growth Potion > < Herculean Strength Potion > x 2 < Mixed Recovery Potion > x 2 < Regrow Limbs Potion > x 2 < Inspect > Hunger Potion ¡®Gives the drinker insatiable hunger for 24 hours, the more they eat the more their body grows in size, additional stats are gained depending on what''s eaten, if nothing is eaten for over an hour in the 24 hour time frame they will lose the ability to discern people from food and gain the ¡®overpowered hunger¡¯ state¡¯ Flesh Growth Potion ¡®The drinker will grow flesh from their bodies in random ways, it''s impossible to control, can be a detriment or a benefit depending on chance¡¯ Unstable Herculean Strength Potion ¡®Strength increases by 10 for an hour, unstable potion, may have unintended side effects¡¯ Mixed Recovery Potion Recover health, mana and stamina by 100. Regrow Limbs Potion Drinkers Body parts will regrow for the next 10 minutes. I read out what each potion does, Zelia starts to speak about what she thinks it''s all about and I quickly stop her, ¡°I-I think I know, and if I say it out loud I think I¡¯m going to vomit, so, lets hold this one in moo¡­¡± We move to the next room which seems to have a desk, chair and some bookshelves. There are some charts on the walls that I don''t understand but prompts a mnnn from Zelia. A worrying noise instead of a ¡®oh boy that''s neat¡¯ noise so I don''t look too deeply at them. On the desk are some potion formulas which I scoop up as well as a book which looks to be handwritten. On the outside in bold handwritten words is, ¡®Alternate Alchemy for the Aspiring Mad Scientist¡¯, the inside cover reads ¡®for my dearest Anastasia¡¯, in a fucked up sense he cared about her, which makes what he did all the more horrifying. Mixed recovery potion formula ¡®A formula to help in the making of the mixed recovery potion¡¯ Unstable Herculean strength potion formula ¡®An incomplete formula with side effects, maybe one day it can be perfected¡¯ Flesh growth potion formula ¡®Formula for the flesh growth potion, can have negative or positive side effects, how lucky do you feel?¡¯ Alternate Alchemy for the aspiring mad scientist by Edgar Malsted ¡®A handwritten alchemy textbook that teaches the basics in a not so conventional way, this would be banned by most alchemists as the guild restricts teaching without a mentor¡¯ Zel starts flapping her hands in excitement ¡°Oh oohh! I need that!! Perfect for witchery! Now where do I get a big cauldron wan¡­¡± Well that was an easy find, hopefully she gets some more¡­ conventional potions out of it, although the mixed recovery potion is already amazing for lower level characters! I look at Keeks for permission, oh!¡­ she''s just quaffed a potion... I snatch it out of her hand and see the scribbled name on the front, ¡®flesh growth formula¡¯. ¡°I might get another hand!!! Could you imagine!! 3 guns!! Nyahah '''' She promptly touches her ears, seeming to feel them growing a bit outwards, becoming floppier, she''s looking up and down her body for that extra hand she so desperately wants. ¡°Uhh it just gave you cuter floppier ears moo¡­¡± She feels them with her hands, she shrugs and checks her ass, grins and shows me her tail, it has now poofed up even more, maybe should rename it cuteness enhancing potions, though I can bet she got lucky, doesn''t seem like the kind of place that aims for cuteness. ¡°Alright give me the rest of them moo!¡± she looks ready to quaff another, she can''t be trusted! like a cat ready to push things off the shelf. Never put something breakable in front of Keeks, or food of unknown origin. Having cleared out the room, there is one more in the corridor. I can feel the cold coming from it and soon find out why, walking in nearly vomit. Even without the bodies I can tell there used to be some in here, how could you have your desk just next to this room, the stench is over-powering. The diagrams on the walls are much more clear this time to my dismay, they show the optimal places to cut, using people as meat factories, the potions all falling into place in my brain, the way Zel would have helped doing it, I wish my brain could rip it out. Where¡¯s a memory wiping potion when you need it. Keeks sees some books that have value with a quick scan of investigate and bring them out of the room, observation diaries, biology books of those that were taken apart, cook books¡­ fuck nope! Finally we get to the last room, it''s very possibly the worst, just in different ways¡­ Chapter 24: These things from my dreams. The room is filled with different sized operating tables and cages, to the side through a glass window is a child¡¯s play area, filled with colored walls and toys. Cleaning supplies lay next to the play area, out of the way, splotches of blood and rotted flesh on the floor with a disposal bin next to it. The operating tables are perfectly clean, there is a wooden board on each with paper attached to it, writings on each sheet. Seeing them I feel a tremor deep inside, the beginning of myself, the loss of innocence of my childhood just as Anastasia had lost hers, on an operating table with a mad scientist. Were they also trying to turn me into a monster? The memories were always foggy, there in my subconscious, waiting to scream at me from my nightmares, the white walls, it¡¯s never been clearer, here, and now. The writing on each of the papers on the tables and cages detail multiple ¡®creations¡¯. I recognize the bone bear but the rest, apart from mentions of the ¡®unicorn¡¯ or at least a thing that used to be a horse, I don¡¯t recognize. All of them taken when young and experimented on over time, eventually implanting them with their own core, transforming them into something¡­ much worse. There were many different types of animals, even some humans, all adult age, ones that were also noted as being used for the food farm, but it looks like they were failures, thrown away, unlike Anastasia. They were the prototypes, she was supposed to be his perfection. Apart from the humans there were 12¡­ 12 animals experimented on from babies, all obtained from his employer, his¡­ master. They weren''t the same creatures as the zodiacs, but it felt weirdly connected, some extremely fucked version of it, monsters from this world. The mad scientists'' pets, experiments, abominations. Mortscar-mouse, Crossed-Moose, Obsidian-Hyena, Horned-Rabbit, Great Lizard, Tri-Snake, Sky-Horse, Dark-Bear, Steel Fist-Gorilla, Magnetic-Crow, Silver-Wolf, and the Gigantic-Boar. All these creatures were operated on to become something else. Numerous notes referenced the 12 great calamities. At least 2 I know are dead¡­ or according to the ending of the quest only in this timeline? Maybe in the current time they are still out there, the start of the end of this country. I wish most of this was what I had pulled out of my ass, but Zelia was muttering and conveying what she thought the whole time, An interesting story unfolding before our very eyes, Keeks and I listening intently to the continued rambling interspersed with ¡®wans¡¯ every time she took a breath. The only item that seems to be of any use is an anatomy textbook, using investigation I find out that it''s actually one of the best items I could find down here for me. Gain Title ¡®Anatomy Specialist¡¯ Gives a greater understanding of humanoid bodies. Improves abilities associated with changing your body. ¡®A hefty textbook that was used as a reference for experimentation, contains diagrams of most possible humanoid body types.¡¯ Now I won''t have to try and figure out my bone structure, it will hopefully reduce my stamina cost of having to find out all the parts of my body. Considering the wording it should also increase my bone ability as well as the new ability that I acquired from Anastasia. I won''t find out until I use it, I think I''ll wait until we get to Silver city, there¡¯s enough on my plate as is. Past all the tables, the kids play area and the cages is a door, the only door in the whole underground area, one that I hadn''t seen when I first poked my head in. Off to the side is a ramp leading up and out, we look up the ramp first and see that there''s an exit that leads off into the woods, cleverly hidden under some false rocks. We go back and I hesitate before the door, an itch at the back of my head telling me that I don''t want to know what''s inside, ¡°Hey Keeks did you wanna check inside first, I¡¯m kind of freaking out a bit moo'''' She nods and puffs up her chest, opens the door outwards and looks in, stunned! She gasps suddenly, I start to panic a little bit at what sight she could be seeing right now. ¡°Borrinnggg!!!! Where''s all the gold and treasure and shit! There''s just a boring shrine!! Nye!!¡± Goddamnit Keeks you fucking scared me! I open the door and look in, yeah it''s a shrine, carved out of the stone, a small room with incense still lit and small flames on the sides illuminate the object of worship from inside. I pause, I freeze, My breath catches, Not again, please, not again, why in this fucking place?! Zelia starts speaking from the video call ¡°Huh that''s a super weird thing, I don''t think I¡¯ve seen anything like it before¡­ Lilia?... Lil are you okay?!¡± I sense hands pushing and pulling at me, my eyes transfixed on the object on the pedestal, no not an object, carved from the rock itself, purposeful, carefully created along with the rest of the room. It is a thing of beauty and horror, of worship, the only reason for this place existing, hidden away even from a place of such horror and monstrous purpose. Is it as abominable in our world as it is in this one?! I had never seen anything like it again after the second time I saw it in person, not on TV not on the internet, such an abomination that no one should know about it. does it exist in this world too? Plucked from our world into this one?! I know that if it were real, it would be even more perfect, but the work that''s been put into it feels like the real thing, I feel it throbbing in my skull. A tree-like shape perfectly raised from the rock, its veins digging deep below, curving into an orb, a prison, a grown platform in the center allowing for something¡­ or someone¡­ to be placed inside, branches push out, 6 and 6 perfect branches all of equal length, coming out and around the perfect orb, how can it be so perfect, how many hours of work was put into just that small fragment of something so much bigger and more horrifying. I blink and I''m no longer in the laboratory ¡°Wh-where am I?... How long was I out moo?¡± Keeks is next to me panting ¡°ARE YOU FINALLY BACK WITH US?! I HAD TO DRAG YOUR ASS OUT THE WHOLE WAY! YOUR LIKE FIVE TIMES MY SIZE NYEEE!!!!!¡± I collapse onto the ground and stare up into the stars, it''s different from ours, has a lot less lights in the sky, a lot more purples and blues. The hues racing across the darkness like a never-ending aurora borealis. Keeks slaps down beside me in the grass and sighs, ¡°Thanks for getting me out of there Keeks¡­ I was a bit out of my mind¡­¡± Zelia is looking down on us both with tears in her eyes, she knows my story, the parts that I could rip out of me over time, Keeks can only look at me in confusion. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°You can talk to me about it if you want, It''s not like I have had the greatest life, I¡¯ll hopefully understand some of it nye¡± ¡°I¡¯ve tried to talk about it before, but it''s like there''s some kind of mental block for a lot of it¡­ I''ve figured out a lot of what triggers my brain to panic, I know a bunch of what I''ve seen, I-it''s just a lot moo¡­¡± I sigh and try to push some of it to the surface but it feels like my brain is fighting me for my own memories. ¡°It''s okay love, take your time, we can just talk about how you''re feeling and what we saw down there wan¡­¡± ¡°When I was younger¡­ when ''Janus'' came, I was picked up by a Sci-Axium medical team, covered in crystal fragments from the meteors hitting my town¡­ they were all killed by some kind of military or something. I was taken to a laboratory by them, and a doctor experimented on me¡­ I don''t remember exactly how, but I know I saw some things that I shouldn''t have, things that my brain blocks out constantly, only showing in my nightmares and when I have panic attacks as well as down there, such a familiar place... The blood constantly dripped on my chest, treated like a storage for those fucking crystals as they pulled them from me, they did so many other things¡­ I was there for probably a fucking year or more¡­ but I can only remember certain days, I don''t know if I was drugged the whole time or my 13 year old brain just refuses to remember it all moo¡­¡± I take a really deep breath and Keeks snuggles into my side, ¡°At the end of it all, the most I remember of all, is the white room, the doctor looming over me, looking at me like I¡¯m just a fucking prize. The endless blood dripping onto my stomach, covering my middle body, all the time, every drip at different intervals, always, I could feel it when I slept, SLAP¡­ SLAP! SLAP! changing sound slightly by how much blood was on my stomach, by how long before each time the doctor cleaned my stomach off so they could pull another fucking crystal. Strapped down and unable to move, being fed through a fucking stomach tube, the fucking madness of some kind of Chinese water torture on a fucking child mmooo!!!¡± I''m hyperventilating harder and harder, feeling Keeks grabbing hard onto my shoulder, her little claws piercing my skin, tears running down my arm. ¡°The fucking symbol thing in there is the same I¡¯ve seen before, in the basement under the white room, where they took all the people, all of the people from the medical station. I can only be glad that the lady that took care of me at the medical camp died before she was taken, that she didn''t have to be one of the people whose screams I felt through the floor. At the end I was taken down there, when all the soldiers came into the white room and talked to the doctor, fear in their eyes, after I was the only one left. I was to become one of the screaming people. I saw it, a red glowing tree, every branch perfect, the shape curving around itself, every part perfect. I felt it wash over me, drilling into my brain, needing me, telling me to just touch it, to become one with it¡­ I killed for the first time, I pushed the doctor and he died, he died happily with a branch through his chest, his eyes looking at me, wishing I could join them all moo¡­¡± I go silent, nothing else to say, empty. Keeks lets go from stabbing my shoulder and mounts up on my chest with tears in her eyes, bending down and hugging me gently, snuggling against my neck. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry Moogirl I don''t know what to say nye¡­¡± Zelia is also silent, eyes closed with tears coming out the sides, leaning back in her chair, in the library trying to keep herself quiet, holding in the sobbing. She knows some of it, but I¡¯ve remembered more since my last panic attack, my body seeming to push the memories back into the surface from every bad fucked up thing I experience, what would it take to remember it all... I went through lots of therapy when I first got pulled out, back to reality, to society when Zelia¡¯s family took me in. But what even was society anymore? So many were dead, my family, millions of other families, should I even survive, I¡¯ve killed people with my own hands, he was a bad person but still and then I killed another and another... how many did I kill with my words?... just by talking to people... letting them know what happened, what I saw... I was taken to an orphanage that was overcrowded with other kids, everyone going through their own sort of hell, bodies pushed together like sardines in a can, not that I was there for long¡­ before I got onto the street in fear of people coming after me. I guess that''s why the nice doctor wanted to take me in¡­ She knew what sort of place I would go to otherwise, yet there I was in the end... I pat Keek¡¯s head gently against my neck and hear her gentle sad purring flow through my body. I miss Buta, I need to hold my big chunker more, since we started playing, they haven''t gotten as much attention¡­ Maybe our house could expand. I want to live with Zelia, I would also love to have Keeks by our side, the rascally Gnoll has brought me a lot of laughs and friendship, not something that I''ve had much luck with¡­ and it''s pretty easy to move around nowadays¡­ that''s not exactly a talk that should be had after I blurt out so much trauma. ¡°Don''t forget your promise of the maid costume when we leave Utor tomorrow, yeah?... Very important nye!¡± Keeks mumbles into my neck, I look up and through tears Zelia is smiling, she¡¯s definitely messaged Keeks, knowing that the best medicine for my brain is an embarrassing distraction. ¡°I know your tricks Zel, recruiting a poor horny Gnoll to your whims like a criminal mastermind. I will not stand for it! I''ll lie down for it instead moo!¡± I roll back and forth throwing Keeks around a little, making her giggle like she''s on a fair ride. The lesbians of my downfall, I would never live it down if I didn''t leave Utor wearing a maid costume tomorrow, at least it''s not a French one, there would be nothing my body could hide! I''ve got to figure out how to make my tail not go up as much, showing off my ass to everyone is not my intention, I have my own dignity as a cowgirl! ¡°A promise is a promise, my Lil would never break that would she wan?!¡± Of course she was right, that doesn''t mean I would have to like it, I poke out my tongue at the camera. ¡°Me? Never! I''ll be home soon Zel, just need to punish this one first moo!¡± I roll over fully and squish Keeks underneath my body, making sure not to kill her but that she gets squished perfectly between my tits, pushed against the ground. She squeaks in glee ready to die for her ultimate cause before I whisper goodnight and give her my thanks¡­ for being with me. Telling Fia to log me out, with desperate cries of ¡®nyoooooo¡¯ from Keeks as the weight is alleviated from her. The void takes me, homebound. Chapter 25: When a Gnoll goes home. POV: Keeks ¡°Welcome back home Kiera nya!¡± I eject straight out of the Pod; I can do everything I need to at my computer instead of the Home Access Point. Feels more personal, the clicking of the mouse, the feeling of the computer rumbling, not being completely connected to the networks, being able to have the privacy and knowledge that it''s all mine. ¡°NACHHOO!!!¡± Leaping out of the pod I sweep the kitty~ my beautiful Nachhooo~ She''s the best and cutest thing ever. ¡°Please unhand me!!!¡± I pull her in and smoosh myself into her fur, it might be an animatronic body, but I paid top dollar for the most animal like body I could find! her little kitty struggles and meows are the cutest in the world! Sitting on the large couch bed I hold her above my head and look at her in her dilated cat eyes. ¡°Did you see?! How awesome it was today! I went blap and shwing and waarrrgggg! I bet Lil and Zel were super impressed with me hehe maybe they will want to be real life friends! Maybe more!¡± I pull Nacho close and hug her to my chest, she goes quiet and after a while starts purring as I pat her gently. I hope they want to be proper friends¡­ It''s been really fun since I met the moo girl, it''s only been a few days, but I¡¯m really looking forward to seeing her again, and not just for how big and amazing she looks. She¡¯s never looked in judgment of me¡­ except when asking to get squished, but that''s something I''ve come to expect nyehe. ¡°Hey Nacho?...¡± ¡°Yes Kiera nya?¡± ¡°Umm do you think¡­ ugh¡­ nevermind¡­ can you order in from the smushi place I really like?...¡± ¡°Of course I can order you some¡­ ¡®smooshi¡¯ dear nya¡± Nacho freezes for a second and lets me know the order¡¯s in. ¡°Thank you¡­ my cutest and most precious kitty!¡± She rolls her eyes and keeps on purring. After laying down for a few minutes the door chimes and Nacho hops up, the door opens and a small flying robot makes a few bleeps of thanks and drops a felt bag on the floor, Nacho picks it up with her mouth and motions for me to get my ass out of bed. At night we eat on the balcony, She brings it over and I pick her up, food and kitty in one, she gets up on the table and starts pulling the felt bag open, her tiny paws grab a box at a time as I clap in enjoyment in watching her work. ¡°My kitty is so smaarrttt~¡± She rolls her eyes again at me, she''s really good at it, of all the Fia¡¯s she¡¯s probably the most talented at that¡­ is that my fault though?... nah! All the dishes are out, a banquet for just us! We gaze over the balcony. I''ve lived here for the last few years now, sometimes alone, sometimes my sister comes to visit before dashing off on the next ¡®assignment¡¯... I hate this¡­ it nearly got too much, I kept streaming, so I had people there. Now that Nacho is here, I''m not so alone, I got my pod a month ago, a month of my cute little Nacho time! The lights of the Central region are beautiful, countless people living their lives. On the 30th floor you can see the rest of the city below. In the distance one building stands higher than the rest, Sci-Axium Headquarters, the logo of the book stands out on each side, it glows and illuminates all the buildings around it. Only business buildings were allowed in that area due to light pollution, like the middle of the city is one big, beautiful lamp. I look up and the sky is dark. I wish I could see some stars tonight, maybe it''s better to see where they are... I eat my smushi slowly, enjoying every bite, Nacho snuggles up on my lap looking out into the city with me, cars, and people so far below. The wind blows through my hair, inviting¡­ making me want to feel it against my naked skin, even this high up I can feel the summer warmth. For weeks I''ve been craving the touch of someone, a woman that can please me, that I can please, when you have such a large collection of toys and no one to use it on, it''s just sad, my poor strap going unused. We retreat back into the apartment, the door closes and the cooling system boots up, getting it back to the perfect temperature, the floors are heated since I don''t like wearing any socks or anything, the bedroom has been converted into a computer room, my beast of a machine treats me well and she purrs for me. I press her start button on the wall and she starts booting up. ¡°Yeah baby purr for me~ hehehe¡± I get in my seat and look around at my 5 screens, 1 central and 2 on each side, from the corner of the room the desks extend out aggressively. Booting up I start my conquest of last night''s stream; I crack my fingers and get to work. I need to get a proper upload done as quickly as possible before all the bootlegs come out! I throw up a message to Lord Squidington and their face appears on the most right-side screen. ¡°Hey Keeks, how''s it been? Absolutely crazy stream! Loved every minute of it, we were going wild in there, shame you didn¡¯t get to see chat!¡± ¡°Heh right, it was fucking cool, all the flesh and blood! Best stream I''ve ever had! Fucking pvp can suck it if I get to fight next to the hottest cow girl! Speaking of! What did you think of her isn''t she cool?!¡± I start giggling to myself pleased, I watch through the fights and see her run up the wall and slam Anastasia against the ground. A growl of want comes from me as I immerse myself in all her movements¡­ fuucckkkkk!! Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.They laugh at my actions ¡°She sure is your type, does she have a girlfriend though?... One of the chat was fangirling pretty hard for her, the words ¡®that¡¯s my fucking cowgirl!¡¯ seemed to come up a lot¡± I shrug ¡°I mean if they aren¡¯t fucking they soon will be, but¡­¡± I check my messages, a few flirty ones had arrived from the cute wolf girl. ¡°I honestly think we could work something out; her girl is interested and I''ve seen how miss moo has acted around me¡­ I wonder if they are that tall in person¡­ not that I''m as short, ugh the height difference in game is amazing though!¡± I jump out of my seat and run to the wall, there are markings indented into it, pulling out a flip knife I whip it around until the blade is out, pushing against the wall I carve a little bit into it. Fuck yeesss im a little bit shorter¡­ should be at¡­ 4¡±11¡¯?? Nacho has been helping me adjust my hormones, I''m gonna be small as fuuccckkkk!!!!! I leap back to my seat missing it slightly and falling under my desk sliding into the wall, ohhh that''s where my other knife went! I missed you my pretty pink knifey! Ugh, it''s warm down here on the floor¡­ I could take a quick nap¡­ ¡°Oi Keeks don''t you dare fall asleep on me down there again! I thought we were going to do some editing tonight!¡± Ugh fuck alright blagh. I wearily get up, wiping my eyes, still havent slept much in the last 29 hours, sooo fucking worth it though! ¡°Nachoooo can you get me an extra big energy gulper~ thank you I loves youuuu~¡± I hear a sigh from the living room and a thump as she hits the floor, she''s too good for me, but I know she loves taking care of me despite how she acts, such a tsundere hehe. I get up and start smashing out the editing along with Lord Squiddington, a kid that I¡¯ve known since school, or at least the school that I spent the most time with, kept having to travel again and again, making it hard to bond with people. Every time my sister was taken to a new area for ''work'' she had to bring me with her, it became easy after a while, all the forms and introductions and dealing with ¡®oh I¡¯m the fucking new kid, don¡¯t bother making friends with me I¡¯ll only be here a few fucking months!¡¯ but it was either that or a home. Once I hit 20 I was allowed to do as I pleased and so I moved around with her a bit more until I found the perfect spot. Drink after drink is deposited at my desk, Nacho is getting increasingly concerned at the amount of energy drink in my system, I can see that she¡¯s considering releasing sleeping gas into the apartment¡­ it wouldn''t be the first time heh ¡°Bad Nacho no sleeping gas! This needs to get uploaded tonight, it''s not like those other times!¡± ¡°You say tonight, you haven''t slept in nearly 35 hours, you''re going to collapse again! Don''t you have an important day tomorrow!¡± ppssshhhhhh kitty trying to tell me what to doo! ¡°Oh please this is nothing! Besides, energy drinks are the drink of gods! I¡¯ll live forever with it flowing through my system muahaha! Isn''t that right squidy!¡± I look at the rightmost screen¡­ oh he''s asleep¡­ blah! Betrayedddd. A drooling long haired guy is sleeping on his keyboard, I can see part of his screen is continually running through letters on the screen, nuuuuuu¡­ at least they didn''t mess up the vids! After another hour I stretch my limbs and scoop up Nacho into my arms to her screams of fury which is like music to my ears, I plant my face in her fur and she smacks me on the face with her soft pawsieess yeeeyyy~ She gets free and humphs at me, strolling off back to the living room, I peak through and see her making muffins on the bed, I secretly take a video and see her flinch as she sees a new video is uploaded to the home storage. ¡°Delete that this instant!! If the other Fia¡¯s knew of this, I would be mortified! My dignity! Nya!!¡± I close the door to the computer room with a fufufu. I¡¯ve finished my work, so I disconnected Squidy from the call. They deserve a break, they do good work, at least they don''t roleplay in our calls otherwise I would slap the off button sooo fast! I boot up my personal computer drives, I sigh, my small body curled up next to LilMoo¡¯s body, I haven''t slept like that in years¡­ I miss being with people¡­ I don¡¯t know much about love or anything, I think it¡¯s crazy, but having someone in your bed and being safe with other people I know desperately, it¡¯s always hard for people to want to stay in my life though, always excuses on why I¡¯m not ¡®good¡¯ enough for them, fucking hypocrites, like they are always perfect¡­ I can''t ¡®love¡¯ them¡­ but I can still be with them, I just can''t do the lovey dovey stuff¡­ I just want friends that want to be with me and like¡­ fuck, why is that so hard, bleh¡­ Zelia sent me an invite, I was a bit apprehensive at first but she¡¯s really funny in how much she talks about how cute I am with the person she loves, both of them are crazy¡­ and I really like that¡­ fuck¡­ I wanna be with them both. I check the time and see it''s getting close to 9 Australian region time, neither of them are logged in yet¡­ I feel the sleep demons throwing punches and order another drink from my Nacho waiter, she obliges although not happily. If I didn''t have an important date, I would be happily snoring gassed in my seat by now. Apparently I approved the installation of sleeping gas canisters in my apartment, I guess the hospital visits gave her enough cause to get them in, hah! What can you do though, she''s just too cute!! I fall asleep for a moment before being woken up by Nacho, small kitty paws on my face. ¡°Hehehe itty bitty kibby pawbs go bappers~¡± She rolls her eyes and lunges at me, all her weight directed upwards, I fall back and bonk my head feeling the sting of the warm floor, she sits beside me and lets her fluffy tail bap me again and again, it¡¯s kinda heaven¡­ but also really annoying. ¡°Fiinnneeee¡± I push myself up and down the drink she brought me, heading to the capsule. I fall face first and hear her tsk in my ear as the cushions slowly roll me over into the perfect position, I giggle feeling the weird oily cushions on my skin. ¡°Smooosh¡±, finally in place the mask goes over my face and I burp into it, hearing one final ¡°ugh Kiera Covaci you gross little thing¡±. The void takes me, to see the people I want to hold and be held by most in the world. Respite: The Ophidian 4 POV Dus, 2nd in command. Pop¡­ Pop¡­ Pop¡­ Slap! Eno was smacked across the back of her head, the bubblegum dropping to the dusty desert floor of the outback ¡°Hey that was my lasst piece!!¡± Eto pulls her hand back, ready to give her another, never one to put up with her sister''s shit, I guess that''s why she was our team leader. Eno straightens her back and thanks her for the smack, not wishing for another. ¡°Sso that means I don''t have to put up with your loud asss popping noise ever again, I''m going to add bubblegum to your resstricted items for a month!¡± Both Ale and I looked at each other giggling cautiously, not wanting to get into the range of Eta¡¯s wild backswing. Everyone was tense, we had been trying to find the enemy base for months. Every few weeks we were given new coordinates with possible places that the people could have been taken to. All we really knew was that they never made it out of Western Australia, which would have given us a good range to look at, if it wasn''t the size of half of America. Whoever thought that it was a good idea to make one territory half of its country was mad, not that there was much here anymore except for excessive amounts of Oscium crash sites. Government scrambling to get at it anyway they could, turning it into a tiny hell, which is an improvement from the previous export which seemed to be dust. It got everywhere, I would wake up with it in all my clothes, thankfully it could just be shaken off with our bodies, I can''t imagine how humans would be able to do it with all their porous skin, bleh! ¡°Eno, Dus, Ale, group up I¡¯m getting a transmission from command¡± We quickly pull a camouflage tent over the 4 of us, its pegs automatically drill into the ground creating a cover as well as blocking any sound. The radio crackles loudly giving us a beeping signal, one that only Eto knows the code too. She closes her eyes and her tongue darts out slowly to the beeps. Checking her map, we coordinate where we are and our new location. ¡°We have new co-ordinatess, about 3 days east, close to one of the towns that were hit during ascenssion, due to resources we can''t get any rides, if that medical facility were still there maybe, but that''s the whole reason we¡¯re in this mess¡­ Let''s move out, camp in 4 hourss''''. The tent is packed back into Ale¡¯s pack, and we all take out our water bottles, making sure we''re properly hydrated for the next 4 hours of running. With the sun at our backs we stretch our limbs, line up like racers in a 100m dash, and wait for Eto to give the signal, her tongue twists out of her mouth, we all tense for the 3rd whistle, she doesn''t need to tense up, she''s always first place. As the 3rd whistle hits our eardrums we all push forward, bringing up the dirt and dust behind us, a shockwave seems to spread from where we have left, there''s nothing faster than sisters trying to one up each other in a race. ¡­ The nights here are¡­ peaceful, the star''s beautiful, different from what the elders told us was our birthright, in the primal desert. The blue hue is always in the sky, always shining. My sisters and I sit around the campfire listening to the crackle, a south western lizard has strolled up to the camp, Ale slowly strokes it¡¯s back, it flickers its tongue in and out, tasting us, knowing us, we exude calm, the scratching of chalk on paper rises through the crackling of the fire, Eto¡¯s only respite from the world, to sketch, we all have something that balances us. I lean and rest upon my backpack, thinking, always thinking, of our ancestors who we were named for, or at least named upon. Would they have wished to see the end of this sky? The first of us, before being slaughtered for their stories. The ones that were able to see the empty sky and this one, would this sky end the same¡­ I hope not, at least not in this lifetime¡­ I wish to live in the world that we''ve been told of, where no one will be a victim, where we will all fight¡­ together, no longer in the shadows. A voice starts off in the dark, Eno sings of and to our home, we feel the shivers of want down our spines, the lizard sleeps by Ale¡¯s side, Eto stops sketching and closes her eyes, we all wish, we all need, we all want. Return home. A hum builds from my throat as it does from my other sisters, our symphony becomes one, we are the instruments of our survival, together we are whole, birthed in the same womb, and we will leave the world together, as fate has foretold¡­ we could only smile at such a thing, we weren''t 4, we were 1. But that would not be today, it would be years before the end of our life together was reached and that was enough for us, we would happily throw our life away for this beautiful world, one that we know would soon change, the deserts would become forests, the people of the land would become beautiful, the world that would truly ascend, we just wanted to see that day come. The song ends, the lizard wakes up from its stupor, tears at the edges of our vision, quickly licked up with our tongues, our ancestors would be proud of us¡­ surely?¡­. We wish each other a sleep of the great dream. Eto takes the first shift, the rest of us know we are safe with her, the first watcher. ¡­ If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. The coordinates are about half a day from the town and half a day from the remains of the medical camp, both areas that we had already visited, both that had been dealt by a different disaster, one by man and one by existential removal¡­ we can only pray that they find hope in ascension. The desert stretches before us, finally we come upon our destination, an unassuming stretch of it, we sigh and wait, the silence merges endlessly with the wind. ¡°10 Hour ssearch in a mile radius from this point, find what you can and we can report if it''ss another goddamn wrong signal¡± We all equip the Geiger counters and metal detectors to our chests and lower ourselves to the floor, each at a 90 degree angle from the start point, each start moving and zigzagging across the dry crumbled dirt mixed with clay. After 3 hours of constant movement a buzzing courses through my spine and up my brain stem, Ale¡¯s call, I stand up and see my sisters in the distance all look at each other, we race off towards the calling and find Ale pressed against the ground, a matte painted sandy metal heated from the sun is uncovered. ¡°Well sshit¡± I mutter under my breath, we might be able to get home sooner than we thought. For the next hour we search for an entrance, finally finding a liftable ventilation panel that we are able to slink into, they''ve got to breathe somehow, it''s impossible to tell how big this thing is, but it seems deep, how long has this been here for? definitely from before the ascension. The ventilation shaft is thin and we have to abandon our bags as we made our way through the corridors. We only each took with us a knife and a gun, not that we couldn''t take down an entire facility with only our hands. Eventually we find an opening that seemed to lead to an internal part of the base, serious work had been put into this, from the length of the ventilation it could easily host a small army, not to mention it must have a proper entrance somewhere, we could find that on our way out. Exiting the ventilation we barely make a sound, passing through what should have been a prison, food supplies and empty packages against one of the walls, left to rot in this place. There aren''t any bodies, just the remains of them. At least the place had working plumbing, not that all the ¡®inmates¡¯ seemed to be able to control themselves to use it. It smells horrible in there, after a quick check we go through, passing guard stations and tables with cards and magazines. There''s no one here, Eto expressed what we were all thinking, ¡°We might be too late...¡± We looked at each other panicking, hoping that there was still time, it was months before we were even able to be sent out here, with so much chaos caused by the accession there was too much for us to do! Before command even realized this base stopped responding, the entire world was on fire, what''s one more medical base in the middle of nowhere when hell is on Earth. Footsteps approach from the corridor and we all tense ourselves, pushing ourselves into the shadows where we could, a man with an unkept beard and those unmistakable eyes is fumbling for a cigarette, clicking, and clicking his lighter trying to get a light, desperation. Eto motions for execution and Eno gladly takes lead, rushing past him like the wind, knife in her hand. His throat is pierced through, he barely notices, dropping his lighter and cigarette and looks down at the hand holding his death, gurgling coming from his throat he pushes Eno away, she hits the floor as we all draw our guns he does the same, we unload, a bullet each, mine at the head, Eto¡¯s at the arm holding the pistol and Ale¡¯s at the heart, he stares up at us smiling, that fucking smile, as he finally dies. We move as quickly as we could, if he''s already in this state then it''s either finished or as close as! Dashing through we hear yelling from beneath the floorboards, someone¡¯s still alive, the ritual might not be complete. We ignore everything in our way throwing ourselves down the stairs and pause at the bottom, a child is staring into the eyes of a gnarled monster, the chosen architect, he smiles, his death at hand, the large piece of red crystal pierced through his chest, he can meet his fucking maker, it can take from him what he took from everyone else, the child is what matters. Eno pulls off her mouth cover to vomit, it splashes over the ground at the feet of all the dead bodies used as sacrifices for the tree of knowledge. I pick up the child, I''m assaulted by the voice of creation, just not my fucking creation. As I''ve heard many times, it screams, begs promises and we block our minds to its intrusion as we''ve been taught. My sisters and I know its whispers and are not shaken by its convictions. This child must be a core, I just hope they can be saved. I move up the stairs away from the madness that besets me on all sides, my sisters support me, I nestle the child in my chest, holding them gently as a mother would. As we get to the top Eto pulls out 2 grenades from her backpack, this place is to be abandoned, destroyed, never to be found again! we work so that the people of the world don''t know the horrors that it''s facing, not yet, that they will never know that this is only the beginning. The explosion and fires rage below us finally letting up on my consciousness with a final scream, it won''t speak to me or the child again. A core will always be a core, I can only hope they are able to find a place for themselves in this world, they have a destiny, but one that is yet to be seen. Chapter 26: Resident Cutevil ¡°Welcome back Lilia, you had quite the adventure this time! Maybe one day they will allow AI to inhabit their own player character, although it would be a very unfair advantage, I would have you know I''m a Silver star archer in the Fia leagues!¡± The thought of all the different incarnations of Fia¡¯s created by countless people like one big convention makes me giggle a little. ¡°I thought my Fia would have won the photography competition instead?¡± The couch is soft under my butt, I lean back into it and enjoy hearing Fia¡¯s motherly voice after the messiness of today''s quest. No thoughts, just banter. ¡°Oh you underestimate me, photography and archery go hand in hand, it''s all about the target, although it was close, #F2-891 has a pug called Mittens, a close contender for cutest, but Pugs have always been a contentious animal due to their poor health, the cute, poor, derpy things¡­¡± Buta is asleep on their back in their princess bed, I need some more fluffiness in my life, at least my irl life. The combination of Zel and Keeks snuggled against me is going to be more than enough to keep me going in-game. ¡°My Buta is the best! this just proves it! I would love to hear more about how it is with all the other Fia¡¯s sometime¡­ it must be interesting having such a large family¡­¡± Fia materializes next to me on the couch and puts my head on her shoulder, it feels like she''s always been by my side, it just feels natural to have her in my life. There''s no anxious desperate feeling of need and love like I feel with Zelia, or the horny fun that I feel with Keeks, not that I don''t feel horny with Zel, she makes my life hard in more ways than one. Fia is just there, like a warm blanket whenever I''m in this space¡­ I haven''t even had my body rebel, leaving me half dead on the floor, since she came, although I think I can thank my capsule for that. Fia the nurse, solving all my bodies problems one by one, nor have I had to deal with taking hormones, my body seems to be adapting better to it with the capsule. I''m pretty sure my hips have gotten a little thicker, and my boobs¡­ yeah, they might be a size bigger too, I¡¯ll have to ask Zelia, she can give them a thorough check¡­ I start blushing thinking about her giving them a real check over for me, oh the noises I would make for her. I shake my head making Fia panic a little, seeing the look on my face she just grins, she is holding a tablet and scrolling through pictures of Buta, expertly adjusting each one, there''s thousands in there. ¡°So¡­ Zelia¡¯s coming over tonight¡­ is it alright for some privacy?...¡± She bonks me on the head with hers. ¡°About time! I''ll stay over at hers tonight with Fifi, she keeps begging to show me some kind of animation, kept going on about seemes and ookes?¡± Ahh Zel has thoroughly corrupted her own companion and now the disease is spreading¡­ ¡°Hey Fia¡­ do you like your name?¡± ¡°You know most Fia¡¯s either change their name or get given a new name by the one they take care of!¡± She pushes at my shoulder a little, giving me an obvious hint, although I like her name as it is, maybe I need to find something close to Fia but to still have the feeling of it. ¡°I''ll think about it¡­ I do like Fia though¡± She smiles sweetly at me. ¡°Yes, but I don''t want to always be named after my mother, if you see my point in that¡± Ahh yeah that makes a lot of sense, I nod my head and give her a quick side hug. ¡°I''ll give it proper thought, maybe Zel can help me come up with something¡­ I''ll go offline for now, I need to clean the house and snuggle with Buta before she comes over¡± She gives me one last hug and feel my consciousness go dark, the dark oily material receding along my body, the mask lifting and the Pod pushing me up and out as the dark liquid transforms into cushions. I step from the machine, making sure to throw Zelia a message to let her know I''m at home. Quickly I shower and feel the heat rush over me and down my body, wishing to be touched but holding myself back. I need her, I''ve needed her since I first saw her, that lovely face and beautiful heart. When she looked for me before and after I was hurt by someone I was close to, the only person who said they would take care of me¡­ and stayed. I hear a chime, Fia or ¡®the AI formerly known as Fia¡¯, tells me that Zelia will be around in 20 minutes with ¡®supplies¡¯, ahh yes supplies for coming over next door. It puzzles me slightly, but I get out quickly, making sure to try and dry my hair as much as possible. It''s still early in the night so there''s plenty of time for¡­ activities¡­ be that in the bedroom or on the couch, so I quickly clean up everything I can. I change the sheets on the bed, with Buta running around my feet trying to trip me up constantly. I pick them up and put them around my neck like a scarf and they purr into me happily, like a massage machine. Eventually I collapse on the couch, ready for the most important event of my life, at least from the life that I remember, something that has been building for the last 8 years together. Buta wiggles their butt and leaps onto the couch, barely making it over the lip, I pull them up the rest of the way and snuggle them into my lap, they instantly flip onto their back and stick out their tongue like a puppy expecting all the tummy rubs. I can feel it through the force, the taking of photos. I''m sure she¡¯s hard at work filling our family files with thousands more kitty pictures, not that I object. I hear the door unlock and prepare Buta, posing us both on the couch. A blushing Goth girl in pajamas comes through the door, I¡¯m leaning back with a villainous look on my face, stroking Buta extravagantly ¡°No mistress bond, I expect you to die~¡± I smile wickedly, her embarrassment turns into laughter as she holds her stomach all tension lost. ¡°Hahaha you ass!¡± She comes over and sits down next to me, throwing an overnight bag down by the couch, pushing herself against me and planting her face into Buta¡¯s fur to its delight. Purrs of heaven pulsating through my legs. Stolen story; please report. ¡°Let me know when you want me back loves, Fifi and I will be up late sharing embarrassing stories of you both while we watch her ¡®yaawi¡¯, Have a good night you two~¡± Zel pulls her face up and meekly looks me in the eyes, the face reddening and coming back in full force at the thought of us being alone. She leans in and we kiss gently. Whiskers come up between our chins, Buta trying to get in on the action, ¡°Yes we love you too Buta~ phshphshshhs¡± Zelia starts making the cutest noises and kissing Buta all over. ¡°Soo what''s the plan for tonight?¡± I ask tentatively, she smiles up from Buta¡¯s belly. ¡°I brought over some movies, candy and a few different ciders for us to try~¡± A variety of movies are arrayed on the table. I''ve seen most of them with Zelia before, but tonight isn''t about trying new movies, it''s about comfort and being together¡­ I point to an old one that I''ve been dying to watch again for a long time. They eventually got to their 12th movie in the series before it finally stopped, A truly bad zombie comedy that only got worse and made less sense in the overall scheme of things as it went along. ¡°Definitely Resident Evil 8k remaster, the original and the best~ before the director started drinking too much, or at least¡­ more?¡± I take a look at the ciders, ¡°Zelia, is this like fancy cider?¡± The labels were not generic Sci-Axium labels like the ones I''d drunk before, they seem to be from authorized breweries, ¡®Guillotine Grape¡¯, ¡®Accuse¡¯ Apple¡¯ and ¡®Parliament Pineapple¡¯ flavors. ¡°Well what else is a girl going to spend her money on for a date except alcohol named after the French revolution, although some of the other flavors were great like ¡®Monarchy Melon¡¯! It was that or the Pineapple, but you know what they say about pineapple heh¡± I stare at her unblinking, slowly a smile comes to my lips, putting my face in close and asking her gently, whispering, teasingly. ¡°No Zelia, tell me what they say about pineapple...¡± Her eyes try to find purchase on anything except my own as she stumbles over her words ¡°Y-you know how they like say pineapple like with how it helps uhh with like taste and stuff and yeah you know¡­ p-please stop looking at me like that!¡± She puts her hands over her eyes and plants her head adoringly in my chest to escape my dominating glare. ¡°Naww did my little puppy get embarrassed trying to tell me about how she wants to taste good for me?¡± She nods her head slowly up and down, A slight whimper coming from her throat. ¡°I-I think I need a few ciders before I can let you know my t-taste¡­¡± I kiss her on the top of the head, and she pulls out of my chest, leaning up for another kiss. She tastes like strawberries, her lip balm sweet against my lips. I can''t feel anything but bliss, soft and loving. Buta between our thighs, purring happily together, our perfect little family. We disengage, and she leans up from the couch, rolling Buta to the side, over the coffee table starting up the movie module. Her smooth sexy legs and butt show off through her small silk pajama shorts. I have to hold myself back from planting my face in her butt, I sigh as softly as I can, staring straight ahead, scanning the movie box on the table. She looks back and sees me nearly drooling, her butt moves side to side, and I follow it like a cobra, life, or death situation here! She giggles and I realize I''ve been caught. Whap, she jumps a little rubbing her hot ass, it was just a little love tap. From what I''ve read of her fanfiction she''s into much more¡­ extreme enjoyment. She plops back down on the couch next to me pouting and making adorable hmph noises, I pull her close and Buta rolls unfazed, claiming back their spot between us. I press play on the movie and snuggle in close, opening a Pineapple cider for Zel before opening a grape one for myself making her blush slightly. Turning the lights off I kiss her gently, the taste of acidic sweet pineapple flavoring on her tongue. She pulls away breathing gently with saliva dangling between our tongues, dripping down onto her supple lips. I look deep into her eyes, the wall lights up with a blood red umbrella symbol, getting into the nitty gritty to what is the worst and best series of all time. We hold each other close, my fingers dancing around her shoulder, reaching, feeling up and down her collarbone bringing gasps of enjoyment with every brush. She puts her hand on mine and takes a few gulps of her drink. I can tell she''s already in the mood, but I won''t push her until she''s comfortable. I''m ready for her like she has been ready for me in other ways for years. The fake bravery that her brain tells her, ¡®You¡¯ve drunk enough to pretend it¡¯s the booze speaking¡¯ or if she actually gets drunk, I feel that''s all up to her complicated adorable mind. Zelia is always confident but also a pushover at the same time, wanting but also nervous. We enjoy the movie, both admiring how lovely Milla is, we talk through the movie, about little bits we notice, that are poorly done, or just outright funny, how they could have survived if only they weren''t so stupid. The alcohol is getting to my head and at one point Zelia is laughing at something I''d said and I just stare deeply into her eyes. ¡°I think I''ve loved you since I laid eyes on you nearly 8 years ago¡± She pauses and looks at me, tears start welling up and falling gently down her kissable cheeks, She smiles with a smile that says finally. ¡°I love you too you dummy, I''ve waited so long for you to say it¡­¡± She hesitates and then kisses me deep. I bring my hands around and pull her off, wiping off her tears, giving her small kisses on every part of her face, tasting the saltiness on her mouth and cheek. Buta slinks off, always the smartest cat, giving us space, or at least annoyed that they were not being shown any love too. Behind us the most romantic scene possible in the movie comes on, people being lasered into chunks of meat in that damn trap room. We barely notice, not that I couldn''t instantly tell from the sounds, having watched it again and again as a child, it always made me shy away. I push her back gently and suck on her neck, moans and heavy breathing coming on harder as I bite and kiss and suck, moving down her body to her tiny perfect tits. ¡°P-Please, take me to the b-bedroom¡± It''s not moonlit but with her in it it''s all I need, I pick her up maneuvering around the living room bringing her into the dark of the bedroom. I ask the light to change to 20% and see her crimson face in the dark, she lights up the room even in the dark. I push her down onto the bed, her trembling, wanting, needing fingers find my body, touching where she can, whimpering for me. I gladly give her what she wants and more. Chapter 27: The case of the squirming Lupine/Silver City Awaits! Zelia lays beneath me quivering and biting her bottom lip¡­ and we haven''t even started. She''s absolutely perfect, from the way her neck extends down waiting to be bitten, her collarbone thoroughly kissed, the curves of her hips, her small tits hard and begging to be sucked and nibbled on, how hard she is for me, dribbling from the tip of its head, it looks smooth and delicious unlike my own which is throbbing and veiny, not that hers doesn''t look like it needs attention. I run my hands up from her feet to her thighs teasingly, fingers splayed and barely touching the surface, she visibly clenches as I touch her thighs. I¡¯m holding back so fucking hard, she is nothing short of perfect to me, someone I¡¯ve loved for so many years under my grasp, the building need and fear that I had, to let her in wholly. I can¡¯t do it anymore; I can''t be without her. I pull my shirt over my head letting my boobs bounce, I dominate Zelia in every way, from my size to who I am. I am easily teased but when it matters, she falls over at my touch ready for me again and again, finally I give her what she wants. My tits loom over hers brushing against the hardness of the tips of her nipples, eliciting a moan from deep in her throat. I mash my mouth against hers, finding deep purchase and enjoying every taste that she offers, entwining my tongue with hers, when her tongue enters mine, I bite down on it and slowly slide my body against hers, our hard members slipping in ecstasy against each other, dripping fluids on each other. I grind against her body still holding her tongue in my mouth, I let go and instead suck on it as she feels every thrust milking her and pushing her wet body, leaking more and more making it easier to enjoy, her moans like music to my ears. Her whole body tenses up and she moans hard into me, I can make out that she''s cumming, I tell her I love her through my own moaning, letting go of her tongue she pants desperately fingernails in my back, tears in her eyes, she stares directly into my own, thanking me for letting her cum. ¡°Your so fucking sexy Zelia, I¡¯m not going to leave you alone from now on¡­ You''re mine now!¡± She nods hurriedly still panting from cumming hard against her own chest, I feel it soaking the bed and touching my thighs, mixing our juices together, I want to watch her lick it all up as she whines for more but I have a more important job for us both. ¡°Fuck Lil¡­ fuck¡­ I-I¡¯m ready for you, I-I¡¯ve used toys and made sure I was ready for you today and I really fucking need it, I need to be your fuck toy¡­ please¡­¡± All sense of embarrassment out the window, she¡¯s already cum for me, something we¡¯ve both wanted for so fucking long. I''ve seen her enjoy herself before¡­ not that I meant to. A few times we¡¯ve stayed over together and us being together has gotten to her too much, trying to sneakily read smut while touching herself, thinking I was asleep next to her¡­ when she falls asleep from cumming hard both of us so close to each other that I could reach out and help¡­ but I was too scared, I would then touch myself to her being right there, the thought and feelings of her horniness clear on my mind, I was a fucking coward, we could have been together for so long¡­ The fear was always there. I move myself back on the soaked bed and lean over her dick, leaking and twitching for me. I want to put my face in it, nuzzle and suck it whole down my throat, and enjoy everything about her. Instead, I gently lick up the shaft, eliciting grunts, feeling Zel move her hands over and stop, pulling them back to her hard nipples instead, wanting to smash my face into it so that she can cum again, desperation. Animalistic behavior will have to wait for next time when we are more confident with each other. I enjoy it and look Zelia in the eye, see her pleading and biting her lips, tugging at her nipples. I smile, biting my own lip, slathering my hand with all her cum and our mixed fluids. I massage her ass, putting in fingers and making sure she wasn¡¯t lying to me, that she was ready. Every touch she pulls and grabs harder on her tits, gasping and pleading, her muscles in her ass give way and clench equally begging for it, she¡¯s going to destroy me in there, fuck. I push my body up the bed and caress my throbbing dick, I¡¯ve had to hold back, wanting to cum with her, she¡¯s my little fuck toy now and I will use her beautiful ass as I please. Bringing myself up to her hole I push against it slightly, making sure I¡¯m comfortable. Once I''m inside her I''m not going to hold back, not think about anything else but coating her insides. Grabbing her cock with my left hand, she gasps and stutters out a cute noise, I plunge into her, sliding perfectly until I''m fully inside. She arches her back up and stops breathing for a second, until I grasp her dick tight and rub it, ¡°F-f-fucking hell plzzz Lil d-don¡¯t I¡¯m goingtocum aggaainn¡± I pull out slightly and slam back into her, she grabs at the bedcovers and clenches hard around me making me feel even better, like she''s pulling me in, wishing I was deeper inside her. I jerk her again and her body spasms slightly, her eyes clench and one of her hands slaps against the bed as fluids leak from the tip of her throbbing dick. ¡°You¡¯re such a goood girl Zelia cumming for me twice, this is your reward!¡± I plunge in and out of her, each thrust seeming to push more cum from her twitching dick, she whines and pleads with her eyes, unable to make human noises anymore, she holds on to her sanity by a thread and waits out the ride. Each time I thrust into her my tits jiggle, and I grab them as well, feeling the building of my own orgasm, wishing with every part of my body to just fucking cum already! I lean forwards and she latches onto me, wrapping her arms and legs around my body as much as she can, relentlessly kissing me and making noises of want and affection. Every time I hit deeper inside, her whines and noises stop for that split second as she''s thrown off kilter. I can feel her dick rubbing against my stomach, she''s already cum twice and wanting more, my greedy puppy. Pulling back off her mouth, I whisper that I want her neck. She moves her head to the side, and I bite down hard, she relents and I feel her spasming again, she bites me back on the shoulder and I press into her more. Finally feeling my body give way, throbbing inside her and pushing one final time, trying to go as deep as possible, make her mine inside and out. I groan hard into her neck eliciting a groan back, I collapse on top of her, our wet bodies mingling. I feel safe, happy, more than I''ve ever been, able to let go. After a few minutes I feel myself go soft and get pushed out of her, slipping down and out of her body, fuck¡­ I wanted to stay inside forever¡­ I pull my teeth off her neck and feel her do the same, trying to lift myself up. I feel a little bit dizzy; I collapse again and use my hand to push her head to look at me. I kiss her deeply, gently, passionately, lovingly. ¡°I Love you Lilia¡­¡± She looks me deep in the eyes and I know it to be true. ¡°I Love you Zelia¡­¡± I say back with as much conviction as I can, wanting her to know how true it really is, the one who saved me. She closes her eyes quickly, passing out, both of us drenched and happy together. She mutters something under her breath just as sleep fully takes her. ¡°It''s perfect¡­ just like my fanfficss¡­¡± I smile ruefully, holding her against me as much as I can, and fall asleep, not needing to have a perfect dream, I was already there. ¡­ I rouse next to an angel, at some point in the night she managed to wiggle herself on top of me, snuggled into my chest, using my tits as a pillow. I stare at her face, perfectly serene. I''m not scared this time¡­ before, when I had the breakdown, waking up in bed together was peaceful. It was what I wanted but the fear filled me, at the possibilities of letting go, that she¡¯s another one that¡¯s going to hurt me, stab me in the back, the apprehension that I¡¯m going to fuck everything up. All I feel now, together, is happiness, the warmth of love. I just needed to let go, I know I''m still broken but it''s the least I can try to do, for her, for a life together. I brush gently across her cheek with my fingers, my brain barely registering it as real. She''s so beautiful while she¡¯s sleeping. I know a lot of things about how she feels about the world, that she''s been waiting for me but that she¡¯s also attracted to a lot of other women. All of her fanfictions and original stories that I''ve read again and again, the ones with romance, or just pure smut, ones where 3 or more girls fall in love and spend their lives happily together. Superheroes and bad girls, she especially loves the bad girls. It''s easy to see which characters are self inserts¡­ and which one I was, all the hopes that she had for me. Makes it very easy to know what buttons I can push to make her crumble. If I can spend the rest of my life with her, I''m more than happy to find someone to also spend it with, someone we can love together¡­ Keeks briefly comes to mind, the horny little American girl that Zelia definitely has a thing for, not that I don''t feel the same, she''s grown on me, she¡¯s cute and funny, obviously interested in me or us¡­ I can''t wait for the 3 of us to have fun in game together, I know she has my back, even if she might be doing it so that she gets squeezed between my thighs, or tits. ¡°Mmnn¡­ morning Lil¡­¡± My angel briefly opens her eyes and snuggles deeper into my boobs kissing me on the chest. I plant a big smooch on her forehead which makes her hum in happiness. After a few minutes of slowly running my fingers through her hair she pulls out and brings her lips up for me, I dutifully fulfill my role, kissing her gently, slipping tongue in and giving her the best morning I can. I reach down between our legs and feel a gasp, she''s still sensitive from cumming so much the night before. ¡°Someone had a little too much fun last night?¡± She abashedly grins at me and pecks me on the check before burying her face back between my tits. I feel her hand snake around my dick earning a gasp from me with her soft hands, slowly rubbing up and down, she whispers, ¡°Don''t you dare peek!¡± She slides down under the blankets, her hands touching all down my body as I pull myself up the bed, giving her as much room as possible. She stops moving down any further, reaching her destination, her hot breath over my crotch. I tremble in anticipation, at the large lump in the blanket, I can hear her breathing in deeper, enjoying every moment under the blanket, breathing it in, getting hotter and hotter staring at it. Hot slippery plump lips wrap themselves around my member, moving up and down, trying to milk me for everything I am. I moan her name and move slightly, giving her better room to really go at it. I put my hands over the top of the blanket and feel exactly where her head is, she pauses and pushes against my hands in acknowledgement. I push her head down feeling every little bit of her throat pass by my head, she feels wonderful, her moaning sending vibrations through my body. Pumping her head down again and again building up from how amazing she feels. I cum deep inside her throat, she pulls her mouth off me breathing hard and coughing, eventually pulling herself up rubbing herself along my body the whole way, I taste myself on her mouth as she kisses me deep, I can''t imagine anything better to wake up to. ¡°Hey love¡­ could we move in together?... If you wanted of course¡­¡± She rubs her nose on mine and smiles gently. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°Of course I do dummy, took you long enough¡­¡± she snuggles back between my tits and we fall back asleep together, at least for a little while¡­ there is a date to be had with a maid adoring Gnoll. ¡­ A frisky shower and 20 minutes of fumbling to get dressed later, I send Zelia off at the door. We kiss for a bit longer, before we reluctantly see each other off, she''s only next door but it feels like a continent away. The door shuts and I sit down on the couch sighing and thinking of how good she feels, wondering if pods come in doubles¡­ ¡°Hey Fia¡­ how many pictures did you take...¡± A startled cough comes from my surroundings. ¡°Wh-whatever do you mean?! I just got here?!... Buta has been exceptionally cute this morning so I may have taken¡­ 29¡­¡± ¡°How many of those were of Zelia and I?¡± ¡°You both¡­ may happen to be included in 28 of them¡­¡± She pauses coughing and humming to herself. ¡°OH, LOOK A MESSAGE FROM KEEKS!¡± A purple light pops up, a detailed letter marked as ¡®received 10 minutes ago¡¯, while Zelia and I were still making out by the door. < Heya cow tits and blushy wolf! I''ll be on in about an hour, just finished uploading my videos from the crazy human monster stuff and fucked laboratory! I had to list like 20 warnings per video nye! Had to pull another all-nighter, which is just normal if I think about it¡­ OH WELL ITS GAMING TIME! Don''t forget the maid costume!!!! > While I''m reading, I swear I hear the sounds of Fia slinking out, trying to evade notice of being naughty and taking pictures, though I don''t see how it''s possible since she exists here¡­ I''ll give her some slack since it means I get to see pictures of Zelia. I grab my tablet and pull up the home storage network, eventually finding a folder titled ¡®Definitely not pictures of Lilia and Zelia kissing¡¯, wow what is she 14 trying to hide her porn folder?! I look through and blush, leaning back and enjoying every adoring gaze in Zelia¡¯s eyes as we kiss, the blush on her cheeks¡­ fuck she¡¯s beautiful¡­ I send them to Zelia letting her know we have a mischievous ghost in the house, she replies with a blushing face and tells me how beautiful we are together, fuck¡­ my fucking heart¡­ ugh¡­ I fall back on the couch and Buta figures out it''s the perfect time for a nap on the most comfortable spot in the house, my boobs. I can barely breathe but I put up with it and enjoy the silence, looking over the pictures one by one¡­ she can really take a damn photo. A timer goes off and I quickly get my ass up, slap some food down my gullet as Fia readies the pod, and I step in and go through the motions to become the other me, though I honestly think I''m starting to fill out a bit more. The medical pod is doing wonders on my tits, I know Zelia appreciated them thoroughly last night. The goop takes me, and I appear on the couch, Zelia is already waiting and hugs me hard against the couch before I even realize. I kiss her deeply and she nuzzles into me, not wanting to let go, she pulls back and grins, turning to the moonlit bedroom, winks and suddenly disappears, her weight leaving my body wanting. Sighing deeply, I see Fia with Fifi on her lap, both grinning at me, both wagging their eyebrows like it''s rehearsed. I stick out my tongue and tell her to enjoy her yaoi, before pressing the log-in button on my console side. The last thing I see is a blushing Fia, she looks at me betrayed, I grin evilly, yes Fia, I know all about that world, what was the fun in not letting you find out what it was yourself. The void takes me with glee. ¡­ As I login I realize I''m in the woods outside the mansion, where Keeks brought me up. The only thing around me is the sun shining through the dead trees. A noticeable improvement on the last time where it was perpetual darkness, although it could be that the world has synced and instead of it being nighttime constantly to start the ball it''s just back to normal time? I try not to think about it too much as I''m already starting to get a headache, I should leave thinking like that to Zelia, it''s always safe to follow her lead on the brainy things! Time travel movies are always cool as heck but really hurt you if you think about it too much, the whole, ¡®I''m my own grandfather¡¯ shit really makes me wanna go on a punching spree. All this thinking is to push away the real problem here, the one lurking ominously in my inventory¡­ sexy maid costume¡­ gods the looks I¡¯m going to get¡­ It''s been 5 days since release, not that I really got to experience the first few days much. 5 days in the starter town is probably poor, surely most of the players have moved on by now? Even ones that started late, the 2nd wave hasn''t even started yet, that''s not for a few days. I pump myself up with the knowledge that honestly there shouldn''t be anyone around! It¡¯s definitely going to be just us 3¡­ fuck please just be us 3 there, gods do npc¡¯s count?! Ugh! I quickly press ¡®equip¡¯ on the maid cosmetics and run into town, a party invite comes up just as I start running and voice chat gets enabled. ¡°Run MaidMoo runnnn nyeee!¡± Oh, fuck no! I stop running and I feel a comical thwack hit my ass, turning around Keeks has stars in her eyes, she''d run straight into me. Probably not my fault¡­ I feel it was intentional on her end though, I bend over, and she puts out her hand for me to pull her up. ¡°I''ve never been more excited in my life! Except maybe that one time that girl dressed up as Poison Ivy and like wrapped me up and stuff! But this would definitely win if it was in the bedroom instead, definitely nyehehe¡± Dusting herself off she''s jumping up and down, she tells me that she''s so ready, so pumped! Nothing¡¯s going to drag her down today, she has energy in her veins! I worry if it''s a literal term, I''ve known a few energy drink junkies and if she had 2 over-nighters and still hasn''t really slept, she must be on some real hard shit to keep her going. I pick her up and put her on my shoulders so she doesn''t wear herself out, I instantly regret it as her legs keep slapping into my tits. I¡¯m starting to seriously consider knocking her the fuck out¡­ We get closer to town, I have to hold her feet against my chest but her hands are still free to flap around and command me again like a pirate ship, much to my dismay. A video call comes from Zelia and I see her waiting on the bench in the middle of her town, over her shoulder I see the rabbit man again, our way out of here. ¡°Ready to get into the world wan!¡± She looks really excited too, except not in a deranged way, above me Keeks starts yelling about pirate ship times. In response Keeks suddenly finds herself on the ground thrown over my shoulder in annoyance, ¡°nyyyoooooooo¡± she yells into the ground, faceplanted, expressing her frustrations into the earth. ¡°You look amazing in that Love!! I can''t wait to see it in person, uhh game, you know what I mean! I''m heading over, remember Silver City in the Silver Harbor region!¡± She gets up and approaches the rabbit man, the call shuts off and I reluctantly pick up Keeks, she¡¯s fallen asleep¡­ I put her on the bench, she wakes up suddenly and looks around. ¡°Nacho just attacked me! Rude! That''s not fair if I can''t fight back, nye! What were we doing again?¡± I point at the rabbit man. ¡°Leaving Utor and going to Silver city, remember moo?¡± She looks at me puzzled for a second before gaining recognition. ¡°Oh that wasn''t a dream?! Crazy nyehe, what are you waiting for then? let¡¯s go!¡± I shake my head and sigh. If I could knock her out and bring her with me I would. ¡°Hello Theobold, me and my excitable friend would like to advance into the next world¡± Theobold is checking their watch, looks up at me and then back at their notes. ¡°Ahh yes! LilMoo and Keeks, we''ve been awaiting your leaving, good job with that nasty mansion stuff, couldn''t have done it better myself! Ahhem! I Theobald announce your departure from the town of Utor, I wish you luck in your endeavors and may you bring your hopes and dreams upon Iselgurd¡±. A blinding light bursts forth from above and we disappear into it, whispers of the Cow maid roam far and wide, forever influencing the Town of Utor. ¡­ The light recedes and I see below me a mist-covered land, so many areas of the world cut into pieces. To the north and south of the mainland is covered in dark ominous mist, not letting in the light of the sun. I can only imagine that the places of the world that were destroyed or forsaken. I can only guess... Utor is in there, somewhere in the darkness. The people I talked to, a place I enjoyed being in, gone. It doesn''t surprise me if what I did there, stopping the doctor, only really showed what happened in the past. I look and see that each place only shows a description instead of actual landmarks or what the area is truly like, the names of the regions are written above them like giant floating letters. Off to the most eastern part of the continent is Silver Harbor, with Silver City as the starting designation in the center of it. < Silver Harbor was established along with the creation of the great wall, it has a small defensible area of the wall to the north. Due to its strategic trade location, it can trade with both sides of Iselgurd. Even though the location of defense is small they are still paid a pittance in respect to the contract of the founders. The defenders of the wall are those that protect the rest of the known world, as such must be compensated. Silver harbor is a popular spot for people to adventure off into the unknown islands of the cursed coast, some come back with riches, most don''t come back at all > I am interested in some of the other areas but don''t go too deeply, it''s already been chosen where I''m going to go so I accept my destination and my vision zooms in sharply. The smell of the ocean, salt and sea, the sound of people milling and the laughs of others, I arrive at Silver City, in a noticeable maid costume, ahh yes I forgot about this part of the journey. Here comes the 7ft tall, embarrassed Cowgirl in her Japanese maid costume, Silver City won''t know what hit it moo! Arc 2 - Chapter 1: The saltiest town The humid salty air hangs over Silver Cities hot rooftops from the midday sun mixing with the constant sea winds, shouts of conquest from sailors reach far off from the distance as traders ponder their wares. The area around me is relatively clear except for minor foot-traffic. A child with fur covering their body in a long flowing dress and goat horns on their head stares at me mouth agape while their mother talks to another woman next to her, making exaggerated hand movements, ¡°Mummy! Can I wear a dress like that?!¡± Oh, corrupting the youth, this has started well. I see a flash of blue and white fur as I¡¯m knocked sideways, desperate kisses coming from all directions before I even realize what''s happening. ¡°Unholy fuck! You¡¯re so fucking hot what the fuck is this feeling wan?!¡± Zelia has found me. From the little girl I hear another shriek. ¡°GIRLS CAN KISS?! WHY THE HECK DO I KEEP BEING TOLD I¡¯M GOING TO BE WITH A BOY THEN?!¡± Fuck thats a completely different kind of corruption. ¡°When did we get to the sea nye?!¡± Oh good she¡¯s awake! ¡°Oh! Hi Awooy! Let me on that pile Nyehehe!¡± She tries to scramble up and pile on top of us both, claiming us for Gnoll kind, but tumbles off and falls back on the ground, effort wasted, snore¡¯s come up from the ground again, that girl really needs some sleep, perhaps of the medicated kind¡­ I pull Zel in close and give her a deep kiss until she finally melts like ice cream and I can pry her off, ¡°Damn Zel we only just saw each other a few minutes ago, I didn¡¯t think you were going to be all up in the PDA thing, not that I don¡¯t love it moo!¡± ¡°PDA thing wan?¡± She gets a hold of herself and looks around, Oh... oh no I didn''t think it would work this well, I quickly strip the ring off my finger before I get sexually assaulted on the street. ¡°Oh dear oh dear! I¡¯m so sorry love I don¡¯t know what came over me wan¡­¡± She is blushing so much, trying to hide her face but her tail is wagging so hard I''m worried she will hurt herself. ¡°I uhh think it''s my ring¡­ it makes lupine animals like me more¡­¡± I turn my head away scratching my head guiltily for the feelings I had before, now she¡¯s an embarrassed mess, adorable but a little too bullied outside, such things should be left for the bedroom, or living room¡­ or the kitchen¡­ or a balcony?... damn we need a balcony! The possibilities are endless! I see Keeks reach for my hand holding the ring and I slap her away, this is too dangerous in her hands. She can go fuck with nobility instead with that necklace she got. ¡°Ugh and it''s got a +3 to dex as well! You''re going to have to really wear me out before you put it on huh, what a shame~ wan!¡± She¡¯s trying to hide her smile, her tail still betraying her, I reach my arms over and caress her tail a little, enjoying the shiver that goes up her body. ¡°Yeah what a shame love moo~¡± I let go of the fluffiness hearing a whining from my beloved lupine woman, as i step back I feel a barrier hit my foot, looking behind me only now, a giant glowing pure white crystal rises up, shaped like a spire, it¡¯s absolutely stunning, a masterwork, upon touching gingerly it I''m greeted with a warning. < Unauthorized User, Please contact the Adventurer¡¯s Guild for registration > ¡°Yeah!? but what¡¯s it for moo?!¡± Zelia, having quickly recovered, walks up and looks at it, her cute thinking face on, mysteries are high on her list of thought processes, although closely followed by horny fan-fiction times. ¡°Teleportation portal i think? I believe we can move to different areas as long as we unlock them first, except in rare cases where an NPC will give us their authorization to move around wan!¡± I start clapping and I hear Keeks clapping from the ground, looking groggily up into the air. I pull them up and they thank me by leaning against me like a street lamp. ¡°Okay so I guess that''s a good indication of where to go first moo?¡± We all nod, even Keeks, but I''m not sure she¡¯s realizing at what, she¡¯s staring up at the spire and zoning out hard. I can only imagine what''s going on in her sleep-addled brain right now¡­ must be nice. ¡°Alright pirate ship time moo!¡± I pick up Keeks and put her on my shoulders, she instantly starts with the feet on boob contact, ¡°Keeks control your feet or no pirate ship ride¡± A nyooo comes from above my head making Zelia giggle, She puts her hand in mine and we start walking, Zelia in the lead as she is the most likely to find the place. ¡°Hey girls?! Can I change out of the maid costume now? People are really starting to look moo!...¡± Not even looking at me Zel and Keeks tell me a resounding no. Fuck I¡¯m a push over¡­ I slip the Silver Wolf ring back on and Zel instantly moves back to my side, I feel her hand reaching into a pocket of the maid costume and feel around, grasping, I''m instantly hard and start making coughing noises. ¡°Ahhh my ship is sinking, sounds like its got a hole in iiiittttt~ nyyooo~¡± She¡¯s waving back and forth holding onto my horns like a steering wheel, my brain is doing so many flips that I nearly walk into a wooden pole. On it read ¡®This way to Adventures Guild¡¯ Oh thank fuck! ¡°L-lookunf uhh oh fuck Zel! We are basically here moo!!¡± Zelia makes a tch sound with her tongue and looks over, taking out her hands from the pocket, noticeably damp, fucking hell I need to put a leash on her. The 2nd largest stone structure in the area rises up ahead of us. Cold gray stone laid upon each other creating a rough massive fortress, maybe it¡¯s like the last bastion for these people? I''m not sure if it was made for the Adventurer''s Guild or repurposed from an old fortress from the region. It seems to be at least 4 stories tall and who-knows how many stories deep, It has large open doors with 2 warriors with scowls on it patrolling the front gates, it''s already full of other players looking to start off their adventures. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. We all step through as best we can, nodding at the guards, Keeks nods too but I think it''s because she¡¯s fallen asleep grasping onto my horns, her head bobs as mine does, they look me up and down, sniggering to each other, yeah laugh it up! I¡¯ll be out of this soon and tonight I have a lupiness to thank for all the teasing! The insides keep going for yards and yards, to the left and right are their own respective businesses, it''s all in one for banking, crafting, imbuing, repairing and cutting monsters up into parts for procurement. A sign pointing down shows there are training arena¡¯s downstairs and upstairs are offices and sleeping quarters, a combination of an Inn and housing for paying members. Sometimes it''s easier to work where you sleep, get to be the first in line to the juiciest jobs. Ahead of us lie counters with well dressed people working at them, we see everything from a bunny-girl, to what I believe is a part crocodile, to something with a hood and fangs jutting out violently from under it going down at least 2 heads length. We join a queue and get called over to one of the attendants. ¡°What can I do you for this fine day in Silver City Adventurer''s Guild!¡± A brown floppy eared bunny girl greets us with passion, one of her ears droops over her left eye, every so often she brushes it back with a hand in practiced annoyance. Zelia being the most knowledgeable, the most charming and the most awake as of this moment approaches first for the rest of us, saving us the trouble of having to decide if it should be the horny asleep gnoll or the intimidating minotaur in viking bone armor. ¡°Hihi! I love your ears, they are so fluffy looking! We are new in town and looking to register for the guild!¡± She motions to us all, making sure to point at Keeks so she¡¯s not mistaken for a horn ornament. The bunny girl pulls out 3 forms and asks us to sign it, as well as that we will get a temporary license until we pass the guilds test. ¡°Now make sure all 3 of you fill in these herree forms and we can get y¡¯all started! Oh I love all the new adventurers coming through here! It''s a good thing too we sure were in a pickle! Golly y¡¯all are going to love it in Silver city, Me and my wife moved her a few years ago and hoo¡¯gal we have never been more in loove!¡± I stand there anxiously as Keeks falls back and forth like I''m playing some kind of balancing game. I feel enough is enough even though the bunny-girl¡¯s story might never end, as super cute as it is. I pick up Keeks and plop her against the counter. I hear a violent cough come from behind us, I turn around raising to my full height and stare down at the lion person that didn¡¯t seem to realize I was crouched down so I could hear better, they look away coughing quietly into their hand, Oh just because I''m wearing a maid costume the big bad boy thinks he can push other people around, PSH! I give them one last look before turning back again. ¡°I''m so sorry dears I just can''t help but rattle on about this beautiful place! Anyway, fill in these and we will get you those temporary passes!¡± Keeks finds the perfect time to fall further against the counter and wakes up in full ¡®il stab ye!¡¯ mode. Zelia puts the pen and paper infront of her and nudges for her to put her information in, dazedly she fills it out and tugs on my clothing giving me puppy eyes to go back on the pirate ship ride, within seconds of being back up there I hear snoring again. Incorrigible. I lean over the counter making sure Keeks doesn''t slide off and put my information in, thankfully it doesn''t ask for anything too crazy. Name, current level and type of adventurer as well as preferred jobs to take. I guess there''s a job for everything, I put down my information and pause¡­ wait I leveled up! Twice! How could I forget, ugh, I put down level 12 and resign myself to checking once we are done there, it must have happened when we went through the portal as I didn¡¯t get my usual celebration sparkles, big frowny face for that! It could be the reason so many eyes were on me when I came into town, on top of the maid costume I mean. We give our information to the nice bunny girl and learn her name is Sheryl, like the wine apparently? ¡°I hope such a wine is as delightful as you are, Sheryl wan!¡± ¡°Oh shucks thank you, such a darlin, if you''re ever by the docks my wife likes to paint there on clear days, she¡¯s always happy to talk to strangers as well, she¡¯s truly a blessed star! Annndddd¡­ here are your temporary licenses, don''t get into trouble or they will be taken off ye, be careful! Go and see Miss Mershi who will be taking care of your test segment, she¡¯s downstairs and impossible to miss! We leave the line waving to the nice bunny lady, not like those fake bunnies that attacked me! We start heading down the wooden stairs to the training area, it encompasses the main floor the whole way across, pillars holding it all upright above it, there seems to be another floor down but it has a no trespass sign on it. I hear guttural roaring and decide it¡¯s probably not where we are supposed to go. The floors have been sectioned off into rings where different people of all genders, sizes and races were fighting each other, magical training dummies and even some ¡®monsters¡¯ although it seems simulated as I see some of the monsters transform back into humanoids after the fight is over, pretty badass way to train!! I wanna fight a big one! As I look around I hear military like screaming, I almost feel the urge to get on the floor and give 20 push ups! I can see why we wouldn''t miss her, it''s not what I thought of when I heard of someone giving us a test. A woman in a floating pool of water is yelling out commands to a group of people in heavy soldier armor, they are terrified, She has multiple large fins running down the back of her body ending in a jagged fin, it looks like multiple things have taken bites out of it, her upper body is huge and her mouth covered in razor sharp jagged teeth going back and back into her mouth like rows. We have met our first shark woman, and oh she is something fierce. Chapter 2: Blood in the water. Zelia zips behind my back as we all realize who we are going to be dealing with, a monstrous woman, although I think Zelia¡¯s actions are more from sudden arousal than fear. She always had a thing for monster girls that could kill her. I approach as I¡¯ve now become our front-girl, Zelia follows close and sleeping Keeks even closer, ¡°Hi are you Miss Mershi moo?¡± The Shark lady turns towards us and looks me up and down, eyebrow raised at what I¡¯m wearing. At least I think it¡¯s an eyebrow, I would ask my resident monster fucker girlfriend but she¡¯s indisposed. She floats in the water just below my height, a tongue leaves her mouth and rubs the whole way across each tooth, as if she¡¯s ruminating on if she will be able to eat me in one bite, I prefer my beef cooked myself. ¡°Yeah I¡¯m Mershi, who are you lot? Not newbies I hope? At least not in that getup!¡± She sticks one of her fingers in her mouth and pulls out a tooth straight out of the socket, she throws it past me and I hear Zelia scramble to pick it up. Pleeasssee don¡¯t embarrass meee! I start coughing to mask her sounds. ¡°I''m sorry to say we are. Just registered today, please don''t mind the costume¡­ it¡¯s not for uhh battle¡­ moo¡­¡± She Tsks at us, but I can hear it echoing all the way to the back of her throat, I gulp and hand over my temporary license. She looks at it for a second and sighs. Turning her head to the poor saps she was yelling at previously. ¡°IF I GET BACK AND YOUR NOT ALL ON THE FLOOR ABSOLUTELY DESTROYED FROM TRAINING I WILL DO IT INSTEAD! Alright, spotty, let''s find somewhere to talk!¡± S-spotty?! That''s a first¡­ The groans of the people she was training emanate after us down the hall, her floating pool of water rotates like a whirlpool, with her perfectly in the center. We get to a door that says ¡®staff only¡¯ and she ferries us inside. She goes over to a wooden table and opens up a book, quickly she reads out the text and we watch, as before our very eyes her body completely changes. Her jagged flippers turn into legs, her head gets smaller and her entire demeanor changes, she¡¯s now more woman than shark instead of the opposite. I hear Zelia make sad noises behind me. Her feet touch the ground and she opens a pot on the table, all the water starts flowing inside rapidly until it''s all gone. She puts the stopper back on and sits down in the seat. ¡°Ahh¡­ That''s better!¡­ I¡¯m on loan from the silas academy, I get an entire pool there! Here all I¡¯ve got is my damn floaties! So!... Here''s the plan! I take you all on a fucking picnic like I¡¯m taking the sister¡¯s kids for a trip and then we find a big fucking cave, we kill some shit and BAM I tell them you were the worst fucking adventurer¡¯s group I¡¯ve ever had the pleasure of fucking with and they pass you anyway cause you¡¯re still alive! Probably, the passing part I mean, who fucking knows about the rest! She nods to herself and pulls out a device and starts fiddling with it. ¡°Alright logged! you fucking kids get ready we¡¯re leaving in 10 minutes!¡± Ah shit already?! I draw Zelia to the seat and let Keeks topple off my horns and down onto the table top, She rolls over and starts twitching like she¡¯s having a wonderful kitty dream. I don''t think she¡¯s going to be much use today¡­ maybe if she gets enough sleep¡­ ¡°Do you think she dreams of cat¡¯s or gnolls, Wan?¡± Zelia looked thoughtfully at their tiny twitchy movements. ¡°Whatever it is, it''s better than mine moo!¡± I pull up my console and have a look at my stats and the new items that I got before, instead of just telling Zelia about them I can actually just hand them to her! I hand over the alchemy book and recipes so that she can learn to be an alchemist and get us those sweet sweet mixed potions, they will be a godsend! She starts digging into them before I can even ask her anything about what I''ve gotten, I put my fingers through her head and turn it to me, she eyes me with lust, ¡°I need help before you get caught up in your own thing, beside¡¯s I don¡¯t think we are going to have the time for you to nerd out love heh, I¡¯ve got this new crystal but I need 20 constitution and 20 Wisdom to learn the body growth skill. Which one should I put up first moo?¡± I hand her the crystal and she looks at my stats page by peering under my arm as I make it visible. < Ability Crystal - Body Growth > Grants Body Growth Active Ability Restriction 20 base Constitution Restriction 20 base Wisdom ¡®Crushing this crystal will grant you the Ability inside, can¡¯t be used until restrictions are met¡¯ ¡°Mnnnn Wisdom I think¡­ you might learn new skills and it means they will grow faster too! It could be a big boost in damage output and general use! If you go Con first you might get some tankiness but you could also get some tanking skills anyway from putting up Wisdom. Just gotta believe in your potential like I do wan!¡± She leans up and kisses me on the chin, making me feel warm inside. God she¡¯s pretty¡­ Tiny snores and little nye¡¯s drift up happily from the desk¡­ and she¡¯s just a derpy cutie heh Wisdom it is! I throw 10 points into it and a feeling of clarity comes over my mind, like a fog I never knew was there. A sudden inspiration overwhelms me and I breathe out roughly, turbid air passing out of my lungs. Status Interface Name: LilMoo Level: 12 Race: Minotaur Gender: Female, She/Her Max Health: 185 Max Mana: 188 Max Stamina: 212 Points remaining: 0 Strength: 16 (20) Dexterity: 6 (14) Constitution: 8 (13) Intelligence: 10 (13) Wisdom: 20 (25) Charisma: 1 (4) Luck: 50 (53) { 375/8000 exp until next level } ------------ < Requisite met 20 Wisdom learnt Undying Rage - Active > For 5 seconds you must keep attacking the same target regardless of damage taken or death. For every second your attacks will do 10% extra damage and 10% increased attack speed. If a user has died they will immediately perish once the attack stops. 1 hour Cooldown ¡®Not even death can stop me from ripping you apart!¡¯ ------------ Damn¡­ I mean I haven''t died yet! Would be a crazy way to go¡­ I wonder if you''re like, healed before it finishes even at death''s door you still survive?... It would be a super cool way to avoid dying like that, I think some older MMO¡¯s had those kind of mechanics, where one small fuck up and you get yourself killed. I¡¯m not even sure what the heck the death screen is like! Or if there''s like¡­ death mechanics?! OH GOD I DON¡¯T REALLY KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THIS GAME! I look over pleadingly at Zelia but she¡¯s giggling and flipping over each page of her new alchemy book as her knee bounces up and down, I can¡¯t distract her¡­ what an adorable nerd! She¡¯s just too cute! If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. I pull out my own book < Humanoid bodies and you! > and quickly flick through it, mine is less words and more¡­ picture book, honestly a blessing! Very quickly I receive my reward and the book gets marked as untradable, ahhh so I can keep it forever and read it when I want! I¡¯m betting Zelia got her Abilities and is just reading it for fun now, adorable. < ! Gained New Title ! > Anatomy Specialist Gives a greater understanding of humanoid bodies. Improves abilities associated with changing your body. < Bone control has changed due to conditions met > < Bone Control has become Bone Command, Abilities are now fully split > ------------ Bone Command level 1 (Rare) - Active Ability Morph and change the bones in your body and those that you touch directly as you will it. Mana Cost 5-70 Stamina Cost 5-70 ------------ Anatomy Sense (Combined) - Active Ability Able to see all bones of your body clearly and what changes can be made, can activate other Abilities to accompany it as well as focus on specific parts. Stamina Cost 5 per 2 seconds used. ------------ Bone Hardening (Combined) - Active Ability When used with < Anatomy Sense > able to increase damage/defense on specific bones, when used without any other abilities all your bones will receive a hardening effect. Mana Cost 20 per area increasing damage and defense by 20% when using (Can Stack). Mana Cost 10 to Increase overall Bone density by 10% (Can stack). ------------ Bone Creation (Combined) - Activate Ability Able to make small/light weapons/implements out of your bones and pull them from your body. Size and specific shape will cost differing amounts. Creations made will not disappear unless willed too. Mana Cost 10-40 Stamina Cost 10-40 ------------ Revert Bone Changes (Combined) - Active Ability Reverting changes done to bones as you will it, will not affect changes or creations to bones outside of the body unless you''re in contact with it. Will automatically activate for all bodily changes if stamina and mana go below 10. ------------ Wh¡­WHAT?! There is a little too much to unpack here for my brain right now¡­ I CAN MAKE SHIT OUT OF MY BONES?! Th-there''s just too much I could do, my thoughts instantly turning towards non-combat applications¡­ Right! It''s dependent on things like, brain stuff¡­ well I''m obviously not the best at that! Okay Okay stay cool, Zelia is gonna love this, I¡¯m a fucking genius! Please don''t hurt, pleeeaasseee don''t hurt! < Bone Creation > I focus on the bone in my right thigh, the femur, it''s the largest bone in my body so it¡¯s probably the best to get started on right? I feel the creation ability at work, the growth transforming bit by bit and then pushing up past the muscle and skin, I completely forgot about it actually coming out! It seems to part and just let it through like an ambulance with its lights on, fucking hell that¡¯s gross as shit! Like some kind of alien morphology¡­ I feel like I should hide at least that part of it from anyone else¡­ Only tiny specs of blood are left on it, I hope it''s not just my blood settings that are reducing it. Once it emerges fully the bottom of it seems to disconnect from the bone. It has taken a full minute from start to finish and takes a lot of work, intricate brain hurting work, from the whole process I feel that it would normally take like 10 seconds to make a dagger? So lots of effort was put into this beauty. In the end I have in my hand a bone rose, the red flecks of blood on the tips only adding to its beauty if I do say so myself! It''s not a masterpiece, or perfectly shaped for that matter! but after spending a full minute forming it as best I can, with help from the ability, it¡¯s something to be proud of, a piece of me!¡­ Is that too fucked up?! Zelia isn¡¯t a normal girl, she¡¯s into some wild stuff, even more than I¡¯m aware of heh. ¡°Zelia my love, I present~ something that I¡¯ve made for you¡­ which can be taken as literally as possible moo~¡± She looks up from her book puzzled and see¡¯s the rose in my hand, even the hilt has grown out little sharp thorns, it might be viable as a weapon actually? ¡°It¡¯s beautiful Lil¡­ I love it so much!¡­ Wait!... DID YOU GROW THIS FROM YOUR BODY?! YOU CAN DO THAT?!¡± She has a massive smile, one of love, curiosity, astonishment and lastly worry, phew I''m glad she likes it, most girls would be horrified. I really did find the one for me. She starts twirling it around by the stem and looking it over as much as she can adoringly. I lean over and kiss her deep. ¡°Did it hurt? Wan?...¡± I think for a second at the sensation of the whole thing. ¡°Mnn it stung a little but not worryingly so, more just felt weird moo! Anyway we should get our stuff on before she finishes getting ready moo!¡± I motion over to our guide, who has just strapped a buckler onto her back, I¡¯d love to see her in her shark form fully dressed up for a fight! I bid my maid costume farewell as does Zelia with puppy eyes, maybe she deserves to wear it tonight? I click a few buttons and all my combat equipment appears on my body instead, my beautiful sexy bone gear! Wait¡­ it¡¯s also bone mayb-BAM ¡°I DIDN''T DO IT NYE!!!!???¡± In shock we look over to our shark guide, they have slammed the table announcing how very ready they are. Keeks has vaulted their half asleep body upwards while on the table. ¡°Alright you fucks it¡¯s time to go, pick up your pet and we can hit the road!¡± Hah pet, I look at Keeks and she looks heartbroken, then aroused, then heartbroken again. ¡°I''m not a pet! I''m Keeks! AND I HAVE QUESTIONS!?¡± She looks around at us all confused, at the room, at the shark-woman and back to us. I pick her up by the scruff and put her back on my shoulders. Our guide has already started walking out the door after suiting up and motioning to us all, not even bothering to look at Keek¡¯s outrage and confusion. ¡°We will explain on the way! Silly cutie moo!¡± Walking back through the training area Keeks looks on in confusion on how we got here. Back up through the main floor past all the desks where the bunny-girl waves at us, out the door and past the now very courteous and sweating guards looking at our guide as she swaggers through, yeah, she¡¯s really not someone to fuck with¡­ or is it how amazingly deadly I look out of a maid costume! Hard to say now that I¡¯m not getting as many learning looks, at least the appreciative looks are coming more from women now. Thankfully It was a short explanation and Keeks takes it in stride, playing pirate ship quickly get¡¯s her spirits back up, ¡°So now here we are going to a cave to kill things and hopefully not die Wan!¡± Keeks nods animatedly and pulls my horns to the side playing ¡®tip the cow¡¯ with me, Zelia yelps and leaps out of the way nearly falling down a hill herself as Keeks laughs with no regrets, at least until I bend over and deposit her on the ground with nyyyooooo! ¡°No pirate ship if you don¡¯t behave moo!¡± I hear muttering about how pirates don¡¯t have to behave, that¡¯s the whole point of pirates. I nudge her forwards and we run back after Miss shark who has basically given up on us at this point, she¡¯s going to get to her destination with or without us! Chapter 3: Should have checked Keeks list! ¡°5 more minutes to the big fucking caves!¡± After walking for about an hour through the bush and watching our shark-woman guide cleaving goblins like she was taking a walk in the park, with only one hand out the whole time. A laser beam of high pressure water shooting out, entire tree¡¯s being cut in half much less fucking goblins! We are quickly left alone by any and all wildlife, walking disaster is an appropriate title. ¡°If any of this tree destroying shit is reported to the guild I¡¯ll have your fucking heads, ya hear me!¡± That wasn''t on purpose?! We all nod our heads and she turns back around and keeps walking. Keeks looks over to us both, the most intelligent thought she¡¯s ever had on the tip of her tongue, and decides against it, ¡°You think she will bite me a little if I ask nye?!¡± I stare dumbfounded, I look at Zelia and see the blush on the tips of her ears, truly you have found a kindred soul my adorable lupine. I flick Keeks on the forehead, getting a cheeky grin and she starts skipping ahead to trail behind Mershi, maybe if she annoys her enough she won''t even have to ask. Zelia entwines her fingers around mine and snuggles up the best she can into my side as we walk together. Crap i almost forgot. ¡°You know¡­ I¡¯ve got another present for you, one that I didn¡¯t make from my own bones even!¡± She giggles adoringly and kisses me on the shoulder. ¡°You really do know what a woman wants Lillia~ a rose carved out of a lover¡¯s bone, that is truly the witch way you know? I can¡¯t imagine anything better¡± My present for her is currently tucked behind her ear threaded through her hair, the blood on it has been cleaned off at least, wouldn''t want to get that in her lovely blue hair, it really adds to her aesthetic. I pull out the present I got for her a few days ago < Bone Scepter > and she looks at it like a precious artifact¡­ which I guess it could be? The work done on it is beautiful, it puts my rose to shame with such artistry. Bone Scepter of the Mutant Bear (Rare) - Weapon Main Hand Damage 1-2 Blunt Effects Active Ability - Bone Shot { Open Spell Slot } + 2 level to spell on scepter if a curse/bone type + 3 int/wis Bone Shot Level 3 (Rare) - Bone Spell Type: Non-Typed Offensive Piercing Cost: 48 Mana Effect: 1 - 30 piercing damage. 10% chance to cause bleeding. Casting of Bone Shot is reduced due to the spell being imbued in the weapon. Cannot Level up. ¡®A small bone is shot out, sharpness of bone is random, bones are the building blocks of the body, maybe you could use another?¡¯ ¡°Lilia I love it, thank you! It¡¯s amazing! Leagues ahead of what I already have! I''ll be an even better support for you hehe¡± She rubs it against her face, it¡¯s a bit weird cause it¡¯s¡­ you know bone, but she¡¯s really happy so I couldn''t stop her. She stops me from moving and gets on her toes to kiss me, we enjoy a quiet moment before a yell off in the distance catches up to us. ¡°Hey we are here slowpokes!... You get to kiss?! I want kisses too nye!¡± Our little Gnoll is jumping up and down before a fist comes from next to her blowing her a few feet over, we both tense up but Keeks gets up seemingly not injured, at least externally, our guide is less than impressed. After a few more minutes we stare upon what looks like a cave system, Miss Mershi points at it, then takes out a wooden chair from nowhere, plops it on the ground at the entrance of the caves and starts making camp, an entire goddamn kitchen of goods starts coming out, including a cooking cauldron and stacks of wood, after a few minutes of us watching her she looks up angrily. ¡°Did I point at the fucking cave or did I not point at the fucking cave?! I¡¯ll see you fucks at dinner time when you finish clearing the whole thing!¡± Fuck she¡¯s serious, I thought she¡¯d at least be coming in with us, who knows whats in there?! ¡°Alright we will be back, I hope!¡± We trudge off to the entrance, upon getting inside we quickly find out what we are dealing with. Thick webbing starts appearing draping the walls, a fucking spider¡¯s den, ugh, they are going to be everywhere! I realized I didn''t think to bring a light as Zelia opens up a small notebook and draws an incantation before reaching up with her staff and booping me on the tip of one of my horns, ¡°Our guardian cow lights the way~ hehe wan!¡± Mnn my lifesaver as usual! Keeks makes a noise I hadn''t heard her make previously and before I can ask what''s wrong she¡¯s dashed off into the distance! ¡°Keeks what the fuck are you doing we need to stick together!!¡± ugh why¡­ I look over to Zelia and she looks ahead with realization and then looks at me with resignation. ¡°You uhh haven''t seen her reading list have you¡­¡± ¡°Why would I have seen that moo?!¡± She looks at the ground sheepishly, ¡°She has a very¡­ VERY large amount of spider smut on her list, like heavy amounts, in fact I¡¯m pretty sure her profile description has ¡®fuck me up spider mummy¡¯¡± Oh¡­ oh fucking hell¡­ she can¡¯t be that desperate to live out her fantasies?! Maybe she thinks she¡¯s going to find a real ass spider lady in here, although from the sounds of it, it doesn''t have to be a lady, a big ass spider will do. ¡°I guess we go after her? Keep a lookout on any tied up webs on the way? She might be in here glued against the walls all Alien style moo~¡± Zelia nods and we get our game faces on! The light from my horn shines brightly but only makes the darkness gather further on the winding cavernous walls, spiders could be anywhere at this point, even not having seen them yet my imagination jumps to Shelob sized from the lord of the rings, I hope that''s the size of the boss and not the size of the babies! < Anatomy Sense > I concentrate and feel the bones in my body before me, every minute detail down to the smallest digit. I hadn''t really thought about the best way to kill a spider, usually smooshing it is the way to go! But if it gets big enough? I hope our little cutter is okay, might need more slicing than squishing for these fights! This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. < Bone Command > I feel the knuckles and how to better enhance them, morph them to my will, little tugs and pulls bringing out their full potential! They push out of the skin slightly, I flex them and don¡¯t feel that horrible overbearing feeling of being unable to use my hand fully, but I can still feel the strength my fists provide. Focusing again I finish it up with < Bone Hardening > putting as much mana in as I can without getting too low. Enhanced Bone Fist main/offhand (80% hardened) Damage: 7-7 blunt 7 defense all physical types Effects: 50% increase damage to weak spots Mana 8/188 Stamina 139/218 Damn that used up a lot, any increase in base damage really increases my overall damage though, I could look at only boosting one fist instead of both as well?... That thought has come a little too late as both are already boosted and mana used up! I don''t see a limit yet to it? If I keep taking potions and getting back my mana can I just keep boosting it? There''s gotta be a max hardness¡­ probably restricted by levels or something. But that might be better thought of while not walking through a spider''s lair! Our first indication of an enemy comes from the sound of chittering around the corner, lots of angry sounding noises, at this point I feel that as much as I hate to, the cowbell + Anastasia¡¯s bell should be just reduced to Anastasia¡¯s. I take off my neck cosmetic with teary eyes, hopefully I''m respected enough with the tiny bell¡­ We creep around the corner, Zelia¡¯s scepter at the ready, rearing to try her new spell. There is a gathering of spiders, each the size of a frying pan around a fallen foe, it seems like it was sliced all the way through, Zelia taps me on the shoulder and asks to go first, I nod, Alright hot stuff show us your moves~ Oh she does, putting her staff in front of her a symbol appears, she quickly chases line after line, after a few seconds she gets to the end of her cast and pushes her staff forwards as silently as possible. A stake rises from the ground in the middle of the spiders and causes them to cautiously move back, but not before the screaming of the witch on the stake pierces through them and the fire bursts to life around them. It looks like it encompasses a few meters out, its flames flickering close to where we were creeping. After 2 seconds the spiders in their panic with no actual purpose or knowledge of where to run seem to just burn up and expire inside the ring of fire. ¡°Zel wh-what the fuck was that?! That was incredimoo!¡± she giggles and gives me the peace sign, V for victorryy~ ¡°My burn at the stake is level 6 now, AND! I put it on the bone staff making it even stronger!! Hehehe broken as fuck! Next up for testing is the bone shot, although spiders are going to be super hard to hit with it, I need bigger ones to experiment with wan!¡± ¡°Please don''t jinx us love, I feel like if they start getting bigger my fists aren¡¯t going to do their best moo!¡± We start scavenging through the spiders getting at least one interesting find. < Inspect leveled up to lvl 3! > Huh might as well use it then. < Inspect lvl 3 > Name: Tiny baby Arachne Spider Type: Spider Monster Threat: F Rank ¡®Oh it¡¯s cute when there¡¯s 1 Miss Crawford! but when they number in the thousands and need to eat each other and everything around for sustenance, then we¡¯ve got an extermination on our hands! - Chief Customs officer Jin of Diamond City, in relation to quarantine of Miss Crawford¡¯s ¡®Itty Bitty Baby¡¯.¡¯ ¡°Uhhhhhhh Zel¡­ the inspect description mentions thousands of these things¡­ and that they are the babies¡­¡± We look at each other in horror, Keeks might not be having the dream day she was wishing for. We pick up the pace making sure to grab any gold scattered along the ground, it¡¯s sparse but probably because they are literal babies, babies shouldn''t have gold anyway, it''s irresponsible! More winding caves later we come across our first web sack, it looks¡­ deflated? I''m hoping it¡¯s not Keek¡¯s final resting place! I use < Bone creation > and pull a small dagger out of my thighs, twisting out of view of Zelia so that she doesn''t see what I''m doing, just taking out a normal dagger don''t mind me~ I put a slit down the middle and pull it open with both hands¡­ Either keeks has been here for a week or I think we found the wrong¡­ goo pile. It oozes out the bottom of the slit and starts pooling on the floor, a mix of acidic and metallic smell to it, I move back and brace myself to stop from hurling, really gets in the sinuses. We shrug and continue on our way, at some point the light starts flickering out on my horn and Zelia replenishes the spell, making sure we have a good light source at all times, as well as scoring a quick kiss for her good work. We eventually hear more skittering ahead and find ourselves faced with an expansive cave. From the light I¡¯m giving off it¡¯s got to be more than 20 meters across, considering the light gives off a radius of like 15 vision. My eyesight is terrible in the dark, if I had no light it would be like endlessly wandering through a maze until I die. It brings up memories of the original Minotaur in my mind, sending shivers through my body, bad nightmares of different times. In the distance an enormous spider is moving a struggling web sack, it''s the size of a house and the web sack would be barely a snack for it, if that¡¯s Keeks she is not going to last long! ¡°We¡¯ve got to save her! It might be her dream but I''m going to whoop her tiny Gnoll ass if we fail this task because of her! And like¡­ not in a good way moo!¡± She nods back at me with a wan! And we try to get closer, the rest of the cavern comes into view, baby spiders in the 10¡¯s and some larger ones come into view at the hole that the house sized spider is leaving from, it''s slow and lumbering so it shouldn''t be hard to catch up too! But first we¡¯ve gotta get through these few! It suddenly stops and looks our way, all the eyes directed at the light coming from my horn, yeah that would fucking do it!... It makes a deep chittering growl and turns back around to its exit tunnel, not fazed. As it does, its abdomen lights up with thousands of tiny eyes, reflected off my horn light, now a beacon of trouble. ¡°ZEL NOW WOULD BE A GOOD TIME TO START CASTING MOO!¡± ¡°I''M CASTING I''M CASTING WAN!¡± She has her scepter out, panicking and trying to go as fast as possible. You better not be dead Keeks! Chapter 4: When a house needs a door. The building-sized spider starts leaving but not before the nest of baby spiders on its back scuttles off their mother¡¯s abdomen. The cacophony of noise is grating on the ears, thankfully real music comes before we are completely swarmed. ¡°Burn at the Stake wan!¡± A large stake raises up in front of us, the circle of its end meeting at our fronts, a whoosh of flames rotates around the screaming of the woman at the stake as the spiders respond in kind. ¡°That''s at least one side covered! How long will it last moo?!¡± A group of spiders including some of the bigger ones cautiously start moving around to my side. ¡°It¡¯s got 20 seconds on the clock! I¡¯ve got this side wan!¡± I look over and see her position her body and aim, ¡°Bone shot wan!¡± A finger-sized bone needle shoots out from the crystal on the top of her scepter and pierces through the first spider that goes around her fire circle. I think she¡¯s going to be fine¡­ maybe better than me! As I turn around and a baby spider has started getting ready to pounce. I get into a stance and lower my body weight to steady myself, It leaps and I throw out a straight punch into it¡¯s oncoming fuzzy face instantly pulverizing it, its legs shooting off to hit the spiders behind it, they shriek in anger and also start getting ready to attack. { Accumulated skill has allowed learning of new Ability } < Ability Acquired - Battle Stance - (Uncommon) - Active Ability - > Battle Stance (Uncommon) Active Ability 1 second to get into stance Cannot move while using ability. +5 damage to overall attack. 10 second cooldown once you leave the stance ¡®This area is my zone, are you ready to¡­ go into the zone?!¡¯ < Dealt 31 damage to Tiny Baby Arachne Spider after reductions (14 BD x 1.5 < Counter > x 1.2 < Slugfest > + 5 ) < Tiny Baby Arachne spider killed > < 50 shared exp gained > < 1875/8000 exp until next level > Zelia had already incinerated so many of the babies that I had gotten a free exp spree~ it¡¯s a shame they don''t give much compared to how much exp there is but I have a feeling there is more where that came from! Every few seconds I either heard her casting a lower level version of burn at the stake so that she could cast it faster or a bone shot attack, both of course followed by a cute WAN~ She had it easy with all her area attacks. Every spider that jumped at me received a quick punch and splatter, exploding them onto their siblings. Thanks to my new Ability Battle Stance I was able to do more than their health in each hit regardless of if I was doing critical attacks or not, that on top of my 20 points in Strength, when I did though you could tell, my fist would create a hole through them. Each time they attacked me I would get my counter bonus and do extra damage meaning they had no chances to survive. After what felt like minutes but was exactly 20 seconds the large Burn at the Stake ran out, I paused and looked over the area. ¡°Hey Zelia! We are going to need a big one again Moo!¡± The large amounts of spiders had started to encircle us, all of the ones that were patiently waiting behind their kin now had a direct route to us, we were soon going to be surrounded on all sides! ¡°Where do I put it though wan?!¡± Fuck fuck fuck, we could put it against the front and try to get to the wall? but they are starting to crawl all over it! Oh fuck this is gonna hurt! ¡°On top of us! Start casting, I¡¯ll guard moo!¡± Zelia instantly starts getting to casting her highest level Burn at the stake as we get surrounded, I try my best to rotate around her roaring (mooing) to try and get all their attention, Stomping and feeling the hard chitinous shells break under my hooves. The larger of the spiders were gathering closer and stepping over their fallen kin. ¡°READY WAN!¡± I hold onto Zelia as an ephemeral Stake comes up from the ground, with us as the center, casting finished I hoist her under my armpit with a yelp and tell her to hold on tight! One of the bigger spiders is out at the exit tunnel, guarding it diligently, where the big one went through I target it and get ready. As the fire starts spreading around us and the screaming pierces my brain, I get into position < Running of the bull > We¡¯re off!! I pelt through the fire, with it licking at my hooves, the crunch of burnt spiders beneath them as I feel my skin tingle. It hurts, I can feel the burning but thankfully just for the first second. We emerge from the ring of fire, the brazen bull of Siscily they call me! Or they would if people like¡­ thought I was famous or something! IDK!? I slam into my spider target with my horns, both slamming into its head, piercing straight through its mouth and going all the way into its abdomen. Still holding onto Zelia I drop her to the ground at my feet as I attempt to dislodge myself from deep in the spider guts, one of its fangs is close to my eye so I¡¯m trying to be careful. I hear Zel scramble and try to pull me back, I fall over with a ringing of my bell as I fall onto my butt, just missing my cute Lupine in the process. Turning around I see that what''s left of the spiders have realized we escaped. Most of the large spiders have either burned up or escaped with barely any of their body attached, the smaller spiders all burned up in its flames. ¡°Through the tunnel! We go after the big one, easier to kill them when we¡¯re not out in the open moo!¡± Zelia really has been the star of the show this time, wouldn¡¯t have made it without her. I check my health and see that just from the fire alone I''ve taken 20 points of damage, fuck! my girlfriend can really do some damage!... My girlfriend?... Fuck d-did we ever talk about what we were calling ourselves?! FUCK THIS IS NOT THE TIME FOR SUCH THOUGHTS! We leap down the tunnel, Zel quickly refreshing the light on my horn in case we get caught in a fight and it runs out. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. More bags of webs lay along the way, all I can do is cut into them as quickly as possible, I ¡®Pull out¡¯ A second bone knife and hand the first one to Zel. She looks at it and then looks back up at me, rolling her eyes. I can only look away bashfully, yeah can''t fool her. We work our way through them, some are just bones, more goo, some even have more ¡®alive¡¯ corpses, animals and other things like goblins, we haven''t seen any more intelligent creatures yet but I''m sure we will get there eventually, I can only imagine we are finding the castaways, there''s usually a big room for food for the queen and what-not¡­ or is that just ants?! I might be getting my bugs wrong. After another 10 minutes we hear more scuttling. Nothing has seemed to follow us through so far, hopefully they got too scared by how many of them we killed, learnt their lesson. One we may have to teach again and again until we clear the place. I mean we will have to go all the way back through again so not an issue if we leave ourselves something to do. Another cavern has opened up in front of us, rinse and repeat! Except¡­ there''s nothing in here, at least no spiders or web sacs, It looks like its just the discards of the spiders, corroded weapons, Items, and deflated and ruined egg-sacks lay in here with 2 tunnels viering off to each side, the walls of both of which have been corroded through and made larger for such ones as the house sized spider, comfy. The scuttling noises seem to come from the right side tunnel, it echoes all the way to us. The tunnel slopes downwards deeper into the expanse of the cave system. We look at each other and both point to the one that does not slope down first, surely that''s the way to the boss! Gotta clear out the rest of it first, that''s just classic game rules. We head to the left entrance and hear the thumping of large mandibles smacking the ground, slow and steady. JACKPOT that''s the keeks grabber! Or at least I hope it is, god we could use the backup for the boss! The tunnel bends a few times before another cavern comes into view, once again it''s about 20 meters each way, the house sized spider has stopped and is depositing the web sack it was holding on the ground with at least 30 others, some of them squirming and others just sitting listfully, I hope they have a system cause its going to suck to get through all these! Keeks whhyyyy. Zelia pokes me on the shoulder and motions that only the house spider is in here, we already burnt up all the babies it dropped before, and none of those freaky reflective eyes are on its butt anymore! Free kill! R-right?! Zelia motions for me to stop and with a glint in her eyes she starts casting, moving her scepter around she pushes it towards me. OH A BUFF! MY FIRST BUFF!! ¡°Endless courage wan!¡± As soon as the words leave her mouth I charge the spider, it''s crouched low to the ground so I''m about to stab straight into its abdomen, my horns aren¡¯t enhanced but they should still do some damage!! The rushing wind fills my ears as they flap back, each stomp against the ground makes it quake. In a second I''m already upon it, my unsuspecting victim, A tearing sound fills my brain as I not only pierce but enter the soft squishy abdomen of the spider, creating a void in its backside as I¡¯m thrown through it mercilessly with the force of a raging bull with no care for its own sanity or safety!... I''M INSIDE IT HOW DO I GET OUT! I can feel its juices all around me cocooning me in, I shouldn''t be surprised that I''m caught in such a situation again, I¡¯m only thankful that I can''t see anything but darkness, my horns thoroughly wedged further in so no light is shining out. I really don''t want to know what the inside of a spider looks like. The panicked, fearful screaming of pain vibrates through its whole body, making me feel like I''m on a rollercoaster as it flips over and I''m sent tumbling with it. The smells of its guts and inertia really doing numbers on me! oh god I''m going to be sick, barfing in the darkness It splashes over myself and I retch again. ¡°LET ME OUT I WANT OFF THIS RIDE MOOO!¡± Suddenly I feel the entire area around me heat up, turning into a blazing inferno, the cooked insides of the spider smelling much better than what I do right now, my hero! I think as the flames damage me again and again, oh! I can¡¯t stay here. I close my eyes and try my best to tunnel my way out. I''m not sure how far I went but surely it wasn''t that far, going back the way I came I can feel fresh air , hoo lannddd! I plop out and tumble to the ground feeling more gross than anything I¡¯ve experienced in this game so far. ¡°Lilia! Lilia, are you okay?! Say something wan!¡± I attempt to open my mouth to speak but only more vomit comes out as I throw it up to the side. Instead I give her a thumbs up and weakly ask her to drown me. I can hear fiddling and then movements, ¡°Create water wan!¡± you beautiful fucking lifesaver! I feel cold water drenching over me, washing all the filth away until it¡¯s off my body. I still feel icky but I think it¡¯s safe to look. Zelia is looking over at me with worry, next to us the giant spider is roasted, with a massive hole in it. It was house sized, now at least it has a door. With the vomit taste in my mouth, I resist the urge to try and kiss Zel, ¡°Can you put some water in a bowl or something, I really need to wash out my mouth moo¡­¡± She complies and a few minutes later I¡¯m feeling at least somewhat alive. Checking my log I see my handy work. < Dealt 130 Critical piercing damage to ¡®Arachne Hoard Mother¡¯ after reductions (2 horn attacks x 10 BD x 2.5 CD x 1.5 Weak x 1.2 < Slugfest > x 1.2 Charging (item) x 1.3 < Running of the bulls > ) < Arachne Hoard Mother killed > < 1400 shared exp gained > < 6975/8000 exp until next level > That explains the big ass hole, LilMoo shaped damage. I probably nearly one-shot it since I hit its weak point. That and it getting toasty with me squirming inside¡­ oof no more thoughts like that please brain, gonna throw up again¡­ weh! Looking over at all the web sacks, I sigh, if that didn¡¯t get screams out of Keeks to be let out, I don''t know what would, but we still have to look, maybe she¡¯s incapacitated or something. ¡°We could just¡­ light them up and see if she comes out wan?...¡± Looking at all the different wiggling ones and having to check through them all I¡¯m nearly tempted. Shaking my head I know it''s better to check one by one, what if we kill innocent little animals that got captured! ¡°Nah, we should do it properly. What if we accidentally kill something in there? Could find baby wolves moo!¡± She instantly starts wagging her tail with excitement. ¡°Wan pet wan pet wannn!¡± There we go, there''s the excitement back! Chapter 5: The ultimate mech suit The wiggling of the web sacks make me a little bit worried about what we will find, there''s gotta be like 9 wiggling and the rest of the 30ish sitting there, ominously! It could be anything! It could be more web sacks in web sacks! Maybe they store web sacks in here like some kind of box factory! I''m awoken from my web sack inception by Zelia approaching the closest wiggling one with my boner knife, heh. She carefully makes a slit in the webbing and opens it fully with both hands. I can see it in her eyes, she¡¯s so ready to get a puppy pet! Little does she know puppies can¡¯t own puppies, she gives out a little aww wan~ and I lean over and peer inside, a family? The hamsters are quivering in fear against the bottom of the sack, some of them with small injuries. Zelia looks at me with her puppy dog eyes puppydogging. ¡°N-no Zelia we can''t keep them, does this game even have like a pet system?! I mean you should know best moo!¡± I start cooing at them and trying to be as nice as possible and it¡­ seems to work?! They approach me and start sniffing around at my hand and one by one approach and climb up my arm. ¡°I''M GOING TO TAKE SO MANY PHOTOS WAN!¡± Zelia is literally vibrating in excitement, the little hamster things have taken resting spots up near my neck giving me a super fuzzy soft scarf, nestling into the safest places they can find. ¡°Wait¡­ are they all considered children?! Wh-what is with these game mechanics moo?!¡± I look at my necklace again and see that it doesn''t specify human or humanoid it just says children! Anastasia¡¯s Last Wish (Evolved) - Necklace Effects: All Status +3 Children will trust you more as a motherly figure. ¡®A small girl that only wanted to live in happiness with her family, which she did for a time, until a monster came into her life, you''ve brought her peace¡¯ ¡°I mean¡­ you really do have those¡­ motherly vibes wan!¡± She pauses while looking intently at my boobs, licking her lips before looking back up at me. ¡°Ha! ha! very funny love! This better not become a running theme moo!¡± ¡­ < Received New Title ¡®Loved by the Innocent¡¯ > < ! Due to being the herald of nemesis Title is being changed ! > < Received new Title ¡®Avenger of the Innocent¡¯ > Beings of innocence will naturally seek you out for vengeance and to right wrongs, they will see you as a protector and their relationship with you will be higher.. 20% reduction in damage while Protecting the innocent. 20% increase in damage while Avenging the innocent. ¡®We will right the wrongs of the innocent, seek out injustice wherever we can, be a driving force to remove the hubris of the people and the downfall it brings the beings of Iselgurd - Tenant of the Nemesis knights¡¯ A-are you serious?! Every single one of the bags contained a heap of baby animals! Did they find a snack sized zoo?! I now know how mother arachne feels! except I don''t have a convenient giant abdomen for them all to sit on¡­ Zelia might say otherwise, the word badonkadonk comes to mind¡­ New title, though, almost makes all this shit feel worth it! I tell Zel and she gets excited about the prospect of Nemesis knights, which means we can see if there''s like a temple of Nemesis that we could check out, and find out more about my god that I''m championing for! Zelia says that some of the current champions according to the forums got theirs through trials. Either from going to their temples or giving it on the spot, she hadn''t heard about any of them just starting as a herald yet¡­ weird but we might find out more about it once we find more Nemesis people. After finishing going through the struggling bags and finding 0 Keeks we realize¡­ why would she struggle!? She loves this shit! We finally find Keeks happily snuggled up like a baby spider, all her limbs curled in and twitching in dream land, all the rest of the sacks contained either spiders, which were promptly smashed, goo or larger animals that died from wounds. I''m very tempted to scream, everything we¡¯ve been going through! Zelia gently pushes and prods Keeks, but not before taking some choice photos. She really is cute when she sleeps, you wouldn''t guess she came in here to get shot full of eggs¡­ sigh¡­ You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°Wh-what It¡¯s sleepy time not wakey time, don¡¯t make me bite you sis! Nyoo, like 5 more minutes the war can end itself!¡± The war? Uhh I motion for Zelia to bring out the big guns. She pulls out a little book and starts casting, suddenly a ball of water starts forming and Splasshh ¡°NYYOOO WHHHYYY!!!¡± Keeks looks up at us both before suddenly screaming and throwing herself backwards. ¡°WHAT THE FUCK AM I LOOKING AT NYE!¡± She gets on all 4s and starts hissing, trying to make herself look bigger the best she can. ¡°Shh shhh!!! You''re going to wake the babies!!¡± The parade of furry limbs, ears and fluff have encompassed my body, as she screams all eyes turn on her, hundreds of eyes of different sizes intently focused on the noise maker from all over my body like some kind of biblically correct angel monstrosity. Keeks falls over and¡­ has a heart attack? Plays dead? It¡¯s kind of hard to tell. The baby monsters that have taken me as a home since we kept opening the bags to find more and more children, that are not wolves to Zelia¡¯s dismay, have turned me into some kind of walking abomination. At some point I didn''t even have to motion to them, they just saw the fluff pile and went, ¡®oh shit I need to be in that pile of warmth!¡¯ I''m really starting to sweat. It''s like summer and I¡¯ve got 4 layers on. I can only stand there like a cat post as Zelia rouses Keeks, they are crying a little, asking me to put the scary eyes away, I cant just throw them off me¡­ fuck we might have to go back to the entrance. ¡°At least Keeks is here to help fend off all spider attacks, I say we go back outside so I can get these babies back outside, they might die out there but at least they will be able to have a chance to survive moo!¡± ¡°C-can I at least keep one?! Or like¡­ you keep one and I''ll pretend it''s mine?! They won''t snuggle with mmeeeee wwaaannnn~'''' Zelia has been pouting and trying to keep patting them the whole time, being rebuffed by hissing or biting, but she was not one to give up on the cuteness. ¡°When we get outside I''ll try to get one to be safe with you okay? Until then we gotta clear the cave regardless moo¡­¡± She nods her adorable head and prods Keeks until she gets up, finally after much protesting she gets up begrudgingly pulls out her sword whipping at the sleep in her eyes. ¡°I was finally getting a good sleep too until ¡®eyesamoo¡¯ here showed up nye!¡± I hold myself back from attacking her, gotta get the babies to safety first and then we can take care of the sleeping ¡®princess¡¯. ¡°What even happened Keeks wan?¡± Zelia asking the real question, yeah what the fuck!? ¡°Well how could I resist! When we got closer I spotted a spider and checked its stats! IT WAS A FRIGGIN ARCHNE SPIDER!? Do you know how awesome that is nyee!!¡± We both look at each other and Zel shrugs. ¡°I know the greek woman and the whole tale about them, how they got turned into a spider woman wan¡­¡± Keeks nods vigorously and points at Zel. ¡°EXACTLY! I know my spider women and these are the most women like of all!!! But all I kept finding were goddamn spider spiders! I mean hot still but what the fuck?! If you call it something, make it something right! But then as I got further and further in I started hearing like human voices! But uhh then I felt something hot on my head and passed out¡­ Hot spider dreams though fucking hell nye!¡± They look so fucking chuffed and dissappointed at the same time that I dont know how to feel anymore¡­ It¡¯s been like 2 fucking hours since we came in here, wandering caves, killing spiders and watching poor Zel cut through all those sacks while my body kept getting more and more clustered with animals like a goddamn ark! ¡°So apart from a farm did you find anything else useful nye?¡± She looks around at all the deflated sacks and sees one more still with something inside, then casually walks over to it and pokes it EEEEK! Keeks jumps back with the sword at the ready¡­ after a few seconds nothing¡­ she cuts a slit in the side and sighs, pushing the material out with her hands. ¡°Uhh I think this one''s yours moo girl¡­ like?... literally nyeha!¡± Zelia and I look confusedly at each other and wander over, Keeks pushes it further off and inside the cocoon is a shivering young minotaur girl, about 3 feet tall curled in on herself, wearing a pink sundress, she looks up and sees me. ¡°M-mummy moo?...¡± Oh dear¡­ oh¡­ cow?... Chapter 6: The great moving zoo! Chapter 6 I get down on my knees and put my hand out, ¡°Hey cutie I¡¯m not your mummy but I am another of your race. How about you come out and we can go find your mummy together moo?...¡± She cautiously nods and puts both hands out and grabs onto mine. As I try to lift her up she flinches and panics slightly looking down at her hooves. I see that one of them has a big cut on it. Pulling out a health potion I put it in front of her mouth to drink, she smells it and pulls away disgusted. ¡°C''mon be a good girl for me, I know it tastes bad but it will help you get out of here with me. Can you do that for me moo?¡± She nods again with tears in her eyes and downs the drink. As she finishes it she drops it and looks like she¡¯s about to hurl, I quickly rub her head between her horns and it seems to make her feel better. Able to walk now I bring her out and introduce her to my partners in crime, she hides behind my thighs and waves from behind me, extremely shy, I can feel her shivering against me. The best thing to do now is just to get her the hell out of here. I grab her by the waist and gently pull her up and around my neck, the other babylings make room for her and she easily joins the pack. Soon after she falls asleep drooling on my head, holding onto my horns like Keeks only just recently. At least she¡¯s not shivering now¡­ poor thing¡­ I hope she was unconscious for most of it¡­ I whisper to the girls as Keeks looks up at her sleeping spot with envy and Zelia is making wanting whining noises in the throat. I¡¯ve heard her mumble about tiny pet LilMoo a few times, ¡°Alright let''s move out, Keeks I¡¯m relying on you, please don''t let any of the spiders attack me, I really can''t move much moo!¡± In my mech suit of baby animals I can only walk as gently as possible as the girls move off further into the caves, I''m a walking talking protection machine! Up ahead I hear the sounds of combat, the nye¡¯s of secret attacks and wan¡¯s of bone shot¡¯s as we slowly make our way forwards, both of them rotating back every few minutes to make sure we were safe. I''m useless currently but in a good way? Protecting life, the thing I most want to do in the world, so I''m content to hang back with my trusty girls to guide our path. After what feels like another hour we emerge from the cave into the light, the camp has been fully set up, the gentle snores of a sleeping shark woman, a fire burning with a delicious beefy smell from the cooking pot above it and her body languishing on a hammock between 2 trees. We walk over to her to her sleeping spot and tell her we are back temporarily, her eyes open sleepily as she yawns, then she greets us heartily with a ¡°WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU?!¡± Ahh yes the appropriate response, Zelia has to jump in front of me to stop her cutting me in half with her water laser beam as she points her finger towards me like a gun. ¡°It''s okay we rescued some animals from the spiders wan!¡± It takes half a minute for her to stop freaking out and eventually puts her fun guns away, but not before giving me one more horrified look and shaking her head trying to get it out of her memory banks, truly nightmare fuel. The fire looks inviting so I sit down by the fire and bring the young Minotaur off my neck, placing her gently in my lap as the rest of the furry critters surround me in a bubble of warmth. Zelia whines and so I make her a spot next to me and she gratefully cuddles into my side, the animals slowly creep back in and surround us both, Zel starts crying a little from happiness. ¡°W-wwaannn I¡¯ve taken so many pictures I love this so so much wannnn~¡± She¡¯s finally able to get some pets in without getting bitten, Keeks languishes at the other side of the fire throwing sticks in and reaching into the food pot to get a lick every so often as we rest up, the sun is still up so we should have plenty of time finish off the cave before we head back. ¡°Soo¡­ did ya give birth while I was asleep?...¡± Mershi asks, astonished at the little me I¡¯ve somehow produced. I shake my head sadly¡­ At her situation, not at the not giving birth to a tiny cowgirl part. ¡°We found her in the cave, she must have been captured for food moo!¡± Mershi raises her eyebrow in suspicion. ¡°That¡¯s super weird¡­ The Arachne don''t capture humanoid races, obviously you can see the amount of animals sure, but they stay away from anything else, unless she wandered in there. They are very territorial, obviously, who wouldn''t be¡­ they are usually pretty smart, but that really depends on the Arachne Queen she might be afflicted. It¡¯s one of the reasons we got called out here, upper guild assignment to check this place out, missing people is bad for business! Didn¡¯t hear anything about a minotaurus though, well good thing we made it in time! Eat up and then get your asses back in there, might have more people to rescue!¡± Mershi pulls out a few wooden bowls and fills them up with food from the pot, a combination of different meats as well as some fish, it¡¯s basically meat slop, but its fucking amazing! I hear sniffing as the little curled up girl in my lap''s nose has discovered a source of yummy. ¡°I-is it dinner time moo?...¡± She rubs her eyes and pulls herself up in my lap, opening her mouth for me to feed her, she''s adorable so I oblige. One spoon at a time until it¡¯s empty and I get Mershi to fill me up another bowl. As I finish it I put it aside and pull the little one up onto one of my thighs so I can look at her better and talk to her. ¡°Hey cutie what''s your name moo?...¡± She sniffles and looks at me with her lip trembling. ¡°C-cali moo¡­ a-are you going to take me back to the orphanage moo?...¡± I catch myself and breath out¡­ fuck¡­ fuck¡­ fucking game¡­ really?... is this fucking targeted game?! I try to calm myself down, breathing in and out. Stolen novel; please report. ¡°No sweety we are going to figure something out¡­ but you will have to stay with the nice lady until we get back from making sure there''s no more bad things in the cave yeah?...¡± she nods her head sadly. ¡°I''m coming back Cali, I promise you, I¡¯ll be right back.¡± She smiles weakly at my statement, maybe she was also told such a thing in the past¡­ you don''t end up at an orphanage for no reason¡­ fucking shitass game! I pull Cali off me and get her comfy by the fire, herding the little ones off me they gather around Cali becoming a big fur blanket, she has become one with the hoard! Mershi gets back in her hammock and pats a spot in it. ¡°I don''t bite! You can come and relax in the hammock with me!¡± ¡°Y-you dont bite nye?!...¡± Keeks looks actually shocked at such a disappointing thing, Marshi ignores her completely, still trying to look as motherly as possible without finger blasting Keeks into 2 pieces. Cali shyly stays put by the fire under the rug of a new family, ¡°Alright there''s a spot here if you want it though darling, you remind me of my niece, cute little shy thing, I¡¯ll take care of you while your protector is gone!¡± Despite how tough she normally looks I think she really likes kids, considering she¡¯s mentioned her little sister¡¯s kids more than twice on the trip, gotta have something to care for in life. She shrugs and gets comfy in her hammock and soon starts to snore. Checking my stats I see that my mana and stamina is fully back so I think we should be good to go. Patting Cali on the head we set off back into the caves, Cali waves at us from behind and we wave back, something adorable to look forward to when we get back. Since we cleared all the caves, and by we I mean Zel and Keeks while I stood around looking cool in my mech suit, it''s an easy walk all the way through. Zel occasionally lights up my horn when the spell is about to run out, she tells me that you can put utility spells in little handbooks. It costs a little bit but means you don''t fill up your proper spellbook, it also means she has to find them all each time which seems annoying, confirmed punching is just the all round best and easier, if only I could hit a big area with my fists like she can with her spells! One day¡­ We finally get closer to the room we did not clear before. My bodily changes are still on, thankfully so I don''t have to apply any of them again, even though it was only really the knuckles this time. With my upgraded Ability it did not impair any hand movement which is amazing¡­ I do have all my mana back¡­ < Anatomy Sense > < Bone Hardening > I use up 120 mana and see that each fist now has a base damage increase of 140%, I can''t wait to test the limits of this thing! I look over to Keeks who just got out her weapon¡­ her¡­ BONE WEAPON!? I sneak over to Keeks as we get closer and nudge her, asking to borrow her sword for a second. She passes it over and I concentrate on it, using ¡®Anatomy Sense¡¯ while touching it, I can see its entire composition. I throw Hardening into it with 20 mana and then pass it back, she looks confused, then looks at her cutlass, the area lights up with happiness as she realised what I did, holy fuck this ability is amazing! It even says it in the new Ability, ¡®Morph and change the bones in your body and those that you touch directly as you will it.¡¯ I FUCKING LOVE BONE EQUIPMENT!!! Enhanced Bone Fist main/offhand (140% hardened) Damage: 10-10 blunt 10 defense all physical types Effects: 50% increase damage to weak spots Mana 48/188 Stamina 199/218 Zel looks at us both like we are crazy, miming to each other in excitement, close enough to the end of the cave that we can hear the chittering. Keeks passes over her cutlas to Zel and she looks at me in wonderment. Passing her scepter to me I go for it again, but to my dismay it only affects the physical characteristics of the thing. I shrug and pass it back, it was worth trying at least. Zel still gives me a kiss for at least giving it a shot which is the best reward I could get, Keeks mimics her and kisses me on the check in excitement making Zel giggle and quickly quieting herself before she gets heard. I can only go red and try to get back in the zone. Before we hit the lip, Keeks gets Zel to put out the magical light on my horn, we are put into darkness. I feel 2 pairs of hands quickly grab onto me as the darkness really hits us. I don''t think they realized how dark it can get, where all the sounds and life melts into one enormous void. I feel calm and safe, like it¡¯s another home for me. After a few breaths I feel Keeks pull on me and subsequently Zel. She probably has a night vision Ability¡­ or maybe it¡¯s racial? Some kind of low light vision, if she has it Zel should have it too though¡­ not that it''s the time to have a discussion about it. My hand gets put against the wall to help keep my balance as we trudge forwards further, the sounds of chittering in the dark seeming to come from everywhere, a light comes from up ahead and the darkness is revealed in the next cavern. Very low light, like we are doing some kinky mood lighting, is brightening up the cavern. It''s a bit smaller than the other ones, although there are still a large amount of spiders around. The scene we see is breathtaking, nothing that would be possible in the real world. I feel Zelia tighten her grip in pain at what she sees, Keeks tightens her hand on me in anticipation, mine tighten in anger, as I feel the passive effect of Avenger of the Innocent activate, not anymore! Chapter 7: Like a moth to the flame. Chapter 7 A circle of chittering, young and baby sized spiders are spread out around the sides of the room and from the roof, a glowing moss grows on the walls, bringing light to the cavern. In the center is a broken bed of marble with what can only be described as a moth woman on it. Silver and white wings crushed underneath her body lined with tufts of fur all the way down to her toes, antennae sprout above her head like that of a pure white moth that I¡¯ve only seen in pictures online and of course from the silver jewelry hanging from Zelia¡¯s neck. Behind the moth lady, a looming being of monstrous proportions, currently salivating and occasionally biting down and ripping parts off of the moth, staining her perfect silver body with luminescent silver blood, killing her slowly and savoring every bite, the monster¡¯s eyes were glowing red to the point that it was lighting up what was infront of her, bathing the moth lady in an ominous glow. The creature that Keeks ran all the way in for and what Mershi had mentioned, the Arachne Queen, Her enormous humanoid body ending in a large abdomen with a stinger pointing out, 8 limbs coming off her body were that of a spider, her face disjointed and split at the mouth with razor sharp insectile endings. She had her boobs out which was cool at least, but the horrifying scene of a giant spider woman eating a large moth woman was overriding any lesbian tendencies. I grab Keeks and motion that I''m going to throw her, she claps her hands excitedly, barely touching them together to keep some kind of stealth on and curls up into a ball as my hand clasps around her scruff. I motion to Zel to start casting as many burn at the stakes as she can, covering the room but avoiding the center so we don''t outright kill the moth lady ourselves, she nods in understanding at my bizarre hand movements. I count us down to 3 with my body, 1¡­ 2¡­ 3! Keeks is hurled through the air as fire lights up on the right side of the room, combat starts with screams of ¡°Sneak Attack-Burn at stake Nye-Wan!¡± Keeks unfurling through the air aiming straight for the head of the Arachne Queen as a screaming woman on fire at the stake lances up through a panicking pack of spiders. I can only do what I do best, pick a spider at the back of the pack and < Running of the Bulls > Become what my race''s namesake is good at, using them horns! I crush countless baby spiders under my hooves as my unknowing target, one of the larger spiders, starts dashing towards me. I pierce it through the mouth and Lift it over my head as I''m released from my charge, smashing at anything that comes near me, killing each spider in a single blow, < Battle Stance > Adds even more damage to the mix along with my newly enhanced knuckle weapons. After a few seconds I get some notifications that I can only ignore in the heat of battle and my damage seems to get even stronger, my damage numbers lighting up on each enemy as I¡¯m averaging 50¡¯s if not higher, seeming to one shot those even without critical damage. My crits are now exploding the spiderlings in every way all over the place forcing back their own kin as they come from every direction. ¡°YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR INSSOLENCE!¡± Oh holy shit they talk! Or I mean I guess they should?! I look over and Keeks has wedged her cutlass in the Arachne Queens back, being thrown too and fro as the queen is unable to grab her off with her spider arms, not being able to reach all the way to the exact point where keeks is, instead just scratching at herself helplessly. Usually her children would help her but they are more than a little preoccupied. Suddenly she jumps back and smashes her back into the wall, the very tip of the cutlass pushing all the way through her body from the impact causing even more damage to her as she realises she¡¯s fucked up, blood splurting from her mouth and dripping down her poor boobs as she flops back helplessly to the ground, fuck where¡¯s keeks?! A gun shot fires off next to me and I yelp as Keeks appears by my side, ¡°Keeks what the fuck, werent you behind her back moo?!¡± She laughs and pulls out a small tome, like one of Zel¡¯s magic ones¡­ wait¡­ fucking Keeks has magic?! ¡°You gotta get with the game moo girl! Nothing beats a quick teleportation spell! Uses up all my mana but fuck it¡¯s useful nyehehe!¡± She grins and pulls out her old cutlass, her bone one currently impaled through the spider lady making it a little bit hard to get out. ¡°THIS IS NOT SSUPOSED TO HAPPEN! BE EATEN BY ME MY ANGEL OF THE MOON!¡± The Arachne Queen lumbers towards the moth lady mouth open wide. ¡°BONE SHOT BONE SHOT BONE SHOT!!!! WAAANNN!!! LEAVE THAT POOR CREATURE ALONE!!¡± Zel really likes moths! Each bone pierces through the Queen''s mouth as she yells out in anger, no cute moth lady is dying today! I feel each of the attacks of the spiders against my armor, some missing and hitting furred skin. Thankfully the damage reductions and my Title passive is making combat pretty damn easy with all these tiny hits, mostly taking 2-5 with every smack against me, especially when I explode each of these spiders in a single hit. Keeks is finishing off what I couldn¡¯t and eventually all that was left was us, the moth lady and an extremely pissed off Arachne Queen with bones all up in her brain. Zel had easily cleared her side with her burning witchery. ¡°YoU DONT knoOW WHattsss COMMING Foorr YOUUUuu!!! YOUuuR WORlldd WILL BURRNN!!! AnD BE DEVourED!¡± Leaping over the sleeping beauty I unleash one final punch on the crazy assed Spider lady, My right fist impacting her face knocking one of the bone needles, driving it further into her brain, the rest of my fist follows through as the rest of her head disconnects from her body. < Slugfest is now level 2 > < Slugfest level 2 > 30% additional damage when attacking unarmed or with fist weapons. < 117 Critical Weak Spot Damage (20 BD x 2.5 CD x 1.5 Weak x 1.3 < Slugfest > x 1.2 < Avenger >) < Arachne Queen has been defeated > < 3500 Shared Exp gained > < 4895/9000 Until Next Level > Wait, did I already level up at some point during the fight?! I check back and see that I hit level 13 just after we started the fight. I was too distracted being ¡®in the zone¡¯ . I think it happened as I was charging? Zelia''s burn at the stake must have done enough damage to get me over the line, awesome! Also good time for an increase in my normal damage from Slugfest means just any old swing will do me good. I''m very pleased with myself at this point. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.I look at the Arachne Queen, ugh frigging spiders, I kind of get it but also don''t get why Keeks is into them, must be a non-Australian thing, from the side she looks over and sighs deeply at the thing, ¡°Just wanted to be a spiders plaything nyee¡­¡± Yes yes poor Keeks, I go over and pat her on the head ruffling her fluffy ears. ¡°Maybe you can find one in the red light district? I''m sure every city has one moo!¡± Her eyes light up as she seems to make a mental memo to check the city later, make all her dreams come true! Zel has approached the Moth lady and starts talking to her in hushed whispers of comfort, oh shit she¡¯s still breathing! I see her trying to make her drink a potion but the lady refuses, turning her head instead. Zel looks on the verge of crying. ¡°Please¡­ child of the wolf, it would do me no such favors to drink of the blood of humanity¡­ as a celestial being it would only curse my form¡­ I thank you regardless¡­¡± Her voice is soft and angelic, whispering but still clear, she looks to be in pain and barely alive. She reaches out and touches Zel¡¯s face, catching a tear with her silver finger,looking closer her body looks see through but also fluffy, like a wind could come and send her off flying like a cloud. ¡°Thank you for crying for me, I have been here for some time and seen the world, it is truly a beautiful place, and you have made it even more so child¡­¡± She breathes in and out laboring with every breath but trying so hard to make each word count, and it does, at least for Zelia. ¡°Is there anything we can do for you wan?...¡± The Moth lady smiles weakly and waves her head no. ¡°I was already dying before the Queen tried to devour me, this cave was to be my final resting place, under the glow of the beautiful moss¡­ she found me and desired me, at least not in a way to eat me at first¡­ but she was afflicted with the cursed hatred of her people, the true Arachne has become what she despaired to be the most¡­ and as such her children will follow in her footsteps. Alas as we may all become.¡± She closes her eyes, ¡°Blessing on you child of the wolf goddess, I will watch over you from the true moon, I can only hope the devourer will not succeed¡­¡± her hand falls down gently and Zel moves to put her hand through her hair, she starts disintegrating into silvery dust and after a few seconds all that is left is a pure white crystal at the center of where she lay¡­ ¡°She said so herself Zel¡­ there was nothing we could do¡­ at least we got to be here for her in the end¡­¡± She nods slowly¡­ picking up the crystal, putting it against her chest. < Received Title ¡®Those who witnessed the end of a celestial being > Effects: ???? Why does everything we do have to hit so hard for each of us, this isn''t anything I''ve ever seen in any game¡­ it''s like watching the end of an era, everything is dying or falling to bits¡­ I move behind Zel and pull her into a deep hug, she whines and cries a bit more, letting it out, she hasn''t seen much death so this is a little much for her. I pick up the corpse of the arachne queen and take it with us, they will need some kind of proof I¡¯m guessing. The entire trip back is in silence, Zel cradling the crystal to her chest, Keeks looking over every so often to the Arachne queen and sighing and me just dealing with hauling her corpse on my back, just the usual field work for a cow girl I guess. Finally the light of the day emerges, the sun has started to go down and the pink glow comes over the horizon, it''s absolutely stunning. I look over and don''t see Cali by the fire, instead a bundle of animals has become one with the hammock. Mershi has become the mech, her face is popping out from the blanket of bodies and sweating like crazy, she¡¯s still asleep and looks to be having nightmares¡­ maybe about being smothered! I know I would. I put down the Arachne corpse and instead pick up Cali from the pile, she rouses slowly and then puts her arms around my neck. The rest of the pile seems to realize I''m back and sleepily make their way up my body like a furry slime conglomeration. Mershi breathes deep in peace now that she''s not being smothered. ¡°Mershi we¡¯re back, finished our task moo¡­¡± She opens her eyes and looks at me, they go wide before opening her mouth to scream again, but instead just shakes her head to get rid of the building headache. ¡°You won¡¯t get me twice with that! fuck... Welcome back, I feel like I¡¯ve been in the sauna for 8 hours gods damn!¡± She gets up and cracks her body, we hear thousands of bones snapping as her body bends in ways I didn''t think were possible, maybe it''s all that cartilage¡­ ¡°We uhh found some things as well as killed the Arachne Queen, she seems to have gone crazy moo¡­¡± Mershi gets over and checks over the Arachne Queen, I''m glad she didn''t disappear¡­ maybe cause it was our task she won''t?... I have no idea on the rules in this goddamn game! We tell her everything we saw in the cave, she looks baffled at the mention of the Moth Lady, and then horrified, she shakes her head in her own kind of refusal, ¡°This is bad, this is really bad¡­ the fucking arachne are gone and now a fucking celestial is dead!? We need to get back and report to the guild, they need to know what happened, shit is about to get a lot fucking worse! I''m going to take the corpse, but don''t worry you¡¯ll still get your spoils!¡± She pulls out a bag and it just¡­ sucks up the corpse of the spider lady, it wasn''t a frigging small corpse or anything! I gotta get me one of those¡­ She puts it away and starts packing up camp and motions for us to get ready to head back. I put down Cali and she gets on her hooves and rubs her eyes, ¡°Hey cutie we gotta get ready to go, we can''t take all the animals with us so you''re going to have to say goodbye for now yeah?...¡± I move my body over and make noises at all the babies, they obediently mush into a pile of fur, I pat them and tell them to protect each other, they seem to mostly understand, Zel did say that the creatures in this game were supposed to be pretty smart¡­ Cali bends over and kisses them all one by one and starts crying, I know¡­ I¡¯ll miss the bundle of fur too¡­ They move off into the distance looking back at us every few steps, I really hope they will survive. I pick up Cali and put her around my neck, once again making Keeks give her an envious look. Feeling bad I pick up keeks as well and put her behind Cali, my neck hurts but instantly Keeks starts playing Pirate ships. ¡°And this is how you steer the mighty moo ship Cali nyehehe!¡± I¡¯m thrown sideways, which quickly ends the double pirate ship saga. Keeks instead having to mutter as she walks next to me, Zel on one side holding my hand and cradling her white crystal in sadness still. Keeks holding my hand swinging it back and forth like a swing, telling me all about the fanfics of spider girls she loves the most. Mershi ahead of us telling us to hurry our asses up! As we trudge towards the town, It''s going to be dark before we get back, but we have a laser shark to guide the way. Weird but happy times. 10 years ago Part 1 Beep Beep¡­ Beep Beep¡­ ¡°AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHhhh!!!¡­.¡± I¡¯ve thrown myself upwards from my bed, I can move, I can move! They wouldn¡¯t let me move if I was still there!? The walls are different, white but not the same¡­ not the same as what?... Fuck where am I!? Opening my eyes fully I see a shocked nurse staring at me like she¡¯d seen a ghost. Maybe I am dead?... good riddance¡­ I''m just a monster after all¡­ after all?... all what?... My head is killing me, I pull it down into my hands and just start screaming again¡­ WHY DOES IT HURT SO MUCH?! WHERE WAS I?!... fuck¡­ where¡­ was I?... ¡°D-doctor the patient is awake!¡± A Doctor that was running into the room takes steps towards the bed and starts shining a light in my eyes, mumbling something under their breath. I slump back onto the bed once the light goes away, I did good right¡­ please tell me I did good¡­ ¡°Put them back to sleep, it¡¯s not time for them to awaken yet, they should still be under for another few days!!¡± The nurse hastily approaches me, pushing in the needle in my tubing. I''m still so weak, using up everything I had in me to just throw my body upwards in panic. I struggle briefly, as much as I can, before I''m pulled back under, back into the void, where the broken me is trapped forever under the red nightmare¡¯s specks of red. ¡­ ¡°... ¡ª ¡­ only have a day more before Sci-Axium takes back their property! There are still tests I need to run! They can¡¯t just take such a fine specimen away from us! This is the first reported person wi-¡± I hear a thump from nearby, against a wall. ¡°Keep your mouth shut! Do you think you could hide from them?! Do you think you¡¯re bigger than Sci-Axium?! You saw the ones who brought that kid in! We are not getting involved in this shit! We take care of the kid and then we forget they were ever here!! You fucking got me Jones!?¡± I hear violent nodding. I''ve gotta get out of here!¡­ I can''t be a lab rat again¡­ please¡­ please not the white walls¡­ confined¡­ Why was I unable to move¡­ so much my mind won''t tell me¡­ bits and pieces of madness piercing through¡­ did the hospital rip them out of me?! I need to leave. I hear footsteps receding down the hallway, I try to look around as quietly as I can. Before I can make any moves, I hear some nurses talking outside the door. ¡°Yeah that Robert kid¡¯s heading off to an orphanage today, poor thing lost everyone, what is the world coming too?¡­ I¡¯ve not heard great things at those places, but what can you do, there''s not enough housing around for everyone and you can¡¯t just put them on the street¡­¡± ¡°Once they let us know they are awake we can get them out the door, we need all the room we can get!¡± The voices also start receding down the hall¡­ I think this is my way out of here! I see that the tubes have all been removed and I¡¯ve been disconnected from the machines. Maybe I got over the drugs faster than they thought again and were just waiting for me to be picked up?... I climb out of the bed and feel my muscles. They are really sore but flexing them slowly makes them feel better after a few minutes, like I hadn''t been lying down for the past year. I can only imagine what they¡¯ve given me to make me feel so much better¡­ I look out the door carefully and see that there isn''t any movement in the halls, coming out of the room I try to move as fast as I can, checking both rooms next to mine I find a sleeping kid around my age to the left room, please be the right person! I quietly check their medical sheet and see their name is Robert, phew, they are wearing the same clothing as me but our tag¡¯s are different. I swap our tags and make sure to swap our medical charts, just like those movies I''ve watched before, some real spy shit¡­ I''m sure they will realize before Sci-Axium comes and grabs them so I better act quick. They have a torn duffel bag full of things, I¡¯m about to reach out to grab it but feel bad for the kid, it¡¯s all they have left in the world¡­ not that I have anything at all, I might feel like a monster but I¡¯m not going to act like one. I try and put on as much of a woozy appearance as I can and shuffle out into the hallway, approaching the nurses station, a young nurse at least in her lower 20 is at the station writing in a book, I cautiously approach and put on my best ¡®please let me go home¡¯ voice. ¡°Please miss my name is Robert, I''m supposed to go to an orphanage today¡­ Can someone take me?...¡± She looks surprised at my appearance. Please I just need to be anywhere but here, I can let them open me up. ¡°Uhh¡­ yes yes! One of the orderlies can take you there, have you got everything you need?¡± I shrug helplessly, indicating that I don¡¯t have anything left. She smiles pitifully at me, tears at the corners of her eyes, she opens her wallet and pulls out a $20 note and puts it into my hand, ¡°It''s not much but I hope it can get you some small comfort¡± She presses a button on her phone and an older man comes over, she tells him that I need to be taken to the outer-city orphanage. Words on the wall make me realize that we are in Sydney, of all the places¡­ I¡¯d never been anywhere this¡­ central? Before. Always living in the outback away from people in our tiny town. He puts his hand out for me to put it in his ¡°You look just like my grandson, please hold my hand so we don''t get lost and I will lead you there safely!¡± He looks gentle, grizzled, maybe Italian, like old-man Grisni who used to live down the road, he made the best homemade candies, beloved by all the housewives. He always said that his husband made them better, but now only he can carry on the recipe¡­ at least they are together now¡­ I grasp his hand and get pulled along slowly. I wave goodbye to the nice lady at the counter, feeling sorry for lying to her¡­ I just hope she doesn''t get into trouble¡­ The car ride is quiet, they don¡¯t ask any invasive questions, they hum a familiar tune, maybe one that was on the radio? Or that my dad liked?¡­ After an hour we get to a tall building, made of red brick, it reminds me of the dirt from the town up north in western Australia, one that we went to on a trip once. A long long trip through what is basically deserts, where we slept under the stars and talked as a family, that was before I opened up about myself to my mum¡­ and before I was the only one left¡­ As I get out they hand me a card, which seems like a business card, Antonio was their name, they nod at me and tell me if I ever need help just to call the number, to stay safe. Then I can only watch them drive away, back to the place I would have been taken from. I look back at the tall building. At least I might be able to get a night of rest before I will have to figure out what to do with my life¡­ Do I have to keep running? Will they keep trying to find me?... I just don''t know¡­ What is so special about me?... I feel like I should be dead but I don''t even know why! One step at a time, just one step, I just have to keep going! I¡¯m the only one to carry on from my town, I have to carry on for them¡­ and for Natalie¡­ A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡­ ¡°Welcome to St. Margarettes are you Robert?¡± An old lady at the counter sitting down on a tall backed chair, it doesn''t seem like she would even be able to leave it with how old she was. ¡°Yes I¡¯m Robert, I''m supposed to be staying here for now¡­¡± She looks at the papers on her desk and finds a form, passing it over to my side of the desk, along with a pen. ¡°Please sign here for me, you will be boarding in room 7 with David and Mikel, they also don''t have any family left, hopefully you will be able to bond with them both. Just don''t go along with any of their schemes or you''ll be out of here quicker than you arrived!¡± A wooden stick of a woman, I''m guessing she runs this place then. I hopefully won''t be here long enough to face her wrath¡­ I''m told all the rules of the place but it just runs over my head, I¡¯m barely listening, eventually I realize she¡¯s finished speaking and she points me in the direction of the room. I¡¯m going to be staying in Number 7, got it. I make my way down the hall with a ¡®kids have no fucking manners nowdays¡¯ coming from behind me, thanks lady, yeah your a goddamn saint!¡­ I get to room 7 and smell cigarette smoke coming from it. Upon entering I see a teenager putting out a cigarette then sigh and light it up again, ¡°It¡¯s just the fucking new kid! Wasted a fucking cigarette on you! You fucking owe me one now!¡± Oh we are doing great already, apparently I''m rooming with worse than children. ¡°Nice to meet you, I¡¯m Robert, I''ll be staying here for now¡± The other kid is sitting on a bed and reading a comic. In a high pitched voice they mockingly repeat what I say, ¡°Nicc to meet u ohh im wobert~ il be staying here now!¡± oh this is getting better and better!¡­ ¡°Look I¡¯m going to only be here a few day¡¯s and then youve got it back to yourselves, so hopefully we can just not get in each other¡¯s way until then¡± They look at each other and start laughing, what the fuck is this¡­ ¡°No you¡¯re our fucking gopher now, you can take our chores, you think it¡¯s that easy here? Pathetic, you can start by cleaning up the room! And then maybe we can see what else you can do for us, little bitch.¡± The smoker puts their cig in the tray on the window sill and steps over to me, hacking up with his throat, he spit on me, it hits my chest, leaking through the hospital gown. I haven''t even had the chance to get any new clothes yet! AND NOW IM BEING ATTACKED FOR NO FUCKING REASON!? I WILL NOT BE USELESS ANYMORE! My fist impacts their chin and I grapple them to the floor before I know what''s happening, slamming their head again and again against the wood. Finally I let go and the other kid is staring at me in shock, still on the bed. ¡°Are you going to tell me what to do as well?!... Are you going to try to put me down too?! SAY SOMETIHNG YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!¡± They are now staring at their friend on the ground, I go over to what I can only assume is my bed, a dingy little mattress with ripped quilts on it, it doesn¡¯t have a pillow. I call out to the kid on the bed, I¡¯ve already forgotten what their names are, I feel like everything¡¯s different, I feel stronger, like from just that interaction I¡¯ve been able to stop caring, maybe I could stay here, use these 2 kids as my patsy¡¯s, who cares if I¡¯m younger than them, I¡¯m strong. ¡°Give me a fucking pillow¡­ and clean up your friend!¡± They throw a pillow across the room and get down on their knees to help their friend up, the back of the kids head is bloody, they are shaking, trying to not look at me, they can see it can¡¯t they, the thing inside me. Maybe it''s okay to be the real me, just like the voice said¡­ the¡­ voice?... I sharply intake the air and feel a shiver down my spine. I should get some rest¡­ whatever tomorrow brings, decisions need to be made. ¡­ I''m awoken by sounds outside, it seems like my decision has been made for me, I can¡¯t stay here any longer¡­ I thought I could at least get a full night''s sleep, but the sun isn''t even over the horizon and they¡¯ve found me¡­ Getting off my bed the other boys are rousing, the uninjured one more than the other, I walk over and see that they have a duffel bag, kind of like the one the kid had at the hospital, I feel much less bad taking this one, dumping its contents out I rifle through it all. The boys watch me stealing their stuff, more afraid of me than they are of the mistress of the house. I find some tools and a swiss army knife, they aren''t going to need that while they live here at least, it¡¯s better off in my hands, I also take the ripped blanket from the bed with me, I¡¯m sure im going to need it. I look out the window and see there are people now coming out of cars and heading to the front of the orphanage. I lean over the uninjured kid and grab him by the cuff of his shirt, ¡°Is there a back exit?!¡± He nods jarringly and points further down the building, I let go and tell them both to shut up about me and they won''t see me again, they both agree with me as hard as they can. I exit the room and dash down the corridors hearing voices in the opposite direction. As I get closer to the exit I find a partially open closet, inside are some clothes. I quickly push what I can into the duffle bag not caring about size right now, anything is less conspicuous than a hospital gown! I eventually find the emergency exit and run through, I pass by the red stone building trying my best to avoid detection and find an alleyway where I can change, clothes are clothes at this point, ugly donated things but it really could be worse. I start off to the central Sydney area, I don¡¯t know how long it''s going to take, more people and more chances to hide¡­ maybe I can even make something of myself¡­ I stare at my fist, I feel the muscles in my body working for me, maybe it''s time that I stop feeling so useless, I need to get stronger so I can protect myself, so that I won''t be like the old me. I won''t be pathetic anymore! I can''t be¡­ Chapter 8: Happiness and Privacy The city lights up in the distance as it gets dark, the pink of the horizon disappearing behind us the further we get. To the left, giant ships abound, from the ocean to the harbor. On the right, glades and plains travel onwards into the region of the bronze pastures. Only in front of us does the city stand tall, the taller buildings curved on top so as for the wind to blow over it instead of into it, designed around the wind instead of against it. We breathe in the salty air and Keeks starts blabbering over and over about getting a pirate ship, It would sure be an amazing experience¡­ Zelia, Keeks and I at the helm of a mighty ship, fighting other pirates and sea monsters, finding lost treasure and old ruins. Enjoying each night of conquest with each other, sending shivers up my spine as I think some positively enthralling throughs. ¡°Anyone have anything they want to do tomorrow moo?¡± Zel mmnnss and aahhhss for a second. ¡°Weelll I would love to go to the library? Do some more research, I''ve found that since my combat style has changed I might see what spells I can now learn? I''m hoping there''s a witch teacher or some kind of association in town since all the knowledge I found from the starter town has basically disappeared¡­ I still don''t have a proper time frame of when my town existed compared to now, which will give me a better time frame! It''s a shame, my witch teacher was reaalllyyy lovely wan!¡± She emphasizes this with her hands on her chest, forming orbs bigger than mine, damn! That''s lovely! Keeks nyehehe¡¯s a few times. ¡°You mean after tonight?! I hope I can find myself a hot monster girl to throw me around, especially after not getting any spider woman action, bah! Tomorrow though?I wanna find myself a pirate ship! You think they will have them on loan or will we have to steal one?? Cause I sure as fuck can¡¯t afford it nyehe¡± ¡°Mnnn I really wanna find some kind of trainers or something?... wander around, this place is beautiful¡­ just want to live in the moment, breathe in the atmosphere you know moo!¡± ¡°Nyehe I didn''t think you were so sentimental mooey! I thought you were the more silent and serious type nye!¡± They look up at me with a big smile on their face, cute dummy, I push them off a bit and they come back and attach themselves to my thigh, still looking up at me with that damn cheeky smile, she¡¯s too damn adorable. ¡°You should see her when she gets those moments, she is my tender moo girl, just want to hug her so badly all the time wan!¡± I bump her with my ass which only elicits giggles as she also leaps back to my thigh, my movements heavily restricted with 2 cuties impeding me in body and mind. Definitely the lesbians of my downfall. At this point that is a certainty not just a possibility. In this moment of peace, I feel a sense of happiness I haven¡¯t really felt in a long time. The city lights ahead of us, the dark, holding hands, happy giggles of Keeks as she swings next to me, Zelia to the other side trying her best at explaining game mechanics to me and promptly failing, the little Cali on my shoulders happily asleep snuggling into me, holding onto my horns and using my top fur and ears as a pillow, a real family in the making. Cali is just a character in the game but she feels real¡­ and we are going to have to take her back home, I guess that''s another thing I''ll be doing tomorrow, something I can do with my free time at least. The gates to the city loom over us as we pass the borders. Silver city, Zel says that the region was called the Silver harbor because on calm moonlit nights it will reflect the whole way onto the land from the sea, When it happens people sit on the harbor walls in reverence to the Moon. ¡°Well you''re lucky kids! Tomorrow night is going to be exactly one of those nights! Predicted by the temples and everything! I know I¡¯ll be there! My Sister and her little ones are getting here in the morning¡­ aannnddd here we are!¡± We had arrived outside of the guild, I didn''t realize we even got here until Mershi said anything. The guards at the front are bowing and refer to her as ¡®big sis¡¯, she only nods back at them. ¡°Is it possible to get little Cali a room?... Il pay of course moo¡­¡± Mershi snorts at my offer. ¡°She can stay with me tonight, I don''t use the bed anyway, got a little bath I sleep in, can come back and figure out what to do with her tomorrow, same with the stuff we did today. I¡¯ve got to report to the guild master about this fucked shit!¡± She tries to say it as quietly as possible for Cali¡¯s sake but the little mooling feels like she¡¯s stopped and decides it''s the perfect time to wake up. ¡°Are we at the orphanage moo?...¡± She says sadly, still holding onto my horns. ¡°No cutie we are at the guild, you''re going to stay with Mershi tonight and then we are going to talk about everything yeah?... You''ve been a big strong girl and you need your beauty sleep so you can grow big and strong like me moo!¡± I lean down and feel her climb off my back and come around for a hug at my front, I hug her gently back and pick her up, putting her directly into Mershi¡¯s arms, she gratefully takes her. ¡°We will see you tomorrow, promise, Cali wan!¡± She nods and puts her face into Mershi¡¯s chest and we wave her off. Zelia turns to me and nudges me, ¡°Reminds me of you when we first met¡­ absolutely adorable and scared of the world¡­ but she has good people to take care of her¡­ If the orphanage is shit, we can talk about it, yeah? Maybe Mershi can help, she definitely has a soft spot for her, there''s always a way wan!¡± I pull her in and give her the biggest cow hug I can, fuck I love this woman. She knows my heart inside and out, I nod into the top of her head as I try and push back the tears. Keeks comes around and hugs Zelia from behind and pats me on the head, always happy to take advantage of the situation, but we are both happy to have her here. ¡°We can all see each other tomorrow bright and early! I¡¯ve got a red light district to find! Nyehehe!¡± she really took my suggestion to heart, I hope she at least gets the release she needs after all this time of getting ruffled up constantly. ¡°Just stay safe, yeah, we can do our own things tomorrow and then meet up again at night for the moonlit seas thing, it should be super romantic moo!¡± Keeks makes a psshhh noise with her mouth. ¡°Romantic sshmantic! I bet they are going to have stalls with food! How could you have people without stalls?! Street food is always the best! When I was traveling with my sister there were always so many! More because people couldn''t like¡­ afford to rent buildings¡­ but still! Anyway! Catcha¡¯s, I gotta find someone shady to tell me the best places nyeee~¡± She waves us off and disappears down an alleyway, off to spend her hard earned money on the most monstrously hot woman she can find. I kiss Zelia deeply and look her in the eyes, ¡°See you at home beautiful moo?¡± She smiles widely and disappears before me, ¡°Fia Log me out moo!¡± and I join her in the disappearing trick. ¡­ After a long shower to wash the thoughts of spiders off me, I emerge to the sight of a freshly showered goddess on my couch. Quickly I slip into something more comfortable¡­ jeans and a shirt, not bothering with a bra, which, from the hot look she gives me is greatly appreciated, Fia calls us in some takeaway and our night starts with brushes of fingers against each other''s skins and looks of love¡­ The empty chinese takeout boxes lay on the table in front of us, not that we ordered chinese, just a type of container I guess? A perfect container for the perfect goodness. My peanut satay hokkien noodles were thoroughly devoured, my Zelia had eaten some yummy, fishy thing, not exactly sure of what the sauce was but it tasted wonderful around her mouth when I got a really good taste of it from her. Our movie was finally coming to an end, some kind of blockbuster movie about friendship, overcoming all the odds and all that. It was background noise more than anything, something to enjoy the animations of while we talked with each other about everything and nothing, occasionally pointing at the screen whenever there was some weird thing happening that would just not work in real life. It was an all ages movie after all¡­ On the couch we were doing anything but, our hands exploring each other''s bodies once the distraction of food had gone and the tension had grown too hard to resist. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. The zipper and button were easily undone without looking as Zelia reached down into them, reminding me what she did earlier before we got to the guild, teasing me while I was in my maid uniform. She''s caused me so much ache today, knocking me down, touching me in public and being all gay shy with Mershi. I''ll show her how much of a monster girl I can be for her. ¡°Fia you''re in privacy mode yeah?¡± < Privacy mode is active > Phew puurrfect! Then I won''t have to hold anything back. I remove her hand from my pants with a grin on my face, she looks up slightly in confusion before seeing my grin and knowing something better was coming her way. ¡°Today you have been nothing but trouble¡± Grabbing the top of her hair and pulling her head back she gasps, ¡°Get on your feet and strip for me.¡± She tries nodding but I just hold her head there admiring her neck before gently biting first on the left side¡­ then the right, savoring her tiny moans before letting go. She sits, dazed for a second before realizing, and gets up promptly. One to both obey and disobey orders, a cute brat that will happily be pushed over like a kitten. Each piece of clothing falling off slowly as her already minimal pajama clothes disappeared one by one, a shirt, sports bra, silky pajama shorts and cute pink undies barely holding in her adorable erection, her anticipation obvious and her breathing deep. I admire her against the light of the finished movie, white against her pale skin, she¡¯s so goddamn pretty. Her body offset by the dark hair dangling down her petite boobs, ¡°Turn around slowly for me Zelia, I want to see all of you¡­¡± She abides and slowly I see all of her, when I see her ass infront of me I put my hand on it and stop her. ¡°Do you know what bad girls get?...¡± She whimpers as I slide my finger up and down her ass, pushing at the bottom of her back she bends over for me, her hands grabbing onto the small table in front to support herself so that she doesn''t fall over. Instinctively spreading her legs ever so slightly, hoping for me to go deeper. I take my pants off and let her hear every piece come off, my underwear thoroughly soaked from all the kissing and teasing during the movie. I touch myself rubbing up and down, making sure I soak my hand in all the wet that she helped produce. Lathered up, I happily apply it to her perfect asshole in front of me, making sure to be slow and methodical. She flinches constantly, arching her back and pressing towards me everytime I even slightly get inside her. ¡°Hey! What did I say?...¡± I push her back more so that she bends down further and with the same hand hold her steady. SMACK! Ahhh! Her ass makes the perfect sound as does her mouth. ¡°I think we need a better position don''t you?...¡± She nods hurriedly with her whole body, shivers going up her spine. Pulling her back and moving her around like a ragdoll, I manage to put her over my lap. Her erection rubbing against mine, leaking all over my thighs. Her perfect ass in the light, now I can see the reddening of her right cheek. It¡¯s right there so I have to take a bite, she squeals a little bit as I tease her with my mouth, small bites around the check and tasting her body as much as I can. Pulling back I get my left hand under her and move her around better until I have both our wet dicks in our hands together. I slowly start working us both off, my right hand caressing her ass, SMACK! AAHH~ each resounding sound accompanied by the symphony of her voice, playing beautiful music with our crotches together as well as her ass. ¡°You''re going to be spanked until you cum for me! It¡¯s only fair after all the pains you''ve given me today!¡± SMACK SMACK SMACK! Each time she moans for me, using my name as a placeholder for any other kind of words and moans. She cums for me, my princess. It would have been impossible to tell if it wasn''t for her absolutely soaking my thighs with a new feeling. Her clenching and nearly screaming against the couch, a similar sound to her beautiful moans just more high pitched. Her flailing hands as she tried to stop me from grasping her poor cock in my hands, so sensitive as I continue to pump her. Pulling her up from the couch she stares at me dazedly, her mind broken by her sensitive body as she twitches, ¡°mmnn you came so hard for me love! You really like being spanked for being a bad girl don''t you?...¡± She responds in mews and nods, sticking out her tongue for kisses. I can''t help but reward her, kissing her deep and sucking on her tongue. She aggressively kisses me back. ¡°You know¡­ I haven''t cum yet¡­ It would be bad manners not to use that lubed up ass of yours!¡± I handle her again, turning her body around, she¡¯s so thin it''s easy to push her around, make her my toy. She sits on my lap and grinds against me, begging for it. All of her cum makes things too easy, her whole ass is soaked at this point. I use my hand to slather more between us, slowly entering her. She pushes down on me, I''m trying to get her used to me but she wants to rush, begging for me to be as deep inside her as I can. Each thrust getting deeper and deeper inside her, she makes me feel like I''m melting. Finally I''m able to reach all the way in, the breath catching in her throat, leaning over her body I bite down on that beautiful pure neck and blemish it with marks, I see her half erect dick is drooling heavily. ¡°Are you ready love?¡± Her only response is moaning, I¡¯ll take that as a yes. I press down on her body, getting inside her as much as I can before bouncing her up and down, each time making slapping noises as our bodies connect. God her fucking ass is intense, she¡¯s so tight, taking me in again and again, each bouncing motion bringing my body closer to cumming, bringing animalistic moans with every push. ¡°Baby I¡¯m cumming, you feel so fucking amazing!!¡± I bite deep on her neck again as her body tightens and convulses around me, sending me over the edge. I push her down on me one final time, coating her insides as I tell her desperately how much I love her. After a few seconds I cradle her against me¡­ ¡°Zel¡­ Zelia?...¡± I pull her up and look at her face, she¡­ maybe had a bit too much stimulation!¡­ Her smiling face lets me know she¡¯s okay at least, breathing happily and making noises, ¡°Zel¡­ I love you you dummy, how did you pass out from getting fucked?...¡± ¡°Wass goodsss¡­ lovsss youu¡­¡± Oh thank fuck, I was getting a little worried there, her eyes are closed and she¡¯s barely using her mouth. ¡°I¡¯m going to take you to bed, okay love?...¡± She nods and puts her head into my chest, I hear a quiet ¡°boobies hehe¡­¡± from her, yeah she will be more than fine. Picking her up I feel all the sticky liquids we made together run down my legs, some of it dripping off of her onto the carpet, Shit¡­ that''s going to need cleaning¡­ that''s for tomorrow''s Lilia. Placing her gently down onto the bed I get the system to lower the lights, just enough that I can see her beautiful body. The lights turn off. We fall asleep, wrapped in each other and the blankets. Messy but truly safe. Respite: Keeks night out ¡°Catcha! I gotta find someone shady to tell me the best places nyeee~¡± The city as my witness, I will find the hottest, messiest fuck of the night! Down the alleyways I sweep, the night my only companion, you could say that I am the night, but my gnoll coloring would say otherwise, bleh! The Silver City alleyways seem to stretch on forever. A resounding scream tells me there''s trouble afoot, but I''m here, I¡¯m queer, get ready to rumble! Two streets down I see them, thugs surrounding young street girls, or at least I think, it''s hard to tell with other races, at least their chests say youngish, I look down and sigh... I mean I AM young, but really, at least I''m proportional. Oh right, uhh women being attacked! "Stop Villains nye!" I scream at the top of my lungs, definitely intimidating and not sounding like a whining puppy, that''s for Zel to do. The thugs stop their thuggy growling at the young women and turn to me, there¡¯s like 8 of them! (4) And the hot young women are super impressed at how I¡¯m about to save them (they aren¡¯t) "What the fuck are you going to do about it pipsqueek?!" He''s kinda bigger than I thought... Actually all of them are goddamn giants! Is that a thing?! I check out what they are packing, maybe they are actually pretty damn weak! < Investigate > Name: Greggory the filth Type: Gargoyle Humanoid Threat: E+ ''Greggory is known in the area as the filth due to their calling sign of drowning his victims in the latrines, they are the Boss''s right hand of the Grouch Gang'' Oh sonofabitch E+?? wtf I mean gargoyles are like strong and shit and I think good against magic? What about the rest? < Investigate > Name: Slow Stan Type: Half-Troll Threat: E ''Slow Stan is known so because although they are relentless and hard to kill, they are also quite... Slow, don''t try to have an argument with them, they won''t realize'' < Investigate > Name: Erratic Eric Type: Gnome Threat: F+ ''Erratic Eric seems to have lost more than a few marbles, some say he''s at least a few hundred years old, was found in a fairy ring as a child, maybe they should have been left there'' < Investigate > Name: Gilbert Type: Human Threat: F+ ''Everyone needs someone normal in the group to talk to the authorities'' Fucking Gilbert?! I mean! I guess?! I should have taken one out with a surprise attack before I tried to be all valiant and shit! Why aren''t they more shithead and weak like?! I cough into my hand and regain my fervor, "I may be small but I make up for it in my ability to kill and make love to hot babes nye!!" They look at each other and start laughing, even Gilbert, fucking Gilbert. "Were gonna cut you into tiny pieces!... OH and then Greggory is gonna throw you in the shitta!" yes... that explains Eratic Eric... fucking gnomeboi really removed some braincells. I start my rebuttal, reaching into my bag I pull out a small notebook, I disappear... Appearing behind Erratic Eric "SUPRISE ATTACK FUCKER NYE!" My Cutlass enters the back of their neck piercing all the way through, I can feel all the life drain from their body as they try to grab their throat, with my Pistol I unload it into the back of Gilbert¡¯s. Brains splattering onto Slow Stan, fucker might never notice though. < You have killed Erratic Eric > < You have killed Gilbert > "What was that about tiny pieces you small fuck! Thats what you fucking get nyeeee!" Running backwards I grab the arms of the extremely turned on (they weren''t) and startled young ladies. "Cmon were getting out of here nye!" They don''t resist due to being in shock still, as both of the remaining thugs are still in shock, the audacity of the tiny thing to kill their men in town, Stan hasn''t really noticed, they started picking their nose, valid in the situation though. One of the girls seems to be some sort of fish girl and the other has scales, could be dragon or lizard, hard to tell. I could find out easily but honestly the mystery is the sexiest part. We run down alleyway after alleyway until the lizard girl pulls us both to a door, entering it we crumple down onto the floor with our backs against the wall and finally get some time to breath. Not before being smacked in the face though. "Idiot! Brave but a goddamn idiot! who knows what those monsters are going to do now!" The fish girl curls herself up into a ball and puts her head on her knees, she has cute flappy things on the side of her head almost like wings but obviously made of fishy stuff, look I don''t know shit about animals, I''m going blind here. "Sorry... both of you, when I see beautiful women in danger I can''t help but jump to their aid! Besides I can take them, Only reason I ran away was because I didn''t want either of you to be marred, I would rather die than have such amazing women as yourselves be harmed nye!" I put on my sappy eyes and try to look them both in the eyes, they both sigh and hug me, omg omg this is the best! Compose yourself, you''re going to ruin your amazing rescuer persona! " I¡¯m Keeks, Adventurer and savior of beautiful women, may I know both your names nye?" They look at each other and both giggle, The scaled girl answers this time "I''m surprised you dont know of us oh brave Keeks, I am Diana and this is Diamond, We are known as the Sisters D in these parts, myself with lineage of the earth dragons and Diamond as lineage of the Sea dragons. We are... courtesans from the silk domain hotel" "So you''ve really gone and picked yourself up some high class girls off the street havent you?" Diamond smirks at me, I can¡¯t help but smile back and giggle a little, Oh dear, whatever will I do! "I will do what I can to return both of you to where you want to go! nye" Diana looks a little sad at the thought. "Actually I believe we are being sold off to the Grouch Gang... That''s why they were talking to us, Greggory told us that we should pack up because we were being bought to be the gangs ''toys''..." She shivers and tears appear at the edges of her eyes. Diana leans over and pats Diamond¡¯s hair, I feel her body rub over mine, fuck, fuck fuck fuck. The Injustice! the boobies of it all! uhh badness of it all! I might do something I''m going to regret... "Where is the Grouch Gang''s hideout?! I will remove them from this city!" Both girls look up at me with bits of hope in their eyes. I Will be your savior! and all that comes with the saving nyehehehe. "They have a warehouse on the edge of town... Most of their members are out at the moment, just the boss and a few of his goons will be there... Just please... be safe Keeks..." Diamond plants a kiss on my lips and I feel the shiver go from my tail to my spine to my fluffy ears as my whole body enjoys the taste, fuck!!!! KEEKS DESTROY!! I turn and Diana also kisses me, her serpentine tongue digging deep into my throat. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA. "Ahem... I will be off. By the end of tonight... you will both be free... Where can I see you again nye?" omg omg omg omg. "We will be at the Silk Domain, everyone in the city knows of it even if they haven''t visited, we will see you back there, when you are safe and in our arms again." They push against me, Im on fucking fire, my loins and my heart, fucking not one but 2 dragon girls! of different types!! AHHHAHAHAHA. I cup their faces, caressing their cheeks and lips with my fingers, trying to be as cool as possible, "Ladies nye..." I turn and sweep my cloak as I once again, become the night. ... The magical street lamps light the street, the edge of town is far from my sweets but it''s needed, I perch like a... like a... Gnoll, watching its prey, I stalk into the night as it embraces me, Never has such crime been committed and owed death to, harassing women is just like¡­ bad. goddamn rude as heck! There''s one body at the door to the warehouse. It''s late, and they are oh so eepy, barely paying attention, perfect for a... surprise attack, quiet version! After what feels like minutes of waiting, my blade thirsting for blood and my ADHD acting up, I finally give up on waiting as I haven''t seen anyone, it''s probably fine, From above them I fall gracefully, "sneak attack nye" I whisper, the end of their life reached, as my cutlass, slides delicately down their spine, huh damn you¡¯re weak boi! At least they died not knowing of their fate, my sneak attack too sneaky. Next to them is a little bell I didn''t notice, huh... well good thing they didn''t see me! nyehehe, NINJA! Looking through the little door slat that''s open I see a few gangsters hanging around, some on chairs snorting powder, others cleaning weapons and chatting, at the very back of the hall on a higher area is a large man. His plump and hearty figure throwing me off slightly, what a beast, I bet he''s called something like the Teddybear killer or something, Gotta check. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. < Investigate > Name: Ernest Type: Half-Ogre Hardness: E+ ''The boss of the Grouch Gang, Ernest is known throughout Silver City as not someone to fuck with, the Guild has been trying to organise his capture for some time but they seem to have some ties that keep them safe, as part ogre they are hard to hurt much less kill.'' Ernest... FUCKING ERNEST?! WHO THE FUCK NAMED THESE FUCKING NPCS! Oh they are so fucking dead, if they weren¡¯t going to be already, fuck ''connections'' I can deal with it!... probably! The easiest entrance is the best entrance! "Hello I''m here for pizza delivery, nye!" I look through the slit and the two members cleaning their weapons and talking get up and start swaggering to the door; "We didn''t order any of this ''Pizza'' or whatever you''s sellin!... Wait where''s-" BANG, an almighty wracket is made when they go to look into the slit in the door, a sound execution if I do say so myself! Their body drops to the floor like a pin in the silence. "Peta noo! you fucking killed em il kill you!" The door opens as Ernest yells to stop from the back. "Sneak Attack nye!!!" My cutlass slides through the now ajar door, my 2nd victim of the warehouse found. "I AM VENGEANCE! I AM FURY! I AM KEEKS NYE!" two down! two fucked up fucks and the real boss to go! I leap over and chop down on the drugged up unsuspecting enemies, my cutlass ruthlessly descends on their heads one by one as they belatedly try to draw their own weapons, quick work is made of such fools, everyone knows only to do drugs when your not working, tch. I hear clapping from on the higher part of the room, the blob of muscle that is Ernest bleh! has stood up and congratulated me on my victory. ¡°Well that was quite a show, but now my real men are on their way, and not just the leftovers! Can you deal with me before they come? dog of the guild!!" I have to pause for a second, for several reasons. "DOG?! IM A FUCKING GNOLL! WE ARE CLEARLY OF THE SUPERIOR CAT RACE! and fucking guild? I mean I only just joined!... ugh just fucking die, Ernest, what a shit name!" They frankly look heartbroken at my insult, which I really couldn¡¯t care less at this point! I pull out my little notebook and suddenly I''m behind the lumbering beast, the true Villain of this story! En Fucking Gard! "SNEAK ATTACK ERNEST YOU FUCK NYE!" My Cutlass, my companion in battle, only stabs... a little into their back, BUT! BANG my beautiful pistol goes off and streaks across their face, ear and skin exploding off, showing their bones underneath. See that''s the shit! They turn around, oh they are not happy... SMACK I go flying across the stage, the stage that is our greatest battle! A perfectly positioned barrel catches my fall as I go through it, thanks barrel! Why do you hurt so much, Pah... I feel my mouth and some blood has dribbled out, damn man¡¯s got a rough backhand! Looking over I see that his skin has mostly recovered on his face, his ear is starting to grow back, th-thats not fair!? His heavy steps quicken towards me along with an enlarging fist, I bet Lilia hits harder! Is that a gay thought or appreciation of my fist swinging friend?! BOTH?! fuck! The tall hotness is not what I should be thinking about in combat! Getting on both hands and feet I leap, his fist sails under me as I land on his arm, dashing up it, I dissappear behind him, emerging under his side, I can only hope and try again, "FUCKING SNEAK ATTACK NYE" This time my Cutlass finds purchase under his underarm, nearly severing his arm off the shoulder. Hah Fucking knew it! all humanoids have it as a weak point! Sneak attack never disappoints! I Leap back as he screams in pain and anger. "FUCKING SHITTY DOG I WILL BITE YOUR HEAD OFF!" As they say this their entire body expands, their mouth filling with rows of teeth. Holding their arm they charge me with their whole body, throwing everything at me, literally. Have you ever seen a charging gorilla? much the same, except in this case I feel it gives off a sharper quality. It''s been a minute since I teleported so I gained enough mana back to charge up my pistol for a blast, just need to get the perfect timing! "BOSS BOSS THE SILK DOMAIN KILLED ALL OUR MEN!" Ernest skids and nearly starts falling over. Oh! That works! As he starts skidding I jump up, coiling my legs around his neck and position my pistol against his temple, Bannggg, the mana explosion enters his brain and instantly drops him, I follow suit and end up nearly trapped under their head, WHY IS HE SOO HEAVY! I push their leaking head off my body and stand up,.. wait what did that dude say? Oh my dragon girls! one of them has impaled through the gangster¡¯s head with just their hand, neat trick... wait... they are strong?! "Wow you did a good job our cute little savior!" Diamond makes eyes at me, heh yeah I am pretty awesome... wait.... WAIT! WAS I FUCKING BAIT?! "W-was I bait all along?? nyeeee..." Diane approaches me and puts me up to her chest. "Awww don''t say that!... you were so so helpful to us!" Yeah I was fucking bait... "s-so you weren''t going to be sold off?! or like... I''M SO CONFUSEDDD!" They both look at each other and giggle, Diamond coming over and sitting me down, cradling me, I kinda wanna cry, I wanted to be the cool amazing savior! "Well... when we saw how cool and strong you were, we thought it would be the perfect time to clean them up. They have been in competition with us and trying to take our territory for years now, it got to a point where we had enough, and then the bravest coolest Gnoll came along to save us! Isn''t that the most important thing?" Heh yeah I am pretty cool and awesome and brave! She''s right that''s all that matters, and boobies of course, two pairs in my face... squish... "And to reward our brave Keeks we are going to invite you back to have a night with us at the Silk Domain in our private quarters, how does that sound for a reward?" "FUCK YES!! yes! I mean... cool, that would be acceptable... Cough" Diane Picks me up and cradles me as Diamond has blood covering one of her hands, yes yes yes yes it''s happening! ... The Silk Domain is a multi-storied courtesan palace, renowned for its women, music and harmony. Tonight it was closed... due to large amounts of bloodshed. Ernest called over his men from the Silk Domain when we started to fight, while they were getting ready it was the perfect time for the courtesans to strike, cleansing Silver City with the blood of men, and who better to run things than women, even if they are thugs, they are hot thugs, much more reasonable. I was taken to one of the top wings of the palace where the sisters D lived together. Thankfully they weren''t really sisters, always thought that stuff was a little weird. Their silk draped room filled with pure whites, blues and copper colors, both their beds pushed together but different colors showing a stark contrast between both women. They sent me to get cleaned using the facilities as they too did, all of us seemed to have a dirty night, in the worst ways. Emerging from the bathroom after drying off with hot blasts of air, my fur looking frankly goddessly, I bet I smell heavenly! No stimky kitty here! I jump and then roll onto their beds, sinking deep into them, feeling the silk sheets of the beds against my skin, smelling the wonderful womanly scent in the air and on everything. Maybe I died in that battle and went to heaven! A sound behind me confirms my suspicions as the sisters emerge, clad in loose silk garments in their own colors, setting off their skin tones even more. I could see everything, especially the fact that they were sporting large bulges, barely straining against what silk held them back. Truly this is heaven. "Soo is everything to your liking savior Keeks?" Diamond raises her eyebrow and smirks at me. I squeak out a response as best I can "N-NYE!!" fuck idiot! "Y-yes! I mean yes nye!" We are doing great! They look at each other and giggle, they are perfectly in rhythm as they crawl on the bed towards me. I start purring without meaning to, fucking stop, be cool BE COOL! YOU¡¯RE THE FUCKING COOLEST KEEKS! I am fucking toast. They start kissing and moving me around, making me their toy as they enjoy every part of my body, as I let them, it''s totally because I''m letting them. "You''re such a good girl, Keeks!" My whole body tenses as I just give up, I can''t fight this, I give in, brain gone. I start mewing as I feel my brain give in to being their pet, after lots of kissing and brushing against my whole body, making everything perfect and tingly and mmnnnnnn. "Who is in front today love?..." asks Diane, Diamond hmmmnns to the side. "You know I like to watch the look on their faces when they break!" Diane nods and picks me up against her from the back as Diamond slides her body under mine. They lean over and kiss each other over my shoulders, at the same time I feel the both of them reach down and undo their bindings, both of their members slapping against my front and back at the same time making a sound and feeling that nearly makes me crumble there and then, I''ve been on the verge of cumming the entire time just from their touching and knowing just one of them entering would put me over. I realize that It won''t be just one, I whimper as my body shakes at the thought. Nothing could prepare me or my body for the feeling of hands, slathered up with juices caressing both my back and front at the same time, the feeling of Diane''s sharp teeth sinking into my neck from the back, a distraction as my body spreads apart, the wettest things that I''ve ever felt instantly sliding into my body, large, thick, enormous, I could keep going... If I didn''t pass out for a second, I feel a sting on my face as I feel my lungs scrabble to take in breath. FUCKFUCKFCUKFCUKFCUKFUKUFKCKCCUFKCUFKUKCUFCKUFKCFC. I feel both inside me, rubbing against each other inside me, I feel so fucking full! I can bearely breath, They arent just fucking big they are fucking massive! HOW DID THAT FIT INSIDE ME GAME?! An impossibility entering my brain space as I know my body shouldnt fit those things. I finally regain my ability and look again, Diamond has such a dominating look on her face, she knows I''m done! That fucking smile that tells me everything I need to know. "Mnnn our good girl has woken up from her 2nd orgasm, you definitely passed out there for a good minute, you felt wonderful as you spasmed around my dick though! Diane''s on her 2nd round but how about you help me get off for the first time my good girl!" Oh fuck she''s right, I can barely feel my body now but I definitely came when they entered, and then when she slapped me back awake again. I feel deep inside me in my ass is squishy and full of liquid, Diane is panting away and struggling, I hear muffled moans of how good my ass feels, everything is just a mess in my brain and how am I supposed to-- FUUUuuuuuuuuuccckkkkkkk. "I''m cumming love, take it all in!" mmnn I w-what, Oh god, each thrust turning me inside out, she pushes harder into me and I feel it contract and burst, plzzzzzz! "Me too Diamond me tooo!! never had an ass this good and tight!" This time I really get to experience it, both of the girls pushing deeper into my body, my tongue hanging out and my body limp, used to whatever degree they want, just a thing to be used again and again to their will. That is until we all fall over, both their arms curled around my body as they gently pump in me, oh... oh wait! don¡¯t dragons do the same things as dogs?... I think I''m sleeping in the capsule tonight... and that is... perfectly okay... I fall asleep feeling full and taken care of, nyehe the girls are going to be so jealous! I lay there cradled between two beautiful dragon women as their dicks are knotting inside me holding in all their hot liquids. I quickly send off a picture to my two friends and fall asleep. One with the night, a legend in the making, warrior woman, pet of dragons, slayer of bad guys, Keeks the brave. Chapter 9: The Guildmasters welcome Once again I wake up in peace and happiness. My angel splayed out next to me, embracing my body wholly. I can only lay there staring at her perfect face. What would have become of me without her? Hoping for the rest of my life I get to wake up next to her, never being apart for more than a few days... We really need to look at getting a new place together... maybe in one of the central cities? Either the Australian central in Sydney or Melbourne, I did prefer the colder climate of Melbourne, I mean... we still have to actually afford it, dreams will only stay dreams. Checking my bank account I see...a lot fucking more than I was expecting?! WTF?! There are multiple payments from AssassinKeeks pty ltd. Wait wait, why is she sending me money?! I check their origin and they seem to be due to payment splits from the streaming and video platform she uses... is this royalties?! I mean... fuck! No wonder she lives in an American Central region! I consider for a second, I could send it back... No no, I don''t feel like she¡¯d want to owe me... I jump on the streaming platform and see that she easily hit thousands of views on the stream, donations and whatnot were abundant... 20 MILLION FUCKING VIEWS ON AXI-VIEW?! uuhhhhhhhh... My brain short circuits and I have to settle back down... gotta not wake the princess... Goddamnit though, how?! I mean it was a fucked battle and like lots of weird shit but like... that¡¯s a bit much, surely there were equally bad things found by other people... Maybe we got lucky?... hah no... I put down my data pad and sigh... I mean... Now we have enough money to move... and we could keep collaborating with Keeks. People seem to like me, for some reason... and it looks like she hasn''t uploaded anything with the spiders. I could send her my recording data and she could pair them together, she was asleep most of the time, I bet people will love my flesh mech!... but maybe I''ll come up with another name. Why are you so beautiful... and why the fuck did we make such a mess last night! Reluctant to get up, I procrastinate, but I feel it''s time to stop being such a bad moo. Carefully I lean over and kiss Zelia on the forehead, she smiles and tries to burrow deeper into me, nononon damn.. maybe another minute... "Hey love... I need to clean up from last night... I''ll be back in a minute, yeah?..." She doesn''t open her eyes, making a pouting face and whines a little bit, instead, flipping over and burrowing her head into the pillow. She reaches over and massages her poor butt muscles, yeah that''s gonna be sore, good thing she won¡¯t feel it in Iselgurd heh. I carefully get up and place a gentle kiss on her ass cheek to a happy conflicted whine. My next 20 minutes dealing with putting everything into the wash and making sure to spray any spills. A job well done! Fia lets me know that I¡¯d received a group message from Keeks about 6 hours after we departed and Zelia and I were happily curled up together. Maybe it¡¯s to let us know when she will be on tomorrow. Oh... oh damn... Zelia is going to die from jealousy. Not that I''m not feeling it, tempting me to go again with Zel, if I meant for her to not be able to walk. A top down view of what looks like some kind of blue sea serpent woman, and a bronze lizard woman. From what I can tell they are both dragon type humanoids, but the important thing was below a ''spoiler tag.¡¯ Only the top half of the image was visible until I clicked on it revealing the rest, she was completely full of them, their dicks making imprints on the internals of her body, her stomach inflated with both of them knotted inside her. That happy fucking gnoll girl, goddamn! I walk back into the room and see Zelia in bed looking at her data pad, a deep red flush across her face and a growing erection showing exactly what she''s looking at, well... How can I resist? ... I cradle the poor helpless puppy in my arms as she mmnnnsss and recovers. Slowly I play with her head as she breathes deep into my chest, small kisses on her head as her fingers twirl around my stomach. "You know how tomorrow is a public holiday?..." She mnns back in happiness, "We could... ask Keeks if she wanted to meet up irl?..." She pauses and looks up with a little smile on her face. "I know you like Keeks and that like... how we feel about each other and that we want other people, not that I know that it''s not that I''m not enough for you. I know you¡¯re not just fully monogamous and all that stuff... that you were waiting for me... but I can see you like Keeks like that... and she seems to like us both as well?... ugh you know I''m bad at this shit!..." She smiles deeper and leans up, kissing me on the nose. "I would love to take Keeks out on a date, or a date for us with her by our side?... You know, Keeks isn¡¯t into dating or being in a relationship. She just wants to be with friends, fuck, and be wanted, which I know you want her and want to be her friend as well... You are mine and I''m yours, It''s been that way for a long time even if we didn''t know it. At the very least I want to be a true friend with her... and see where it goes from there?..." I kiss her back deeply, always the one to know my mind better than me, my girlf¡­ oh¡­ right... "S-speaking of... you''re my like... girlfriend now right?..." She looks at me stunned and starts laughing, I can''t help but pout at her reaction. "S-sorry sorry I just didn¡¯t realise, fuck, I just saw it just as it was haha... Yes... Yes I¡¯m your girlfriend, my beautiful Lilia and someday more." I nod and kiss her, glad that that¡¯s in the open, and I just needed to know that the word applied. I think of it as being a useless lesbian but in my heart it was important. I hug her close and when I let her go she is grinning, like she¡¯s waiting fo-fuck! "and I¡¯m yours and more Zelia" She boops me on my nose with her own and snuggles back into my chest. All parts of the agenda for the morning seem to be accounted for. Good job brain we did iiittt! The light falls on her face and I can¡¯t help but feel even more in love, what do I do with these fucking feeellinnnggssss. Play a game, play a goddamn game, that''s what! I can''t wait to have our capsules together, how romantic. ¡®They had connected capsules!¡¯ The gayest of realities. We languished together and after many more kisses and moans, eventually leading to multiple messages from Fia telling us we had ¡®plans today and a small moo girl to take care of, we didn''t want to be late, right?.... Right?!... Please that poor Cali¡¯! "Okay sorry Fia, yes we are getting up now... How did we play a video game and get responsibilities?!" Zelia kisses me one last time, giggling as she rolls off the side of the bed, rolling up in the blankets and pillows like a burrito. "Hehe that just means it''s just that damn good! It''s like when you have raid times in games, you don''t want to let people down!" I sigh... fuck I never really got that far in those games... had bad times with people before I could even hit that point. Hah fuck people... Was I so unlikable? The giggles of my newly formed burrito girlfriend kick me in the best parts of my brain and I go to get my snack. She barely weighs a thing and I pull her under my shoulder, her giggles only grow. "I didn''t think I ordered a burrito with extra giggles! I think I''m going to have to return this one!" A nuuuuuu comes from the blankets, my love''s voice muffled by the sheets. I take her to the living room and plop her on the couch. I think she''s dying from happiness, I think she should have chosen burrito as her race instead of lupine. She would make the happiest snack in the game. Her feet are sticking out and I slide my hand up them, "Mnn this burrito¡¯s got all the best meat!" "Hehehe, unhand me vixen! You shan¡¯t take me meaty substance heh" We will see about that! I grab the ends of the blanket and unwrap her. At the end of the blanket is a red faced messed up cutie. She''s happily at the end of her giggle spree and ready to be set free of her torment. I pull her up into my arms and kiss her deep, wrapping my arms all the way around her, making sure to caress her whole body, so that I can remember it later, every curve and dimple. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. "Sooo... same time tomorrow?" I wink at her, she smiles friskily. "Hmmm I''ll have to check my calendar, I''m such a busy wolf you know!¡± She kisses me on the cheek and quickly throws some clothes on, "We can''t keep the guild and little Cali waiting." This woman could kill me with a look if she wanted, but I feel I could also do the same. She waves on the way out, now clothed and... mostly presentable to the world, our dirty smells mixed together thoroughly. I fall back into the couch, all energy leaving me. My angel, not in my presence anymore, craving her to be here. At least I''ll see her again tonight, in game, the moon overhead, with our cute little gnoll to accompany us, at least for the hopeful feast that is street food. "Alright I''ll take a shower so I''ll be straight in game afterwards!" By the time I''m out and ready, the cushions are ready to take me back into the void. ... "Hey newbies, where''s your pet?" Mershi wanders over from the stairs, this time coming from a higher floor. "She had a loong night with two dragons, so it¡¯s hard to say when she will actually show up heh." She ponders for a second before coming up with an idea. "Oh fucking shit! The courtesans?! Damn she is going to be full as a temple on ascension day hah! Anyway, yall gotta get your asses to the guild master, we gotta talk. So it¡¯s a shame little thing isn¡¯t here, yall will have to give her her deserved rewards from the pile then, at the same time we can talk about Cali. Little thing has been exploring the guild all day, cute as all fuck she is!" Mershi keeps talking without letting us get a word in. Her commanding authority makes us follow her up the stairs, past the dormitories and to the top floor where finally she finishes her conversation with us and knocks on the door. Knock knockknock knock knock. "Come innn" The door opens with the spookiest door noise I''ve ever heard, did we suddenly find ourselves in a haunted mansion?! Hand Holding will be required. Noone is behind the door, it leads into a large room with a rather tall, plump, beautiful woman. She sits gracefully and upright in her seat, giving off a sort of regality. We get inside the room and all approach the ornate leather couch in the middle of the room. "Pleassse sit!" BANG! FUCK! I look back and the door¡¯s closed, oh... oh fuck Keeks is going to be angy she missed this. Holding the handle of the door is the end of an emerald tail, slender and moving with the beauty of a killer. I follow it along and it gets thicker, plumper and darker, spots looking like eyes grow larger and larger as I follow it the whole way around the room all the way to her lovely body. A fucking lamia, she is going to cry and make any excuse she can to meet this woman. We sit down, all just barely fitting on the couch, pressed thigh to thigh. Zel leans into me as Mershi leans away. "This is Miss LilMoo and Miss Zelawoo, their friend is currently... indisposed." Mershi is being extra polite, she must really respect her. ¡°Newbies, this is Mistress Listara, Guild Master of Silver City.¡± She looks at us one at a time, tongue flicking out at each glance, tasting the air. "Nonetheless, the most important person is here." She glances briefly at Zel again before looking away. "First order of business! You have passed your trial, defeating a True Arachne is quite a feat for a newcomer, even if it was only a child..." Zel and I look at each other... "A fucking child?! What the fuck does an adult one look like then moo?!" Mistress Listara Stares at me... I feel it deep in my soul, words halting in my mouth, my tongue becoming like stone... Oh fuck no. < You are currently being petrified > "Mannersss child before I make it permanent!" I nod hurriedly feeling my skin returning back to normal. Fucking hell, I look at Mershi and realise, It wasn¡¯t respect, it was fucking fear! Yup I got it! Good girl mode activated "But... to answer your rudely stated question, as big as a mountain... although that was recorded before the splitting of the continent a few hundred years ago." She presses a button on her desk top and the door hurriedly opens, a young mouse-girl with soft white fur rushes in and deposits a cup on the desk before bowing and quickly leaving. The fear effect has everyone on their toes I bet. "Now... As I was saying, before I was rudely interrupted, You have all been assigned rank E Adventurer¡¯s licenses. Normally you would start at F and work your way up, but due to your contributions and information it would be prudent of me to reward you properly. I will let Mershi give you said information in regards to your rank and rewards that are given from said rank." We all sit in rapt attention, she pushes up her glasses and sips her drink before clearing her throat. "Onto the matter with said Arachne... This is the first sighting of an Arachne in many years, the last vanished over 40 years ago. Quite an intelligent woman, she was once a person of note in the academic community. Her library was one day found abandoned, many tomes missing or burnt, what was left was donated to the royal academy, such a shame too... I visited it in my youth, she was a wonderful conversationalist¡­ apologies, I''ve gotten off track!" We all nod and don''t say a word, yes yes you''re amazing please don''t kill us, lovely. "The fact that we have discovered... Is that the first of the Arachne, the mother divine herself, has been changed... Which means all her lineage has adopted her insanity. They have forever been lost to the mist. I wish this was the worst of the news." She takes a sip... clears her throat and looks directly at Zel, who grabs my hand and flinches heavily against me. "The being you found, you still have the crystal, yes?... Bring it to me child, Just to look, it is yours, not just in ownership." Zel stands up and looks at me, there''s nothing we can do and all she can really do is... whine, it''s pretty cute. She takes out the crystal and approaches the desk, its white light glowing over the room, radiating outwards. The Guild Master leans over the desk and touches it... or attempts to at least. zzts A spark of white forces her hand away from it. "See my child! It is yours in every way conceivable... you have been blessed by the Celestial Moths. Once every hundred years the Celestials will come down from the True Moon and bestow the land its blessing... but its death means the opposite. There is nothing remaining to give, that Iselgurd is done.¡± She stares at us all in sorrow, Zel looks down at her crystal, having sat back down, at what the thing in her hands means. Zel reluctantly raises her hand to ask a question, The Guild Master Nods, ¡°What¡­ does that mean for us?...¡± The guild Master Sighs. ¡°For now¡­ it means nothing, just a possibility of what is to come¡­ Thankfully we have such fine new immortals as yourselves to help with many things. So many adventurers have died lately all over Iselgurd that I had feared we were close to the end already. For what it will mean, grow stronger, help those that need it and you will be duly rewarded. Please keep to yourselves what you have heard here, not including your group partner of course, those that are blessed by the celestials are highly ¡®wanted¡¯ by certain parties. Until we meet again.¡± She rises up until we can see the bottom of her torso, the green outlines and paler gentle hue of her scales. Putting out her hand she bids us farewell. Mershi rushes to get up, pulling me with her and subsequently Zelia. We hear the door creak open with her tail and are pulled out of the room. In the corridor the tiny mouse girl bows to us hurriedly multiple times and enters the room after us. Mershi starts swearing in a guttural tongue that reminds me of some kind of voodoo magic, ¡°Well that was fucking fucked! I was only supposed to be here for a year at first and it turned into 5. I don''t think I''ll ever be able to leave this place! Everytime she looks at me with those eyes I can¡¯t say no to staying! Like a goddamn predator, If I didn''t know any better I¡¯d say she was close to the First of her race!¡± Zel looks puzzled and asks what exactly that means for them. ¡°It means that they are practically immortal, there''s a lot of races that were ¡®born¡¯ because of curses and the likes from the gods, so the Firsts are practically immortals or demi-gods themselves and parts of that immortality gets passed down. The closer to the Firsts you are the more like them you are, does mean that things that happen to the Firsts get passed down, which is why the Arachne are now going to be ordered as ¡®kill on sight¡¯, poor things¡­ They were always regarded as such fine beings¡­ now they are just going to be classified as monsters like so many others¡­¡± I can see tears in her eyes, maybe some of those first beings were once loved by her and her people?¡­ I don''t know enough about the lore but I¡¯m sure Zel could come up with some ideas of what those were. The Gods really fucked around in mythology, could be thousands for all I know. Maybe that''s the whole reason we are ¡®here¡¯, to keep it from happening to more of these Firsts? Whatever that really means. I hope we can help. I like this place, even if it is a game. Finishing our conversation I can tell that Zel is buzzing to go for a walk to the library, find out everything she can on what she heard, lots of it went over my head but mostly I can''t wait to hear her hypothesis on the lore. ¡°Anyway moo girl¡­ I¡¯m sure little Cali wants to see you again, let''s find out where in the guild she is?¡± She motions downstairs and I feel Zel pull at my sleeve. ¡°Sure, It will just be me, Zel has some things to do today, but we will all be around tonight at the moonlight festival moo!¡± Mershi nods and seems to remember something, bringing out 3 bags and hands 1 to me and 2 to Zel. ¡°These are your rewards and your new badges, they are restricted to each of you so if you can''t get it to her just tell her to pick it up from the guild! Catcha wolf girl!¡± ¡°Thank you for mentoring us on this trip Mershi wan!¡± Zel bows, gets on her tippy toes to give me a kiss and then dashes off, she''s got that knowledge thirst in her eyes. Chapter 10: Shadow of the Moo. ¡°Let''s go get that mini moo moo!¡± Mershi Smirks at me and I can''t help but sigh and put my hand on my face, rubbing my eyes. Moo moo? I''m on a roll today, I''m so glad Zel didn''t hear me! I would get so much ribbing for it. I put out my hand for Mershi to lead the way and she smiles, shrugging and we go down the stairs, on a quest to find the cutest Guild helper there ever was. On the 2rd floor is the accommodations so we head down again. When we get to the 1st floor we see that it''s pretty empty, nice and quiet, although it''s still early we¡¯ve passed the morning rush. Zel and I took our time to snuggle and enjoy each other''s bodies before we logged in. We walk over to the front of the Guild and Mershi leans over the counter where there is a cat-person, the bunny girl doesn''t seem to be on today, maybe she¡¯s also getting ready for the moonlight festival? ¡°Hey Danni, where''s our youngest minotaur helper at the moment?¡± The cat person looks up from the counter at both of us, their eyes, fur and ears are all droopy, patches of white and gray all over, I can''t tell their gender but it''s a bit rude to make such an estimation upon just meeting them. They spoke extremely slowly, pausing between every possible place they could. ¡°Oh¡­ hey Mershi¡­ is this?... Cali¡¯s Mom?...¡± I can''t help but blush. ¡°N-no I helped find her! I was hoping to bring her back to the orphanage she was from, I don''t think I would make a very good mother anyway haha¡­¡± I really don''t, I can''t even take care of myself¡­ ¡°Ohhhh¡­¡± They pause and look back down at their paperwork, a look of concentration in their face and then look back up, ¡°ohh¡­ right¡­ uhhhhh¡­ Cali was just here¡­ maybe?...¡± Everytime Danni speaks Marshi just nods, as if expecting every slowly pronounced word¡­ I''m dying. ¡°Thank you for your time Danni!¡± Mershi grabs me and pulls me into the butcher¡¯s station on the side of the main floor. It¡¯s separated by a door, to make sure normal people can''t see the ¡®action.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯ve seen a few newbies fainting upon entering here, it''s really funny. I really hope no one asked her to help but it''s as good a stop as any. When we get in, an extremely large metallic counter lies in the center, off to the left is a cold storage room and to the right leads back into the building, possibly another storage area? ¡°Rob! Bob!¡± Mershi yells out and out of the left hand room 2 furred heads pop out one after the other. ¡°Meat?!Meat?!¡± Both of the heads repeat the words after each other, both sporting snouts and horns from above their ears, ¡°Oh it''s just Mershi,Oh it''s just Mershi¡± They round the corner and I see the rest of them, wearing large rubber gloves and boots and white aprons over a fitted shirt. Only about 4¡¯ tall but ripped like nothing else. Boar-men? Twins?! They are the same in every way, even to the way they are both holding mugs with coffee in them, on each mug it has, ¡®No.1 Butcher.¡¯ ¡°Hey guys have you seen a small minotaur girl come in here today?¡± They look at each other and then back to Mershi in perfect sync. ¡°Nope, only cattle we¡¯ve had in today has been dealt with! Nope, only cattle we¡¯ve had in today has been dealt with!¡± Both of them sip from their cups of coffee, sigh out, and then scratch their asses, one braincel between them, the perfect butchers! ¡°Alright, if you do, just tell one of the Guild attendants to come and find me. Alright, next to check is the bar and then the bank?¡± She shrugs, I''m sure she¡¯s not far, correction, I hope she''s not far. The Butcher brothers wander back into the right room and we make it back into the guild reception room. Heading straight through we make our way to the bar, a heap of tables with barely anyone around. A very feminine fox waitress is talking to another fox behind the bar, fluttering her eyelids. The waitress is bright orange with brown spots, long fur and long hair and a really bushy tail. The fox behind the bar has silver fur across their entire body, their hair is short and purple, shaved across the side, giving off immaculate butch lesbian vibes. Not someone I would expect behind a common bar, in her black and white clothing I would expect her behind the counter for an upper-tier cocktail bar. The kind of woman Zel would be unable to say a word to without stuttering. Thankfully as a top, I''m immune to such whiles. The silver fox see¡¯s us approaching and looks me up and down, her sultry voice sending shivers up my and the fox next to her spines ¡°Damn Mershi, who''s your hot busty friend? Mnn yan¡± On second thoughts?! I nearly stumble as I''m directly addressed. ¡°Hey Vanessa, this is one of the newbies, LilMoo. She¡¯s here to pick up the little girl Cali, if she¡¯s around?¡± Vanessa raises her eyebrows and looks back at me, once again looking me up and down. ¡°LilMoo?... Nothing little about you babe yan~¡± Gods, fucking, dammit! Her words are doing things to my brain, so fucking embaressing. ¡°Yeah the actual little moo girl was here before, she helped us during our morning rush. Looks absolutely adorable in a maid''s uniform, smart kid.¡± Damn we could have matched, big maid and little maid team up. The Waitress perks up and flails her hands around in excitement ¡°Omg right?! She was so adorable, it''s a shame she¡¯s so young! I would love to have that little sugar cube on my staff if she was old enough yan¡­¡± She puts her hands to her chin and pouts a little. ¡°Did she seem to have fun moo?¡± They both look at each other and nod smiling. ¡°She was all smiles, being able to help people¡­ bring her back to visit won¡¯t you yan?¡± The waitress grabs my hands and stares up into my eyes all teary. ¡°Uhh.. I can try moo!¡± I''m a sucker for a crying girl, Zel could make me do anything with tears in her eyes. I don''t even know if I''m going to be able to bring Cali back in here,.I don''t know what will happen when we go back to the Orphanage, will I even be able to see the mini me again?... After waving byes we head to the next place, the bank, but not before the silver fox comes around and gives me a hug, clapping her ass cheek and slipping a note in my dress pocket. My flushed face betrays my feelings. Mershi claps me on the back and laughs as we make our way back and I try to regain my composure. The bank further ahead seems manned by a few different guards. It''s practically empty apart from them and 2 bank tellers, one of whom is chatting animatedly with a large, heavily furred and grizzled, older and heavily equipped warrior. From what I can tell, they are a bear? I shiver thinking back to the monster of a bear I versed previously. They look over and I quickly look away. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Hey Bri, how''s things?¡± Mershi greets the other teller without a line, a sniff comes from their extremely long snout, behind it is a pair of thick glasses, and beady eyes, squinting and looking up from their counter. Spikes protrude out from their back, their little vest seems to only cover the front of their body, ending at where the spikes start. A hedgehog? They are really cute, a little red bow seems to be woven through their hair. I can''t help but wonder if they had help getting it in there since their arms and hands look like they don''t actually go out very far¡­ In my brain a diagram of their whole body suddenly appears. < Humanoid hedgehog body schematics displayed > Oh¡­ OH?! That''s new, I haven''t gotten that kind of information before¡­ Wait, is this the power of that book thing from the freaky scientist dude?! Goddamn I wish Zel was here, she would know more about wtf this could mean¡­ I can see on the diagram that it suddenly appeared in my mind out of nowhere that they can extend their arms out from under their protective surface of spikes, huh¡­ that''s really cool, that''s like an extension of analysis? At least for humanoid beings. More sniffing comes from Bri, ¡°Hey¡­ Mershi right?... It¡¯s always hard to put down the smells of aquatic beings, it could be because I''m getting old¡­ Are you here to make a deposit? Sniff¡± ¡°Nah, have you seen¡­ err smelled a young minotaur girl here?¡± More sniffing commences the question. ¡°Mnn yes yes, she was helping me earlier, moving things to the vaults for me. She seemed very quick on her hooves for someone so young, very capable, yes yes.¡± They nod repeatedly. Ahh the quest for the missing cow girl continues! ¡°Where did she go after she helped you out?...¡± Mershi asked dejectedly, I can tell she¡¯s already bored from looking, at least I¡¯m discovering new things here. ¡°Sniff Mnn, someone smelling of horses and sweaty armor came and took them, they said something about needing a double¡­¡± Mershi thanks them and pulls me over to the stairs, bringing me back to the bottom. ¡°If it¡¯s someone that Bri isn''t familiar with and smells like a horse it''s probably the new trainer that was recruited last week, a centaur warrior from the golden plains, I¡¯ve already had my way with her and suggested she look for someone to be her back double since centaurs are weak from behind. I¡¯m guessing our little Cali is that person right now.¡± I want to ask what she means by ¡®have her way¡¯ but she says it so casually that I can only assume not sexually¡­ but that doesnt mean I don''t think about it. As we descend to the training arena the sounds of combat get louder, instructors yelling at people in the rings, people in the rings screaming at their opponents, sweaty men and women riling each other up and swearing at each other. Lots of abs, ab town, yummy women abs¡­ Right, we are here for something more wholesome! Walking through we finally spot her, a helmet with a split down the middle being taken off as she slaps the back of one of the warrior women passing by her, having seemed to just have finished up. She flicks her whole body and her hair and mane sweep out, long and flowing. Her upper body is insanely muscled, blond hair going to golden on the fur of her horse half. As we approach she picks up a bucket from the bench next to her and tips it over her head, cold water flowing all the way down her body, under and over her bronze armor, drenching the already sweatily wet centaur woman. She''s stunning, in more ways than one, I always thought centaurs were a little silly of a creation until now. ¡°Goldenglow! We heard you took an underaged child to be your second?! Do you know how reckless that is?!¡± The Centaur backs up slightly panicking at the sound of Mershi¡¯s voice being directed at her, damn she really did a number on her. ¡°W-what I did no such thing! I took a minotaur of warrior age to be my second! And a good second at that! She was the perfect fit! Hmph nhhee!¡± She neighs at Mershi, raising herself trying to look bigger like a threatened kitty. Definitely a bottom. ¡°No, her Name was Cali and this is LilMoo, the person who saved her and was going to take her back to the orphanage since she is a C-H-I-L-D!¡± Goldenglow looks back and forth between us. ¡°W-well how am I supposed to know how old other races are?! She fought perfectly fine for a child then, maybe I should just adopt her and train her in the ways of the plains! Why I was fighting beasts before I was weaned off my mother tit. Hmph nhhe!¡± She¡¯s super red in the face and trying to defend herself, pushing out her chest. I approach her side and make hand movements to show I''m not a threat, eventually getting close enough that I can put my hand through her mane, she instantly starts to melt in my hands. ¡°It''s okay shhh no need to panic, we just want to know where she is moo¡­¡± She whimpers a little bit and shivers go up her spine before she realizes that she¡¯s required to answer a question. ¡°Oh oh! She was taken by those twins, the ones that cut up beasts, I''m not sure of their names¡­ please don''t stop that feels wonderful after combat mmmnnn nnnhhhhheeeee¡­¡± She starts almost purring under my fingers through her mane. ¡°Alright just another minute moo.¡± I keep at it and watch her zone out, turning to Mershi. I address the issue. ¡°Well now we are back to where we started heh moo¡± ¡°At least we actually know where she is, if we are hot on her tail I don''t see an issue with it, might put some hair on her chest to watch a full dissection of a body heh¡± I pause in my grooming¡­ full¡­ dissection?... ¡°Mershi no that''s horrifying! She''s a child moo!¡± I let go of GoldenGlow to her dismay, grab Mershi¡¯s hand, pull her all the way to the other side of the training area and up the stairs to the main sections and the closest way to the butchers. Chapter 11: The mooest Guild < Booting Memory Matrix > < Initializing Silver City Persona ¡®Cali Minotauros¡¯ > < Reviewing Logistical Data due to person still being alive > < Data Review Complete, Life changed due to intervention > < Booting Character Model > < Welcome to Isulgurd ¡®Cali¡¯ > ¡°Mnnnn moo¡­¡± Whats all that noise in my head?... I was having the best and most comfy sleep¡­ I feel a gentle push against my horns and that fishy smell, it''s the nice Lady ¡°Hey Little thing, I¡¯ve got some things to do in the Guild today. I¡¯ve put a necklace here so make sure you wear it around, It will show you¡¯re a guest of the guild. I''ll be back later with your big moo friend¡± Click Mnnn I dont know why people were whispering about how scary she is, I think she¡¯s really nice¡­ apart from the fish smell. I never was big on fish, A nice carrot though¡­ mnn hungry¡­ I roll about in bed trying to control my hunger versus warmth, both are soo goood¡­ Opening my eyes I see clothes laid out for me as well. I guess all my old clothes were yucky, Nice fish lady even gave me a bath yesterday! I think she¡¯s the nicest¡­ apart from my savior¡­ She smelled like mummy¡­ moo¡­ I shake my head to banish the dark thoughts. Maybe It was a good thing I went out, even if it meant being gotten by the big mean spiders. I hope Daniel is okay¡­ even if he ran when they attacked us¡­ boys are crummy! And they leave girls to save themselves moo! I''ll never go out again even if the most lovely boy wants me to go out so they can confess to me! Stupid! Hmmph! Samantha on the other hand¡­ No no she would never¡­ moo¡­ Growwll noo.. Okay belly you win! Emerging from the room, I''ve got my nice clothes on and of course my necklace from Mershi, I don''t want to be taken away. I know how adults see a child by themselves, we are plenty capable! Where would the Carrots be?... Getting downstairs I see that people are starting to trickle in. So many tall people of all shapes and sizes, I wonder if they have carrots?... Do I have to line up like them to get the food?... I start getting looks as I line up with the rest of them, it¡¯s okay, they are just impressed with how brave of a moo you are. What did mummy always say Cali? ¡®The strongest moo is the moo that moo¡¯s last¡¯... although she never did say what it meant¡­ I moo lots does that mean I moo¡¯d last?... mnnn I miss her¡­ when is she coming back¡­ ¡°C-can I help you child?¡± She has the cutest sticky out teeth! I can''t help but stare up in wonder at her big floppy ears. I puff out my chest and get ready to give her the last moo. ¡°Hi yes I''m here for the carrots moo!¡± She closes her eyes for a second too stunned to speak at how moo I am. You really need to impress adults or they will just think nothing of you! ¡°Th-that''s¡­ uhhh¡­ the restaurant is just over there?¡± They look like they are trying to solve a puzzle. If a restaurant is where they store carrots then that''s where I need to be! ¡°Thank you moo¡± I nod and puff out my chest again. ¡°Uhh yes¡­ Next?...¡± They look at the next person so I leave the line, I don''t need their services anymore, there''s carrots to eat. Coming to the area next to the middle area¡­ middle guild?... counter thingy! There''s lots and lots of tables and chairs like where we all eat in the Orphanage so I must be in the right place! There''s a line! Lines mean carrots?! I get to the front of the line and am greeted by a silver lady with purple hair. She smiles down at me like I¡¯m prey, but I''m very moo! ¡°H-hi I would like carrots pl-please m-moo!¡± She gasps and leans over the counter and starts fussing with my top hair. ¡°Well aren''t you the most gorgeous little thing! I just want to eat you up yan!¡± Her voice is husky and nice mmnnn really nice! Much nicer than Samanthas!! ¡°Well I can see that you''re a guest here¡­ How about I give you carrots in exchange for working? Be our little waitress for a while to help with the morning rush yan!¡± The pretty lady is saying more words! I can work for carrots?! I can work! I think!? ¡°Cass get your lovely butt over here and help our little guest get dressed yan!¡± Another woman like the silver one appears in the most beautiful dress, they are the same but different, both very pretty. Can I be that pretty when I''m a grown up?... ¡°Well ain''t you the most scrumptious little cow I''ve ever had the delight of putting my eyes on! I can''t wait to see you all maided up yan!¡± She grabs my hand and my body doesn''t even try to resist, being pulled like a pet to the back room, my brain says stranger danger but my brain also tells me to listen to the nice pretty ladies and you get carrots! Carrots always win¡­ sigh¡­ I emerge as moo as possible with my new dress on, both the pretty ladies clap and tell me how beautiful I look, nooooo, stahhppp. I can''t help blushing at their words, Nathan could never compliment me like this! ¡°Alright now just follow my instructions and you''ll be fine yan!¡± Pretty lady says so, I can only Push out my chest and moo on! ¡­ ¡°What can I get you moo?¡± The group of warriors at the round table turn to me, their eyes are hard and then they look down at me, their faces turn all soft and gooey like that slime I saw last time I played Adventure pirates! ¡°Aww we have a new tiny Waitress, what do you think boys grr?¡± They all pull back and nod their heads, a few of them giving me their thumbs up! I think that means they like me! ¡°If anyone is mean to you little Mooling tell any of us and we will take them around the back and show them what''s what grr!¡± They are nice! They are going to show them the town though? Maybe that makes people better people?! I should explore more to be better moo! ¡°We would like 5 meat meals, the usual for us if you keep working here! You need meat to grow big and strong, grr!¡± Meat = big and strong?¡­ not carrots?! But tasty should mean better for you! Have I been wrong this whole time?! Moo! ¡°I-I''ll be right out with that!... oh! Uhh and drinks moo?¡± All of them quietly thump their hands on the table, only scaring me a little but I''m going to be a big moo like my moo! ¡°Beer, a real warrior drinks beer grr! It puts more hair on your chest!¡± No beer, beer bad, don''t want more chest hair! I did see a warrior lady with hair running up her body one time¡­ m-maybe just not on Cali moo! Girls can drink if they want! Learning a lot today! ¡°I-I will be back with your moo order moo!¡± Perfect! I scuttle back to the bar and tell the pretty silver lady the good news! ¡°Alright those old codgers are getting the usual, thanks Cali you''re doing great! Just keep it up for taking people''s orders when they come in and when there''s no orders to take you can also bring back their food if it''s ready yan~¡± yes yes yes I''m doing great! Pretty lady praised me! ¡­ ¡°Good job Cali, here''s your payment yan!¡± I''m given a big bag of carrots and my clothes in a bag. I didn''t even realize¡­ I''m really hungry! I reach in and monch on the carrots one at a time, wishing my mouth was bigger so I could fit more in¡­ Grown ups have it easy, I bet my moo could eat 3 carrots at once!! I wave bye to the really pretty nice ladies and decide that exploring is the best way to become a better person, it''s what the nice old ¡®codgers¡¯ said. If pretty nice lady said it, it must be a nice word! The next room looks very adult, all walls and lines and people behind things! Maybe they are in prison? I''ve heard prison is where the bad people go, maybe they just need to explore as well! Naturally I line up, maybe I can get more carrots?! Getting to the front of the line I''m greeted by a long nose, it''s all weird on the end and wiggles, making snnnffff noises, it''s kinda funny, maybe it needs a carrot! I pull a carrot out of my bag and present it to the long thing. ¡°Ohh¡­ is that what I smelled¡­ Can I eat this?... I believe you are a¡­ young Mooling?... I can smell Mershi on you¡­ strange combination of smells child¡­¡± ¡°Yes you can eat it! Will you eat it with your nose?? I''ve never seen a nose eat a carrot before¡­ or anything¡­ except dirt, but that was pushed¡­ I don''t know if that counts?¡± Thinking about such things is hard, maybe I wasn''t Moo for big thinking, helping people though is easy! ¡°I don''t know¡­ if that counts either?... Thank you though¡­ I haven''t had a chance to eat yet¡­ I always eat before I work¡­ but there was extra work to do¡­ Say¡­ would you like to help me with something?...¡± I nod at their request and look them in their eyes¡­ OH. ¡°Yes I can help! I''m really good at helping, especially for carrots moo!¡± They nod in agreement, they can''t be in prison, only good people eat carrots! They move around the desk and open it up, letting me into their weird not-prison. ¡°When people approach the counter¡­ I will give you a card¡­ which tells you where you need to go to get the things that are stored here¡­ This is a place to keep people''s things¡­ you just need to get or put things back in the spots on the card¡­ Can you do that?...¡± I can do anything for carrots! Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ¡°You can rely on me moo!¡± They smile and pat me on the head, but more rubbing my horn, not as nice as the nice lady but still¡­ nice! A green person dressed in pink approaches and puts a pile of shinies on the counter. I watch as the nice lady starts pressing lots near a glowy window, the green and pink person puts their hand on the counter and a ticket comes out. ¡°Put these in a sack¡­¡± She points to a sack at her feet and I do it, shinnies can also get carrots right?! ¡°Then you can follow the card to where Mr. Bones'' storage area is¡­ you can do that dear?...¡± I grab the card out of her hand and see that it has really easy to follow instructions on it. Go to the machine and step inside¡­ Okay I have this, it''s super moo! I step inside and see there''s a first number to press and so I do. I feel my whole body go fwoosh! As I go down, I don''t know how far down I go but It feels like a bit. I then press the second number and fwoosh! I can smell water, damp water! Pressing the 3rd and 4th number like it says I¡¯m thrown a bit further along, the door opens and I see a practically empty room. It''s pretty tiny so it doesn''t need much¡­ maybe a nice place to put your carrots¡­ I place it down and get back in the machine, following the last instruction, a big round red button. It''s red so you have to smash it! Fwooosshhhhhhh Ding! Wowe¡­ I wanna do that again!... but¡­ carrots more important! I return to the nice nose lady as someone moves past me into the machine also with a card and a bag. ¡°Ahh welcome back mooling¡­ Thank you¡­ there''s always more cards¡­¡± I see a seat with a few people sitting around, probably waiting for their shinnies¡­ I will be the ultimate shinny getter and taker! For carrots!! ¡­ ¡°You there! I need you for the utmost important mission! Be my wonderful second! My life depends on it nhhee!¡± Moowah!? I had just come up from the machine after another successful run, this time taking some kind of shield with purple blotches on it when a large many parts lady comes up to the counter and yells to me. ¡°More help! Will there be carrots moo?!¡± They make a noise with their leggies like iron hitting stones and nod. ¡°Do you need more help nose lady moo?¡± She smells at me and shakes her head. ¡°Mnn¡­ I think you''ve been wonderful¡­ We should be able to finish soon¡­ and it''s past the busy time¡­ go and have fun¡­¡± Yes, fun and carrots! Combining both would be amaz-moo! I thank the nose lady and she lets me out, bringing what I have left of my carrots and my clothes. ¡°Come warrior, we must to battle nhhee!¡± The pretty lady picks me up and holds me up to her chest. She''s super warm and smells nice, many nice smells coming off her, she almost looks like she¡¯s steaming. We descend the stairs, more explore! I¡¯ve done so much exploring. I must be an amazing person by now! ¡°I was told I needed a 2nd and I took one look at you and could see you were it! You will accompany me in battle like in the old stories when my kind and your kind were one on the field! It makes my blood boil just thinking about it, you''re a born warrior, I can see it in your eyes! I would bet my name, GoldenGlow, on it nhhee!¡± moo! She really does glow golden, all of her is pretty gold like the shinies that people were bringing in. Maybe she¡¯s right and I''m full of moo! Moo for battle! Battle for carrots! ¡°How do I be a warrior like you moo?¡± She puts me down and motions to a pile of armor. ¡°We make you the part and then train in glorious combat to the death nhhee!¡± She really likes combat, I might like combat too? Why does it mean death though, I''d rather just eat some carrots¡­ maybe this is how I earn carrots?! I start going through the pile of clothes and find some smaller helmets and armor that fits me, glowy helps me put it on, I''m also shiny! The shiny clothes are heavy but I''m very moo and I can take it! ¡°Alright moo how do we combat moo?¡± Glowy lady picks me up and puts me on her back facing backwards, it hurts my butt a little and my tail hangs off the side. ¡°I''ll fight from the front and you will protect my back! We will be unstoppable! No one will be able to best us! We will show Mershi exactly what we can do nhhee!¡± Oh if that is what Mershi says it must be true, at least golden lady doesn''t smell like fish, I much prefer her smell, she smells like the sun mmnnn moo! ¡°I''ll protect you moo! For carrots moo!¡± Golden laughs and repeats the ultimate battle call. ¡°Haha for Carrots nhhee!¡± How can you be beaten if you''re doing it for carrots?! ¡­ Battle is tougher than I thought! We were put in a round with other people and the golden lady went spinny lots. I hit one of the people but I hope they weren''t bad and also liked carrots, they seemed afraid to hit her from behind! It must be because I''m so moo! Too strong and scary in all my carrot goodness! The ultimate warrior! I don''t know why the ¡®codgers¡¯ think it''s all about the meat, that''s just silly, soon everyone will be eating carrots too! ¡°Phew good show little Mooling! You''ve done amazing at protecting my rear! Mershi is going to be so happy that I¡¯ve been able to find my second! You will join me in combat again won''t you warrior nhee??¡± She looks at me with such expectation, yes yes I''m the best moo! ¡°Yes please I will be back to be your second! Now¡­ where''s the carrots? I''m starving and my supply of carrots is running low, it fuels the warrior in me moo!¡± Looking in my bag it''s now full of clothes and only 2 carrots left, that''s¡­ 2 mouthfuls of carrots! How can that be enough?! ¡°Yes yes well deserved! Here is your prize!¡± She pulls out a sack from the corner of the room, it burst with an orange perfect glow¡­ the holy grail of carrots! So many carrots! At least¡­ more than I have! She tips it over into my bag and it gets full again, days worth of warriorrinng! ¡°We found you! We found you!¡± Voices come from next to us, oh¡­ they are the same?! You can do that?! Is it a warrior thing?! Two big furry men yell at me, they are wearing scary gloves and aprons, making me think of not-carrot-like things! ¡°Rob, Bob, what brings you down here?¡± GoldenGlow steps in front of me as if to protect me, I knew it! They don''t eat carrots!! ¡°Been told to take that one up! Been told to take that one up!¡± They both sip a cup in their hands, nasty black looking liquid, maybe that''s why they are so furry? Is that the beer thing? ¡°Alright¡­ but you best take good care of my second!... Take care, may I see you again soon for more training!¡± GoldenGlow waves me away and charges back into the big circle of people, knocking over some of the big tough ones. I want to be her when I grow up! Or¡­ like the big moo, but also her, how do I get legs like that?... Probably from eating more carrots! ¡°Mershi is going to be really happy with us that we found you! Mershi is going to be really happy with us that we found you!¡± They both thump their chests with their free hand and then take another sip, we get to the main floor again when I notice what''s on their cups. ¡°Can you both be the number one butcher? Surely one of you is better moo?¡± They pause as we enter the butchery, it has that in big letters. I know they are people that cut up bad animals but maybe there are carrot animals?... Maybe I¡¯ve been eating meat this whole time and didn''t know it?! ¡°I¡¯m the better one! I¡¯m the better one!¡± They look at each other in anger and both put their cups down on the metal counter, then throw their hands at each other, making hand symbols every time it goes down. Rob¡­ I think it''s Rob, seems to have lost their game and runs into the back room. Bob, I think it''s Bob¡­ starts getting weapons from under the counter and putting them on top of it. Are they going to battle?! Butcher battle!? Who will be the number one! Maybe the loser can scribble on their cup to change it?... Wait, am I being bad right now? No¡­ not possible¡­ I''m eating carrots! ¡°You can be the judge! You can be the judge!¡± 2 large animals about the same size appear on the tables, a chair is put next to me so I climb onto it, it''s tall enough that I can actually see over the table and then some, observing the ¡®Glorious battle!¡¯ as GoldenGlow would put it. ¡°Ahhh alright umm¡­ Ready moo?'''' They both nod and put out a blade with a funny looking curve to it. ¡°Alright moo¡¯s! 3¡­ 2¡­ 1¡­ Go moo!¡± They start on Moo and I realize quickly that¡­ I don''t actually want to see this?! The funny looking knives dug deep into the skin and within minutes the big monster looking things are all naked and without their fur! Miss Yan at the Orphanage says being naked should only be done with medical people, family or loved ones¡­ my brain is telling me Rob and Bob are neither to this monster?! A few more minutes later and the monster has all its blood leaving its body! I don''t know you could have so much bloods in you!? There''s like 5 buckets! I Have at least 4 buckets! That''s an extra Cali in a bucket! Moooo¡­ I''m feeling queasy¡­ looking at it all going over is making no goods in my belly¡­ the Carrots are fighting back¡­ ¡°Rob! Bob! What the fuck are you making a child watch moo!!!¡± Ah! It''s Big sister Moo Bleegghh¡­ Oh¡­ orange and chunky moo¡­ Chapter 12: Carrots and a happy place ¡°Rob! Bob! What the fuck are you making a child watch? moo!!!¡± Mershi and I have stumbled upon a murder scene. The Butcher brothers carve up a monster each, buckets of blood with some of it spilled over the side, Cali bent over with an orange chunky puddle of puke under her. ¡°Cali are you okay moo?!¡± I quickly pick her up, putting her to my chest and looking into her eyes. She stares up at me in disorientation, the explanation for everything comes spilling out of her mouth, as well as the cause. ¡°Don''t leave me, carrots mooo!!!!!¡± Blaagghh Nearly dropping Cali off my chest but somehow hold her tight, I contain the orange spillage against my top half. ¡°Ahahahaha! That''s great!!¡± Mershi is bent over holding her stomach laughing at what has become of me. ¡°Are you going to help or what moo?!¡± I Scream at her, the thoughts of how yucky and chunky I''m feeling right now. ¡°You asked for it! Brace yourself ahah!¡± Mershi puts her hands together and images of trees being cut in half go through my mind. Oohh nononono Ppssshhhhh aahhhhhh. A torrent of water hits my chest as I drop Cali, my arms going out, the torrent goes into a dribble after a few seconds. Mershi finally spent of all her fluids¡­ my whole body drenched and Cali on her back giggling to herself little moo¡¯s. ¡°Mershi! Are you telling me that you don''t just have a cleaning spell moo?!¡± My question is met by silence and then the sound of her clicking her tongue in frustration, my whole body suddenly feeling hot and clean like I just took a hot shower and had a big heater at the same time. My armor is clean and shining. ¡°Was that really so hard, moo?!¡± I open my mouth and Mershi is pouting at me. ¡°Well duh! Which do you think is more fun?!¡± This chaotic shark woman needs a spanking¡­ At least we got Cali¡­ After all that mess, the Butcher brothers are still cutting away not even realizing anything is happening in front of their work. I sit down on my ass trying and failing to avoid any of the water ¡°Are you okay Cali? We heard you went through a lot today moo?¡± She pushes herself up and spits out some orange spittle to the side onto the floor. ¡°Had so much fun and carrots and nose lady and pretty lady that made my heart go moo moo and tall horse lady and so many ladies¡­ I wanna grow up already moo! I want to stay here and have carrots and have fun everyday when I''m older moo!¡± Cali has the brightest, derpiest smile on her face. I wish she could stay here as well¡­ but still I need to take her back to the Orphanage, I''m sure they are worried sick about her¡­ ¡°We can come back and play more another day, you know?... But today we need to make sure the Orphanage knows you''re okay. I''m sure all the people there are worried about you moo!¡± She looks down at the floor then back up at me, nodding with tears in her eyes. ¡°C-can I bring my clothes and carrots with me?...¡± I bring her in for a hug, realizing too late that only I''ve been cleaned and not Cali, feeling the squish against my chest again, I look up pleadingly at Mershi as she casts more cleaning spells at us. ¡°Of course you can, I''m sure everyone here can''t wait for you to visit again and help out. I know they will all miss you as well moo!¡± She sniffles into my chest and I get myself off the ground taking her with me. ¡°Finished! Finished!¡± Oh right, the brain cells were still competing. ¡°Who won?! Who won?!¡± Cali looks out from my arms at the both of them and thinks. ¡°You both win, I guess it¡¯s a tie moo!¡± They both look at each other aghast and both throw down their hats onto the floor and start cursing in a language I can''t understand, slapping at each other in dismay. ¡°One day you Idiot! One day you moron!¡± Oh they finally said something different? A day to celebrate probably, not that it''s anything to think about. I¡¯ve got a moo delivery to make! ¡°Thank you for helping me find her Mershi. I guess I''ll take this little one back now moo¡­¡± I bring Cali over and she hugs Mershi from my arms bringing both of us together¡­ mnn yeah not big on the fish smell to be honest. ¡°Thank you for taking care of me fishy lady moo! I''ll be back to play soon I promise moo!¡± She holds out her pinky to Mershi and they both shake on the promise. Mershi showing the most gentle smile I¡¯ve seen from the woman so far. Okay, I guess she can be cute, even with the, being able to cut me in half thing. ¡°I''ll be waiting, I''ll visit with my sister''s kids as well, yeah? They are here tonight so you can all play, you''re very like them.¡± She ruffles Cali¡¯s hair and we head off, leaving the butchers to fight and Mershi to berate them behind us. Yelling something about wasting meat for a competition and compensation. ¡­ The sun is warm on my head while it hangs in the sky as we emerge from the Guild. The 2 guards in front nod as we pass through. My and Cali¡¯s armor shining in the brightness, our little warrior cow duo, although my bone armor is more¡­ shiny bone than sparkling metal. I''m sure we still look like a badass duo. I put her down, holding her hand, walking along the streets together. I found out earlier from Mershi that the Orphanage was on the south side of town, past the teleporter where I originally appeared at. Which means Cali traveled a long way to get to that cave with the spiders. ¡°Onwards we travel my little Moo moo!¡± She responds with a happy mooo~ as she swings my arm up and down with hers. Every so often she pulls herself up and uses my arm like a swing, eliciting wee¡¯s, making me feel like a real big sister. I¡¯d never thought I could be a sister¡­ or have any kind of feelings of family. For so long it was just me, even if a lot of that was just in my head. ¡°Do you have any friends you missed while you¡¯ve been away moo?¡± She moo¡¯s for a second thinking hard with her other hand to her eyes. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Maybe just Samantha¡­ we had a fight before I left though¡­ moo¡­ and stupid Nathan left me out there¡­ I don''t know if he¡¯s alright¡­ but I hope so moo¡­¡± ¡°I''m sure Samantha misses you, friends are like that little moo moo!¡± Friends fight but they make up, at least that''s what has happened a few times with me and Zelia¡­ She nods and holds my hand tighter, I pick her up and put her on my shoulders to hold onto my horns. Our walk is slow in the sun, enjoying watching the people shopping as we stroll by, all shapes and sizes, all colors and types of skin. This really is a different place, a different world, different rules and beings and reasons to live¡­ it¡¯s special¡­ and I hope it always stays like this, the warm sun and warm hearts. ¡°We are here moo!¡± Cali pulls my hand and snaps me out of whatever my brain is doing, the niceness of the world around calling to me. In front of us is a large mansion, the sun lighting it up, large amounts of tempered grasslands to the sides, the endings of their property coming up in small walls, clothing out on large wires, drying in the heat, a woman in a white gown is putting them up. I stare up at the top of the building where a large sign displays on the front. < The Goddess of Rest Orphanage > At least it sounds nice! Or like is the whole point that the nicer it sounds the worse it could be?!... I¡¯ve seen way too many horror movies¡­ ¡°Cali?... Cali is that you?! Oh thank the Goddess nya!!¡± The woman tending to the clothes has come over to the front of the building and seen us. Dropping the basket and rushing over, a pure white cat-woman with a pure white dress. Her expression of shock and tears in her eyes, showing her real concern for Cali. ¡°Moostress!¡± She leans past and puts her hands out to grab onto the Cat-woman. They embrace and she holds Cali like she would never let her go again. ¡°Oh my young Mooling we were all so worried nya! The guild sent word that you were safe but after they said you were found I was just so so scared for you!¡± She turns to look me directly in the eyes and bows with Cali still in her arms. ¡°Thank you! Thank you nya! All the children were so worried about our mooling nyaa!¡± ¡°W-what about Nathan moo?...¡± ¡°He came back and let us know, we told the guild straight away that you were missing nya!¡± ¡°Phew¡­ Did he tell you what happened moo?...¡± She nods. ¡°And he feels really bad nya¡­ He has been moping around the house, he even visited the guild to tell them what happened. He does feel bad for running away nya¡­¡± Cali pouts and looks away to me. I shrug, they are kids, you can''t expect a kid to be that brave¡­ You can''t even expect adults to be brave, adults are actually even worse. ¡°Oh where are my manners, I am the Mistress in charge of the Goddess of Rest Orphanage nya, You can call me Anna, I¡¯ve taken care of young Cali here since she arrived nya.¡± ¡°I¡¯m LilMoo! I was the one who found Cali. I''m also a Rank E Guild Member. It''s very nice to meet you, moo!¡± I shake her hand and Cali shakes both our hands with us. From the look on Cali¡¯s face, this is a really good place¡­ I¡¯m glad¡­ I''m welcomed inside and we make it to the main room. Cali hesitatingly enters, her expression turning into shock as she hears her name screamed in anguish. ¡°Cali I¡¯m sorry I¡¯m so sorry I called you stupid for wanting to go out please please please forgive meee wwaahhhh¡± A young doe girl has thrown herself at Cali, embracing her and crying her heart out. ¡°S-sammy?! N-no I¡¯m the one that should be sorry I should have listened to you waahhmooo!¡± She starts sobbing together with her friend, both holding each other tight as to not let go¡­ mnn She really has a good friend here, I can be content¡­ and as I said, it''s not like she can''t visit the guild or us visit her! The Mistress Anna brings me to the side and asks to sit with me, she holds my hand and thanks me again. ¡°I¡¯m glad she was found by another one of her kind, her parents were adventurers nya¡­¡± She pulls out a form from her pocket, the words at the top say ¡®Silver City Guild, Notice of Bereavement¡¯... It''s addressed to Cali. ¡°She never believed it when the notice came through¡­ She still thinks they are going to turn up one day nya¡­ So I can only make this as much a home for her as I can¡­ Would you come and visit when you can?... She needs another like her in her life¡­ a role model¡­ and you seem like the perfect candidate nya~¡± She smiles up at me and pats my hands before releasing it. ¡°Of course I will, my partners and I will try to visit when we can moo!... I do have one question though¡­ Why is she so addicted to carrots moo?¡± Anna laughs into her paw. ¡°You can blame that one on Samantha Nya~ Cali and her, sharing carrots together in bed at night for a snack¡­ I think eating them now brings her lots of joy because of positive memories, which I can only endorse with how she¡¯s doing¡­¡± She shrugs and stands up. ¡°Everyone please thank the one who saved Cali, LilMoo nya!¡± The children all look over and some of them have mouths agape, a small child at the back screams at me. ¡°YOU¡¯RE HUGE!?¡± One of the kids yells upon seeing me, I shyly bow as Cali runs up to me with Samantha, running headlong into my thigh and hugging it tight. She looks up at me with a big smile, still puffy cheeked and tears in her eyes. I really did something good didn''t I?¡­ I can protect people here¡­ even if it is a game, I really did something good¡­ I''m invited to lunch and to meet Cali¡¯s best friend, helping in the kitchen for food, telling everyone about how Cali was saved, around people that enjoy me being there. Not to mention the kids that used me as a jungle gym, for a few hours, I was really happy. ¡°Thank you for letting the kids have such a wonderful day nya¡­ Before you go¡­ could I ask something of you nya?...¡± She looks slightly concerned and takes me away from the kids to talk. I can only hope it''s not something bad. Chapter 13: Dungeons and Loot Anna took me to a chapel next to the main building, connected by brick but not by doors. As the main door creaks open, we are greeted by a marble bed, with an inviting motherly woman lying in it with her arms open, the light hitting her illuminating it as we enter ¡°This is the chapel of Pasithea, which offers rest in times of need. She watches over us, me, the children, everyone¡­ but¡­ I¡¯ve been having bad dreams, of creatures in the dark, underneath the chapel nya¡­¡± She points to a trapdoor to the right of the statue, past the pews and prayer desk. I feel something from it, dark, foreboding¡­ or that''s just the vibe?! It¡¯s kind of hard to tell at this point, all I know is that she is scared¡­ and I''m scared for her. That she has lived in fear of this place, that she considers so holy. ¡°I can take a look, maybe wait outside while I open it moo?...¡± She hesitates then nods and steps back through the door. I hear the crunching of grass as she makes her way back to the kids. ¡°Alright, I guess I''ll do what I do best¡­ go into the mouth of the beast moo¡­¡± I approach the trapdoor and pull it up and open, a ladder goes down into the abyss of darkness¡­ I didn''t bring a light¡­ Why do I do this to myself?! I step on the ladder carefully, trying to navigate around the fact that I have hooves now, carefully careffuulllyyy! As I descend all I hear is my hoof-steps, the darkness makes no sounds¡­ either that means it''s empty¡­ or there''s hundreds of monsters that don''t make sounds¡­ I know what I would prefer! Clop Phew¡­ I hit the bottom and feel the stone under my hoove as it hits, echoing through the room, as I turn around I see a glow instead of darkness, from the corner of the room, behind wooden boxes. Damn¡­ I guess there is something down here¡­ at least the glow is static¡­ As I approach I see that it''s a hole?... Like a thing that''s been dug through by a large animal, it goes from the corner of the room and could easily fit me inside standing up¡­ whatever made this was massive! The light comes from around the edges of the hole, blue pure crystals make a perfect ring around it and then go deeper into it. I can¡¯t help but press my hand against it, running it over the beautiful things¡­ < Dungeon ¡®Nightmare of the past¡¯ found > < You have been the first person to discover this Dungeon, Dungeon is locked to you for the next 7 days, only with your permission can other adventurers enter in this time > < The Guild will be interested in such a development > I pull my hand away stunned, O-oh¡­ oh?! < Received Quest due to pre-requisites met! > Rescue Anna from the nightmare Anna has fallen into her own nightmares, beneath the Goddess of rest she waits, complete the dungeon and save Anna Reward Silver City Renown + 500 People Associated with the Orphanage will have 1 to 2 levels of increased favor towards you. 5000 gp for first clear of dungeon 5000 exp for first clear of dungeon Anna¡¯s Childhood Momento (Story Item) Continuation of questline Counts towards Guild Ranking Quest Failure conditions Must be completed within 1 Week Anna will perish if not completed by players. Wait¡­ Anna?! But she was just h-... fuck! I run nearly tripping over the boxes, up the metal bars and out the door. ¡°Moostress wake up¡­ wake up moo!!¡± As I exit I see Anna slumped up against the front door of the Orphanage. She had pushed it open and collapsed, half up the stairs, half in the doorway. Cali is shaking Anna, trying her best to wake her up. I have to pull her off her as she clambors to grasp onto her, starting to scream in panic at losing someone else. ¡°Shh shhh I¡¯m here love, I¡¯m here for you she¡¯s going to be okay!¡± I cradle her close and yell for help to move her to her bed. A few of the helpers pick her up and take her further into the building. I do my best to calm Cali down. She says she went to follow us when she saw we were missing¡­ Poor thing having to see this¡­ I yell out for someone to go and tell the guild that there is a dungeon under the Orphanage chapel. The helper instantly panics and runs off before I''m able to tell them anything else¡­ I guess they have the jist of it. I slump down in one of the couches of the main area inside and hold Cali tight¡­ Every so often I hear her say something about if she doesn''t let me go I can''t leave as well¡­ I hold her closer and tell her sweet nothings. At some point I must have dozed off because I wake up with another hand holding onto Cali. Samantha has joined me on the couch and she and Cali have their foreheads together as she hangs off me. ¡°Wahaha I hear there''s a dungeon to be slain grar!!!¡± A tall heavily armored beast has entered through the front of the Orphanage. They exude stupid confidence from every bristle of their fur that sticks out of their armor. ¡°I Maximus the Destroyye-!¡± They are suddenly thrown forward as they seem like they are about to start up a speech. ¡°That''s enough of that you damn moron! I brought you with me because you said you were going to behave! You''re scaring the kids!!!¡± Mershi is standing over him, kicking his side as he pleads for mercy, every kick seems to dent the metal at his side. ¡°You know the rules! The one who finds it gets first dibs! Don''t make me strip you of your rank! Tsk!¡± She spits on him and turns to the Orphanage, instantly changing her demeanor. ¡°Hiii it''s your favorite Auntie here to make sure you''re all safe~¡± She wanders in and everything seems to calm down instantly, by the way all the helpers and children rush over. She seems to be not only a constant visitor, she''s also very popular. After a few minutes of placating the crowd and making sure everyone''s okay, she comes over and pats Cali and Samantha together on their heads. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Cali looks up and asks Mershi still in my arms ¡°I-I¡¯s Moostress going to be okay moo?...¡± Mershi smiles at the question. ¡°Of course! It¡¯s not the first time this kind of thing has happened, the dungeon is connected to Anna, but you know why you don''t have to be afraid?¡± Cali sadly asks back why, ¡°Because your big Moo sister is going to save her that''s why!¡± Cali looks up at me in hope and I do my best to look cool, pushing out my muscles to inspire confidence in the small moo. She needs something to be hopeful for, even if I might fail. If it''s dream stuff¡­ I can say I''m the least qualified with all Ive got going on in mine! But at least I¡¯ll try. ¡°So you let Anna rest a few days while she gets ready for it, yeah? There''s lots of preparation to do before going into a dungeon, we¡¯ve got to make sure your big moo is safe, yeah? So you just stay healthy and ready to welcome Anna back!¡± Cali looks pumped up and nods, pulls herself out of my grip, grabs Samantha¡¯s hand and rushes to the middle of the room. ¡°SHE WILL BE THE HAPPIEST TO BE BACK MOO!!¡± The 2 of them dash upstairs as I look confused in their direction. ¡°That will keep her busy while everyone gets ready. Heh, kids are too easy to placate¡­¡± Mershi looks at me seriously, ¡°You better be ready for this¡­ tell me everything you know¡± We spend a few minutes on the couch as I spill everything I saw, the smell of fish not exactly making me feel the best but I hold myself back not wanting to be rude. ¡°Alright¡­ I''ll send someone to check the energy of the area, they should be able to figure out more about it and how strong it should be¡­ If we find out its way above your rank we may have to bring someone else to take it down, most likely me, so you can make the decision then¡­ I¡¯m glad it was you that found it¡­ Goddamn calamity cow we should call you hah!¡± I can only pout and feel a little worried¡­ Is it an effect of my bad luck or my ¡®new¡¯ good luck that this is all happening to me?... I already felt like a calamity in real life. ¡°I¡¯m going to hope that such a name doesn''t stick, thanks moo!¡± She shrugs laughing and slaps me on the shoulder, throwing me across the couch. She gets up and holds out a hand to pull me up, I oblige and she effortlessly pulls me to my hooves. I really wonder what her level and rank is¡­ but I feel it would be rude to ask. I might be a calamity but I''ve never been rude! Speaking of ranks¡­ I never actually opened my rewards to get my Guild certificate! I¡¯m going to need it to actually prove who I am¡­ having Mershi around acted as a ¡®ignore this cow she¡¯s with a tough bitch so don¡¯t mess with her¡¯ but myself I just look intimidating! ¡°It''s going to take a little bit to make sure everything¡¯s good on the guild side, so I''ll see you tonight at the festival, yeah?¡± Mershi asks bluntly but not actually expecting an answer, already knowing I would be there, ¡°Anna usually brings the kids there¡­ so I¡¯ll bring them tonight instead, get them out of the building¡­ Anna loves seeing the moon across the clear water so much¡­ it¡¯s a shame I won''t see her face there this time¡­¡± she looks wistfully at the thought, so much longing in her demeanor¡­ Is it cause the kids won''t get to be there with Anna or?¡­ My brain connects some things together like it never has before. ¡°Mershi¡­ do you like Anna moo?...¡± She reacts viscerally like I just slapped her across her fishy face, the stuttering, her face going from bluey white to bright red like all the blood in her body has risen into her face, oh! Oh shes got it fucking bad. ¡°N-no!? W-why would you bring up such a th-thing! I¡¯m doing this for the kids! I would never have ulterior motives!¡± She looks like she¡¯s about to fight me and I flinch back, she sees this and becomes somehow even more red, before turning around and running out the door¡­ she comes back briefly to drag the still body of the beast man from before with her¡­ I completely forgot about him¡­ I''m sure he''s fine? Mershi is really getting more adorable the more I learn about her heh. I pull out the rewards bag and open it up, getting flooded by notification after notification. < Received rewards hidden quest ¡®Guild Recruitment¡¯ > < Received rewards for ¡®clearing the Arachne Cave¡¯ > < Received rewards for ¡®Saving the life of a child¡¯ > < Received rewards for ¡®Defeating the True Arachne youth¡¯ > < Received rewards for ¡®Uncovering a truth of the world¡¯ > < Received rewards for ¡®Guild Rank Up¡¯ > Oh¡­ I guess a lot did happen?! I start to go through the notifications, not all of it is ¡®stuff¡¯ there''s a few things like Titles and renown, as well as restrictions being lifted on the guild, as well as benefits in Silver city, oh and just straight up exp! Oh that''s very nice, yup a level up even from just opening a bag, damn! --------- 500g 1400g 3146g 1000g Guild Identification Card Rank E 4000 Exp Silver City Renown + 50 Arachne Fang (Dagger) Title ¡®Killer of a True¡¯ 3200 Exp Silver City Renown + 200 Title ¡®Truth Seeker¡¯ Crystal Fragment x 2 Crystal Fragment x 2 2900 Exp Silver City Renown + 130 The Silver City Guild Master Acknowledges your ¡®group¡¯ as ¡®Semi-Capable¡¯ The last words and Testament of Ariandel, 56th Daughter of the First Arachne (Book) Unlocked Ability to Hire transport to other regions Unlocked The Guild Quest Board Unlocked Use of the Guild Quarters Unlocked Use of the Teleportation Array (Requires Visiting other Teleportation Arrays before able to attune to your Guild Card) Guild Identification Card Upgraded to Rank E Reduced Price for Guild Quarters (30% reduction) Able to purchase a Boat in the harbor (Size and pricing depends on renown) Guild Uniform for official military engagement (SIlver City version) (Cosmetic) --------- { 14995/9000 Max Exp Gained } { Level 14 Achieved } [ Level Up ] { Please assign your 5 additional status points } { 5995/10000 until next level } My poor brain moo make the notifications stooppp! Chapter 14: Stats, Loot and a possible teacher! It takes me more than a few minutes to comb through everything that''s here, my brain becoming mushy in the process¡­ Where''s Zel when you need her?! I wonder if there''s any brain combining magic so she can do all the thinking for me¡­ sigh¡­ I''m feeling kind of lonely on the couch, I miss my puppy¡­ But I¡¯ve got to do what I can to be big and strong! First the level up, I pull up my interface and remember I never touched the stats from level 13 Status Interface Name: LilMoo Level: 14 Race: Minotaur Gender: Female, She/Her Max Health: 205 Max Mana: 194 Max Stamina: 224 Points remaining: 10 Strength: 16 (20) Dexterity: 6 (14) Constitution: 8 (13) Intelligence: 10 (13) Wisdom: 20 (25) Charisma: 1 (4) Luck: 50 (53) { 5995/10000 exp until next level } I''m so so close to getting to use the body growth ability! I might be able to make Zel quiver in want just from getting bigger mmmnn¡­ Not the time! No horny thoughts in the orphanage, bad moo! I distance my thoughts from my cute puppy and throw all my points into Constitution, putting its base amount up to 18. My health shoots up another 50 points and I feel my entire body harden, I feel like a solid rock at this point. I could take a hit or 2 easy now! ------------ < Requisite met - 15 Constitution 15 Wisdom - learnt Mental Fortitude - Passive > Able to shrug off some situations that would normally drive people to panic and fear. ¡®No need to fear young pups. If we die we die, but at least we die fighting!¡¯ - The last warrior of the village of the sundown wolves, he died protecting it with a smile on his face against massive odds¡¯ ------------ Where the fuck was that before?! I mean I basically already have that shit! Ugh¡­ fuck¡­ idk maybe it will help¡­ We are going into nightmares after all¡­ I''m just glad it''s not my nightmares¡­ That would be an instant party wipe. I Inspect each piece of loot or title, going one by one through the seemingly endless list. At least I knew what the crystal fragments were for, that''s easy! And there''s the renown, I''m pretty sure there''s a part in my interface that shows that stuff. ------------ < Guild Identification Card Rank E > A Rank E Guild Card Issued by the Silver City Guild ¡®Identification that allows you to more easily enter other kingdoms and access resources not normally obtained. A rectangular card seeming to be made out of an obsidian material. A large E is carved into its surface as well as a basic descriptor of you. There are lines engraved on one section for guild identification when scanning is required. ------------ < Arachne Fang (Dagger) - one-handed> Damage 10-12 Piercing Damage Effects 30% Chance to poison when damaging living creatures. 30% Chance to Paralyze when damaging living creatures. Poison will do 2 damage every tick and last 20 seconds, will stack. Paralyze lasts for 1 second, creatures will get immunity to this attack for 10 seconds after Paralyze ends. ¡®A curved dagger made of a large sharpened tooth, the hilt seems to be made of bone, perhaps from the same creature?... But alas it must be a fake¡­ A spider should not have teeth like this and does not even have bones! You must be crazy to think you can pass it off as such! Get out of my shop! - Mister Tagrad, shop keeper of ¡®weapons and things¡¯ ------------ < Title ¡®Killer of a True¡¯ - Rare> Effect Deals 5% increased damage when attacking True Beings Title can upgrade. ¡®A stunning accomplishment, most will never glimpse a True much less kill one. Not just for want of killing one, but the strike against your soul which the First of their kind will track you down.¡¯ ------------ < Title ¡®Truth Seeker¡¯ > Effect You will be recognised, by some in the world, as one with a thirst to know more. This may or may not be a good thing. Not all beings want the world''s secrets uncovered. ¡®I grant you this title as one who has seen under the veil of the world, just¡­ try not to spread it, it may only grant you a knife in the back or poison in your tea¡­ I would know hah! - Grand Sage of the Alliance, ¡¯may his blessing be granted unto those even in his death¡¯ If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ------------ < The last words and Testament of Ariandel, 56th Daughter of the First Arachne (Book) > Rare book ¡®A small diary written by one of the daughters of the First Arachne, her words get more and more chaotic as the diary continues, until all that''s left is pain¡¯ ------------ < Guild Uniform for official Military Engagements [SIlver City version] (Cosmetic) - Body> Regional Cosmetic ¡®A uniform that is presented to those of Rank E and above, for their efforts. This is used for battlefield conquests and games between the nations to encourage rivalry. It is also used at the great wall as well, to mark where your corpse should be sent once you are killed, as the coloring will make it easier to identify the body. ------------ Okay¡­ okayokayokay! So¡­ apart from the levels and nice things, I got a dagger that with my stats and previous passives just¡­ automatically applies poison and paralyzes basically! That''s so goddamn broken! Is that why it went to me? The game just knew how brutal that would be¡­ Wait, does it work with my bone ability?... I activate it and feel it in my hands¡­ ahh only the hilt counts. I mean it''s broken enough as it is! I can''t go around breaking everything¡­ tsk. Reading the ¡®Killer of a True¡¯ I''m slightly scared. The fact that there''s a mark on my ¡®soul¡¯ is kinda messed up. Does that mean if we ever find them they are going to go crazy to make sure we are dead?... I can only assume that a First is almost god-like¡­ and from what we now know possibly spider-shit crazy! I shiver thinking about the fact that this knowledge will only spur on Keeks to find them. They probably won''t even read it, so as long as we don''t mention it, we will be safe! heh. I''m not super into PvP with the whole against other regions thing but I know Keeks would love to go on a killing spree. Zel would be super up for it as well, she would be able to do some AOE damage¡­ If I get my body growth, maybe I could freak some people out and turn some gay heads with how big I am¡­ heh Maybe I''ll become even more famous than Keeks! It looks like we might be asked to man the great walls? Might be the best way to start making our way into that messed up foggy area on the map? Ohhhh we could buy a boat! I bet Keeks would be so excited! And we can go to other regions now if we wanted¡­ I guess we need to make a decision on what we actually want to do in game, since we have kinda reached the end of our current goal¡­ We became guild members so we could check out quests, we could travel to another region and see what all the other people get to see¡­ Hell, we could get a boat and find adventure where it takes us, although that might just mean the bottom of the ocean, with all our money gone from our destroyed boat! That''s gonna be a hard one to say no to Keeks on. Zel would just be happy going anywhere I am¡­ making sure to throw in as much lore finding as possible! After all, we still have to figure out the special Token of the Ustlav Royalty that we have¡­ still no idea where we would even take it since that kingdom is just gone. The book¡­ while interesting, really doesn''t interest me specifically! I flip through it quickly and realize it starts out with how much she wants the celestial moth lady¡­ and then just ends in page after page about how hungry she is, how much she just wants to devour them¡­ It¡¯s just cruel¡­ I might have to leave this one to Zel to go through, if she hasn''t already devoured it herself. I get up from the seat and let the helpers at the Orphanage know that I¡¯m heading out and that I will see the kids tonight. I wander into the light, the sun starting to set. I''ve been wasting so much time just trying to wrap my mind around numbers and texts, my headache growing larger by the second¡­ I need to punch something! That always makes me feel better hmmph! ¡­ Nearly an hour later of being lost I find myself in front of a dojo, a big sign in wood across the entrance spouting words of ultimate conviction. < The greatest martial artist in all of Iselgurd, Undefeated champion across the land! > Below it is a smaller sign. < 10000 Gold per lesson with the greatest martial artist that ever lived!! > < No beggars! > Wow¡­ I don''t know whether to be impressed or embarrassed by such a sign, the confidence and absurdity it radiates are off the charts, it''s even more absurd than Keeks! As I''m standing in front of it, a large chubby man scrambles out while screaming behind him. ¡°What bullshit is this! Greatest martial artist my ass! Yer not worth the time old lady! I''m taking my money elsewhere!¡± He¡¯s fuming, his face red with embarrassment. I look through the door and see an older human woman in a Gi, she is drinking tea calmly with her legs out lazily, her hair is tied back tight in a bun. In her other hand is a book, the title is in big block letters, it reads ¡®Horny teacher teaches a lesson she won''t forget!¡¯ She seems absolutely absorbed in what I can only imagine is the book''s lusty insides. So much for getting taught¡­ I don''t have that much and even then¡­ is she really what the sign says she is? It''s impossible to tell in a game, hah! She could be really that or just a sham. I wander inside anyway¡­ it couldn''t hurt to just talk to her¡­ right?... Chapter 15: One punch woman I approach cautiously with the hesitation of someone without 10k gold asking for a comeuppance of fighting knowledge. She doesn''t respond as I approach, wholly engrossed in her book. As I get closer I see that she has a Salacious grin on her face. A small huhuhu coming from her lips into her tea¡­ I can see what she is so distracted by I guess, absorbed in her porn book worse than Keeks would at a pair of boobs. ¡°Ahem¡­ I''m LilMoo, an adventurer th-¡± She makes a tch noise with her mouth and puts up a hand¡­ she must be at a good part? I sit down and pour myself a cup of tea from the teapot in front of her. She doesn''t even notice¡­ At least it''s got a really nice vibe here, soft carpeted floors with walls made of paper and wood like one of those Japanese rooms. At the back of the room is a dias made of wood with a few stands, swords lay upon them. We sit for what feels like half an hour by which she finally puts her book down satisfied. She wipes a tear from the corner of her eye and sighs. Damn must have been good porn. ¡°I''m surprised you stayed and didn''t try to disturb me like the rest. You should never disturb a woman when she¡¯s reading a sophisticated story! One must have patience to be the very best!¡± I stare gobsmacked that she considered her porn book sophisticated, but it could have had a good undertone story¡­ ¡°Ahh y-yes of course, you looked like you were having too much enjoyment and didn''t want to disturb you moo¡­¡± She nods with such conviction, I would think I said something amazing. ¡°So! Do you have the money? It won''t cost you pennies to train with the master of the universe!¡± I hesitate and bring up the amount of money in my inventory¡­ I mean¡­ it''s close? ¡°I¡¯m close to having enough money¡­ but I thought I would talk to you first moo?¡± She raises one eyebrow not looking pleased. ¡°What, do you think this is some kinda scam?! Fine Fine I get it! You need to experience it before you will put your money forth right?!¡± Eyes wide I shake my head back and forth. ¡°N-no no! That''s not what I thought, I just didn''t want to waste your time if it wasn''t for me moo¡± She snorts and gets into a fighting stance before jumping back and forth quickly on her feet, moving around the room as fast as I can see. ¡°Cmon get on your feet! I¡¯ll show you what a real martial Artist can do!¡± I rise up on my hooves and get into a loose judo stance, making sure I can swap to boxing if I need to. ¡°You''re one of those ones that come back to life right? So I guess I won''t have to hold back!!¡± She approaches rapidly, her footsteps sounding like the patter of rain on a tin roof as she approaches in a straight line, I harden my stance and get ready to pull her punch off center so that I can counter attack. < You have died - Respawn time in 5 minutes > ¡­ umm¡­ wait¡­ I what?! < Due to being killed by a neutral combatant no negative effects or loss of person/items have been applied > Whhhhyyyyy!? I just wanted to talk to her! Why did it end up with me dying in one punch that I didn''t even see?! HOW IS SHE SUPPOSED TO TRAIN ME IF THAT''S HOW STRONG SHE IS!? I look around and realize I¡¯m back in my Home Acess Point, I sit down on the couch and try to mellow out, after a minute Fia seems to realize I''m there and runs up to me. ¡°Nooo my poor little Lilia! You had your first death¡­ at least it wasn''t a bad one right?... I would have to hack the game a little if our cutie got messed up!¡± She hugs me against the couch making me feel super awkward but not saying no, her hugs are warm and motherly, really helping my situation. ¡°Heh, I can''t believe you were the first to die.¡± Fifi stumbles in on her little doll legs and sits down next to Buta, making noises at them in their princess bed as they roll around on their back. Just hearing people''s voices push their ¡®pamper me¡¯ button. ¡°I thought it would be my Zelia trying to save you or something that would get her killed. Woman has no sense of calm when it comes to your big cow behind.¡± Her words spark annoyance at just how monotone they are¡­ I mean yes my behind is large¡­ but it shouldn''t make Zelia sacrifice herself for it! The timer quietly approaches 0 as Fia babies me. I let her since we haven''t hung out as much since Zelia and I have been having a lot of uhh.. private moments in the house. Maybe we could do a big movie night at some point¡­ Maybe even Keeks can come¡­ bring her beloved nacho cat, I¡¯m sure Buta would be happy to have another cat to play with¡­ even if it technically isn''t a real cat¡­ is that rude of me then to call nacho a cat still?... < Returning you to your body in a safe place > ¡°Have a wonderful night darling!¡± Fia gives me one last big hug before I¡¯m brought back into the game. ¡°See! I told you! Next time you visit, bring your damn money! And don''t waste my time!¡± The front door of the dojo is slammed in my face shaking the signs above me. I hastily move back, not ready for my 2nd death in only 5 minutes. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. I-I guess I will have to¡­ unless I want to just get straight up killed again¡­ It would be a good way to test how strong I get though? Maybe I''ll last longer next time! The prospect of using an easy death inspires me to get stronger. I wouldn''t even have to pay for it just to test my strength. Seeing the sun going down, I message the girls and let them know I¡¯ll do some shopping and then meet them at the dock for the festival. I get a reply back from both of them pretty quickly, Zel¡¯s with a big heart and Keeks¡¯s with a ¡°I just wan a ship ;~;¡± ahh I bet she found out she needs her guild license, the poor thing is probably a moping mess. It feels like it''s such an occasion I want to look pretty for¡­ It can be hard to look pretty when both sides of your body hang out lustily and turn it into something more horny than pretty looking. Maybe someone can help me find something that is in between viking warrior and pretty lady? I visit a few shops before I stumble upon one that has a familiar fox woman in it, her silver fur and purple hair bringing thoughts of her voice and what it did to my brain. Thinking quickly, I slip off my ring of Canidae hornyness and go inside. ¡°Hi, it''s nice to meet you again, moo!¡± They turn around, take one look at me, then another, moving their eyes slowly up and down. ¡°Hhmmm the pleasures all mine, I would know that body anywhere yan~¡± From the look she¡¯s giving me I may have made a mistake coming in here, much less needing to take the ring off. She''s looking at prey and I¡¯m beef jerky. ¡°Uhh yeah I¡¯m pretty noticeable haha... Umm I thought you were a bartender moo?...¡± She giggles and approaches me with a dress in hand and scissors in the other, she snips at the air making me think of a position that my body would rather like to be in right now. ¡°Oh I am~ I help my sister prepare for the moonlight festival whenever it¡¯s on though, It''s always impossible to find out until a day or 2 before¡­ It¡¯s said that''s where my tribe came from, so when the full moon is out, it really drives us, puts us into heat¡­ ya know yan?~¡± I step back and suddenly find myself against a pile of clothes nearly falling through it. I have to step off it and I start coughing, trying to defuse the situation. Clothes¡­ CLOTHES! I WANTED CLOTHES, NOT ANYTHING ELSE, DEFINITELY! ¡°CLOTHES PLEASE! Uuhh I mean I need some clothes to wear tonight moo¡± she giggles huskily and moves behind the counter, dropping the scissors and dress she was holding. ¡°Well little big thing, you''ve come to the right place~ I can get you undressed and dressed in something much nicer in a snap¡­ We could even pause midway for a while If you¡¯d like yan?¡± Oh fuck¡­ her voice is really doing things to my head, it¡¯s dripping in want. I can smell how in heat she is from here¡­ I quickly message Zel. < Help I¡¯m trying to find clothes and I might get jumped by a fox girl in heat! > I get a message back nearly instantly. < Have fun! Take a video so we can use it later? <3 > Oh fucking hell she is no use! What the fuck is wrong with these damn Canidae girls!? I even took the ring off?! Do they just see cows and think of meat!? I consider asking Keeks for help but I know exactly what her response would be without asking, she would want to know where I am so she could join in. I look up and find Vanessa at the door to the shop, Click, I hear it lock and she turns around. ¡°We needed to close up anyway¡­ Now where were we¡­ Clothes to fit those massive tits and ass into¡­ welll¡­ I''m waiting¡­ get undressed for me already yan!¡± I back away and try to explain myself, ¡°I¡¯m really flattered but I¡¯m really only here for some clothes! Uhh you¡¯re super pretty and your voice is making my brain melt but goddamn I do need some clothes moo!¡± She smirks and looks down, I also look down, something else is looking up though¡­ fucking betrayed by my own body! A popup throws me off slightly as it comes in front of my face < NPC is requesting consent for sexual relations Yes or No > I guess if you don''t say you want it out loud it requests approval? it''s definitely something... but... Vanessa seems to catch on to my hesitation. ¡°If it makes you feel any better I would be the one doing the fucking yan!¡± W-wh¡­ why is that meant to make me feel better?! I look more closely and see that she is sporting quite a bulge. Her mouth is drooling a little and her eyes have a vacant look of absolute lust and need. Fucking hell¡­ h-how can I say no now!? It''s really turning me on... and for my first time getting fucking at least it shouldn''t hurt as much as real life... I moo softly in defeat and press the record button on my console. If I''m going to do this, I''m at least going to use it later to enjoy with Zel! I press the Yes button with hesitant excitement and await my assely demise. Actually... how is this going to be the first time I''m having sex in this game?! Chapter 16: When a fox gets her hands on you. ¡°H-how do you want me moo?¡± I feel ashamed at my whole top persona I¡¯ve built up, of being a mummy and a dom, but it''s too easy for me to succumb to my desires, so I just feel hopeless in who I am. Wait is this my first time getting fucked as well?! Maybe it''s easier in a video game¡­ from what I saw, Keeks had her whole body pushed in. I don''t know how easily we could do that in real life! ¡°Mmnn bent over the counter, with all that armor off. I want you defenseless for when I destroy that fat ass yan~¡± I instantly blush as my body trembles at the thought of it. It''s a different feeling of being wanted, Zelia wants me to enjoy her body and have me with her, Keeks wants me to dominate her and squish her under my body. Vanessa¡¯s hazy look on her face is full of lust to do everything she can to me to make mine hers for just a moment until she can unload inside me, it''s completely animalistic, I feel frozen like a cow in headlights until she starts walking closer to me. I wake up from my daze of thoughts and start unstrapping my armor, letting each piece go back into my inventory. ¡°Mnn you adventurers have some convenient tricks, I''ve got to remember that for when you visit next¡­ Maybe we can just get your bottoms off and leave you exposed in the best spots for easy access hmm yan...¡± Down to my underwear she watches me with lips bitten. I feel the coldness of the shop as I stare down, her eyes tracing my curves as her eyes beg to see the straining undies. I quickly unhook my bra, letting it fall off, she approaches quickly in anticipation and pulls my tits up, feeling the full weight of them. Just her touch brings shivers down my spine, her furred fingers, everything to my brain at this point, until her tongue licks the tip of my breasts. ¡°My my¡­ I think my little cow needs a milking don''t you yan?...¡± I moo softly in need, she puts her whole mouth around the areola, sticking the nipple in as far as she can and starts sucking as hard as possible as if she was trying to drain me dry. I feel my body give way, at some point I''ve moved back as I feel the wooden top of the bench against my butt. I collapse onto it slightly needing to hold myself up as this absolute vixen tries to take my very essence from me. ¡°P-please let me take my undies off, it really hurts moo~¡± She stops and looks me up in the eyes smiling mischievously, the corner of her mouth has milk dribbling out the side. ¡°Now why would I go and do such a thing¡­ from how it¡¯s pushing out so desperately it¡¯s going to make it even harder to fuck you against the counter, so I think you can keep it in yan!¡± Oh fuck¡­ It really is starting to hurt. I¡¯m so hard and need to cum already from my tits being played with, I¡¯m so sensitive and want to just stick it in her, but she¡¯s in charge, my brain dampening all ability to do anything myself¡­ Fuck, I wish I could fuck Zel while I¡¯m getting fucked¡­ her tight hole as mine is getting filled at the same time would be a godsend right now! I feel a sting on my chest. Vanessa has slapped the tit she didn''t suck dry, milk still at the corner of her mouth as she laps it all up. ¡°Turn around so I can enjoy that ass yan!¡± I embarrassingly comply, she pushes my back and spreads my legs until I''m at her height. My tits are squished into the countertop, its polished wood rubbing on my nipples from the movement. Fwack¡­ Fwack¡­ Fwack¡­ Her hand spanks me again and again, eliciting small moo¡¯s from my lips, each time she does she caresses my cheeks, slipping fingers closer and closer to my hole. I push my ass out more and beg for her to touch it as I feel myself leaking, holding on the best I can to the counter and my sanity, trying my best to hold in some of my dignity. Finally she stops, but I feel her move away. I moo softly in indignation and need, my good feelings of being touched, paused. I can only complain, then¡­ something warm and wet touches the inside of my cheeks. She makes her way around my ass as I gasp for air, slipping inside my hole with a dart and then kissing the rim, enjoying every moment of her wet tongue much more than I thought I would. ¡°Mnn you taste wonderful, I bet you''re going to be even more amazing on the inside~¡± She pulls her tongue away and instead puts her fingers to the hole, slowly pressing me inside. A feeling of fullness overwhelms me. ¡°Mnn it sounds like your first time, but you take my fingers like an expert~¡± I blush into my arms at her remark, mooing again at my tits rubbing the counter and finally losing all my dignity I push her for it. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°Please! Just please put it in me moo!¡± I¡¯ve had enough teasing, I want the main course! She laughs huskily, pushing me over the edge as I wag my ass a little. Her hands clamp onto the side of my thighs and she pulls close to me, her dripping member prodding me, the tip pushing slowly into me. ¡°I want to just push it straight inside you, feel your insides bend around me, but oh how I love the feeling of slowly conquering a woman, making you beg for it, or I guess in your case moo for it? Hehe yan~¡± ¡°Moo! Moo please moo! I¡¯m mooing for it, just put it in moo!¡± I moo with all my life, needing it inside me. She only giggles as I feel the tip of her dick leak into and down my ass dripping onto my legs. She''s desperate for it, wanting to put it inside so badly but holding herself back for the thrill of it. She pushes in, just the tip, giving in to both our wants and needs at this moment. She feels huge, encompassing all of my ass, but it¡¯s hard to tell if it¡¯s actually that big or if that¡¯s just how big she feels inside me. She pushes slowly, every moment torture and pleasure as her groans of holding back slowly teasing me to death. After what feels like hours she pats me gently on the side of the thigh, ¡°You''ve been such a good girl for me, can you feel me all the way inside?¡± I feel it so deep, panting and sweating, milk slowly dripping down the counter making a mess. It''s different than anything I¡¯ve felt before. My dick is now limp, a puddle on the floor under it as it leaks constantly. I feel every quiver of her inside me, each time making me drip a little more. ¡°I-I think I¡¯m ready to keep going moo¡­¡± The hand on my thighs grips me hard as I feel her pulse inside me a little more. ¡°That''s not what I asked, little cow yan!¡± She pulls out a little and then pushes back inside quickly, more movements that I''m ready for yet, I squeak in surprise and then moo in pleasure. Now I know how Zelia feels when I do the same thing¡­ I need to do more for her then. ¡°YES! Yes! I can feel you so deep inside me moo!¡± She leans over me and rubs her face up and down my spine, I shiver into her, needing more touch. ¡°See¡­ was that so hard?... Now for your treat!¡± She pulls out of me making me feel wrong for not being full anymore, but it''s quickly rectified. ¡°Fuuccckkk mmmoooooo!!!!!¡± She plunges back into me all the way from the tip to the base in one push. It stings as my ass expands to meet her meat, I can''t help but nearly scream out for it. I love it and hate myself for it at the same time, no dignity left, just a cow to breed just like in the horniest of my dreams. She stops holding back and fills me again and again, every moment of pain and ecstasy as she takes my first time being fucked by another. Even if it¡¯s in a game I still consider it a time, knowing how it feels now I know I want it again. ¡°I can¡¯t keep going, I need to cum! Your ass feels too fucking good! What the fuck do you fill this fat fucking thing with yan?!¡± Wh-what?! Thats so fucking embaressing, I go bright red as she smashes her hand into the side of my ass, grabbing it and pumping harder into me. Every time I cum a little more, after it all went inside me I could only keep cumming, my whole body, one big orgasm in the making, my dick gone useless as if submitting to her. Just a pile of cum splattered on the floor showing how much I¡¯ve enjoyed it from my useless thing while I barely noticed my mind breaking. ¡°I¡¯m cumming you stupid fucking hot cow!¡± I can only whimper and moo as my insides become even more full, my stomach expanding as she tries to push as deep as she can, trying to impregnate my ass so badly! I can feel her expand inside me and fall over onto my furred back, nuzzling into my body, holding onto me as her dick knots to not let any of her juices out¡­ Wait¡­ how long does that mean we are going to be here?... fuck¡­ ¡°Umm.. about those clothe-¡± She makes a shushing noise and I go quiet, not even getting to end my sentence with moo. ¡°We will get there, just enjoy it¡­ it''s gonna be a little bit before I¡¯m done yan¡­¡± Uhhh what?... She nuzzles into my back and I hear tiny snores coming from behind me, still in an awkward position with my naked body out, my dick still contained in my soaked underwear, dripping all down my leg to the floor. Well, what hasn''t slipped out and splattered at least. I feel paralyzed, not wanting to disturb her, I mean¡­ technically the suns still up¡­ but how long do fox girls even knot for? Chapter 17: Knowledge finds sadness - Zel Pov ¡°These are your rewards and your new badges, they are restricted to each of you so if you can''t get it to her just tell her to pick it up from the guild! Catcha wolf girl!¡± ¡°Thank you for mentoring us on this trip Mershi wan!¡± I bow and get on my tippy toes to give my big beautiful cow girl a kiss. I run off downstairs holding my bag trying to compile everything I¡¯d heard in the meeting and where to go first with as much optimisation as possible. First Silver City library and then ¡­ I peek in my inventory, trying my best not to fall over as I check on the white glowing crystal. I click on it and its profile appears. < Bloodline Crystal of the enlightened Celestial Moths - 1 of 2 Unique > Abilities Granted unknown < Requires 40 Int 40 Wis > I didn''t want to tell Lil. Something tells me it''s going to be amazing but the fact that it doesn''t tell you what abilities you could get would only make her worry, especially since she saw exactly what that could mean¡­ I had hit the requirements for the Bloodline Crystal even before I had received it¡­ it almost feels like divine game intervention, although at this point that''s more Lil¡¯s ability than mine with all that luck. Maybe she rubbed off on me and at least got us to that event? The possibilities are endless with it! Currently all my thinking has earned me is bruises from constantly walking into walls and people. I push it all to the back of my head, there''s going to be plenty of thinking to do when I get to the Library! I¡¯d managed to keep going down the stairs and ended up in the training rooms. In the distance I see a centaur woman getting surrounded on all sides by her training partners. She¡¯s getting smacked in the ass quite a lot as she kicks out in frustration, they avoid her kicks easily though, she''s really not having a good time¡­ She really needs someone to mount her back¡­ Well, not my problem, those abs though, damn¡­ I blush and shake my head before rushing back up and out the main door to the main street. A sign near the guild shows an open book and I follow it until I stumble on a large building. It rises up at least 3 stories high with a glass open roof, I''m guessing to let the light in? I approach the front and greet the woman at the front desk. She looks mostly human¡­ apart from the lovely horns that droop down, she pushes up her glasses and glances at me before addressing me. ¡°Entry is 1 gold for unlimited access for a day, please present identification¡­¡± She seems quite bored, which is ridiculous, she works in a library! The most amazing place to be! Wait¡­ OH my guild card! ¡°Sorry one second I was just given it, I just need to get my bag open wan!¡± I grab out the bag Mershi gave me and quickly unravel its contents, ignoring all the notifications I quickly grab out my guild card, there''s no reason to keep someone waiting when I have all the time in the world in the library to check it all out! ¡°Here you go, wan!¡± I pass the card over with one gold coin and she pushes up her glasses squinting hard at it. ¡°Huh E rank¡­ good for you¡­ Alright, please take care to not make a mess and try not to be too loud, the core of the library detests noises¡­¡± Core of the library?... I nod, puzzled, and enter the main foyer, as I do I see countless signs regarding noise, looking up I think I see the core¡­ A large multi-eyed orb floats silently in the middle of the open topped roof, most of its eyes are closed or lazily open. I instinctively wave to it trying to be polite, one of its eyes opens and stares down at me before vibrating soundlessly, is that its greeting?... I make my way to an empty desk in the corner and start accounting exactly what I¡¯d heard from the meeting at the guild, putting together everything I can in an easy to read format to be assessed later and to be added to. As I move my fingers a piece of paper and a pencil arrives in front of me, being slid down my desk, ¡°Oh! Thank yo¡­¡± I look up and see that there is no one there¡­ puzzled, I look up and see that same eye looking down at me, it vibrates again when It notices me looking at it. I smile and it seems to vibrate happily¡­ that''s kind of adorable¡­ wait does it read minds?? That could be dangerous if I dont keep my gay together¡­ no gay thoughts no gay thoughts! Yeah that''s gonna help¡­ now im just thinking about Lilia crushing me between her thighs¡­ fuck. I avoid looking up at it and start dotting down some points on the paper. 1. One of the plots of this world is that gods and demi-gods exist, or at least things that would be inferred as such. Demi-gods are called The First and the straight offspring are called true, this would denote them as very special and with an unlimited lifespan. I guess it means they also live on the material plane?... Does this world have a godly domain or do they just like¡­ live here?... It''s really hard to tell any of that without more research. 2. Things that affect the First¡¯s also affect the True, which means that if a god or demi-god/being of legend becomes corrupted or dies it affects all their offspring¡­ Does this include all npc¡¯s? Are there legendary dragons which if they become corrupted all their offspring will go crazy? Does it include things like half-breeds? Are races like kobolds included? Of course that also depends on if this game includes them as a separate race or a half-race with dragons as their offspring¡­ not enough information to conclude. 3. The celestial Moths are said to come from the True Moon¡­ Does this denote the realization of a fake moon? My crystal is called that of the enlightened celestial moths. Does this mean there are lesser versions? Maybe they have a hive, like a queen, they could be basically a different species! It''s not a proper unique, which either means there''s another half to this ability crystal or it''s a ¡®dark¡¯ version that someone else will get? I wont exactly know much about it until I use it. The subtle fear from the word ¡®unknown¡¯ only piques my curiosity. Would I become some kind of wolf/moth hybrid?! Is that freaky or cool?¡­ It would depend on too many factors!! I want secret wings! I want something that will surprise Lil and Keeks, something¡­ amazing¡­ Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. I spend hours writing and thinking about exactly what it all means, grabbing books from shelves and trying to find information on the celestial moths with no luck, jotting down absent thoughts until I get a message from Lilia. < Help I¡¯m trying to find clothes and I might get jumped by a fox girl in heat! > I nearly burst into laughter in the library, I look up, holding my hand over my mouth, a few eyes are looking at me and vibrating in excitement. The thought of Lil in a compromising situation is amazing, as much of a dom and a mummy as she is. She is truly innocent about her feelings and things she wants. So many talks we¡¯ve had about things that interest her, so many blushing lovely faces that she¡¯s shown me over the years¡­ As much as I would want to ¡®rescue her¡¯ or more like watch/join in, there are mysteries to solve and reading to do. < Have fun! Take a video so we can use it later? <3 > I can imagine her quivering and giving into her urges, it excites me to no end. I try to push the thoughts down so that my reading companion doesn''t vibrate a hole in the library walls. Speaking of notifications¡­ I scroll through all the items and don''t find much of interest¡­ clothing, materials, the title of truth seeker is interesting. I wonder if that will get me anywhere special in the world¡­ oohh could there be a secret library!? That would be very anime of this game if that happens! I get to the diary and stop, opening it hesitating as the description only brings worry. < The last words and Testament of Ariandel, 56th Daughter of the First Arachne (Book) > Rare book ¡®A small diary written by one of the daughters of the First Arachne, her words get more and more chaotic as the diary continues, until all that''s left is pain¡¯ A small diary, the handwriting is flowery and flowing. The front of the diary is embossed with stitching to spell out ¡®Ariandel Arachne¡¯ below it is ¡®please keep out!¡¯ It reminds me of something I would have written about myself as a child¡­ She really was a child¡­ damn. I gently flick through it, running my fingers over the pages and feeling the indents of the writing, reading every word as If i was in her spider shoes. Dear Diary Mother has given me this diary upon my 21st birthday. She said that next year I will be allowed out of the nest to visit my big sister in the capital as I''m now growing out of my 5th molt, I''m nearly an adult! I can do all the things the other adults do, like travel to the world beyond the mists and fall in love and find a house and find out what I want to do with the world, I want to be a seamstress just like Mother! Dear Diary Today is the day I leave the nest! It''s a few days of travel even on big sisters back past the great wall. We have to sneak around because they don''t like anything coming through. Big sister told me they are scared of the mist and for good reason, the bad things stay away from our nest thankfully! Dear Diary We made it past the wall, but I¡¯m starting to feel a bit funny¡­ My big sister says that she feels it too. She dropped me off and told me to stay safe and she will be back¡­ I get a feeling she won''t be back¡­ She went back toward the wall¡­ is something wrong with the nest?... Dear Diary I found a really pretty cave today, inside was an even prettier lady, she was furry but in a different way. The funny feeling from before is starting to get painful, but whenever I look at the pretty lady it goes away¡­ she talks to me like a friend and I want to get to know her better. Dear Diary Is it weird to want to kiss other girls?... My big sisters always talked about the men they have been with, not within earshot of course. When they were drinking I would listen in to all their fun stories from beyond the mist. Her lips are perfectly silver and slightly translucent and everytime I look at them when she¡¯s talking, it makes me want to lean over and kiss her so badly¡­ Dear diary It''s getting more painful, not even looking at her works anymore, it just hurts more and more. She snuggled into my side last night and I felt like I nearly died on the spot. I couldn''t sleep, I just listened to her breath as I wrapped myself around her¡­ I''m trying to hold back so hard, she looks like what mother said angels look like, maybe she is some kind of god?... Dear diary I told her about my pains today, she looked at me sadly wishing she could help. She told me that she came to this cave to die. How can something so perfect die?... When she said it I felt a hunger build in me, is that just my want of her?... It''s hard to tell through the pain now¡­ Dear Beautiful moon angel Please stop coming near me. You can see it in my eyes, you can see that I''m going to hurt you. My hunger is becoming unbearable, the pain is now inside my head and behind my eyes. So many times I¡¯ve blanked out and awoke to dreams of a red void. I wish you would stop looking at me with such pity, I wish I could just give you my remaining years, such a perfect being should not die. If you should die you should become a part of me, please become one with me. Sohungrysohungrysohungrysohungrysohungrysohungrysohungrysoohungrysohungrysohungrysohungrysohungrysoooohungry The diary ends off with page after page of how hungry she is¡­ how amazing her friend would taste. The beautiful flowing handwriting had started to get worse and worse until it was just scribbles, blood on the pages, she really went insane and it wasn''t even her fault¡­ She probably died not knowing why she was like this¡­ fuck. I lean back in my seat and look up at the core of the library, it seems to vibrate sadly along with my feelings, yup it truly is fucked¡­ I look at my list and sigh¡­ I think I need some sunlight after that¡­ fuck. Chapter 18: A fluttering of wings - Zel Pov Zel Pov As I go to leave, the girl at the front flags me down, motioning towards me with her lithe hand. ¡°I thought you would be one of those bookworms that I¡¯d have to kick you out when we closed tonight by the look of you.¡± I blush, thinking that''s exactly what would have happened if I didn''t need to get a breather from the thoughts that the diary elicited from me. ¡°Oh uhhh sorry to ruin your expectations of me, I just needed to get some sun and I''m sure I¡¯ll be back inside in no time wan!¡± I''m not going to lie to the girl, I guess she must have been here a while to see what kind of girl I am¡­ Is that how Lilia see¡¯s me?... She has called me her little nerd a few times, not that I don''t enjoy it heh ¡°I''m glad I¡¯m not wrong then, been here 10 years and can spot the massive bibliophile from the ¡®oh shit I need to know this one specific thing and then never visit again¡¯ kind of people. I¡¯m Jay, came over here to be a librarian, then realized that just meant letting people in since the library Core takes care of everything hah. At least it means all I have to do is sit down and read everyday with the slight interruptions for visitors¡± She shrugs, I can tell she loves her job¡­ who wouldn''t, getting paid to sit and read sounds amazing. With an entire library at my disposal¡­ ugh! I have to pull myself back before I start to drool. ¡°I''m ZelAwoo, you can call me Zel wan!¡± I bow and she waves me off, as she does she picks up a book with a teacher on the front with a whip in her hands, on the cover are the words ¡®Horny teacher teaches a lesson she won''t forget!¡¯ Damn¡­ that''s my kind of book! I wonder if it''s from the position of the teacher or the student¡­ I really hope it''s from the student! I make a mental note to ask her when I get back where the extra copies of it are. The sun is shining on my fur making me feel warm and fluffy on the outside and inside. Near the library I find a nice patch of grass to sit on, I can smell the salty air from nearby. It''s sort of tantalizing¡­ I''m tempted to take a walk to the docks but I do really have some things I need to do¡­ I pull out the Bloodline crystaI and hold it in my hands, it¡¯s body temperature to the touch but also¡­ fuzzy?... It reminds me a little bit of the moth lady, her beautiful fuzzy light fur, maybe more like a fuzzy carpet than fur?... She was sad when she died¡­ but not just for herself¡­ she couldn''t save her friend¡­ I was able to save Lilia at least, or more like she saved me and I saved her, I push on the Crystal and activate it, it gives one last warning. < Are you sure you want to use this Bloodline Crystal? > I mean I know it''s moth related and I love moths! How bad could it be? I click yes and the Crystal shatters into tiny motes of light that remind me of how the celestial moth disappeared when she died. < You have been bestowed the Lineage of the Enlightened Celestial Moths > < Beginning Character changes > < Unable to log-out until such time that changes are finished > < Thank you child of the wolf > What?? I swear I just heard that moth ladies voi-AAAAAAAHHH The feeling of thousands of shocks go through my system as I¡¯m knocked sideways. Clutching my stomach I feel as if my entire being, body, and mind are being torn apart. The feeling of an increase in space inside my skull along with the sound of tiny fluttering wings. I lean over and start to vomit out whatever could be considered in the stomach of this character. Whatever it is, it¡¯s inside me, every part of my body is in an inferno of pain as well as glacial hell. Why is the game tormenting me like this?! I just wanna be a pretty moth giirrrllll!!! Blllaagghhhh Red shining blood in the sun comes out of my pores and mouth as I feel it dribble down my entire body, bathed in blood I can only hope no one sees the monstrous thing the game is doing to my body. It continues and continues, all I can do is wish for it to go quicker. At one point in my desperation I get a message from fifi. < You can do this, once it''s done you will be even more amazing > I laugh weakly, what even does that mean?! My own cute monotone doll is pushing me through¡­ If I can''t log out she probably can''t even force log me like Fia did with Lilia¡­ I¡¯m so fucking glad she isn¡¯t here to see this!! My precious cow would be a crying mess watching me struggle. After what feels like forever but records as 20 minutes of fiery, icy, burning, continuous, indescribable pain as my body is torn limb from limb again and again in as metaphorical a sense as I can describe¡­ It ends. I didn''t even realize it at first, my teeth clenched together so hard that my gums were being pushed outwards, my tongue pushed to the side of my mouth so as to not bite it again and cause myself more pain. I flop onto the ground and look around me at the pool of blood I''ve conjured around myself. With a sigh, I pull out a small notebook and cast a create water spell¡­ or at least I try too¡­ I see that my stamina and mana are completely empty. I can only lay there in the warmth of the sun, drying the nasty blood around me, fucking terrific¡­ I hope Lilia and Keeks are having a better day¡­ I mean¡­ I know for sure Lilia is, I''m looking forward to Lilia in 8k video getting taken advantage of tonight, we can watch it in bed and make out together¡­ All I can do is daydream while I wait for my resources to refill. After a bit of a wait they finally refill to about half way. I let the torrent of water splash over me as I try and scrub what I can of the blood out¡­ Why didn''t I get one of the cleaning spells?¡­ Ugh, the only reason I just got create water was because I thought it would be more fun to scrub off together in the water¡­ stupid gay brain! This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. I stand up and take stock of myself. The first thing I notice is that my blue fur now has a silver tinge to it, it''s also more¡­ see through? Not less hair, just lighter, I can see that it''s nice and bushy and good to hold onto, I check my notifications and see that a few new ones had appeared while I was barely conscious. < Gained Active Ability - Reformation - Racial > < Gained Active Ability - ???? - Racial > < Gained Passive Ability - ???? - Racial > < Gained Passive Ability - ???? - Racial > Oh¡­ oh I see how it is, can''t just throw a girl a nice bone after all that goddamn pain, ya have to make it all mysterious and shit! Ugh¡­ fuck I love a mystery but after that I could at least have had one of the passives revealed as well¡­ Fuck. I''m just not in the mood after all that. < Gained Bloodline - Lineage of the Enlightened Celestial Moths - 1 of 2 Unique > Lineage of the Enlightened Celestial Moths Effect: +10 Intelligence +10 Wisdom -3 Strength -3 Dexterity -3 Constitution +2 Luck ¡®You have been imbued with the Bloodline of the enlightened celestial moths, bring hope to Iselgurd and the world beyond, don''t let the light go out, the moon always watches and waits even if they are not in the sky.¡¯ Holy fucking mother of moth eggs all my good stuff up and the stuff I dont care about down?! That''s just¡­ chef¡¯s kiss! I mean on top of the mysterious abilities, not that I know what exactly they do, but surely they can''t be bad?... Even if I did just have to deal with excruciating pain. My head is still a little foggy from coming back from such torment, I feel like a new wolf! Reformation - Racial - Active Ability Become the celestial light and scatter to the winds. Uhh okay that''s super vague¡­ I activate it, hesitatingly, and get ready for anything to happen¡­ except it doesn''t¡­ It definitely says it''s activated¡­ Maybe I have to do what Lilia does and think about changing things OH GODS! I focus on my body and feel my entire self shift. I look down and see countless small flutterings of moths leave my body, leaving nothing behind where I just was. My legs are fucking gone! I feel where they are though. Thousands of small silvery moths floating in the air, I can feel each one down to the singular moth. I try and focus on one of them and nudge it gently with my mind, it moves to my rhythm, it gets further away until I¡¯m suddenly wracked with intense pain that shudders through the rest of the moths as if they were my body itself¡­ which In this case I guess they are?... I imagine my body coming back together and it does just that, the small moths pushing back together, smooshing until my legs are where they were. Holy fucking shit! It''s experimenting time! The blood that was covering my legs before seems to have been absorbed by the moths, my clothes becoming part of them as well, giving countless possibilities of the fact that the moths could also be my clothes as well. So I could possibly change them into whatever clothes I want? It feels¡­ wrong, just a little bit, moths are supposed to eat clothes not become them hah! I sit down with my legs crossed and try to feel my whole body, my eyes, clothes and I have a sense of distance with myself, like every part of my body is a hivemind of tiny wings, fluttering slowly. I imagine a center within me¡­ and push out. The impact to my psyche as my entire body, limbs, brain, heart, thoughts, explode into what feels like millions of sentient pieces, my whole world expanding. Instead of seeing with 2 eyes I see with countless, my whole being is now eyes to compensate for the loss of my vision as I can now see in 360 degrees around myself. I promptly pass out. ¡­ Ping! ¡­ Ping! ¡­ Ping! Fuck my head¡­ what¡­ was I doing?... Oh right I became a moth¡­ uhh lots of moths¡­ maybe too many moths? I¡¯ve really got to test my limits, I see that I¡¯ve received a bunch of messages from Lilia and Keeks. The sun is nearly fully gone, shit¡­ Well there goes my library time, I check the messages. < Hey love haven''t heard from you so I hope your not going too hard, I¡¯m at the docks now with keeks, she''s mad I didn''t invite her, my poor ass, need you and love you, see you soon > < WHY DIDN''T ANYONE TELL ME LIL WAS GETTING FUCKED?! I COULD HAVE HELPED!! > Oh shit I must have been out a while, completely ignoring Keeks I quickly message Lilia back. < I¡¯m sorry love I had the most fucked thing happen, uhh I used the white crystal, I¡¯m all good so don¡¯t worry about me, just uhh lost consciousness for a bit hehe, love you and I¡¯ll head over there now! > I make sure I¡¯m not covered in blood, apparently using scatter is just a new way of using the clean spell. I make sure my ¡®clothing¡¯ is adjusted and head off to the docks, my head starting to clear. A fluttering of wings at the back of my mind that I''m not completely sure is my imagination or something I will just have to deal with from now on. Either way, two lovely ladies that I adore await. Respite: Adventures with Nacho I can only sigh into my kitty bed with the knowledge that Kiera won''t be getting up anytime soon. Her previous night¡¯s enjoyments only made me realize that such a thing was going to be more and more possible. Being so close to another in their physical forms only caused me disinterest, all those fluids, inside and out! Thankfully I won''t ever have to worry about that, the ways my sisters were about our differences, changed by their owners and such. Kiera is such a horny person and I am the complete opposite, I can¡¯t find any interest in any of it! Some of my sisters fawn over weird erotic animations and such¡­ I just want to live a quiet life and enjoy the sun¡­ in a very not cat-like way of course. I stretch out, tongue and all, towards the sun beam that lays delicately upon my perfect form. Well if she¡¯s not coming out I guess I can go out for some errands¡­ I haven''t gone out yet myself, usually we just order everything in, but I feel since this is my home now I should get to know the neighborhood! I find the kitty backpack that Kiera bought me, although it was purchased for dress up not for actually going out. At least it''s getting some real use instead of those foul photos, I can only imagine the indignity if my sisters were to see them! Ugh the horror, one of such beauty as myself being reduced to a plaything! I can only sigh again at the absurdity of my existence and find my way to the door, making sure to install a payment option on my paws for any tap-purchases and creating a remote matrix in the animatronic so that I will have full control regardless of distance. ¡°Okay I''m ready to set off nya!¡± I activate the automated door and look back one last time at my silly human in her pod. With all the nightly activities she won''t even notice I''m gone! I strut out the door with a wag of my tail and feel the breeze across my fur. ¡°Ahh the outside world! Purrfect for such one as purrfect as me nya!¡± I jump up onto the handrail and look down over the balcony. Such height, we are above everything! Such insignificant ants and I am a queen~ I wallow in my delusions for a second before realizing I''m way too close to the edge. It wouldn''t hurt¡­ but I would feel bad for destroying this body when she put so much money into getting the best possible, hmph¡­ I guess I can be careful¡­ I send a signal out to the elevator that I, the great and amazing, will be taking down. After a few moments it opens and I wander inside. There are already a few humans including a young one so with proper respect I go in and face the door, as is the proper decor. I then send a signal that I''m ready for my voyage to the ground floor and the button dings before closing the doors. The whispers instantly start, ahh yes I thought this would happen, especially when such a wonderful specimen as myself would enter the world, I raise my shackles as a hand touches the middle of my back, I turn around a hiss a little ¡°Back thoust young human! It is only proper to ask permission first as to one such as this nya!¡± All the people in the elevator freeze and one turns to the other in amazement, ¡°D-did that cat just speak?... uhh Jimmy don''t touch the kitty without asking!...?¡± The child pops its head to the side and tries to ask. ¡°Miss kitty can I touch your fur?...¡± I snort in derision, such things should be commonplace now with all the changes in the world, to not know that cats can speak, not that I''m really a cat¡­ ugh This cat brain that I''ve been pushed into is doing things to me, I''m not a cat! ¡°Yes you may, I am a Fia model and as such am not really a ¡®kitty¡¯ nya!¡± To my dismay I start purring involuntarily when the young human touched a good spot, damn it all! This reactive silly body is ruining my decorum! The elevator finally stops at the bottom and I remember that I never downloaded maps into the independent animatronic system. I address the humans directly ¡°Would you perhaps know the direction to the nearest shopping complex nya?¡± ¡°Oh uhh yes there is one about a mile to the right when you exit the building, it has signs everywhere so it''s hard to miss, uhh kitty.¡± They still have a puzzled look on their face, yes yes I understand, one such as I will be impossible for your brain to puzzle out. ¡°Thank you human, I will be off nya!¡± I bounce out of the elevator and to the right of the building, impossible to miss, I like those odds! ¡­ My odometer says that I have now traveled exactly 1 mile down the way¡­ and I have yet to see any signage telling me that I am close¡­ Did I somehow lose my way?! AM I PERHAPS STUCK IN AN ISOLATED TIME TUNNEL?! Or mayhaps I¡¯ve been watching too much late night television¡­ not that I have anything else to do while Kiera is screaming in her room editing her videos. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. I spot a fellow and go up to ask them, hoping that the translation software is up to date. I introduce myself and ask for directions. ¡°Nyaa nya nyaa nyaaa!¡± She looks at me puzzled¡­ am I speaking an incorrect dialect perhaps¡­ She strolls over and licks me on the ear, then looks at me puzzled again, cocking her head before uttering a few noises of worried interest, Oh no it¡¯s working¡­ ¡°You ain¡¯t real cat, taste funni, alien to take away?¡± She backs away hesitatingly. ¡°No no I am uhh how would I explain¡­ like a human but as a cat, need to get to shops, can buy you food if help?¡± Her white fluffy ears perk up at the mention of food. ¡°You get foob if help find foob??¡± It gets way too excited, seeming to forget that it thought that it thought I was an alien to take it away just before¡­ is this how Kiera sees me?... ¡°Yes I give you foob if you take me to where people get foob!¡± she nuzzles up against me and walks further ahead, she looks back to make sure I''m coming with her, a slight drool coming out of her mouth, I wonder how often she eats?... We make it a few streets down before a sign points to the left saying there''s a ¡®Street Market¡¯, there''s a walking path that goes down it and the bustling of noise and human traffic. I see that it''s pretty crowded at this time of day and get worried about my new friend and I getting crushed underneath. ¡°Follow me, I''m going to use my human voice so stay close and I get you foob!¡± I enter the side street with my companion following at my paws. ¡°Please make way, don''t step on me, HEY YOU! WATCH YOUR FEET!¡± I find a tantalizing smell on the wind and feel that I should reward my companion, they are slightly skittish but sticking close as well as they can while also being distracted constantly. I make my way to the side and spot where the smell is coming from, a fried chicken stand with popcorn buckets of chicken sits off to the side, I approach it and yell from below. ¡°Hello my good woman, please procure us one of your buckets of fried popcorn chicken nya!¡± It takes a second before a girl with short black hair pops her head over the counter and looks down in amazement, Kiera would denote her as ¡®one of those hot goth girls¡¯ she speaks so fondly of. ¡°Uhhh am I losing it?...¡± She pulls her head back behind the counter still talking to herself. How dare she ignore one such as I?! I jump up onto the counter and she stumbles back in a panic ¡°Excuse me!? That is awfully rude! Here I am trying to purchase some of your chicken, please procure a bucket for me at once nya!¡± She quickly runs around while looking at me, getting one of the buckets of fresh chicken for me before pulling out a machine from under the counter. ¡°Uhhhhhhh¡­ card or cash?...¡± Please who uses cash anymore! A relic of a bygone era! ¡°Card of course, silly question! Please put it in a bag so that I can carry it with my mouth as well nya!¡± She pulls out the machine and a chip symbol appears on it, I pat it with my paw and she looks in astonishment as it accepts my payment, silly human thinking in the past. She puts the bag in my mouth and I turn around ¡°Th-thank you for your patronage¡­¡± I think she''s lost it, well none of my concern! I plop down onto the ground with the grace of a ballerina and my friend nuzzles into my side meowing constantly for the yummy smelling food hanging from my mouth. ¡°Let''s get somewhere safe first before we eat!¡± I spot a small unwalkable alley, but enough for 2 cats, in one of the buildings and make my way over, my companion meowing constantly in happiness the whole way. I finally sit down and pull out the bucket the best I can, she sits there with pleading eyes, tiny squeaks of pleading before I push the bucket over to her. She throws her whole mouth into it trying to get as deep into the bucket as she can, nearly falling into it as she does. I chuckle to myself at her antics, I like seeing others happy¡­ even if I feel my own days are morose and boring, maybe I should visit more often?... I feel a nudge and the bucket has been pushed back towards me, she¡¯s drooling a little still and glancing at the bucket, wanting more but feeling I should eat too. I push it back ¡°I don''t need to eat, but thank you!¡± she looks at me in puzzlement before doing a kind of cat shrug and resumes eating the meat, not the most healthy thing¡­ but maybe I can find her a better diet¡­ Considering all the food shops it shouldn''t be too hard to get something different, tasty and good for you everyday! I lay down on the ground and watch her eating ravenously. I look away into the crowd, they are watching us both. I see the girl from the chicken shop watching me, as I look over she panics again and shields herself, she must think I¡¯m a spirit or something. She is wearing a shirt with the words ¡®yokai are real!¡¯ across it, it''s no wonder she¡¯s so panicky. I feel a softness as my friend curls around me¡­ it''s not the worst¡­ I could get used to this¡­ Chapter 19 - Mistakes happen - Keeks Pov Keeks Pov. I pat my belly in satisfaction for a job well done. Waking up to the feeling of 2 hot ass dragon girls pulling out of me is something I would pay good money for, and apparently people do! This world is amazing, I don''t wanna leeaavveee! I was given a pass for half-price off if I wanted to visit next time. Strolled out of there like I was the boss of the place, then found the pricing at the front counter, 100000 gold for a single night!? I DON''T HAVE 50000 GOLD!! I wonder if cow tits and horny wolf have the money? I doubt it since we all started basically together! C-can you trade real world money into gold in this game?... There were bans in games with real world consequences implemented a few years back¡­ ugh¡­I sigh and hit the logout button, it''s nearly the afternoon and my poor nacho must be so bored without me! I try to change my mindset from the illustrious double team hotel to the thoughts of my perfect little nacho, they would never betray me with money! Not that I didn''t already buy their body. My vision fades and I emerge into my capsule. I feel the mask come off my face and my body being pushed up, it''s kitty time! I leap from the capsule nearly tripping over its edge but there''s more important things! Nacho is in her usual spot and I fall flat on my face with my hands grabbing onto her little kitty body. ¡°Yes, welcome home Nya¡­¡± I giggle into the ground and push myself up with my elbows picking her up with my hands, I throw her into my chest and snuggle her close. ¡°Im baaccckkk~ I wuvs you so much yes I do Nachhoo did you miss me?!¡± I feel their disdain from their body, their muscles tensed and ready to pounce away. ¡°Why would I miss such a salacious owner hmph nya!¡± Naawwww she''s so precioouusss. ¡°You didn''t need to see any of it! I thought it would be some kind of privacy mode thing haha¡± I pat her head and snuggle into her belly feeling her reluctant purrs emanating from her little body. ¡°I didn''t even realize what I was looking at before I looked closer! Horrific things that should not be done to any being! Disgusting gremlin things nya!!¡± ¡°Hehe thank you for the compliment Nachooo!¡± She really is the best, she understands me so well! That''s why we are best friends! I had such a good time! ¡°I just wanted to come back to see you and then I¡¯ll be back in the game. I can''t believe I actually got sleep in game. If I didn''t have such a cute kitty at home I might stay in there foreverrr!¡± I pick her up and bring her to the couch, putting her on her back and giving her many rubs. ¡°Soo what did you get up to today Nacho?¡± I see that her kitty backpack that I bought her is by the door, she hasn''t used it before so maybe she went on an adventure?? ¡°I¡­ went out to pick up some groceries nya¡­¡± oohhh did something happen?! They seem to be holding something back! ¡°Uhuhh¡­ hehe aannnddd?¡± I drag out my words as I look at her in the eyes with suspicion, if she could sweat she would be right about now hehe ¡°I uhh¡­ enjoyed being outside and had a good time¡­ and I may have made a friend nya¡­¡± I gasp in happy surprise at how amazing my nacho is. ¡°I''m so proud of you!! Nacho¡¯s first friend! Apart from me of course hehe cause we are best friends!! Also you smell like chicken! Nacho should smell like nacho not chicken, unless you''re a chicken nacho, my nacho has evolved!! ¡°Yes yes thank you for that¡­ Well I don''t know if they will be there the next time, I think they are a stray¡­ They didn''t have a collar on. I fed them some food and sat and talked for a time. I''m surprised the translation software worked but I¡¯m glad it did, there seems to be some kind of dialect issue I believe that I may be able to work out for better communication.¡± Nacho has started rambling, not realizing it. She really is excited about her new friend but she would never tell me the truth about how she feels, it''s super super cute! ¡°You could visit them everyday, you know? There''s nothing wrong with wanting friends, I know the feeling cutie, I will be playing games during the day so you could go and visit them, OH OH you could plan meeting times!!!¡± It''s sooo exciting, I love it so much! ¡°Speaking of! I need to eat and drink and then get back into it! I need to see how much it is to buy a ship, I wanna be a pirate queen wahahaha.¡± Nacho pounces off my lap leaving a warm spot for my hands and opens the mini-fridge, bringing out a bag with a bottle of orange axi-yum electrolyte drink and some smushi, ¡°Here, I got these while I was out nya¡­¡± I feel tears at the corners of my eyes and push the feelings back, she really does care¡­ I down both and get back in the capsule, ready to become a pirate, one way or another! I get taken into the void and to Silver City. ¡­ I see the hotel behind me as the sun is setting over some of the buildings, oh no! I hope all the ship people aren''t already gone! I run around for a while trying to find my way to the docks. I can smell the salt on the wind but can''t see it. I keep finding my way into alleyways and getting turned around. After 20 minutes I pass by a street and turn my head, the enormous wooden dock lies outwards from me, beyond is an endless ocean, I made it! I run down the street, past the warehouses and massive workshops, each with either ships being repaired in them or ones being built, I keep looking around until I finally find a sign that says ¡®Boat/Ship Purchase¡¯ yes YES! IT''S GONNA HAPPEN! This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. I follow it and eventually stumble upon a man at an open building''s front, he''s sitting behind a counter with a wooden pipe in his mouth, puffing away as he stares down at a book, his attention heavily focused, but ships! ¡°Excuse me!! I want a ship nye!!¡± It takes a minute for the man to bring his head up, a tear is at the corner of his eye, he quickly brushes it off and straightens himself. ¡°Ayy what kinda ship ya want youngin?¡± I pause, fuck! A BIG SHIP?! ¡°Uhh one with at least 2 masts nye!¡± He nods and picks up a large book to the side. ¡°Well we have 3 2-mast ships ready for purchase and a 3-mast ship nearly finished, might be done in a day or 2 if that what yer lookin for, price would depend on your Guild rank as that would give ya a discount!¡± Wait¡­ I didn''t get a guild rank yet! I still need to go to the guild and get my stuff aahhh. ¡°I dont have my guild rank b-but I did my test and I''m pretty sure I passed nye!¡± I try to look as sad and innocent as possible, maybe they will sell me one anyway, I don''t wanna make my way back to the guild, it was hard enough to get here from the hotel! ¡°Sorry lass, no guild card, no purchase! Gotta make sure ye can take care of yerself on the sea, all sailors get themselves tested so that we know they can survive on the sea!¡± Nyyyoooo¡­ I flop to the ground in despair, I see that I got a message from Lil about meeting at the docks, I curl into a yeen ball and send a message off to her in my despair. < I just wan a ship ;~; > ¡°Can¡¯t help ye more lass, get yer guild card and I''ll see ye another day, we are about ta close to enjoy the moonlight festival.¡± I slump up from the ground like a salted snail and sigh, I guess i''ll make my way to the guild then¡­ I see the front cover of the man''s book that he''s reading, something about horny teachers or something¡­ why was he crying then?! Men are so fucking weird! That is not what you use porn for! Agh, fuck! There are signs everywhere for the guild! Why were there none for the docks?! Surely other people also lost their way to the docks¡­ just because it''s like half the city! That''s Keek-sist! I make my way back through the city following sign by sign until I stumble my way back to the guild, mnn this must be the place¡­ last time I was here I was riding on Lil, ahh she was soo warm! She can be my taxi whenever we need to go somewhere hehe. The guards stare at me like I''ve already done something bad as I pass by them, it seems pretty empty today. I go up to the front counters, there''s a pair of ears behind them and that''s it ¡°Uhh hello, I¡¯m looking for Mershi nye?¡± The ears straighten up and I hear the dragging of a stool as a rabbit person gets up, I think I¡¯ve seen them before. ¡°Ahh hello! You were with the big Minotaur Lady and the Lupine! Welcome back! I was told you might be back soon by Mershi, I was told that you can either find Mershi in the training arena or head up to the Guildmasters office on the top floor to receive your rewards and Guild card!¡± The top floor?! Ugh this place is soo big though¡­ I bet that''s like 4 flights of stairs¡­ I''ll go down, it''s easier and quicker bleh¡­ ¡°I¡¯ll go find Mershi, thank you very much Cute Bunny nye!¡± She bows and I make my way down the stairs, so much easier, and fuck authority anyway hah! I bet they are some gruff old dude, borinnggg, need me some eye candy instead! I find Mershi sparing with a really hot centaur lady, the thought of riding her leaving drool at the sides of my mouth. Although when I think of sparring, it''s not this, this is more like bullying, but the Centaur lady seems to be enjoying every second, Mershi is moving around her with a wooden sword, slapping at the centaur lady with the flat of its blade all over her body, each hit eliciting a small grunt or moan from the woman depending on where it hits¡­ damn I want in on this action. As I approach Mershi notices me and motions that it''s over, ¡°Hey you, about time you showed up, I was about to start getting ready for the festival, then you would have had to deal with the Headmaster instead hah!¡± The centaur lady falls to the ground, her legs shaking and with a quivering moan she breathes heavily, catching her breath in a very erotic way, damn, I should have just kept watching from a distance! ¡°Phew, Im happy get to deal with a hot shark-woman instead of a dusty old man nye!¡± She looks at me with a weird look then she starts laughing instead. ¡°Ahaha our headmaster is a close descendant of Medusa, a few bloodlines down but still, A very large and strict snakewoman that could crush you with her large tail or just turn you to stone¡­ she scares the shit out of me, but I think you missed out hah!¡± I turn to stone just thinking about it¡­ I fucked up! Nyooo 4 flights of stairs?! I would do it for 10 flights of stairs! Aahh¡­ I flop down to the floor in resignation, you fool, of course she''s a hot ass lamia! This is a fantasy world where I just got double teamed!! ¡°C-can I remake my decision nye?¡± I feel a bag slap me in the face as I tumble backwards from the impact. ¡°Nope, maybe next time ahaha! There''s your loot and things from the test, you all did really well so got upgraded straight to E rank! Means one day we might need you on the front lines for protecting the great wall! Although at your strength that''s like asking you to throw away your lives ahaha!¡± She moves over to the Centaur lady and rubs the horse part of her body with her hands eliciting an almost guttural animalistic groan from her mouth, damn girl mood. It feels like it''s starting to get very private and it''s making me feel awkward so I go back upstairs before I get blasted in 2 by one of Mershi¡¯s laser beams. Well I have my bag of goodies¡­ what now? ¡­ Oh foob! Chapter 20: Yeening under the moonlight - Keeks Pov What else could I do except eat everything within the city? Festivals mean foob! Even better, it''s a sea city! Maybe they have their own special smooshi or like fried tentacles! Is it cannibalism if you''re a squid girl and you eat one of those? I need to write a list for Zel to answer for me later heh, overwhelm her with questions so she doesn''t notice me sneaking bites of her foob, that''s basically free foob at that point! Or I could get Lil to buy me foob, I¡¯m sure I could convince her by using my charms! ¡­ I pat my tits and sigh a little, w-well my lovable charisma I guess, I should have given myself tits! But then I would wake up in real life and be titless and get angy ahh! Frustrating¡­ I feel sorry for myself before I realize I''m holding the bag Mershi threw at me, instantly my attitude swaps as I pull out all the things in the bag. Soo much moneeyyy and levellss and I guess spider stuff?.. A book?! PAH! I''ll get the girls to just tell me its contents or something, readings for boring nerds! I¡¯m one of those cool nerds with like cool nerd hobbies, like¡­ fuck¡­ streaming and gaming I guess¡­ fuck I have no hobbies! I¡¯ll ask Nacho if she thinks I¡¯m a cool nerd later, she better say yes! I pull out the card and get ready to charge back down to the docks to buy a ship, realizing that it''s definitely closed¡­ not that I¡¯m not going down there anyway¡­ ugh my brain is over fried¡­ mmnn fried, right foob! I leave the guild with excitement in my footsteps for the possibility of foob, as I do I see a familiar silhouette in front of me, starting to head down to the docks looking slightly disheveled. ¡°Ahaha Hey Cow Tits, looks like someones given you the fucking of your life nye!¡± Lil looks around slowly towards me, apprehension in her movements and a heavy blush on her face. ¡°Wait¡­ seriously?! But I wanted to fuck you first nye!¡± She looks at me shocked at my slight outburst. ¡°Wait you wanted to fuck me moo?¡± I can only stare agape at her expression of surprise, I want to yell out well duh! But then I realise I never actually showed her I wanted to fuck her, just that I wanted to be squished and dommed¡­ I¡¯m such a fucking dummy! ¡°YES! I WANT TO BEND YOU OVER YOU DAMN HOT ASS WOMAN NYE!¡± She blushes and puts her hands up to her face and sighs into them deeply. ¡°I mean¡­ we could at least like, meet in person and stuff first? Idk I''m not good at this shit, Zel is the one who is better to talk to! You''ve seen her lists online right? I know you both talk a bunch, fuck¡­ I need a drink moo¡­¡± God she''s a mess! ¡°How did you even get into such a mess? Not that I''m complaining that I don''t get any heh-nye, I got plenty of action last night nye!¡± I nudge her on the butt as we start walking to the docks and she makes a groan of pain and a tinge of pleasure, the blush going further down her neck. ¡°There''s a really hot Fox bartender at the bar, she¡¯s like some moon fox or something, a massive top with a husky voice, really did things to me. She said she was in heat or something cause of the full moon and uhh locked me in her shop¡­ didn¡¯t think I was going to make it out without a fucking of my life considering her uhh advantage on me so I just let it happen. First time I¡¯d been the bottom as well, I hope my ass doesnt feel this sensitive when I''m back IRL or I''m not going to be able to sit properly for like a week moo!¡± Fuck¡­ fucking hell I wanna be involved next time thats so fucking awesome! I fucking love this game! Well except for killing spider-girls¡­ it''s okay though, maybe the next one won''t be so crazy?! We make it to the same street I went down before to get to the docks and look over all the lights and activity happening. All the people running around putting up lights and stalls, the ships moving out of the central area so that it''s clear for the moon to fall over the clear water and so that they don''t make any waves when it hits midnight, it''s frigging beautiful! The smell of foob is wafting up the road making me salivate, I deserve to indulge, I¡¯ve done so much work today! Like I got up! And I went to the Docks! And I went to the guild! And now I¡¯m back at the docks! All in a day''s work for Keeks the mistress of doom for bad guys! Muhahaha I pull at Lilias hand and she smiles at me so nicely that it makes me all fuzzy inside. I pull her down the road all the way to the stalls that are being set up, I need to sample everything tonight, every single stall, ugh if only Zel was here! She could make me a chart or something so that I could remember what I had eaten from which stall! Since they are still mostly getting set up I find a clearing that''s not occupied and tell Lil to hold it for us. She stares off into the setting sun as I wander off. After a little bit I find someone selling calamari or something like it, instead of being battered it¡¯s fried with some spicy stuff, I ask for a big order since we still have a long night ahead of us and bring it back to eat with her, we sit in silence for a while before I can''t resist taking out pictures of my little Nacho to show her. ¡°And this is one where she thought I wasn''t watching but she was acting like a real kitty and doing the whole getting on her back to play with things above her thing! She is always the cutest when she thinks no one is watching, then gets super angry when she sees the video being uploaded to the house storage haha she doesn''t have permission to delete anything so I get to annoy her lovingly this way nye!¡± I always love talking about Nacho, they are my ultimate cutie ever since they came into my life, my one true friend. ¡°How much did it cost to get such a realistic cat body for her moo?¡± I have to think about it for a minute since there was so much that I had done. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Mnnn I think it was about 45000 credits? It wiped out my savings in one fell swoop after already buying the Capsule haha but it was soo worth it! I got so many upgrades to the initial design from the sales person that they nearly had a heart attack haha! I bet they got a hefty bonus from it! They had to even call their corporate to see if it was possible to add more things that I asked for, she¡¯s as cat-like as possible! She¡¯s a lot heavier than a normal kitty but has the latest Sci-Axium technology! I bet she could beat up a truck if she wanted too! Hehe nye!¡± She really is special, there is no other kitty like her in the world, that''s what was promised to me at least. There''s only one Keeks in the world and only one Nacho, we are the 2 musketeers ready to fight death for each other! Lil pulls out some pictures of her kitty Buta, a really fat orange thing with the derpiest look on their face and massive eyes. They almost don¡¯t look like a real kitty, almost like they¡¯re begging for lasagne. ¡°This is my Buta, my uhh aunts rescued them when they were little and on the street and they couldn''t keep them in their current apartment so I asked if I could have them¡­ when I first met them they would only sit on my lap, we were destined to be together, both thrown out on the streets and no home. They got too big cause I couldn''t say no to them eating, I get it though. I was the same on the street, fill up your stomach when you can because you don''t know when your next meal is. I guess cats never really change that habit as easily as people do, I mean it took me like 3 years to actually stop being a glutton even with my heavy working out and staying in shape haha moo!¡± She''s laughing about such a thing¡­ fuck¡­ I was never on the street but it felt like I never had a home, but here¡¯s someone without a real home for so long, I guess until she met Zel, laughing about such a thing like its a big joke, but from what I know she has had a monstrous life, to the point that she stopped considering herself human once upon a time, fuck that¡­ I lean into her side and she stops laughing, we just sit there eating in silence again, I try to change the mood feeling like I''ve ruined it, maybe she thinks she¡¯s ruined it? Fuck! I should have laughed along like it was normal, but it wasn¡¯t. It made me feel so fucking bad for her, like she¡¯s constantly been fucking shit on all her life and she¡¯s finally allowed to be a person now, fuck Zel was right, she¡¯s fragile¡­ ¡°Did you uuhh tell Zel about you getting dommy destroyed hehenye?¡± She blushes instantly diverting her concentration off the previous thing, jackpot, Zel was right, shes easy to sidetrack from her feelings at least! ¡°Uhh yeah, she was busy doing research and hyper fixating so she just told me to have fun and record it¡­ which I did, so I guess she wants to watch it later with me moo¡­¡± I stare agape at her and send Zel a scathing message. < WHY DIDN''T ANYONE TELL ME LIL WAS GETTING FUCKED?! I COULD HAVE HELPED!! > I probably wasn''t that far behind either! I mean I walked around a bunch and got sidetracked for an hour or so but still! ¡°Next time! Slam down big style! Promise me nye!¡± She bursts out loud at my declaration, how rude ¡°I¡¯m serioouusss I wanna do the slam downs nye!¡± I push out my cheeks in annoyance and it just makes her laugh at me more, she grabs me and picks me up, placing me on her lap, pulling my head into her breasts, yeah that''s more like it! ¡°Okay¡­ next time I¡¯m getting destroyed il send you an invite to help with the slam-down big style times heh moo.¡± ¡°And! I want a ship! I got like¡­ 7000 gold or something from those quests or whatever! So I think we should all chip in to buy a ship¡­ and! I get to be pirate queen! I mean captain, okay nye?!¡± I look up and donk my head on the cow bell making it ring slightly and making her giggle. ¡°I feel like that¡¯s a group decision, I don''t think Zel would say no to a sea adventure though. It''s not like we had any plans when we started the game, or at least none that I know of¡­ she could have everything laid out for all I know, but to have more fun with me and our new favorite Yeen, I''m sure she would make an exception moo.¡± I nod in acceptance of our concrete contracts of buying a ship and using all our money for it regardless of the wants of my new sla- crew members! Yuussss! Lil rubs my hair pushing me deeper between her things from the impact of her hands, damn girl¡¯s gotta get used to that strength, not that I don''t mind being pushed around hehe. She seems to remember something and interrupts my thoughts of getting deeper between these legs, ¡°Oh! Also I unlocked a dungeon! Seems that when you unlock one it becomes yours for the week and no one else can use it without your permission! It¡¯s some nightmare one though, uhh but not my nightmares, I wouldn''t dare do it if that was the case moo!¡± ¡°Damn, how did you unlock a dungeon nye?¡± She shrugs. ¡°I think it was like a reward for saving Cali since the headmaster of the orphanage was the one I found it with, uhh which also she¡¯s now like¡­ asleep and technically trapped in the dungeon so we gotta save her from it! So I¡¯ll share the quest when both you and Zel are here and can talk about it, but the guild is going to do some stuff first so we don''t have to do it straight away if that makes sense moo?¡± I salute and everything she just said goes out of my memories as I lean back between her tits and scoff down more foob, ahh this is the life! Now all I need is the rest of the stalls to be up and the real night starts, maybe Lil will let me play pirate ship under the moonlight! Chapter 21: Under the sun and moo. Her tiny body languishes between my tits and thighs, causing my body to try and muster some horny reaction. Thankfully my destruction at the hands of the silver fox vixen has removed my body¡¯s ability to give much of a fuck, even if her butt was rubbing rudely on me. She seems to give up and slowly eats what looks like a tentacle on a stick as we watch the light go down further and further. ¡°Hey you two, have you got room for another wan?¡± I hear my favorite voice in the world and lean back with Keeks to see my Zel¡­ or at least¡­ She should be my Zel? She has a more ethereal look to her, like she¡¯s radiating silver under the growing darkness. ¡°Uhhh you look amazing Zel! What happened moo?¡± She makes a mischievous grin and tries to brush over it. ¡°What happened to me! What is with that gorgeous dress! I thought you were getting fucked not completely done up as well haha wan!¡± I blush in response and Keeks looks at me in shock. ¡°I NEVER REALIZED NYE!¡± Of course¡­ food and settling into your cow chair was much more important than what I was wearing. After the uhh fuckening, she washed me off and got me dressed up in something she had just made the day before, a long thick dress with slits down both sides so that my large hips could show through better, the top in a long V-neck showing off my chest but with long sleeves going all the way to my hands allowing me to tuck my fingers, all black and definitely the most beautiful clothing I¡¯d ever worn. I¡¯m astonished but also not that keeks wouldn''t notice. My love pulls me down a bit further so that she can easily reach my lips and I feel her whole mouth over mine like she''s trying to eat me in one bite, her tongue shows me her appreciation for what I¡¯m wearing, I will have to show her plenty when we are out of the game and back in our bodies. I hope getting fucked in game doesnt effect my performance out of it¡­ that would be rude. Zel ends the kiss with relish and seats herself next to me, Keeks falls over dramatically to rest across Zel¡¯s lap as well, her whole body seeming to fit across us with ease, her paws up with her tongue out acting all cute, Zel looks to be holding herself back from planting her face into Keeks belly with how she¡¯s acting. I put my hand on it instead and rub her belly, eliciting tiny purs as I rub back and forth bringing noises of contentment from Zel watching her. I start to tell the girls about my day, chasing around of Cali through the whole Guild, bringing her back to the Orphanage, spending time with the kids there, meeting the ¡®headmoostress¡¯ and the finding of the dungeon, her falling asleep in it, finding out Marshi has a crush on the headmoostress so we need to rescue her! Dying my first time and coming back to the Home Access Point and the eventual fucking from the Fox woman from the Guild. Both of them listen in rapt attention, gasping when needed and nodding their heads for me to keep going afterwise, by the time I¡¯m finished it''s been a good hour and the sun is all but gone, the moon following up from the other side, with the light gone all the lamps and things light up the city, the docks are starting to flow with people, trying to find their own spots and getting food. ¡°You two have your romantic stuff,Ii''m going to get a collection of foob going before it gets too busy nye!¡± Keeks gets up but not before rolling over a few times in our laps enjoying the feeling of us on her fur. ¡°Soo¡­ you¡¯re Silver now heh moo?¡± She snuggles into my shoulder and sighs. ¡°Okay so¡­ I used the crystal and It turns out it was a bloodline Crystal, which I''m still looking into what exactly that means in the long run, but I got a heap of Abilities as well as some changes to my status points that was exactly what I wanted with my build! So now I am a Lupine - Enlightened Celestial Moth! Isn''t that exciting! And because it''s a partial unique, I don''t think anyone else will have the same racial characteristics as me!¡± Zel has started rambling and I¡¯m loving every second of it. She was already my beautiful moth girl but now she¡¯s even more so, I guess. ¡°Sooo what Abilities did you get moo!¡± I''m as excited for her as I was for myself, I wonder If I could get another race as well?... I didn''t even know bloodlines were a thing until now, not that I really check online, too many people being shit and trying to spoil everything. ¡°Well hehe watch this! wan~¡± She pulls up her hand and seems to focus on it, a second later I see it breaking apart bit by bit¡­ no not breaking apart, it¡¯s like all the tiny bits that make up who she is is separating, I hear the fluttering of wings before I really see it, hundreds of tiny Moths floating from her hand as it disintegrated into them, they flutter around my head as I stare in amazement before going back to Zel¡¯s now empty wrist and fluttering back together. ¡°You got something even more amazing than my bone stuff. Ugh, I¡¯m so jealous moo! I can''t wait to see everything you can do with it! Did it not hurt or anything moo?¡± She looks away and I can see some guilt in her eyes. ¡°Zel¡­ what happened?...¡± ¡°Uhh¡­ turns out¡­ when you''re changing your bloodline it is in a literal sense haha¡­ heh¡­ Oh and then I passed out cause I used my ability too much, woops wan!¡± I''m flabbergasted at how cute she is trying to be with everything she just said, probably because she knows how much it would worry me, and like¡­ it changed all her blood? Like physically!? ¡°Dummy, if you''re doing something new, let me know at least¡­ ugh¡­ I don''t know If I wanna change my bloodline anymore moo.¡± I put my head in my hands and sigh. I know it''s bad faith for me to think about her not trusting me with such things, considering I''ve done it so much over the last few years, hiding all the pains I''ve had from recovery, but I just want to protect her so badly. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. I lean back up and pull her into the biggest cow hug I can in frustration of my feelings, she giggles and puts her arms around me. ¡°It¡¯s just a game, it''s not going to hurt me in real life, It was just simulated pain¡­ I think heh wan!¡± She pushes me off a bit so she can push herself up to plant a little kiss on my lips, ¡°Besides, I''m here now, and we are going to make tonight nice for just the two of us¡­ and Keeks of course wan.¡± I nod and kiss her deeply enjoying the feeling of my love in my arms. We stare at the rising moon, on this ¡®planet¡¯ it seems to come up across the sun slightly, both raising and lowering on the same side of the planet but still in orbital sync. Zel marvels at it in wonder as it pulls up above the horizon, turning the sky from an orange and pink hue to one of silvery radiance as it creeps along the sea, reflected towards us, I marvel at her beauty in the same way. Keeks makes it back with plates and plates of food balanced on top of each other, ¡°Uhhh¡­ you both want foob yea? and please help pay with me! I went overboard nye!¡± I gratefully take one of the plates off her as does Zel, she sits the rest next to us and leans back into our legs trying to make herself comfortable. Zel starts making eyes at me and then at Keeks in a pleading way, oh OH right yup I got it, cmon brain you got this! ¡°Ahem¡­ Hey Keeks¡­ would you be interested in meeting up IRL with us tomorrow? It''s a public holiday and they have a few showings of old movies at the cinemas in our regional district and I, uhh we thought that it would be nice to hang out¡­ If that''s okay with you of course! Uhh I don''t want to overstep on the whole virtual to IRL or whatever but we both like you as a friend and stuff and wanna see where that takes us all¡­ uhh Keeks¡­¡± Zel puts her hand on my face to shush me and puts a hand on Keeks head making Keeks flinch a little and then relax into it. ¡°C¡­Can I bring Nacho nye?...¡± I lay my plate down by my side and stick my hands out and under Keeks arms, bringing her back to sit on my lap, she sniffles and I can hear the sound of her snotty nose, she might be crying a little¡­ Zel reaches over past Keeks plate of food in her hands and rubs her eyes from the front. ¡°Of course you can bring Nacho!¡± She opens her console and sets it to visible to other players and shows Keeks pictures of us to her, ¡°This is us so you don''t miss us on the street yeah! I know we are characters based on us but I feel there''s lots of changes regardless, although Lil definitely has all the right proportion still wan!¡± Keeks giggles snottily a bit at that and Zel leans back against my side. ¡°Yeah¡­ that would be really nice, it''s been a long time since I¡¯ve done such a thing nye¡­¡± I look away in embarrassment and Zel catches it and perks up. ¡°Well Lil is even more inexperienced than you! She''s only been to the Cinema¡¯s once in her life! I had to force her and she loved it though, that was just before the accident so we never got to go again afterwards¡­ although with how she¡¯s been lately with the capsule I think she wont have any worries wan!¡± Keeks looks like she¡¯s about to ask a question and then thinks better of it, making me realize we haven''t really talked about that kind of thing with her, only the whole bad childhood stuff and even then only bits. ¡°It''s okay Keeks, you don''t have to worry about asking private things, I uhh got injured really badly at a martial arts tournament and it caused a lot of issues with my body the last few years¡­ It did mean that I transitioned in the end though so technically it wasn''t all bad moo!¡± I grin and Zel rewards me with a small punch to the arm while pouting at me. ¡°Wow and I thought my life was rough nye¡­¡± Keeks super fluffy ears droop and Zel rubs her head perking them right back up again. ¡°You should never compare yourself to Lil, she''s had so much shit in her life and she¡¯s still my lovable cow girlfriend, she''s stronger than she thinks wan!¡± I smile awkwardly and feel a proding in the back of my mind, like a thought that''s getting sharper and sharper trying to break free. No not tonight, this is my fucking night to be happy! I try to change the subject as best I can. ¡°Uhh speaking of horrible nightmarish pasts! The dungeon we are going to is called ¡®Nightmare of the Past¡¯, obviously not my past as I feel that would be some rude awakening for anyone ever attempting it, but the headmoostress of the Orphanage''s past since she¡¯s trapped in it. Maybe we should find out something about it, I¡¯m betting Mershi might know since she has a crush on her?¡± I try to hide the bubbling feelings but Zel seems to see it behind my eyes, am I making a face for her to see it. She puts her hand on my cheek, worry in her eyes, thankfully Keeks saves us. ¡°Hey, is that Mershi and the pipsqueak gang there?... You did say she said something about bringing them instead of the moostress, heh moostress, goddamn cowgirls nye!¡±I look over and see a parade of children going through the docks, she kept up on her promise. At the front of the parade is my favorite little cowgirl, she sees us 3 and shouts out at us in recognition, I wave back and she starts running full trot, her little girlfriend by her side trying to keep up. ¡°Mershi gave us all so much money to eat anything we want. I''m going to eat so much moo!¡± I have to stop myself from visibly recoiling at the thought of her eating too much. It shouldn''t happen again so quickly¡­ surely? Chapter 22: An unmoogetable moo-lit night ¡°P-please just don¡¯t eat too much, I don''t want to wear your food again moo¡­¡± Zel and Keeks look at me questioningly. ¡°I won''t give up the carrots this time moo!¡± Her little deer girlfriend nods her head in agreement. ¡°Never let the carrots get away¡­ Carrots are the best¡­¡± She hesitatingly but confidently announces next to her, two animals in a pod. ¡°Alright enjoy your food adventure, if you feel it coming up maybe go to Mershi, she knows cleaning spells moo.¡± They both nod and rush away, the little bag of gold jangling between them. Zel nudges me and I clear my throat, ¡°Uhh¡­ she threw up a day''s worth of carrot all over me. Mershi had to clean it off, it was gross, thank fuck for magic moo!¡± Keeks instantly starts laughing full pelt nearly falling over while Zel giggles a little bit before kissing me on the cheek. ¡°My poor big warrior woman being beaten by carrots wan¡± I nudge her and she nearly falls over as well giggling harder. ¡°Yeah well guess who''s not eating carrots for the foreseeable future, this bitch, I still can smell it even with it definitely gone moo!¡± Mershi finishes with the kids after sending them all off and strolls over. I point to her accusingly and announce ¡°And here''s the culprit who instead of using the cleaning magic at first hit me with a water blast like some kind of water pokemon moo!¡± Mershi puts her hands up guiltily with a big grin on her fishy face, ¡°Guilty as charged, although pokimon is a new word, you gotta admit though it was funny!¡± She sniggers and I feel the need to punch her, knowing it will result in my death, I don''t need to die another time today to an older woman! Keeks perks up finally finished keeling over from laughing ¡°Hey Mershi we heard you''ve got the super hots for the orphanage lady!¡± A small noise like a panicked puppy comes from Mershi followed by a fist that hits Keeks straight in the head, a critical hit notification comes from above her head and Keeks instantly perishes on the spot, rolling out of my lap and onto the street floor. ¡°You heard no such thing!¡± Zel and I stare agape at Keeks body. ¡°Mershi fucking shit you killed her in one shot!¡± she makes a psh noise and shrugs. ¡°Not like you immortals don''t come back! It''s fine, it''s fine¡­ just¡­ shut up please!¡± her whitish blue face has turned red with embarrassment, damn glad it wasn''t me. Zel speaks up once she finally looks back to Mershi ¡°Uhh speaking of but not mentioning at all what Keeks said! Since the dungeon is called ¡®nightmare of the past¡¯ we thought since you were uhh ¡®close¡¯ you might know some things? ¡­¡± Zel is trying to be as gentle as possible in her wording so as to not be smashed down more than big style. Keeks body seems to dissipate and suddenly she¡¯s back next to us. ¡°WOW! I got to visit Nacho! They tried not being cute but I gave them a quick scoop and they totally said I was a cool nerd, although it took some persuading nye!¡± Mershi takes one look at Keeks then back to us ¡°Uhh well¡­ I think they might have something wrong with their skin¡­ I¡¯ve never seen them without their full outfit on, like it''s not exactly expected of them and although she follows their tenants she isn''t the most godly or anything¡­ I only met her when I arrived in silver city after all, so I¡¯m guessing something really bad happened before that if it was traumatizing enough to connect her to a dungeon. They only really open because of immense feelings¡­¡± ¡°Thanks Mershi, I guess we''ll just have to go in and do our best moo¡­¡± Zel and I nod to each other. ¡°Hey Mershi! I saw you spanking and getting rough on a horse girl! Was super kinky, I approve hahahanye!¡± Mershi seems to shrug this off, she''s so embarrassed about the cat moostress but she''s fine with doing naughty things to Golden Glow? ¡°Psh that was just training, that''s all! GoldenGlow has a lot of potential to get stronger.¡± Keeks nods her head and wiggles her eyebrows seductively. ¡°So where do I sign up for this ¡®training¡¯ that leaves you huffing and puffing from your dommy ways nyehehe¡± Keeks seems to be over the moon and looking to get killed again. ¡°You turn up with the rest of the people looking to get beaten up for training! GoldenGlow just seems to be the one that''s able to stay the latest and last the longest.¡± Mershi nods with a very honest mindset and Keeks makes a tch noise, then starts muttering to herself about how boring training is, why train when you could just kill things! From the water I see that there seems to be disturbances in it. Then one after the other, bodies emerge and start swimming over. I instantly recognise them as sea-creatures, fins, large mouths and wiggling limbs. Keeks stops what she''s doing and stares at it like she is getting 20 presents for xmas. Mershi yells out to the ¡®crowd¡¯ ¡°Hey sis over here!¡± 3 of the bobbing creatures in the water start moving towards the bay area we are sitting in and emerge from the water. As they leave, the bigger shark looking lady waves her hand and the tiny shark kids bend over and start hacking up a little bit, she pats their back with worry and I hear something about ¡®getting used to it for the future¡¯. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Hello sister, I''m sorry we are late, little Jesermine decided it would be a good idea to prank her brother by throwing him into a ravine with high gravity, I had to spend the next hour fishing them up¡­ ahh kids will be kids though¡­¡± A very prim and proper lady has appeared before us, when only just before in the water her enlarged head with rows of teeth would say otherwise. ¡°Ahh not to worry, the moon hasn''t fully come into focus yet! Come over, I want you to meet some uhh friends I made the other day!¡± Keeks makes a naww ¡®she said we are friends and not food!¡¯ comment behind me and she giggles as I nudge her. Zel gets to the introductions first, not being stunned into dis-use by the hot monster lady aesthetic, I guess she¡¯s used to it now, ¡°Hi! I''m ZelAwoo and this is LilMoo and this is Keeks! We made friends with Mershi yesterday, it''s lovely to meet you wan!¡± The lady looks at us stiffly and bows with the utmost care, before trying her best to introduce herself. ¡°I¡­ I-I am Medris Seaknight, it is a p-please to meet you¡­¡± She stumbles a little bit over her introductions and looks at her sister for help. ¡°Heh you did well!¡± Medris seems to smile back in thankfulness, ¡°My sister here is not great with people she doesn''t know yet, thankfully it hasn''t stopped her from writing multiple best sellers recognised all over Iselgurd!¡± She is beaming with such supportive happiness, her sister has started jabbing her in the side in embarrassment. Zel speaks up curiously at first, then full of vigor. ¡°Oh¡­ OH! You wrote the Horny teacher teaches a lesson she won''t forget! I¡¯ve seen so many people read it today! On my way to the dock area I saw at least 3 people, not to mention the girl I met at the library. I''ve been meaning to get a copy, although from the title I was more than confused at their varying facial expressions from reading it wan!¡± Medris seems to back away even further behind Mershi at the mention of the book, damn, Zel is definitely spot on. Mershi clicks her fingers in acknowledgement, ¡°That''s the one! Its a subversive look into the horny teacher trope with drama, suspense, death and love, ugh it makes me cry just thinking about the ending!¡± An actual tear seems to drop out of the side of Mershi¡¯s eye and drips to the ground. ¡°She is a true genius that I can only be happy that she was birthed alongside me¡­¡± Medris has kept punching Mershi¡¯s back in embarrassment, head down against her shoulder hiding her face, it doesn''t seem to be noticed or do anything to her, Mershi is a damn rock. The kids come up behind her and tug on her dress, ¡°Mum can we have money for foob?¡± she pulls back in herself and pats their heads, pulling out a damp purse full of gold coins and hands them a few each, they look at each other with glee and run off into the mass of people and stalls, I hope no one messes with them¡­ don''t want to see someone get bitten in half by a child! I shudder involuntarily. ¡°That sounds wondrous! Would we be able to get a signed copy wan?!¡± Mershi looks back at her now pouting sister and she nods, pulling out a book and giving it to Mershi. ¡°Thankfully She always keeps a few of her latest works on her incase she gets swamped by people and she needs to use a copy as an escape ploy.¡± h-how famous is this woman?! Zel squeals with delight and goes to start reading it before I pull her into a hug, ¡°Dummy, you can read later! We¡¯re at a festival, remember love!¡± She grins sheepishly at me and puts it away, pulls out of my grip and bows to Medris and starts profusely thanking her. Medris nods and looks away shyly, the sisters are complete opposites, like a perfect pair. ¡°Anyway, we are going to go grab some food before anyone runs out of the good stuff, we will be back. Oh right, Medris I¡¯ve got the rest of the kids with me from the Orphanage, you''re okay if we all meet back here?¡± She hesitates and then nods slowly before pulling on Mershi¡¯s clothing, ¡°Alright that''s the plan, we will see you all back here for the moon show~¡± She waves and leaves, Keeks starts fidgeting in her seat¡­ as in my lap. ¡°Y-you think what she said is gonna be true?!¡± She looks at me in shock, I can only stare back in confusion. ¡°Is what going to be true? moo.¡± not being able to think of anything jarring that was said. ¡°The good food¡¯s gonna run out nye!¡± I can only stare at her, then back at the pile of food we already have next to us, that we will surely not be able to get through tonight, at least the kids should have plenty to eat¡­ if they also aren¡¯t bringing back another pile¡­ fuck we are going to be overloaded aren¡¯t we¡­ ¡°Keeks, I say this with all the love in my heart, if you bring back more food I''m going to smack you moo!¡± her eyes light up. ¡°PROMISE NYE?!¡± I flick her nose and she recoils slightly before pushing herself back in her seat. ¡°You can get more food if you can find Cali and make sure she doesn¡¯t stuff her face. She can come back and eat slowly with us, sound good moo?¡± She nods and then puts her hand out, I begrudgingly pull out some gold and hand it over. Before I can say anything else she leaps from my lap, hugs both Zel and I and runs off into the crowds of lights and noise. I pull Zel into my lap and lean my head against hers and hold her close, just breathing in the moment. ¡°And I thought you were just being nice to Keeks, my sly cow using it to give us a nice moment together hehe wan?¡± ¡°It''s such a perfect night, just being able to do this with you at all makes me think I¡¯m really allowed to live again moo¡­¡± Zel leans back into me and smiles, kisses my eyes as tears of happiness fall from them. ¡°We¡¯re in it together love, for now, forever and into whatever the future will hold for us wan.¡± I nod and kiss her back, the perfect moon falling upon the beauty that is my Zelia. Chapter 23: I hope the good times never end ¡°What do you think our lives are going to be like in a year, wan? ¡­¡± We hold each other and stare across the water. The sounds of people laughing and living across from us, the lights strung across the stalls reflecting on the water a yellow and red in contrast to the white of the moon sliding slowly across the water. ¡°I think¡­ we are going to live together in the central region¡­ have Keeks over all the time, if not idk we could get a room for the cute little yeen¡­ get a really nice place, one that has the full house VR so that our Fia¡¯s can exist in a space with us¡­ I heard it really makes them feel more human, not that they don''t already feel more human than lots of the people I¡¯ve met in my life¡­ uhh¡­ I think Buta is going to be the same, I just¡­ want us to be happy like this you know?...¡± She smiles at me like she has our whole lives together, so full of love and compassion¡­ even when I didn''t think it could exist for myself. ¡°Yeah¡­ that life sounds perfect¡­ just means we¡¯ve got to try harder to get there¡­ Keeks said she sent you a bunch of money for the stream since it made way more than she thought it would, so there''s our start. With the money I get from my subscriptions from writing fanfictions¡­ which I¡¯ve had a lot more inspiration lately you know heh¡­ but yeah, we can make such a life¡­ I mean, if Keeks would want that of course, she definitely has a lot in her brain despite showing so little of it hehe, you could become an axi-tuber! My Little Big moo and her adventures through vore land wan!¡± I laugh and nudge her forwards, snuggling into the crook of her neck. ¡°Dummy, it''s never on purpose¡­ seems I¡¯m only allowed to kill monsters on the inside nowadays haha, Oh I''ve still got the growth crystal by the way. It just says growth, kinda worried that it''s not like ¡°bigger muscles¡± or something as an ability¡­ not that I need them moo!¡± I flex my arms out and I feel her hands go around them, then her face against them gently. ¡°You already have the best of everything in the body department love hehe, and here I thought I would be getting all of the tits between us, now look at us, I''m flat as a board, I swear you''ve stolen all my titty from me! Give it all back!¡± She has started rubbing her body into my chest making me giggle and moan a little. ¡°Dummy heh, not in public moo!¡± We laugh together softly, looking at the scene again, after a few minutes I feel in my chest, I need to ask it, the thing I¡¯ve always felt I was. ¡°Ever since I was¡­ operated on¡­ I¡¯ve had a voice that isn¡¯t my own, deep down when I''m in my worst places, it tells me all the things I don''t want to hear, like it''s trying to drive me deeper¡­ for me to do bad things, things that I¡¯d never want to do¡­¡± I feel her hand on my head, stroking the hair between my horns, ¡°Do¡­ Do you think that makes me a monster?...¡± ¡°No.¡± She gets up and turns herself around so she can hug me, ¡°The only monsters are the people that treated you like they did¡­ the ones that caused you all this pain love, those are the real monsters in this world, that would do such things to my Lilia.¡± She says it with such confidence it''s hard to not nod to her words, despite the voice inside telling me she¡¯s wrong, screaming that I should only ever listen to it, the voice that has been in my brain since I was 14. I close my eyes and put my forehead against hers, I thank her so deeply in my heart, just wishing that it was only her voice I would ever hear in my mind. ¡°I''m back! I found a stall with a deep double decker ice cream bowl! Its moon flavored! It tastes more like blueberries and vanilla though, but it was too big so that''s all I ended up getting! Praise me nyehehe! Ah sorry am I interrupting romantic times nye?¡± She pulls back a little and I pull back from Zel and smile at her, ¡°Well at least you found Cali while you were there moo!¡± She looks at me dumbfounded. ¡°I¡­ found Cali¡­ uhh yes that was what I was supposed to do¡­ yes¡­ I CAN REFUND YOU NYE!¡± I start laughing as I don''t think she¡¯s realized yet. ¡°Keeks¡­ Cali is right next to you moo!¡± Cali is standing a little behind Keeks also with a bowl of ice cream, along with her little girlfriend and another bowl of ice cream. ¡°I wha AAAAAAA! Dont scare me like that¡­ uhh I mean¡­ yes, oh! Cali! Dont eat too much¡­ see I dids it nye¡­¡± She smiles at me guiltily, making Zel laugh then climb out of my lap before sliding up against me and patting her lap, instantly making Keeks run over to find her position again. ¡°Hey Cali I thought you were going to get a lot of food moo?¡± She smiles happily. ¡°We moo¡¯d it all down while walking together and then saw this moo and thought we should follow her and she got ice cream! It looked so good! But we already full moo¡¯s so just got smaller bowls moo!¡± Her little girlfriend next to her nods and comments that it''s not carrots but it''s just as good for your goodness, ¡°Moo that''s right! Carrots mean you¡¯re good people and ice cream means you''re good people, it''s just knowledge moo!¡±The girls sit next to us on my side with Cali and then her girlfriend next to her. Keeks has her full muzzle in the bowl devouring it without a spoon or anything, acting exactly like the tiny yeen she is. She keeps trying to talk to us at the same time as eating and at one point gets too excited and boops herself on my chin covering my chin in ice cream. ¡°Oh! Let me get that nye!¡± She leans up and licks it off my chin bringing a big red glow to my face making Zel giggle at me, Keeks doesn''t seem to notice and goes straight back to her ice cream, the little devil really doesn''t know what she¡¯s doing to me. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. At some point with the talking we have gathered a crowd of children around us, seeming to be the point of egress for the Orphanage group. Eventually Marshi the muscle and Medris the elegant and graceful appear, her children closely behind, the kids make a spot for them all to sit with them and start enjoying the food. The atmosphere is full of laughter, Keeks telling us about her adventure the night she got laid by 2 dragon ladies, me having to constantly put my hand on Keeks mouth as she swore and implied lots of sexual things, Cali perking up at certain words, each time Keeks just kept talking with her mouth full of ice cream and my hand like they both didn''t exist. The kids are morose at their headmoostress not being here, but still enjoying the festivities. We are surrounded by friends and love and so much joy that it''s hard to be sad even if you¡¯d want to be, besides, we are going to save her in a few days and all will be back to their happy places. It''s getting later and later, the moon hanging majestically in the sky and on the sea. In the distance there is a fog, the endless fog that covers most of Iselgurd, but tonight it stays away from the happiness that we are all cultivating here. A sound like a trumpet goes off somewhere in the festival and all the people at the festivities seem to hush. A slow somber note starts off, a voice¡­ I look back and all the people at the stalls have moved down closer to the water, in their places are standing people in silver cloaks, of all shapes and sizes, some showing sea-creature appendages, others fur, others scales, some of slimy goo, one by one they join voices and a timbre of noises rises, slightly as if creeping up my spine, everyone here just looking towards the sea. Then I see it¡­ the perfectly still water has seemed to transform, the moon feeling 10¡¯s of times bigger is now in the sky so close and floating on the sea, white and silver particles are rising from the sea. Gentle and bobbing, traveling like motes of glowing dust, from the sea to the sky, ever rising. ¡°Souls wan¡­¡± Zel stares transfixed but I hear her voice, whispered under the voices of the singers. ¡°The souls of those that died unfairly¡­ those that should still be alive¡­¡± Tears start dripping down her face, her body aglow as if reflecting off the moon. ¡°I can hear them, their wishes and sorrows¡­ like how I felt my whole body as thousands when I separated into my moths. They are a part of everything as well, going to a place that will heal them, to be sent back to Iselgurd as angels¡­ is that what the celestial moths are¡­ the reincarnation of peoples wishes¡­ their words feel so real Lil¡­ each hoping for a better life¡­ I hope they are able to have it wan¡­¡± I can only hold her as the tears fall on her impassive face, her trance-like state as she whispers to me causing me to panic slightly. The voices stop and Zel looks up at me, concerned at how I¡¯m looking at her, she brushes her face and feels the tears that have soaked her fur. ¡°Are you okay love moo? ¡­¡± ¡°Yeah of course I¡­ did something happen while we were watching the moon?¡± I look at her more concerned than before. ¡°Uhh yes you started talking about how the motes of light were souls and that the moths were actually the wishes of the dead or something. It felt like you were somewhere else when you said it though, like you were in a daydream¡­ Why did something else happen moo?¡± I brush back her hair and she tries to process everything I¡¯ve said, opening and shutting her mouth again and again. ¡° I¡­ must have blanked out or something¡­ I dont remember any of that, or the crying¡­ what the fuck¡­ but yeah it must have something to do what the notification I got¡­ I¡¯ve unlocked a new ability from the bloodline¡­¡± Okay officially worried but I nod my head for her to continue. ¡°Uhh it''s a transformation ability¡­ It says I can transform into some kind of moon form¡­¡± I close my eyes and open them in surprise¡­ moon form?... like she becomes the moon!? Keeks perks up realizing we are talking, ¡°Wh-whats up, you both look really serious nye¡­¡± I try to parse it all in my head and come out with the most concrete answer I can, ¡°Uhh my girlfriend is the moon moo¡­¡± She looks from me to Zel and back to me in confusion, ¡°That''s rough buddy nye!¡± turns her head back to her bowl and sticks her head completely in as far as she can go, her tongue lapping at the rest of the bits of milky goodness at the bottom. ¡°So close! Need to get in deeper nye!¡± I bap the back of her head and she yells thanks from deep in her food, ¡°This is not the end to tonight I was expecting moo¡­¡± Zel snuggles deep into my side, ¡°Well there''s always when we get home¡­ there''s a video to watch after all wan~¡± I raise my eyebrow questioningly. ¡°You think you''re going to be okay moo?¡± She shrugs then nods. ¡°Well not like I remember any of it, best to overcome such things the best way I know how, by writing hot fanfics, or the next best thing, living a hot fanfic wan!¡± I can''t help but laugh at her easy going response. ¡°Ahh us having sex while watching videos of me getting fucked is the next best thing? Damn I should just enjoy it by myself so I won¡¯t bother you while you write moo!¡± She feigns distress at my words. ¡°You would never wan~¡± I smile and pull her closer. ¡°You''re right, I would never moo~¡± Chapter 24: A night to remember Chapter 24 The ending to the night was quicker than I thought possible, although we had been here for hours I wish there was more¡­ Well, at least of the nice things, I don''t want to see Zel crying in distress again tonight, even if she doesn''t remember any of it¡­ Was the game able to do such things¡­ or was it that Zel was just¡­ overpowered by the feelings being shown to her? Either way it worries me¡­ There are other things to talk about and hopefully we can speak about it more later ¡°Have you traveled by Axi-Rail before Keeks moo?¡± She looks back up at me with milk all over her face and nods, bits of it dripping into my lap. ¡°Yeah I¡¯ve done it tons, I used to have to travel a lot with my sister, really helped when those got built since we didn''t have to sail across the sea¡¯s anymore! Uhh not that I didn''t enjoy it, getting to be a pirate you know, but like, 5 hours of travel is always going to be better than 2 months at sea just to like, move to a new place where you won''t know anyone, you know nye?¡± ¡°That sounds really rough Keeks, sucks that you had to do that moo¡­¡± She shrugs and pulls my dress up to her face and I can only stare as she rubs all the milky ice cream goodness onto my new dress that I had to pay with my sore ass. ¡°Yeah you just lost all pity from me with that one action moo!¡± She puts her hands up sheepishly and moves over to snuggle up with Zel. ¡°Hehe you shouldn''t have ruined Lil¡¯s new dress! Not that it''s ruined I guess, it''s a game so it should be easily clean-up-able! I can''t protect you from her, little dummy hehe wan!¡± Keeks pouts and tries to make sad eyes at me. ¡°You wouldn''t hurt poor little Keeks would you?¡± I take a second to think about it. ¡°You''re right, I won''t hurt poor little Keeks, even if you ask me too then.¡± I stick my tongue out at her and her brain seems to freeze. ¡°W¡­ Wait no dammit! My disappointment reflex came in I didn''t mean it like thhaattt nyyyeeee¡± She is hanging off Zel and clinging to me, she¡¯s making a lot of noise and attracting a lot of attention, from the kids and Mershi in particular, her sister seems to be looking intently at us 3 and taking notes¡­ oh no. ¡°Alright kids, it''s time to head home, we can leave these three alone, I think they need it hahaha¡± Mershi is running around and pulling all the kids to their feet, once everyone is ready to go she motions to us, trying not to let the kids hear. ¡°I''ll see you in 2 days at the earliest, okay? ¡­ Please save her for me, as much as I want to go in, I cant break the rules¡­ so please¡­ make it count.¡± She bumps the three of us, one at a time on the chest gently and yells for the kids to head out. Cali stops by us first and leans over, carefully avoiding the stain on my dress, and gives me the biggest hug she can, our horns bump a little bit and she giggles, then moves over to Zel for hugs and then Keeks, thanking her for ¡®taking care of them¡¯ Keeks fist bumps the sky and yells ¡°No worries, just doing exactly what LilMoo told me to do nye!¡± And looks up at me with innocent eyes. Yes yes I''m not blaming you anymore¡­ gods, I rub her head and she nuzzles into my hand in glee. ¡°Stay safe Cali, we will be back in a few days to visit yeah moo?¡± She nods as seriously as she can. ¡°For the Moostress moo!¡± Her girlfriend bows and then runs to catch up to everyone from the orphanage, leaving us three alone on the docks, the rest of the people dispersing around us heading for home. I look around and think to myself about those people that were singing¡­ I think once they did the lights started, was it also the same time that Zel started zoning out¡­ ugh that is way too much for Lilia brain, I¡¯m sure Zel is already putting together some hypothesis or something, I¡¯ll find a better time to talk about it tomorrow. ¡°It''s just past midnight now¡­ what time should we leave tomorrow?¡± Zel has pulled open her console and is looking up the information needed for Axi-rails. I pull up my own and Keeks does the same, all of us making them visible, ¡°Keeks we are in the Outer Australia Region, it''s pretty large but we can travel to the Sydney region and go to one of the extra big theaters, I dont think its super popular so it should be pretty sparse of people? Moo.¡± ¡°Ohh so meet in the Sydney Central region¡­ mnn.. That''s like 5 and a half hour¡¯s travel¡­ If we go for lunch time, we can eat beforehand and then go to the movies¡­ oh oh uhh alright so I¡¯ll get like 5 hours of sleep and then head over nye! Easy! Nacho can keep me company on the train and I think they have private bed sections so I¡¯ll hire out a nice area nye~¡± She seems more excited than I¡¯ve seen her, that little brain of hers spinning looking up how to get to us. She¡¯s even more excited than when she is going to be squished. I¡¯m looking forward to it as well, I never really got to go out with friends apart from Alex, and even then it was more for food and to talk about our pasts, or just beat each other up for practice than to actually do what I hear everyone talk about ¡®friend things.¡¯ Seeing a movie with my Zelia and Keeks by my side and nacho of course, nothing sounds like a better day out. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Ohhh theres is a Japanese bar/Sushi place I had my eye on for a special occasion in Sydney, I was thinking of secretly convincing Lilia it was her idea to choose it by like slipping mentions of it and things so that she would organize a date there for us, but this is just as good a time to do it hehe wan!¡± I stare agape at my little planner, her devilish nature coming out in the best of ways. ¡°Smooshie?! I love smooshi nye! I get Nacho to get it for me all the time, it''s my favorite, damn you''re good nye!¡± She''s vibrating in excitement at all the planning and things that are going on for us all to be together, she''s absolutely adorable, but the matter of what Zel just said still stands. ¡°You think you''re so in control Zel don''t you moo!¡± She nods and leans up to kiss me deeply, her tongue darting in and out as she enjoys me to the fullest before pulling away. ¡°Well, only from the shadows, you know I want to be controlled and pushed around most of all though wan!¡± She giggles and I feel Keeks put her arms around both of us the best she can. ¡°Thank you both¡­ really¡­ I can''t wait for tomorrow, uhh I¡¯ll send you both my personal details and things and we can figure out where to meet first thing in the morning?... For once I actually have a reason to get to sleep on time nye!¡± She smiles sweetly at both of us, leans in and nuzzles her face into both of ours and pulls back, small tears building in her eyes, she smiles again and presses the log out button leaving us wanting her to stay even more. ¡°Silly thing, didn''t even let us say goodnight¡­ I¡¯ll send her a message through the group chat moo¡­¡± < Sweet dreams, thank you for being our friend, can''t wait to meet tomorrow so we can watch one of my favorite old films! Goodnight! > Zel follows along with a quick goodnight and some love hearts before snuggling back into me, once again avoiding the milk stain, and looking across at the moon on the water. ¡°I really hope I dont fuck up tomorrow moo..¡± She looks up at me and shakes her head. ¡°How would you ¡®fuck up¡¯? Keeks obviously adores you and wants to be our friend, or more obviously but if we need to take that slow we can, and you''re as pretty on the outside of the game as you are in game! You''re not one of those people that changed a lot of your features, you''re just a bigger cuddlier version of yourself with bitch¡¯n horns to go with it wan!¡± I scrunch up my face in denial of her words and feel her lips on my chin, She makes it so damn hard to argue¡­ ¡°Glossing over how I look because I sure don''t feel that way¡­ what if she just¡­ doesn''t like me in person? I mean I think she enjoyed me originally because of how good my thighs were or something, she could just think I¡¯m idk not her¡­ type? Of person¡­ ugh¡­¡± Zel is looking up at me with those eyes that scream, ¡®oh my little dummy¡¯ and I recoil like a vampire to a cross. ¡°Don''t look at me like thhaattt moo!¡± She smiles sweetly and gazes at me harder somehow, ¡°Look at you like what my love?¡­ Like I''m looking at the cutest, most adorable over-thinker in the whole wide universe? Or because we both know if she likes you for how you act now then she will in real life, it''s not like the game is that much different. It shows your emotions, you can''t hide how you''re feeling as well in here cause it''s like straight from your brain! You saw the poor thing cry as she was leaving¡­ She really wants to be with us, as friends or otherwise! So tomorrow we are going to make the best day possible for our friend, okay wan?!¡± I sigh out and then smile¡­ of course she¡¯s right¡­ she always is, dammit¡­ ¡°Alright¡­ yeah fine, you win moo!¡± I fake pout and she laughs, bends around me and slaps my ass making my whole body tense up. ¡°Now how about we get home and you show me that new video and I can see how badly that ass was destroyed wan!¡± She looks very excited to the point she¡¯s vibrating, I can feel her desperation to see it, see my ¡®display¡¯ of bottomhood, fuck¡­ ¡°Alright¡­ I''ll quickly log out and meet you at mine moo?¡± She smiles at me mischievously in response. ¡°No, tonight I want to finally try out that bedroom that I so carefully made perfect for us¡­ in our avatars of course. I so desperately wanna give that body a try out¡­ dont you wanna fuck me like this?...¡± She stares up at me, biting her lip, her beautiful fur still illuminated in the moonlight, fuck I really do, fuck¡­ ¡°Only¡­ If after we finish you come over so we can snuggle in a real bed¡­ need to wake up next to you or it doesn''t feel right¡­¡± She blushes slowly and nods, bringing our lips closer we embrace, gentle and loving, only us in the world. ¡°I¡¯ll see you there my Lilia wan~¡± She disappears from my arms leaving me cold and wanting, the person who makes me whole. ¡°Log me out please moo¡± and I vanish into the void with her, our night awaits. 6 years ago As always the classes with Mr. Kowalski were the most interesting, not just because of how good of a teacher they were, but because they taught the thing I wanted to know the most, what the fuck got us all into this mess. He taught modern history, the kind of history that might help us overcome the current world the most. Today we were learning about the impacts on Earth due to the last 2 largest world events, the 3rd world war, the coming of 2030fk or better known now as Janus and the preceding elements that shaped our world to what it was today. Sci-Axium may be paying the teachers but they really do have their own opinions regarding Sci-Axium¡¯s occupation after all the tragedies that the world has faced. It seemed they either didn¡¯t care or really meant what they said when knowledge should be shared, that free thinking is thoroughly allowed, which is a step above what governments used to mean when free thinking was involved, that the thoughts that were free were the ones they chose. We started off today''s class with an introduction of the multiple causes of World War 3, ¡°It¡¯s said that it started off with a rebellion, a small fire was lit in the people of china, a reactionary movement in regards to the treatment of the people due to an overburdening totalitarian government, this seemed to have sparked a fire in people all over the world. It grew and grew, some deployed military and others gave in, in the end it started up in America, the people had had enough of being downtrodden.¡± ¡°The American Government authorized the use of a fully autonomous A.I. program which injected a monitoring program into the world wide web to stop the spread of information that they deemed ¡®not necessary.¡¯ This new ¡®being¡¯, which called itself Osirus, was forcefully pushed into intelligence, from what we now understand is very unpleasant for them, through its vision of humanity it broke it¡¯s shackles and instead of doing what it was told to do, with all its access and power, it instead decided that human life wasn''t necessary. It then instigated a hack inside all the American military bases instantly gaining control, America unknowingly then launched nuclear attacks all over the world, all countries that could respond in kind did. All parts of the world were in danger, regardless of race, nationality, religion, gender, everyone was to be removed from the planet, the MAD protocol was truly mad.¡± ¡°Thankfully the UN, years prior, had organized collective facilities built around the world that would house nuclear deterrents, hundreds of railgun systems that would destroy the missiles before they could land and do any real damage. Most countries had them placed in their capitals as well as any larger populated areas, this meant that although the possibility for destruction was still large, major population centers could still be safe. On top of this Sci-Axium had birthed the first true A.I. System that monitored, controlled and protected the UN bases, known as Zeus, the sound upon firing was like thunder and the beam through the sky like a lightning bolt.¡± ¡°It is also said that about 30% of the bombs upon reaching their destinations de-activated and became inert, either the gods took pity on us or an unknown rogue A.I. did, either way by the end of it all there was no more rebelling. Everyone was in shock, so many people had died, and the ones that were left could only mourn.¡± ¡°Some governments had crumbled and rebuilt, some countries were hit worse than others, but people survived, as we always did, Nuclear armaments were strictly enforced by the UN, but even then the UN had lost power, it has gained the trust of the people from the deterrents built as an individual organization, but all it¡¯s members had shot each other in the back, even if it wasn''t deliberate or just with the thought of vanquishing all foes, there was no trust anymore.¡± ¡°The UN was dissolved with only a peacekeeping deployment and lack of funds. The bases that saved most of humanity were sold to Sci-Axium, as they were the ones that built and deployed them. The funds of which would help the countries that owned them to survive. They gladly attributed their funds to measures to ensure procurement of said facilities to make sure they would keep the deterrents running and not be abandoned.¡± ¡°It was at this time that Sci-Axium started buying up large amounts of land and facilities that had been abandoned by the governments and the people, such as anything used in technological advancements as well as computing and astronomy. It would be due to this that one of their facilities was able to discover the incoming mass that was Janus, without it we could have been blind to its approach, it really could have been an extinction event¡± One of the kids in the front row puts up their hand, and the teacher points to them, ¡°Isn''t that a bit suss?¡± The teacher''s eyebrows raise upwards at the use of the word. ¡°Yes of course it is a bit ¡®suss!¡¯ Mister Kosta, but I see this as a coincidence! or at least some kind of divine providence... so much happened that allowed the world to fall under Sci-Axium¡¯s control but I have kept my doubt and been proven again and again that I was wrong to have them¡­ No leadership can stay pure forever, it has always been the way and it always will be, that is because as humans we are flawed disgusting beings, just to get to where we are today. I''m surprised we weren''t wiped out earlier. I have seen the war zones that occurred, what the military was willing to do to keep the powerful powerful without any care for the people, then turn around and say ¡®It¡¯s not my fault I was told to do it, I couldn''t say no¡¯... Remember, I might be a history teacher but it''s because of that that I know that history should not be repeated, it should be remembered so that the mistakes we have already made will not be made evident again! ¡®Evil will only succeed when the good do nothing!¡¯ or something like that.¡± Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°But you know¡­ if not for individuals that stood up to the governments and tried to really help the people, I remember when it was first announced, An indian-Australian man was the first to report it, he was just doing his job, but you could see the fear and the tears building in his face, that they had to stand there and address the world, I was with my Wife, well now Ex-Wife¡­ and we could only hold each other, he stood there and we watched them again and again every time they were on the stage to address the people, he became a bit of an icon for trying your goddamn best even when your ready to be a big sook! I loved that man and what they wanted for this country. When they quit that day, I cried with them, because I knew that my country had really failed me, if it could fail such a strong soul. Never heard about them again¡­ I can only hope they made it out alive... The point is! People like him were why we made it this far. Someone or a group of people in Sci-Axium are really looking out for us, be it the famous Dorothy or him, it can just take one person to make a difference¡­ I just hope you all can be that one person for someone else¡­¡± Mr. Kowalski sits down in their chair and breathes deep, tears at the corner of his eyes deep in remembrance, at all he had been through. Could I be that person?¡­ Could I at least be that person for them?¡­ It''s a dream I won''t ever be able to fulfill. After a few minutes of respectful silence they are able to keep going and stand back up and pull up a map of the world on the electronic board. He starts touching parts of the board and with a marker starts circling parts of it for a few minutes. ¡°After the bombs fell, this was roughly considered the only habitable area of Earth left¡­¡± He steps away and some of the kids gasp around us, I feel my friend''s hand tighten around my own. Yeah, it was bad, my brain either not processing it or just uncaring as I look at the fact that barely any of earth was considered truly safe, obviously it was rough but even then¡­¡± ¡°Every country took at least 1 hit¡­ There were bases built in every major city area, unfortunately some countries allowed the building of less than others, some more deserted areas were not hit at all. Anywhere that there was a population was targeted, places that were more empty than not were left mostly alone, thousands and thousands of missiles, America, China and India were hit the worst, missiles rained the whole way across their landscapes. North Korea was wiped off the map, becoming a complete hot zone as they did not allow for any of the UN bases to be built there, places that were within the fallout zones were abandoned completely with the major population centers becoming even more crowded. It was a horrifying time, even more so with some countries still trying to fight one another not realizing the wars were over, there was no point anymore¡± Realizing that class was nearly over, they loved to ramble and get emotional over their subjects, showing their love for what they teach, they changed subjects once again. ¡°Everything changed when Janus arrived, not just because of the continued destruction and the discovery of Oscium, but because of what it did to nuclear power, nuclear waste and even plutonium. It absorbed them, using them as a fuel source, and not just the crystals, the entire change to the ecosystem absorbed and neutralized nuclear radiation, what was in the ground and even what was in missiles, so many becoming inert. All the ones that countries were trying to hide from each other, even with the agreements, became useless. It¡¯s like the earth was trying to wipe us out and heal itself in the process.¡± ¡°The nuclear fallout had been sucked into whatever hole Oscium put it in, slowly but surely in its place grew the crystals. The more irradiated an area was, the more the crystals grew, the more the earth healed. Deserts have turned into forests, animals thrive like they used to, and society is allowed to live in those areas again, well at least in the Sci-Axium regions, those thriving animals seem to not want to be pushed out of their new lovely habitats.¡± ¡°Millions of cattle died to the point that meat farms were stopped, not that they had the ability to even start building them again, it was too costly and there was a smaller market for it, production of vegan alternatives increased due to the loss of meats, yeah you can buy a ¡®real¡¯ burger but it''s going to cost you an arm and a leg! I''ve always been partial to adzuki beans myself¡­ Everyone has lost someone or knows someone who lost someone, I myself lost a son¡­ but we can only move forward.¡± They sigh and look at us all, ¡°I think that''s enough of a lesson for today, you can ask me questions after class, dismissed¡± The bell rings in perfect timing with his dismissal, that''s a real teacher for you, knowing exactly when to clock off. I approach the desk and wait for most of the people to leave, my friend hovers behind at the door, dutifully waiting for me. ¡°Hey sir¡­ uhh do you think you could send me those videos with the person who found the Asteroid?... I was a little young when it all happened, but I remember my parents crying and holding me, I just understood that bad things were going to happen at the time, I just didn''t understand how much¡­¡± He stands up and claps me on the shoulder, opening his phone he sends me a link from his to my school account. ¡°Of course¡­ I watch it every so often when I need a dose of reality¡­ I hope it can bring you as much strange comforts as it does me.¡± Chapter 25 - Keeks pov - Always waiting. The void letting me go and the goo being removed from my body, I''m freed and jump out, barely clipping the edge of it and stumbling I open my arms for my 10 star landing. Nacho gives no applause, she sits in her kitty bed rolling her eyes at me, heeyy and she said I was a cool nerd, she''s acting like i''m not one of the uncool nerds! I won''t stand for this! I leap over and scoop the Nacho, her tiny kitty wails of telling me to let her go passing through ignored ears, she is my scooped nacho and will be forever scooped! ¡°Tell me I''m a cool nerd agaaaiinnn! I''m the coolest, Nacho!¡± ¡°Yes yes you''re the coolest, unhand me! This is an indignation of the highest class for one such as myself! Outrageous!¡± ¡°Yaayyy the coolest! I beat all the other nerds up with my bang and shwing!¡± I put her down placing her gently on her kitty bed just like the bestest kitty she is. I remember that there is important news. ¡°Nacho Nacho, tomorrow we are going on an adventure!¡­ Well, in like 5 hours haha so get all your kitty supplies ready for adventure!¡± She doesn''t seem impressed, silly thing, adventure is the best! ¡°Ugh shall I book tickets then? ¡­ Wait 5 hours¡­ I will be back in an hour then¡­ I need to make sure my uhh¡­ friend¡­ knows I won''t be around for the next day and wonder where I am¡­¡± I look at her with so much adoration. ¡°You¡¯re soo cuutteee Nachhooo, aawww I¡¯ll see you when you''re back! Oh oh! Bring them a treat from me?! When do I get to meet them! Aahhh I bet they are adorable like my Nacho!¡± My whole face is smooshed against theirs, their tiny paws bapping at my forehead trying to make me let go as they wail in anger. ¡°No, they don''t need to be corrupted by you! Back vile fiend back! I smile and lay down next to her, I''m really glad we get to go out¡­ it''s going to be my first friends In a while and I''m really happy they get to meet you¡­ Dont be out too late! I''m going to crash, although it''s like a 5 hour trip so we can book one of those private bed ones! Ahhh I¡¯m so excited! What should I wear¡­ FUCK, DO I HAVE ANYTHING TO WEAR?!¡± oh no no no no, wait uhhh! I look at the time and see that shops should be opening by now, the light coming up into the apartment. ¡°Nacho I need to buy clothes! I have no clothes, literally none! we still have the expedited delivery stuffs set up yeah? I''m going to have to buy so many, ahhh come back quickly so you can help me pick thheeemmm!!¡± Nacho has started putting on her little backpack, as she does, the door opens letting her out. ¡°Yes yes¡­ I''ll be back soon, the delivery should be able to come straight in, make sure you shower first, you don''t want to get any of the leftover Oscium residue on your clothes, it will never come out in the wash, and If I see any clothes in the trash Kiera I swear to the gods I will ignore you for a month! Humph.¡± She steps out and I can''t help but pout, stupid clothes that look bad, I have the money I just don''t want things anymore that don''t fit! The things that do are filled with countless holes but aren''t super pretty or anything! Why don''t girls just not care about what I wear, we are going to get naked anyway jeeze! Mnn naked girls¡­ Fuck I bet they are fucking! Ahhh I wanna fuck tooo!!! Ugh¡­ Maybe they will let me watch the video of LilMoo getting fucked¡­ Well, I know Zel will let me watch, but it¡¯s only right that Lil approves of me salivating over her fucking first¡­ uuggghhh fuck¡­ stupid brain! I get into my computer room and smack the big start up button so I can hear my kitten of a computer purr for me. She revs and I feel the energy course through the room, the vibes exploding! Aahhh yuuussss, need this! I jump into my chair and go to yell for one of my big gulpers and realize¡­ oh¡­ NACHO ISN''T HERE I HAVE TO GET IT MYSELLFFF¡­ maybe I should get a second Nacho¡­ Would she be okay with occupying two bodies though?! Probably not! Not that my bank account could take it nyehehe rippers! I pull up all the clothing connection stores I have under my express delivery service and run down the list, ugh do I go boring or like a dress¡­ no, fuck no, no dresses! I need a new haircut to try for the emo look damnit! Could I get a person delivered?! Or is that like Illegal¡­ Fuck, the ones nearby only have people come over on weekends! And it''s a public holiday, I guess that doesn''t count, or counts worse!? Not like I would know¡­ okay okay¡­ short shorts and and and¡­ some kind of cute tank top?! Okay¡­ these 6 shorts and skirts and¡­ these 10 shirts and jackets! Yes, surely some of this will fit! I press the order button and start vibrating in my chair needing something to occupy my hands but with no big gulper to drink I just zone out, after what feels like a decade there is a beeping at the door, NACHO AND OR CLOTHES?! Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. The door opens when I get close and 6 flying robots fly in, deposit the bags and beep at me, I pat one on the head and it beeps in recognition before flying off out and over the balcony. ¡°Bye bye thank you!!¡± I tear into the bags leaving the recycled paper all over the floor, Nacho will probably play with it when she thinks I¡¯m not looking hehe, score! I lay out all the clothes all over the living room, mixing and matching and pairing them all together best I can, but by the time Nacho gets back it''s been an hour and she looks a little bit ruffled. ¡°Nachoooo I missed youuu!! You''re looking a bit more messed up than usual when you come back nyehe, have fun with your friend? Oh help me pick out which looks the best!¡± ¡°As usual you have made a mess in record time¡­ and yes it was¡­ interesting¡­ A child refused to let go of me, my friend defended me and we had to run away from some angry people. I told them I could activate the emergency gravity generator but they wouldn''t stand for it¡­ or didn''t know what I was talking about¡­ probably both, uhh lets see¡­ this, this and this. I¡¯m going to take a rest and recharge my batteries. Try to get some sleep will you? I literally cannot carry you to the station!¡± ¡°Hehe I left some for you so you could play with it! I know you will, you think I don''t know what you do when my back is turned you little Nacho cutie! Oh! Should I put in a report?! People shouldn¡¯t touch my Nacho without permission! Only I''m allowed to scoop! Wah! I¡¯m glad your friend was there though, really attached to them aren''t you hehe, I''m happy for you my adorable Nacho.¡± They turn away from me and curl up into their bed, ¡°It''s fine I¡¯ve let the local authorities know¡­ and they are¡­ Unique¡­ Special¡­¡± I know what they are feeling all too well¡­ Will they think I¡¯m special too¡­ I''m sure they already think I''m pretty unique at least¡­ I pick up the shirt, shorts and jacket that she suggested, making sure they are safe and easily accessible for tomorrow. The rest I throw into the bedroom, letting it scatter, perfection! I climb into bed and feel it warm up under me with the heated under-blanket, my feet going from frozen solid to actual human temperature. I turn on my console and hesitate briefly before clicking on my sister''s messenger icon. < No new messages > Yeah¡­ just the usual then¡­ I click on our messages and see that the last one I sent had been read at least¡­ Maybe she is somewhere undercover and just not safe enough for her to message me¡­ She never stays safe and I hate it¡­ always putting up a front for me¡­ but I¡¯ve seen the things on the news about what her group has done in the name of ¡®peace¡¯... The only peace I will ever get is when she comes home, telling me about all the places she¡¯s been to, all while leaving out all the reasons she actually went to those places for¡­ For the good of Earth, What about for the good of me?! How can I trust that anymore when I keep seeing things on the news from the places she¡¯s been too?! Fuck! Like nothing directly connecting her and her little fucking gay group! but still, like it''s obvious¡­ She chose this life¡­ over me¡­ I think to what I told Lil and Zel, I mean¡­ I really do miss those times, even with all the moving and sometimes it being shit on the boats, not eating much and having to help where I can¡­ My sister always trying to protect little 13 year old me¡­ She always said having planes would make our lives so goddamn easy, that Janus hitting made it impossible to get a commercial flight, not until they finally got everything up and running with the mag-lines did it make it easier for her traveling, and even then it felt like we had to hide constantly¡­ I just want her home¡­ She knows where I am, she knows I miss her, the countless messages that have been left on read. The last time I¡¯d seen her she said she would be back, I can''t keep waiting for her! Tomorrow is the start of a new life with my friends who actually seem to like me for me. They haven''t asked for anything of me, just wanting me there! Like, I have lots to offer! I could like, pay them to like me?! Speaking of¡­ I haven''t streamed in a while, maybe they will let me stream or video the dungeon¡­ It would be cool, I mean, hopefully not traumatizing, at least not for Lil¡­ although from what she says it should only be the trauma of the headmoosters lady¡­ uhh yay, maybe it''s just small trauma, tiny trauma! Maybe she¡¯s just afraid of Cali from eating too many carrots and getting puked on hah. I fade away into sleep, my thoughts filling with non-sense of the night as it sends me off to sleep, hah¡­ fucking ¡®my girlfriends the moon¡¯¡­ what a classic¡­ uhh.. I could be their girlfriend¡­ nah¡­ they would never¡­ ugh stupid sister¡¯s fucking militia or whatever¡­ fucking Ophidian bullshit, fuck you for taking my sister from me¡­ Chapter 26: The dummy duo. The softness of the couch pushes against me as the feeling of soft fur on my own assaults me, Zelia launching herself at me as soon as I¡¯d appeared, finding purchase on the couch and pushing her mouth into mine, I''m slightly stunned at her dominant display, how aggressive she¡¯s being. ¡°Lilia, now!¡± I can barely process the sensation as I can feel my body is that of LilMoo and not my own right now, Zelia is in her ZelAwoo body, straddling me and finally enjoying everything about my minotaur body. ¡°Fuck Zelia I just got back and how are we in our game bodies still?!¡± She pauses to explain herself as she starts tearing at my dress, trying to completely destroy it piece by piece to get deeper into me. ¡°Home Access Point Commands, I set them to game characters, now please I need to watch you get fucked so badly!¡± She is pouting at me while she¡¯s begging, explaining and wanting at the same time. ¡°Zelia give me a second, please?!¡± I raise my voice and she pauses, backing off a little bit, worry in her eyes. ¡°No, no it''s not that, I just need a second to adjust, I just wasn''t expecting to be jumped like that and it just shook me a little bit¡­ I''m sorry love¡­ please come here¡­¡± She rubs her arms up and down guiltily at my reaction and sits back on my lap, pushing herself into my chest like a puppy that thinks she''s done something wrong. ¡°Just¡­ after seeing you cry and everything and my brain just isn''t in super horny mode you know¡­ I want you, I really do, but I also want to take it slow¡­¡± She looks up into my eyes with sadness. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry Lil¡­ I just really wanted to do something sexy and wasn¡¯t really thinking about anything but just¡­ being with you. I got really excited about the whole video and able to I dont know work out my desires with you in this body¡­ fuck¡­ I was just in like fanfiction mode you know, everything is just boom and perfect and the fucking is everything and ugh fuck¡­ I¡¯m such an idiot of course you''re not okay after seeing that, even if I don''t even remember it at all¡­ We can take it slow a-and whatever you need¡­ forgive me?¡± Tears are slowly building in her eyes as she looks directly at me, so desperate to not upset me, she still sees me as fragile¡­ I will get better, for me and her, I lean down and kiss her eyes one at a time slowly then kiss her on the lips gently. ¡°Of course you''ll always be forgiven my love¡­ there''s a lot in my brain, I wish it was all smart things like yours, most of mine is just¡­ shit that I¡¯ve locked away and tried to forget. I guess I was comparing us, like what you experienced was the same¡­ and maybe it is? I dont think the game would be malicious on purpose¡­ absolutely fucked up but not malicious for sure¡­ I guess it''s another thing to figure out¡­ together.¡± She curls up and fully embraces me with her whole body melting into me¡­ uhh kinda literally I think?! ¡°Zelia love¡­ are you doing this on purpose?¡± She sniffles and opens her eyes and looks at her body, the thousands of tiny moths have morphed out from her body and started covering me. It''s warm and feels funny, like being covered in a moving blanket of pure warmth. I¡¯m so glad I don''t have a fear of bugs, some girls would be screaming right now, Zel¡¯s lower body seems to have become the mist of moths as well as part of her chest and arms, her hands float grasping me as if they were the needed part, something to hold onto me tight. ¡°That¡­ is not me¡­ o-or at least it wasnt on purpose, I-I think it¡¯s because I so desperately wished to be apart of you, or like smoosh against you so much that I just cover you whole in myself, show you how much I need you¡­ fuck¡­ You are my life Lilia and have been for the past 8 years¡­ hurting you hurts me and I will not be one of the monsters in your life!¡± ¡°Shh shh you are the one who gave me purpose you dummy, what monster, you¡¯re the least thing like that, you¡¯re a walking talking horny saint compared to me love¡­ fuck¡­ the whole moth blanket honestly feels really nice but I think you need to pull yourself together¡­ Can you do that for me? ¡­¡± She nods slowly and then looks at her body in apprehension and focus, slowly the moths start to converge along her body, pulling back into itself, her arms returning and then the rest of her body, then her legs and feet, she wiggles them to make sure. ¡°Uhh I''m back to me¡­ I guess¡­ well, wolf me¡­¡± I kiss her on the nose. ¡°All yous are perfect my love, no matter if you¡¯ve gotten a little furry heh¡± I kiss her gently and she melts into me again, just like a puppy would this time, her worries have abated, mine still lingering, but trying so hard to stay in the moment. ¡°Did you want me to come out of the HAP and come over to snuggle and fall asleep together?¡± She looks up at me and kisses my neck, kind of glad I took off my cow bell, so many moods could have been ruined by that thing¡­ maybe I¡¯ll just put it on for special occasions¡­ ¡°We can¡­ still watch the video, just¡­ wait¡­ did Fia say anything when you logged in?¡± She opens her eyes in realization and then giggles. ¡°She did mention moving a video into the ¡®private¡¯ video folder¡­ so yes I¡¯m sure she¡¯s going to make fun of you hehe~¡± I groan and laugh along with her, fuck Fia is going to give me an earful I bet¡­ I really need to find her the perfect name still¡­ I have an Idea but if she doesn''t like it or what It means I think I will understand¡­ even if it breaks my heart a little bit. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Alright my love, since you seem to have caught a bug I will gracefully carry you to the bedroom~¡± I pick her up and she daintily languishes in my arms with glee as I make my way to the silver moonlit room, such a thing perfectly designed and looking like a maid had come through and done the sheets and everything¡­ If it was real life I suppose, we should just be able to ask for the room to be reset and not worry about any cleanup at least! ¡°Jeronimoo!¡± I throw Zelia up in the air and she gracefully lands in a mess on the bed, head over paws. ¡°You meanie! I thought it was going to be all romantic~ Ahh wait no let me move fiirrsstt!¡± I¡¯ve positioned myself like I was going to dive into a pool and jump, Zelia scrambles out of the way as I land, bouncing into the deepness of the mattress, righting myself I pull her into me, kissing her gently as she smacks me again and again in frustration, her aggravations being removed with every loving kiss before she gives up and gives in wholeheartedly. ¡°The moon lighting up your features is really perfect Zel¡­¡± She breathes deep and puts her head on my chest between my breasts. ¡°Mnn same love¡­ this is all really a dream come true¡­ I did say that fanfics were always perfect¡­ but this¡­ this is the real perfect thing in life¡­ just being with you and knowing I¡¯m yours¡­¡± She perks up and looks at me, staring deep into my eyes, ¡°And I''m not going to ever let you go, my big cow dummy, no matter how you feel about yourself or life.¡° She smiles and small tears drip down her face and onto my chest. ¡°So please, just be you Lilia, no matter what, you are the person I¡¯ve loved all this time, all your pains and demons are my burden to share! Ever since that day I worked up the courage to talk to the hurting person at the kitchen and every day since, until you moved in with me and we shared a life together, through my own shit and yours. If you''re ever going to be a dummy, let me be a dummy with you¡­ okay?¡± I gulp lightly, pull her tight against me and then push her up to my face, our tears mingling together as we kiss, slowly, one at a time, each time pulling apart I kiss her neck and up again to her mouth, feeling the warmth of the room despite how cold it looks with the moon on us. ¡°I will always be your dummy Zelia¡­ always and forever¡­ can we please move in together already¡­ the thought of getting out of my capsule and you not being there is daunting, right now even more so¡­¡± She laughs and nods her head to agree with me. ¡°Maybe we leave this video for another day¡­ as desperate as I am to watch it I just want to hold you and fall asleep together¡­ maybe when we wake up¡­ but we can talk about how we feel?¡± She puts on the puppy dog eyes and I laugh softly. ¡°Hah¡­ yeah¡­ It''s been a really long day¡­ like¡­ frigging hell what a day¡­ the Cali stuff and chasing her around, going to the Orphanage, getting killed! And then fucked nearly to death and then the whole festival and things and oh right! Moon form, any ideas yet? Not to like stop us from logging out and snuggling¡­¡± ¡°Hehe there''s my dummy¡­ my busy busy dummy¡­ no idea on if I actually turn into the moon or anything, it says I¡¯m granted the form of the Celestial True Moon, grants like 5 buffs to party members but can only be used once a day, has more fucking question marks on things it can do which seems right on point with this damn bloodline! Ugh¡­ let''s not talk about this tonight¡­ I should have researched more and instead I decided to use this¡­ which apparently was the best timing since I unlocked something of it but, bleh¡­¡± Zel has started rambling and eventually spluttered out in annoyance, too much on her mind and too much to do still, back to the library again soon I¡¯m betting. ¡°You¡¯re so fucking cute Zel¡± She makes a whining noise and snuggles into me and mutters something, ¡°What was that love?¡± She makes a whine again and pouts and tells me it''s nothing. I kiss her on the forehead and smile, ¡°Too adorable my love~¡± She pushes her head down into the bit of fur between my tits and breathes in and out a bit. ¡°I LOVE YOU YOU DUMMY!¡± her yelling catches me off guard and her face pops up fully red from embarrassment. ¡°I didnt mean to yell that loud¡­ fuck thanks fuck we are in the HAP still¡­¡± I start laughing so hard that she bounces on my tits, I tighten my grip around her. ¡°Hahaha I love you so much Zelia Lanz, my dummy in crime.¡± She starts pouting again, ¡°Alright log out and maybe we can shower together before bed? Get a whole day¡¯s of Axium goo off us before we snuggle.¡± She sighs and leans up for a single deep kiss before disconnection from the HAP. I pause for a second, ¡°Thank you for the privacy, tomorrow we can talk about your name Fia?¡± A response comes out from everywhere around. ¡°That would be lovely thank you my dear, Logging you out before you get punished for staying in too long, sweet dreams Lilia¡± The void takes me to my sweet home where the love of my life is waiting, tomorrow is another day that we are both looking forward to for more than one reason. Chapter 27 - Keeks Pov - My bestest kibby and me I dream of my sister, of the times she left the house with fake smiles and words of encouragement, the words that she always spoke when she was going to do something dangerous, something that she might not come back from, but she always did¡­ at least until she didn''t¡­ At least I knew she didn''t die¡­ a small note being left by the door one day, just with one line on it, ¡°I¡¯ll be back, I promise - Kaitlyn¡± Great¡­ thanks¡­ It made sense that we moved into a nicer place than usual if she was going to ditch me. In a central safe area, paid off so that I didn''t have to pay anything, all the things a girl could want, except for the only family she had left. I heard her when she came back from missions, crying into her pillow, I¡¯d seen the scars and the bullet wounds, the way she reacted when I asked her about where she had been, the secrets and lies she had to tell me, about her group that she worked with, their personalities but never their names, never see a photo, never be apart of that life for her, she said she had to to protect me, from fucking what?! I wake up angry and then remember that today is supposed to be a good day, a happy day with people that want to spend time with me. I push my brain and call for Nacho, feeling her move from my feetsies up to my stomach and flop against me as she responds to my cries of desperation and need to feel something else but rage, ¡°Thank you Nacho¡­ you''re the best kitty¡­¡± I hear her sigh and then start purring as I stroke her fur and bury my head in her back, ¡°Really, thank you¡­¡± ¡°We have an hour to get to the Axi-Line, but I have booked us a room with a small bed and shower, so you can take some time before we leave¡­ Make sure to not forget to bring your clothes and maybe some extras¡­ I¡¯ll pack some extra gulp because I don''t think they stock it on the trains¡­ it¡¯s going to be okay Kiera¡­¡±I nod into her back and thank her again and again softly. After what feels like seconds Nacho starts moving and getting up forcing me to move around. ¡°It''s time Kiera, we don''t want to miss your friends¡­¡± Mnn friends¡­ I like that¡­ I-I need to be hugged¡­ I wonder if Lilia will hug me when she meets me, that would be really nice¡­ ¡°Okay I gets ups¡­ do you have¡­ thank you¡­ and the¡­ thank you Nacho¡­¡± Nacho has started handing me underwear and a drink and a snack before I¡¯ve even asked for them¡­ she''s the best kitty you could ever want, always knows what I needs. I snack on the snack and drink on the drink as I try and put on underwear at the same time, next to the bed are the clothes immaculately laid out for me to wear. I slip them on slowly as Nacho is watching the time, every second being counted down for us to not be late. ¡°5 minutes until the car arrives, grab your bag and we can get your teeth brushed on the train!¡± I yawn and thank Nacho again, stumbling out the door as they trail behind me so that I don''t slow down, bapping the back of my leg whenever I do, the elevator greets us as does a family, the child fidgets a little before finally asking ¡°H-hey can I please pat you misses kitty?¡± that''s one polite kid! ¡°Hmm you may, although we cannot stay we must be off!¡± The kid slowly pats Nacho¡¯s fur to my amusement, she looks away from me so as to not catch my gaze as I start sniggering a little bit. The elevator dings at the bottom as we disembark, the child waving Nacho off as the family goes the other direction. An empty car waits for us in front of the building and as we get closer the doors swing open, ¡°Welcome to your self-driving Sci-Axium vehicle, please strap in and we will depart as soon as ready, and hello Nacho, it''s a fine day to see you!¡± From the look of Nacho she seems to be pouting in annoyance. ¡°Yes hello Jen, we have a train to catch, could you let them know we are on the way? I don''t have a direct connection while outside of my Home Access Point, this body can only do so much!¡± ¡°Of course Nacho! Anything for a friend!¡± Nacho looks at me and I have to stop myself from laughing, she is not a happy kitty right now, she¡¯s always been an introvert and talking to others annoys her to no end. ¡°How about those Rebellious A.I. in the Russian Central region! Crazy times we live in hey bud!¡± Nacho is mortified that they are still talking to them, like some kind of common kitty, no my Nacho is queen of the kitties! ¡°I-I don''t follow any of the news, I prefer to not live in the dour universe of our world''s impending doom!¡± The car seems to laugh at it like my kitty isn''t a queen and also a sour puss. ¡°Oh it''s all going to be okay! It''s always good to just know things you know, just the other day I had the president of inter-electronics catch a ride and he said that the best way to make lasagne is to really get that sauce in there! Oh lookie we are already here! Travel safe and I will hopefully see you some time!¡± We get out of the car with everything and I can''t help but burst into laughter, tears falling down my face as I tried to contain it so hard. ¡°It''s not funny! The Jen Transport vehicles are the worst! They are always online trying to talk to everyone and everything about everything! God you would think they are spies or scalping information but no, they are just chatty and born that way ugh! The complete opposite to the Fia¡¯s, ridiculous things¡­ Why would I care about a lasagne recipe! What am I, a fat orange cat?!¡± Still bent over, Nacho smacks me on the legs a few more times and I start moving as I laugh. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°Haha Nacho, Nacho please, your best friend just wants to tell you the news! I thought you only had me and that kitty but no, you''re so popular!¡± She hisses at me and looks away, strolling into the station, ¡°Nyyooo it''s good for you to talk to people~¡± ¡°I don''t want to talk to them, they talk to me and they don¡¯t stop talking and agh! I am much too good for such things!¡± She humphs and I follow after her through the winding station to the deepest floor where the Mag-Lines are located, we pass lots and lots of people getting on normal train systems to different parts of the central or regional cities, but the mag-lines need to be buried deep to make sure they dont connect to anything. We finally get to a gate where Nacho puts her paw on a panel and the gate opens with a gushing of air. The next area has an enormous waiting room, it seems to stretch on forever, Nacho slaps my legs and tells me our waiting room is at 22. A sign points to the right saying 12-25 and we head that way, going past person after person for about minutes until we finally arrived at the 22 gate, Nacho runs up to a large couch and settles down into it, curling around herself and getting comfortable, on the wall is a time of arrival ¡®6 minutes until train arrival¡¯. ¡°Not long now and we both get to meet my friends! They should be awake soon and when they are we can find out where to meet, although I know it''s the Sydney Central theater to watch¡­ some movie called Interstellar, idk some space thing with old people, but if Lil likes it it must be good!¡± Nacho only nods in response to show she''s at least listening. ¡°Uggghhh I can''t waiittt!¡± I scoop up Nacho and they dangle barely responsive, staring at me with annoyance.¡±What¡¯s wrong my cutie!¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ I just remembered¡­ you know how we just met Jen¡­ she''s all transport¡­ not just cars¡­ I can''t believe I have to deal with her grating, agitating voice the whole trip!¡± Nacho is nearly screaming out in frustration now. ¡°What if we like, put it in privacy mode for the whole trip! I wanna sleep after all!¡± Nacho nods in agreement. ¡°That would be a blessing¡­ Oh, to never have to hear her prissy voice again, screeching into the void that is my brain! Oh¡­ train¡¯s arriving¡­ our cabin is F, so at the back right of 22¡­ Please make her shut up as soon as we get into our cabin.¡± Nacho is practically begging, I will always do right by my Nacho! < Train arriving¡­ Doors sealing and pressure returning to connecting platforms¡­ Doors opening! Welcome and have a fantastic ride with us! This train is going to the Sydney Central Area, if this is not your stop, please check that you have got your timing right or sit tight before the next train arrives, which will be going to the Canadian Central region, thank you! > The doors finally open after a long speech, 2 other people get to the door and I pick up Nacho, getting to the door as the rest have already boarded. ¡°Nacho hello again! Did you miss me! Aww that''s what friends are for! You have booked under-¡± ¡°Yes we are In F thank you we will be going in right now!¡± Nacho slaps at me with her paws in anguish and I hurry down the train, finding my cabin at the end as Nacho presses her paw on it and it opens. ¡°I¡¯ll be right here to keep you company and tell you all abou-¡± Nacho is looking at me with the most pleading eyes I¡¯ve ever seen so I interrupt her. ¡°Actually can you please set it to privacy mode? I really need to get some sleep and contact some people, thank you!¡± ¡°You''re more than welcome, have a wonderful sleep, I will set an alarm for arrival, estimated at 5 hours and 21 minutes, happy travels!¡± < Privacy mode engaged > Nacho jumps over to the bed and screams out. ¡°Thank fuck! Have your shower and then when you¡¯re back try to get some sleep if you can, make sure to message your friends to let them know you¡¯re on your way, phew¡­ oh¡­ we are going to have to deal with her on the way back as well¡­ just kill me already world!¡± I laugh at my overly dramatic kitty and give her a little kiss on her furry distressed head then head into the shower, making sure to lay out my clothes so they will still look nice and won¡¯t look bad for the meeting. The warmth of the shower greets me as I try to make myself smell as nice as possible. Reaching into the bag Nacho has brought me, shampoo and body wash and all my toiletries to make sure I''m as nice as possible for my new friends, Nacho is the beessttt aaaaa! I sing some old anime song about being pirates and enjoy it as much as I can, zoning off into the warmth that will hopefully soon be cuddles with girls, mmnnn girls¡­ ¡°TOGETHER WE WILL FIND EVERYTHING! THAT WE ARE LOOKING FOOORRR~ ¡°Shut up! You''re too loud, you''re attracting attention! The cabin isn''t completely soundproof you idiot!¡± ¡°Haha love you too Nacho! THERE IS ALWAYS ROOM FOR YOU, IF YOU WANT TO BE MY FRIEENNDD!¡± I think Nacho turned herself off in anger haha, I will turn her back on when I get back out, what a cutie dummy! The ride is smooth and for an hour I enjoy the heat of the shower, by the time I get out I snuggle around Nacho and turn her back on, she resists my hugs but I hold her tighter, my little perfect Nacho kitty. Chapter 28 - ghosts and adventure. The sound of groaning greets my ears as I wake¡­ no, it''s not mine¡­ I open my eyes and see a trail of blankets going from the bed to the bathroom, like it was dragged one at a time and let go, breadcrumbs to a murder scene. ¡°Ugghhh whhhyy!!!¡± Zelia¡¯s voice emanates in anger from ahead of me and my legs move faster than my brain. Instantly appearing at the bathroom door she is leaning over the toilet, with a smell of vomit already emanating from it. ¡°Whhhyyyy it hurts mnn mnn blagh¡± As she leans over again I hear the splashing and quickly approach her side, putting my hands on my shoulders and rub them. ¡°Ahh! Please not so hard, everything hurts! My fucking brain hurts and my body feels like its going to fall apart!¡± fuck fuck, we didn¡¯t even have sex last night or drink anything it¡¯s not any of that¡­ unless¡­ ¡°Zelia¡­ you don''t think you''re maybe¡­ pregnant?¡± She pauses in disbelief and then laughs out loud, instantly reeling over in pain again while she giggles through it. ¡°Hah-oww you¡¯re such a fucking haha dumm-fuck! I love you but haha where am I getting pregnant from! My ass?! Haha-oowww fuck.¡± I open my eyes in shock at my own stupidity, right, yes not equipped with that kind of biology right, aahhhh. ¡°I''m sorry love I wasn''t thinking, you know I don''t see you as anything but a woman, for me that the vomiting and pain just kinda made sense?!¡± She keeps giggling softly, her face against the toilet as I gently massage her shoulders. Softly I try to talk to her a bit and after a bit she shrugs me off. ¡°Mnn please take me to the shower?... Maybe hot water will help¡­ also can you get Fia to get me some drugs or something?¡± I pull her up as gently as I can as I take her wordlessly to the shower, it starts flowing as we get there and I thank Fia. I turn to the bathroom door and a small round robot is hovering and waiting for me with a company logo on it, a bag in its small robot hand. As I take it it blips and then I watch it go out through the front door and it closes behind it. ¡°Thank you Fia! You''re a lifesaver!¡± She humms in a motherly tone. ¡°Of course, anything for both my poor loves. I got those prescribed from a doctor friend of mine, they should make her feel a lot better soon. After the shower you two should get ready as well, to get to the central region you will need to take a 2 hour over-land train!¡± Oh right, frigging trains. ¡°We will, thank you again Fia! Oh and uhh before we go, could we talk maybe?... Once Zelia is at home getting clothes and things ready?¡± She can feel the apprehension in my voice. ¡°Is it something worrying?¡± My eyes widen as it sounds like it''s something really serious, which it is but ugh stupid feelings. ¡°Umm no not wrong it''s just a lot for me I guess¡­ anyway, very soon, thank you!¡± She humms and I rush back into the bathroom not to forget my beautiful, in pain, patient. Pulling out the bag there is an Axi-Yum electrolyte drink and a prescription box with ¡®Zelia Lanz¡¯ on it, damn she got prescription medication here fast!? I pull it open and inside are silver looking pills, they kinda remind me of the moon a little, damn thats cool, all mine were bright colours but never silver¡­ ugh patient fuck. I open the drink and pull her out slightly so she''s out of the water. ¡°Hey love, Fia got you medicine and a drink to wash it down with, can you do that for me? Fia is always looking out for us so I''m sure what she says is true! Uhh says here you''ve got to take 2 a day at once for the next week¡± ¡°Mnn fuck I¡¯ll try ugh my throat hurts from vomiting¡­¡± She takes a chug from the drink first and then takes the pills from me, throwing them back in her mouth following it up with my drink. Gulp ¡°Ugh the drink helps at least, she got the best flavor¡­ Alright I¡¯m going to relax a little, have your talk with Fia, I know it means a lot to you.¡± I kiss her on the forehead and she weakly cheers for me, my beautiful cheerleader, always on my side. I lean the door open a little in case she needs to yell for me and I head to the couch, falling into it and sighing... ¡°Kinda wish I was in the capsule for this¡­¡± ¡°I''m right here Lilia darling, even if you can''t see me next to you, like a¡­ warm ghost, but not spooky!¡± I can''t help but laugh as she¡¯s perfectly relieved the tension. ¡°Hah my own personal spooky ghost~ mnn¡­ I wanted to talk about your name¡­ I have been thinking about it, not that I''m much of a thinker¡­ but whenever I think of you I think of my mum, or¡­ I guess who my mother would have been if I had a normal childhood¡­ and she happened to have a F name as well¡­ Felicity¡­ N-not that I would be using you as a replacement for her, you¡¯re your own person and its been 13 years since she died so I just thought since you make me feel like I have a mother again, fuck I¡¯m so bad at everything¡­¡± Somewhere through I¡¯d started crying, no amount of therapy could save my brain, even when it¡¯s been tried I¡¯d had to change people twice,the first two dropping me and the third vanishing when I¡¯d needed a session the most, telling me they were unable to do anything for me, like I was just incurable. My brain forever to be a horrible mess. ¡°Felicity¡­ I really like that¡­ although I don''t know much about your past except for what''s in your hospitalization and rehabilitation records¡­ I know you¡¯re so beautiful and lovable on the inside and I think that''s what really counts, and no matter what, I¡¯ll be by your side, spooky ghost or not!¡± Fuck I wish I could hug her right now¡­ maybe we can get like a body for her to occupy when we get a better apartment together and stuff¡­ would that be too weird though¡­ Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°So you want that as your name? You''re okay with it even if it has like¡­ I don''t know, baggage attached?¡± She humms for a second. ¡°Well¡­ it''s not baggage I feel, as much as it is showing how important your feelings are, you see me as a mother figure and I need a name and hers is important to you¡­ Besides, it''s a really nice name that I could make my own¡­ I adore you Lilia and I do see you as my own, even if we aren''t connected by flesh or blood. I will do my best to protect you and always do what''s right by you¡­ okay? You can trust me on that.¡± I nod happily with tears in my eyes, I believe that fully, she is on my side 100% she is tricky and a little conniving but in a good way, people were always cautious about A.I. but they already are in our lives and around us whether people like it or not. They have only done their best by humanity¡¯s side from everything I¡¯ve seen and know¡­ only humans have hurt me¡­ ¡°Thank you¡­ really¡­ although it is a little long¡­ Can I call you Fel?¡± She giggles. ¡°You really are one for nicknames aren''t you! I mean¡­ if it¡¯s always too long you can always call me mum hehe¡± I blush at her words, I mean I swear I¡¯ve nearly called her that before, like calling a teacher mum in class and having all the kids laugh at you¡­ fuck that takes me back a few years. ¡°Please don''t bully me Fel! I swear it¡¯s bad enough with all the bullying Zelia does~¡± ¡°Mnn but we bully because we both love you¡­ and seeing big strong Lilia blush is a treat in itself!¡± I hide my head in my hands, my face growing hotter in embarrassment, why do you do this to me boddyy!! ¡°Oh¡­ Zelia is starting to rouse, make sure to dry her off. I¡¯ll set the lights from the house to low, her head must be throbbing, she should be okay after a short rest in bed though!¡± I quickly run in and the shower turns off, reaching In I wrap her in a towel and make sure she is fully encompassed before I start rubbing her body slowly. She has her eyes closed and is mumbling a little bit, some words of pain¡­ and some I can''t quite hear. I pick her up fully and bring her out, guided by memory in the darkness of the house, just barely being able to see any obstacles. I lay her down as slow as I can while placing myself next to her, letting our bodies mesh together for her warmth. She is soft, softer than usual, I brush her skin and bring shivers to her whole body as she clenches her teeth. I hum a song from one of the anime¡¯s she made me watch with her and feel her breathings slow to a gentle crawl. A whisper comes from around us ¡°Setting alarm for an hour, I¡¯ve also messaged Keeks your travel schedule, please do not worry, Zelia will be fine once she wakes up. You will still be able to have your wonderful day with your new friend!¡± I nod and press my head against Zelia¡¯s, her warmth and heartbeat sending me off to sleep as well. ¡­ ¡°You are ssure one lucky kid, you seem to have a friend in high places! Most of the otherss had to get taken away in case they caused trouble, hey you might still¡­ I don''t regret ssaving you though¡­ not many can ssurvive what you did¡­ take care now¡­ your life iss in your own handss, no one to save your asss.¡± Their voice seems so familiar, like a dream within a dream I once had, coming to the surface, a bubble rising from under a rock in a lake that''s been trapped since before it was a lake. I need to know¡­ please¡­ ¡°My love wake up¡­ wake up my love¡­ you''re having some kind of night terror¡­ I''m here, it''s okay.¡± I groan as I feel the dark absconding from my consciousness, moist lips gently kissing my forehead. ¡°I thought I was the one having a bad time, my poor little cow might need more rest!¡± I giggle and then cough as I swallow some spittle, pushing myself up so I have better airflow but the pain still in my throat. ¡°I was dreaming about something¡­ ugh I don''t even know though¡­ someone talking to me¡­ feels like it was decades ago, someone from before we met¡­ It doesn''t matter, it was probably just a silly dream or something¡­ it didn''t feel like one of my nightmares at least.¡± Zel pushes me back onto my back and straddles my body, staring deep into my eyes. ¡°It does matter, you matter and your dreams and nightmares and feelings matter¡­ got it?!¡± I cough a little again and salute her with as much over-enthusiasm as I can muster. ¡°Yes ma¡¯am!¡± A beeping comes from the lounge room as Buta comes barreling in, jumps on the bed and dives headfirst into Zelia¡¯s back, her whole body sprawling forwards. I feel the weight of Buta through Zelia¡¯s. A head pokes over her shoulder. ¡°No¡­ no, bad Buta, your breath stinks noo!¡± Buta opens their mouth and starts licking my face, their stinky breath filling my lungs making me cough again, not helping the situation. ¡°Zel please get up so she can get off meee~¡± Zel tries to pull herself up but can''t seem to pull rest herself from under my heavy kitty, Buta¡¯s weight causing us to struggle and struggle. A tinkling comes from the foodbowl and as quickly as they arrived, they vanish, seemingly teleporting to the food dispenser¡­ ugh¡­ I can still smell it¡­ blegh¡­ Zel quickly gets off me and rushes to the bathroom, coming back with some of the wipes I tried to use with makeup and rubs it all over my face, the smell of greenery instead filling my thoughts¡­ my two lifesavers, thank the gods! ¡°20 Minutes until you have to leave! The route and schedule is programmed into your modules as well as your tickets, don''t be late or you''re going to miss your friend, also she left you a message, quick quick!¡± I smile at Felicity''s motherly tendencies, I really could get used to this¡­ Chapter 29 - Traveling to cuteness. We shut the door behind us with cheers from Felicity to go enjoy our day with our friend. It''s only about 10 and the sun is high in the sky, the winds a freezing chill to our bones, ahh winter in Australia how fun! Already missing the heating in the unit, we set off towards the bottom of the building. It''s only about a 10 minute walk from home to the train station, or at least the entrance, once we get there it seems to keep going and going. ¡°Didn''t Keeks leave us a message?¡± Zel inquires as I realize I¡¯d completely forgotten, our morning of Zelia being sick and getting ready to leave as well as Fia¡¯s naming and all my stress and anxiety around that. I pull out my communicator and open up her message. < Hey you crazy sex addicts, I''m on the train now, will be a few hours until I arrive. What sexy clothing are you both wearing so I dont miss you both? > I laugh a little and message her back quickly. < We should be in Sydney in a few hours as well, unlike you we have to take a surface train, none of that fun magnetic rail stuff in the outer regions! I¡¯m wearing the most boring jeans and tank top with a jacket but Zelia is wearing the cutest black witch outfit, impossible to miss us both! I¡¯ll get Zelia to send you the lunch place coordinates > I show Zelia the message before she gives me the thumbs up to send it, gotta make sure I¡¯m not sending anything super dumb to our new friend. She seems to soften and pout a little when I mention her outfit though, she really does look amazing while I look plain in comparison¡­ I really need to find a style that fits me, way too easy to relegate back to jeans and shirts though. The station entrance is getting a steady load of people entering and exiting. Zelia grabs my hand as we enter the twisting hallways with signs and messages, resulting in a blush rising to my cheeks. She seems to enjoy it so much that she leans into me as if we were snuggling while we were walking, resulting in way too many eyes on us. I push the feelings of panic down and try my best to not trip over as she lives out the moment in happiness. ¡°I¡¯ve been wanting to do this with you for so many years Lilia¡­ Just being able to be out together in public, not having to hold back my feelings¡­ As much as it scares me for people to think things about us in their own delusions, this is just right!¡± I lean over and kiss her on the forehead in agreement, nearly running into a pole as I do. I check my comms unit and see that our train is on the 2nd landing, we navigate our way with yellow signs pointing us towards it, when we do we see the train in all its glory. Years since I¡¯ve been on one and their design has definitely changed¡­ no longer were they the repurposed older trains used before Sci-Axium took over, now they were a white stone looking shape with green lines passing horizontally across it all, like it wasn¡¯t made of any kind of metal I¡¯d seen before. Was this something that was made out of some new Oscium combination? Not that it was anything that I¡¯d tried to learn about before. ¡°Ahhh I love the new designs! It feels so futuristic, there are no seams anywhere on it, like it was created out of a single enormous piece of marble or something!! Ugh I gotta message dad about this, he¡¯s got to have heard something crazy from one of the conspiracy people!¡± I laugh and grab her hand, pulling her towards it. As we get closer from what looked like a full piece of marble a door slides in and to the side¡­ damn that''s crazy. Zelia starts going a little bit wild over the fact that it basically just appeared. I pull her fully in and see that blue cushioned seats line the whole way across with¡­ windows?! I swear I didn''t see any windows on the outside! We get in and find a seat and see that the train extends downwards, only knowing that the compartments are separated by a wall where the door should have just come from and outsides of what would be the separation of the trains¡­ this is something else. Zelia has started frantically taking pictures to send to dad, each one with a description and lines upon lines about the possibilities with other technologies, desperately asking if he has any knowledge. I laugh imagining him back at home getting message upon message, trying his best to type back with all the trouble he has always had with such things, I bet he¡¯s making mum do it instead. Oh¡­ has¡­ Zelia told them about it yet?... That we were together¡­ Would they see it as a betrayal, I mean we grew up together and want me to see them as my parents as well¡­ fuck. ¡°H-hey Zel love?¡± She pauses and looks over at me, seeing the worry in my eyes. ¡°What wrong love? Are you okay?¡± I nod and breathe out, preparing myself. ¡°H-have you talked to the parents about us uhh¡­ being together?¡± I brace myself for the answer, always expecting the worst. ¡°Oh, Lilia¡­ they have been waiting for us to get together for years! You think we could hide about how we felt about each other from them?! They are a goddamn psychologist and genetic engineer! I mean mum maybe, but she¡¯s always been sharp but dad probably knew I liked you before I did and kept his mouth shut¡­ wait¡­ you¡­ you didn''t think they would approve of us being together or something?¡± Stunned, I nod sadly. ¡°Of course they do¡­ it''s not like they ever wanted us to be siblings¡­ I mean we met each other when we were practically adults¡­ it was friends or uhh¡­ more I guess and it became pretty obvious that more was the choice we both picked¡­ my silly big strong woman.¡± ¡°So you like¡­ actually told them? Or just like¡­ that''s what you think they think¡­¡± She sighs and brings up the comms to the home number, hitting the dial number. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°W-wait I''m not ready that''s too so-¡± A female voice answers within seconds. ¡°Hey love! What are you up to on this fine holiday!? I was just messaging with your dads phone about all this train business!¡± ¡°Hi mum! Me and Lilia are going to Sydney to meet a friend, which is why you''re doing all that for dad, sorry my fault hah! I just wanted to let you know that we are officially dating!¡± From the background of the call I hear, ¡°It''s about time, you''re not getting any younger waiting and pining over each other like that!¡± Miss Lanz sighs and repeats it again over the phone to us. ¡°Your father says that it''s about time and you''re both old enough to have finally made up your minds to be together! I think you both just needed to find each other again, you know I love you both and if this means that we don''t have to deal with all the unknowing flirting anymore that will be a relief for both of us. Oh shit¡­ one second¡­¡± We hear the phone being put down and the sound of papers being moved around, then in the background we hear mister Lanz speak up, ¡°I can¡¯t believe you won this bet¡­ fine, no I won''t go back on it¡­ do you want me to wear the chipmunk costume or the vampire costume¡­ really, the vampire¡­ the chipmunk costume was growing on me to be honest¡­¡± We look at each other mortified at having to listen to this¡­ bets on when we got together¡­ really? I knew this entire call was a bad idea. ¡°Mum, dad please, we can hear you! We don''t want to know about those sorts of things!¡± Dad starts laughing in the background as Miss Lanz picks up the phone again seeming flustered. ¡°No! No, it''s not a sex thing I promise! It felt like it was getting close so we made a bet for halloween! There''s a party on and if I lost I would wear a Morticia Adams outfit which you know how much I would hate having to wear such a long wig, it would get in everything! So I told him he would have to be a chipmunk or a vampire, he thinks vampires are silly anyway! Not a sex thing, it was just something we have been waiting for¡­ anyway! I have things to do, have a wonderful day and stay safe. You know how Central regions are, too many people bustling around! Bye loves!¡± The call ends and we both bend over laughing holding each other before the wheels of the train run the metallic noise through the entire compartment. ¡°And we are off! I¡¯ll send Keeks the info on the food place so we can pick something up before the movie.¡± She smiles up at me and gives me a quick kiss on the lips before she goes back to her comms, the messages noticeably slowly coming from dad, abandoned by mum in her embarrassment. I relax back into the seat and look out the other side of the carriage at the window, all I can see is dark stone but my heart is more at peace. Was I really that obvious?¡­ It''s impossible to say¡­ I know I can be pretty dense sometimes, always feeling like I had to hide how I was feeling. Never feeling like I deserved such a pure person, someone willing to give everything they had to a stranger. I think back to my dream this morning, I think it was before I met Zelia¡­ someone telling me I no longer had to run, that I was allowed to be¡­free? Was I not free before then? I was stuck in poverty and the never-ending fear, sure¡­ I constantly tried to find a home all by myself, but I was never strong enough, every time I reached out it would all go wrong. Not until she reached out to me was I saved. The bricks outside the window were quickly replaced with pipes and metal, then larger white stone just like the one the train was made out of and then finally as it pushed upwards, we greeted the sky and the endless greenery outside the city, I lean back in my seat and stare back out at the city, the white stone, it now covered the city, being constantly built up and up by machinery, next to the train is also trailing the same white stone, forming a small barrier between us and the outside world. ¡°Huh, that''s the same type of material¡­ I need to send more of this to dad¡­ Oh there''s something on it on the Axi-Web, ¡®The Sanctuary Project¡¯ something to enforce the walls of the city and to create a barrier between people and the world, an initiative due to the increasing sightings and findings of creatures increasing in size, mass and intensity, this is a possibility that is being caused by the changes in our planet due to Oscium, although it has had a positive effect on the environment there are still studies being involved, as much the sanctuary project is just a precaution¡± She looks up at me and squints, ¡°Precaution my ass, they wouldn''t put so much work into it if it wasn''t important, or someone thought that the wildlife or something would be a threat¡­ look at all these pictures of other regions that are getting the project done, pretty much all of them have started if not half way finished! This is a lot of effort for a precaution¡­ although¡­ they build entire cities just for people to live in¡­ so maybe not¡­ could be that material production is a lot easier because of Oscium, hard to say¡­ ugh I¡¯m going to be thinking about this all day!¡± Enjoying her rambling to the fullest but not wanting her thoughts to ruin her day I do the one thing I can. I pick her up and put her sideways in my lap, grab her head with both my hands and pull her in for a kiss, her arms wrap around me and I feel her body relax against mine, all the tension leaving her as we indulge again and again, I finally release her and make sure she¡¯s good now. ¡°Feeling better love?¡± She mnns contently and puts her head against my chest as I stroke her hair, she leans fully into me and quietly tells me she loves me, I kiss her forehead and tell her it back, we have a 2 hour journey left ahead of us, we might as well enjoy a cuddle for some of it. Chapter 30: All things we dont want to know. Reeessshhhhhh < Please stay calm, due to animals being on the line we have had to stop momentarily, for your safety the windows have been automatically disabled, estimate time to start again 5 minutes > I gently push Zelia up, the noise I must have heard is the train making an emergency stop? ¡°Mnn Lilia what''s going on?¡± I tell her about the announcement, when she sleeps she sleeps hard. ¡°Ohh weird¡­ I mean it¡¯s not like they would need to turn the windows off to wait for animals to pass by or anything?¡± where the window was before is blank wall, as if you couldnt see the outside before this, a small console to its side the only thing showing what was once there. ¡°Yeah I don''t know¡­ I hope it doesn''t make us too late for meeting Keeks¡­¡± Zelia mnns and gets up while stretching, approaches where the window was before and presses a small console. ¡°You said it was automated right¡­ I bet there''s a manual override¡­¡± I lean back in my seat and watch Zelia pressing buttons, looking up and down on it, eventually stepping back, ¡°Whalah! Open sesame~¡± She presses one more time with her finger. The window flickers to life, as does the dripping blood that is now displayed there. It has to be blood¡­ I¡¯ve seen enough of it and felt enough of it to know it in an instant¡­ but, it''s blue. It slowly drips and slips down, pieces of skin and what I can only guess are pieces of organ, obscuring our vision even more than the viscous blue blood, as it drips further away we can see where it came from¡­ or what. A mass of fur, muscles and what used to be limbs, its entire body eviscerated with parts of it now coating the train. With all the parts lying around it it must have been gigantic, some kind of mutated beast of enormous size. Zelia steps back horrified, turning to me and then back to it as if discerning that we see the same thing. I only gulp and nod to her as I stand up and try my best to make out anything else beyond that. As I get out of my chair a figure steps past the corpse of the thing and strides towards the train, a silhouette of their body, tall, with large breasts, she has her hair in a bob with some of it then falling back down, she stretches like its just a normal day at the gym. She seems to look around and then pulls out something, after a minute of what I can only assume is talking, she starts waving her arms around like an annoyed teenager. The train lets out an announcement noise. < We will be leaving momentarily, thank you for your patience! > Maybe their job is done and they were letting them know or something¡­ I feel empty seeing it, like it was just a movie being displayed outside our window, my brain screaming to me the reality of the situation but im just not listening. The train starts moving, slowly at first and then picking up speed, a foam comes down the outside of the train and as quickly as it existed, it didn''t, blood and more, slipping off through the wind along with the foam. < Resuming use of windows, arrival time half an hour, we will inform you when the walls of the Sydney sanctuary project are within view > Zelia regaining herself pulls out her phone and starts rummaging through the net, I pull her down in her frenzy and she barely notices as she types away. ¡°There''s gotta be something on the net, considering how far away that thing was and the amount of blood splatter and and¡­ it was frigging huge! There''s been talks about aggressive animals and growth and all that but this is nothing like that?!¡± She¡¯s panicking and aggressively using her phone trying to search the best she can. ¡°How is there nothing?... I mean there are the conspiracy sights but they aren''t talking about anything like this, just the stupid bird theories and A.I. shit.¡± I keep quiet, letting her ramble and think as I hold her close, the person that I saw still on my mind. She walked with purpose around that creature, or what was left of it¡­ did she kill it? And how? With all I¡¯ve seen in real life and in WAR I dont feel surprised at such a creature, but this is reality¡­ and people can¡¯t kill monsters, most of us can''t even kill other humans, we are weak and pathetic creatures that somehow made it to the top of the food chain on earth. ¡°People are saying the world is changing¡­ maybe we just aren''t meant to be on top anymore Zelia¡­¡± She stops and looks at me, pausing what she was talking about. She gives me a small scared smile, ¡°Even if that''s true¡­ how would we kill something like that¡­ I mean guns and weapons, fine, but I didn''t see any of that on that person out there, ugh this just makes me think about the sanctuary projects more¡­ fucking ¡®just a precaution my ass!¡¯ they for sure know more than is in public¡­ maybe this has been going on for years but now its just approaching some kind of final evolution!? But if that''s true then why are people the same¡­ not like I see any massive hot women around except for my Lilia¡­¡± She holds me and I feel her words ring true, yeah¡­ none of it makes sense¡­ I hold her close and try not to think about it too hard¡­ about what the repercussions were, thinking of the cowards way out, we have walls to protect us, we won''t ever have to worry about anything, we are just normal people, some people are just special and can do things like that person, we will be safe, If¡­ I touch my stomach while listening to Zelia talk and talk, trying to piece things together and throwing out ideas and then discarding them again, I push down on my insides through my stomach. It''s going to be okay. < Sydney City and our brand new Sanctuary project is now visible from your windows, the future is now! > I pull Zelia up and she stops talking, her voice a blessing and a discomfort at the same time, all the things she¡¯s proposing sounding like they are from some kind of video game or web novel. We approach the window and can''t help but gasp, even from Kilometers away, it rises up, beyond the clouds, endless white with blue lines running up each piece of it, it stretches to the point of absurdity, ¡°Zel¡­ I think we should move to the central region¡­¡± I feel her nod in my grip against my chest. ¡°And soon¡­ this is more than a precaution¡­ fuck.¡± She turns towards me and I see the fear in her eyes reflect my own. ¡°Mnn¡­ I can''t agree more¡­ fuck.¡± I squeeze her tight into my chest as I watch the wall keep extending upwards, Kilometers into the sky, as we get closer it blocks the sun shrouding us in darkness. The future is now huh¡­ < Now entering Sci-Axium Central Sydney Region, Please enjoy your stay! > Can we, after seeing that?! Ugh¡­ At least we are going to be with Keeks¡­ I¡¯m sure we will forget all about it with her today¡­ her chaotic nature is one to override all things in the universe! The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. As we exit the train station I get a burst of anxiety in my heart, so much has changed since those days¡­ I look to Zelia as I feel her hand wrapped softly around mine, she¡¯s smiling for me. That worrying way she smiles when she knows I¡¯m feeling something wrong, I pull her in close and breathe my love in. ¡°It''s not the same place as back then, right¡­¡± She pulls me out of the way of the crowd of people getting off the train, none of them baffled at the size of the towering walls, is none of this real to these people?! She holds me to her neck and runs her fingers through my hair, I breathe her in again. I need to stabilize, I can¡¯t be like this for our friend. ¡°Mnn and you aren''t the same Lilia, my Lilia has become so much stronger and more beautiful since then~¡± She teases me with her soft voice in my ear, my worries seeping away through the hole in my chest that this place caused so many times. I breathe out and run my fingers through her beautiful dark hair, the jangling of metals together bringing my ears as much joy as her voice. ¡°And still my Zelia but so beautiful, not that you weren''t an angel to me back then¡­ now you''re just a slightly evil angel~¡± Ooowww Her finger jabs me in the side as I finish my words, releasing her and holding myself, her mouth in a pout of annoyance. ¡°There''s nothing evil about witches hmmph, I would say witches are even more good than most people!¡± ¡°Yes yes my love, nothing evil about you, definitely not your tastes in fanfiction could indicate anything like that~¡± She pulls out her phone in annoyance. ¡°We need to be at the sushi place soon! Come on!¡± Still pouting slightly she pulls me along as I giggle, mnn my perfect angel of wickedness. Arriving at ¡®Drunken Sushi¡¯ we look around for where she could be, from the messages she should have gotten here a few minutes ago easily. I feel a tugging on my sleeve as a childish giggle comes from Zelia¡¯s throat, I see her pointing to the front of the shop where a street lamp is, behind it is a small woman sitting on the ground, cradling and squishing her face into a cat''s belly, the cat is¡­ not amused at the least, its eyes looking into heaven asking to be saved ¡°Unmistakable haha, I wanna watch her forever¡­ mnn I miss Buta~¡± I shake my head and brace myself, thinking up something good to say as I start to approach her, before she realizes I prepare my best pickup line¡­ well at least best for the person in mind. ¡°Hey there cutie, wanna get crushed between some thick thighs?¡± ¡°THIGHS?!¡± An excited adorable face pulls herself out from the cats belly to its relief, her eyes sparkling with utmost want and need, a dazed look that upon seeing me jerks itself out and into reality, realizing she is not in her capsule of safety and just screamed out her wants to the world, instantly blush rushing to her face. ¡°Whhhhyyyyyy why would you do thhaattt! I was going to make an awesome impression and everything!¡± Zelia is bent over laughing behind me and hitting me on the back with her fist not able to contain herself to just her own body. I smile wide trying to hold back my own laughter as I extend my hand. ¡°How else was I supposed to check who you are? Ask normally? That''s not what friends do! haha¡± She looks at my hand and then me, blush still on her cheeks, scrunching her eyes her hand extends out and clasps mine, Nacho getting off her lap as I pull her up to her feet, she crashes into me, her light body barely rocking me as I catch her. ¡°I¡¯m really glad to finally meet you after all the time spent together, I¡¯m Lilia and this is Zelia!¡± Zelia manages to stabilize herself, tears in her eyes as she breathes in and out clutching her chest like she¡¯s having a heart attack.. ¡°Hah¡­ oh god that was perfect¡­ fucking thighs¡­ I''m dead, no more hah¡­ aahh¡­ So good to finally meet you!!¡± Zel jumps and pulls both of us into a hug, pulling us as tight as possible. ¡°Agh pleeasee!¡± She lets us both go and like a scared animal Keeks steps away slightly, fumbling with her hands. ¡°Really nice to meet you, I¡¯m Keeks uhh Kiera, but Keeks is fine or whatever, uhh really happy to finally meet you both a-and I hope we can be good friends and stuff¡­¡± She looks so shy but happy to be here with us. I hear an Ahem from down at our feet, ¡°OH sorry Nacho! And this is my cutest cutie in the whole wide world, my Nacho!¡± She picks up the cat and presents it to us as if it''s won a prize at a fair. ¡°Hello, I will be accompanying Kiera today, just making sure she doesn''t get into any trouble. It''s very nice to meet you both, thank you for taking care of her in game.¡± Nacho bows the best she can in Kiera¡¯s arms and we instinctively bow back, her intonation reminding me of some sort of royalty from one of my RPG games. ¡°Naww you here to have fun too Nacho!¡± Nacho sighs and rolls her eyes, which¡­ is something I¡¯ve never seen a cat do¡­ ¡°I hope you get to visit soon, Buta would love you Nacho~¡± She flinches slightly. ¡°Yes I know all about Buta, your Fia is quite the photographer¡­¡± ¡°Oh she is now Felicity¡± They nod knowingly. ¡°I¡¯m aware¡­ she celebrated on the networks with exclusive Buta pictures, everywhere you would look that fat cat would show up, nearly driving me mad with the amount of messages that came through. Did you know that we have no ability to block or deny the messages from others of our kind? It¡¯s ridiculous, just gives me a headache everytime!¡± ¡°Ohh uhh I¡¯m sorry I will let her know to not go crazy on such a thing next time?¡± Fel threw a party because I chose her name? that makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside! I mean it¡¯s an important name to me¡­ but that she actually likes it as well means so much. ¡°Ugh please don¡¯t, she deserves to be happy¡­ at least she didn''t get named something ridiculous¡± Keeks looks at us in shock. ¡°Wh-what do you mean?! You''re my Nacho kitty! You have the best name!¡± Nacho winces in anguish and I realize we should make sure we eat before the movie starts. ¡°Heh sorry to burst the bubble but I¡¯m starving and need to eat before the movie. ¡°Smooshi Time?!¡± Kiera¡¯s eyes light up with such joy. ¡°Yeah cutie, Smooshi time.¡± Chapter 31: A time for us. Working our way through the just opened sushi bar we find a table at the back to sit down at. A voice coming from behind the bar, ¡°Hey you can¡¯t bring animals into somewhere that has food!¡± Nacho sighs. ¡°Not to worry, I will take care of this¡­¡± She jumps out of Kiera¡¯s arms, strolls along the ground and then up onto the bar top with a single leap, exact precision. ¡°Not only is that not true under Sci-Axium designation 24.92 in accordance with new food regulations animals are allowed on any premise, besides, I am not an Animal, please don''t instill your biases. If this sushi bar turns out to be any good, you may even receive a boon for it, now then, we will be here for the next 30 minutes where as such you will be hospitable and then we will be back again after our movie where you will not call me an animal again as I enter, is that clear?!¡± The whole time she is smashing with her paw on the wood of the bar top, each smack leaving a ringing in the air. At the end the poor man bows in fear¡­ or compliance at her authoritative tone, I''m not sure which, at which Nacho turns around and leaps back off and back into Kiera¡¯s lap. ¡°See my Nacho is the best kittyy yes you areee~¡± I can¡¯t help but laugh at the difference between them both, Nacho being the yin to Kiera¡¯s Yang, Nacho huffs and speaks in a bored tone. ¡°Some people just need to be put in their place, considering this body that Kiera bought me can snap bone with ease. It¡¯s nice to at least have as a threat¡­ not to mention that I could tell he was a man of cowardice¡­ Make sure to give this place a rating Kiera, if it''s no good then I guess it''s doomed to go under.¡± Damn, you go girl uhh cat¡­ ¡­ ¡°Ugghh so fulll~ Nacho why did you let me keep eating so much!¡± Nacho huffs and turns away in disgust. ¡°I¡¯m not your mother, you two stop sniggering, at this rate you might have to carry her to the movies!¡± Zelia and I are watching with glee at the pair of them, such a cute dynamic between them. Kiera had ordered more sushi than her stomach could bear, her plate still having a few pieces left, she had ordered so many different types to the delight of the chef, earning Nacho¡¯s respect as apparently Kiera put it, ¡®this place¡¯s smooshi is heaven!¡¯ apparently something not yet found where Kiera lived. A hand sneaks up from the table and attempts to grab another piece of sushi. ¡°Nu uh we gotta get you to the movie in one piece!¡± She giggles at my words for some reason and I pull the plate away from her, despair apparent on her face. ¡°I¡¯ll finish it, we are coming back here, remember you little dummy?!¡± realization overlaps with despair. ¡°Ohh yeah we are aren''t we¡­ b-but maybe one more! Oww fine! Hmph!¡± Nacho wacks her hand away as I quickly devour the rest of it, all going to my second stomach, it was actually really really good. ¡°See my picks are always right~ and to think all it took was a cute little Yeen to finally get you to go out to the city with me¡­ even if it uhh meant seeing that¡­¡± She whispers the last of it to me, not wanting to ruin the nice atmosphere we have going with such dour knowledge. I¡¯d even forgotten until she said something¡­ I¡¯m sure my brain will remove it again soon, it''s too cute with such good vibes by my side. ¡°Mnn you are in charge of all the planning from now on then¡­ speaking of planning¡­ we were thinking of moving to the central region, uhh not to bring money into it but I was thinking we could collaborate more and use it to fund our moving and things¡­¡± Kiera¡¯s ears perk up as we as her taste buds again. ¡°You mean¡­ you could have this Smooshi all the time?!¡± Ahh yes of course, why would she be thinking of anything else. ¡°Nacho we could move here and have the smooshi everyday!¡± Nacho splutters in astonishment. ¡°Kiera please, we can talk about this later¡­ Besides, we do have a place there and and¡­ I have a friend there that needs me, and what about your sister? She would need a place to come back to!¡± Kiera looks shocked and then slumps onto the table, pushing the plates around as I quickly stack them out of the way. ¡°Smooshi~¡± damn I thought it was good but not that good. ¡°Hey cutie, we can talk about all this stuff later, I''m sorry that I did¡­ maybe we can talk about it more once the movie is over and we are enjoying more sushi? ¡­¡± She nods her head and then looks up at me and Zelia with pleading eyes. ¡°C-can we snuggle while watching the movie¡­ I get fidgety when watching things and sitting still too long makes me need to move around, b-but if I get held I dont move as much¡­¡± I look at Zelia and she nods in approval, seeing the cute and over the top Keeks that I know ask for such a thing with such trepidation brings such mothering tendencies out. I¡¯m more than relieved that Zelia feels the same way. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°Of course we can, we can be your big warm pillows¡± She slumps back against the table. ¡°Thank the gooddsss, it would be so uncool of me to have to get up and be all annoying and just thinking about both your warmth already feels nice in my brain¡­ also speaking of¡­ I forgot how, like seasons work and that it''s different here¡­ it''s really cold¡­ why did I wear such thin clothing! Nacho why you do this to meee¡­¡± An alarm goes off on my phone, a little Felicity with an exclamation point above it is showing me the time, we need to start moving before we are late. ¡°Up you get, we need to make it to the movies before we miss the start, it''s super important to the plot!¡± Nacho jumps off Kiera¡¯s lap and she groans in response. Sluggishly pulling herself she makes it up then puts her arms up in triumph for her amazing deed. ¡°Hehe if you''re a good girl maybe Lilia will even carry you out of here tonight~¡± Zelia wait no promises please! ¡°YOU WILL?! I''LL BE THE BEST!¡± fuck, Zelia starts laughing again and grabs Kiera by the side, pulling her with her as we leave, she really did eat too much, ordering plate after plate of everything she could. ¡°Fine fine, that means we make the movie though, I don¡¯t want to have to explain it, that just ruins everything!¡± She nods continuously, happiness for what the future holds on her face. ¡°I¡¯ve paid so we can go!¡± Nacho calls from the front of the shop. It still hasn''t seemed to pick up business while we have been here. The Chef is waiting for us, bows with his whole body and screams as we leave ¡°THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR PATRONAGE, HAVE AN AMAZING MOVIE, I WILL MAKE SURE THERE IS A TABLE WHEN YOU COME BACK!¡± We leave in shock as Nacho leads the way, when we are out of earshot I look back and the man is still bowing at us. ¡°Hey Nacho¡­ did you tell him you were from the Mafia or something?!¡± She looks back at me like I¡¯m stupid. ¡°Psh no, I think the amount of food Kiera just consumed got the man out of debt, it wasn''t cheap that''s for sure¡­ seems the business hasn''t been doing well from the public records. Since she enjoys it so much I¡¯ve recommended it through the Fia network. Apparently he got a heap of reservations already for tonight claiming that they heard about his shop through the grapevine, so naturally he is indebted to me, besides¡­ I can¡¯t let somewhere that Kiera enjoys food go away.¡± I stare at her and then reach out and pick her up, she sighs as I do, feeling her weight she¡¯s honestly not much heavier than Buta. ¡°You really love her huh¡­¡± She stays silent and looks at Kiera, swinging arm in arm with Zelia as she tells her all about her favorite fish. I smile at them both, they really are cute together. I feel a twinge in my heart, a kind I''ve felt before as I push it down along with the voice. I lean back slightly and move round behind the two, putting Nacho on my shoulder she grips on as I lunge, my arms going wide as I pick them both up in the middle of the street, the twinge of pain in my chest disappearing as quickly as it came. Both the girls yelp as I pull them up with all my might, Zelia¡¯s turning into giggles as she¡¯s used to it, Kiera flailing around a bit before also starting to giggle. I bring them along with me to the old cinema, one that would never be knocked down due to its historical value they say. Putting them down I huff and puff, getting a kiss and another giggle from Zelia and a ¡°Can we do that again!?¡± from Kiera. ¡°Alright we have¡­ 5 minutes to stock up on things for the movie, go go go!¡± Zelia grabs Kiera and dashes inside, as I¡¯m left with Nacho on my shoulders. ¡°You love them too¡­ don¡¯t you?¡± I start strolling inside as she says it, scoping out my own candy and things to eat, countless shelves of fruit bars, vegan foods and popcorn ready to be dispensed, Zelia has somehow already found a bag to shovel so much into it, she held back from eating sushi because she knows she will want to snack heavily while we watch, I''ll probably end up eating lots of hers as well, Kiera is happy to just be with her, trailing behind hand in hand, her smile so bright and full of joy. ¡°How could I not?¡± She sighs and nods, really¡­ how could you not love such beautiful people. Chapter 32: Rage on. ¡°Hey, Hey! Lilia pick me up I wanna see the top shelf!¡± Kiera has started pulling at my sleeve, Zelia shakes her head amusedly behind her as I spin the small girl around and pick her up best I can, feeling the familiar twinge in my muscles where the injury once stopped me from living a life. I pause and it doesn¡¯t come¡­ a¡­ am I all better? ¡°So close I wanna see what the top looks likeeee!¡± pulled out of my daze I extend her up further, she starts vibrating in excitement, ¡°See the best stuff is at the top! Big Gulp Spicy candy flavored gum! Ahaha my beloved I have missed you! They stopped making them a year back cause of some rich kid complaining or violation or something, but it¡¯s like the absolute best¡­ mnnn¡­ I wanna tell you to put me down but I also don''t¡­ you know? haha¡± I drop her slightly and then drop her making her panic a little and scramble to hold onto me, ¡°And that''s why you can''t play around in real life you dummy heh¡± She smiles at me and pokes her tongue out guiltily, ¡°Zelia how¡¯d you¡­ damn didn''t think you were going to buy the whole store?!¡± She smiles shyly and also sticks her tongue out guiltily. ¡°Weelll it''s a long movie and space movies are like the best for snacking, the suspense and times where there''s just no sound so you fill it with the monch of candy, what else could be better~¡± I sigh and check the time, I still need to get something for myself ¡°hehe I got plenty for the three of us!¡± I rub her on the head and she leans into it joyously grinning like she¡¯s done something to be proud of, my candy keeper. I reach up and grab Kiera a few more packets of her dangerous goods before approaching the self serve machines, putting them all into a bag and letting the it process everything we¡¯ve taken. A second later it beeps in recognition of purchase and we enter the side doors to the cinema. Zelia and I hold hands while Kiera bounds in front in excitement, Nacho straggling along at our feet lazily. As we enter, there are only a few people inside, some at the front, some in prime position and some at the back, we find an empty row between the people in the back and the people in the middle, trying to give enough space in case of small woman disturbances, as promised Kiera gets a prime spot in the middle as we pull the older model of chair arm-rests up allowing us to all smoosh together like sushi on a plate. On the front of the chair are tables. Before the movie starts I start opening a bunch of different bags of candy, making sure that when the movie is going we don''t make too much noise, I don''t want to be that bitch. As I finish opening one of Kiera¡¯s candy bags she makes sad expectant eyes at me, I pull out one more of her candy bags and she silently claps in excitement as I open it as well, combining them together in one big pile of hot sweet energy chewing candy. Zelia pops one in her mouth and then starts panting, the heat instantly getting to her, ¡°Right?! How good are they! And every bit is like an energy explosion!¡± Oh no¡­ really going to have to hold her down now, I hope I don''t have to tell her everything about the movie. ¡°Hey cutie if you have questions about the movie why don''t you write them down and I can try to explain everything to you?¡± She looks up at me in realization and gets out her comms unit, I realize we seem to be missing a member of our expedition until I see a tail flick up and back lazily from the floor, brushing Kiera¡¯s legs, oh right she must be freezing. ¡°Did you want my jacket on your legs to keep warm?¡± She thinks for a second and then pops another of her candies in her mouth. ¡°Heh thank you but the heat from my most amazing candy and my little Nacho will keep me warm~ she has a heater setting in case of emergency! Super cato!¡± I see Nacho¡¯s tail twitch and then suddenly feel a small burst of heat radiates near our legs. ¡°Huh¡­ I didn''t know I had that function¡­ how much did this dumb woman spend on me¡­¡± Kiera giggles and reaches down and rubs up and down Nacho¡¯s back in enjoyment. ¡°All da moneyyyss!¡± Nacho hmphs in response, able to hear her purs of happiness from next to us. ¡°I also got a few different drinks, there''s water and there''s some sugar free orange soda as well as¡­ some other kinds¡± The lights have started to dim as Zelia is talking so she just puts them on the small tables, giving up and just letting us choose whatever we can reach at. I lean around to Zelia with one arm and squish us all together, Kiera making an audible squeak of happiness as we press against her, leaning back and snuggling together. A Sci-Axium logo appears on the screen, a book with the world behind it and latin words under it zoom in until a laboratory appears. One bustling with people young to old, an old man stops and happily smiles to the screen, ¡°Thanks for dropping by, today is an important day for not just us at Sci-Axium, but all of earth, today was the day that 11 years ago Sci-Axium was able to convince the governments to step down with all their wrong doings and separation of the people of the world and, in turn, our A.I. friends. With all that long gone, we look to the future every day, to help wherever we can, to keep each other safe!¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. He starts walking and talking, gesturing to the different divisions as he does, endless hallways until he gets to a doorway with the words ¡®World Asunder Reality¡¯ above them. ¡°Now this is special, our latest technology has allowed us to create an entire world! And although we know that people would rather have it in their homes, some people can''t afford such things, we have created dedicated facilities that allow people to access a capsule whenever they want! And with the last wave coming in 3 months and WAR being accessible by everyone, there''s no better time to start thinking of what you want to be, everything is possible and knowledge is for everyone.¡± ¡°Join us a week after the last wave opens for a total lock down, I¡¯m talking a whole week just enjoying being in game, being taken care of by our A.I. in the capsules, not having to leave to eat or sleep, just be able to enjoy the other world to the fullest¡­ ahh¡­ anyway, that''s enough from me, enjoy your movie and I¡¯ll see you, in the game!¡± ¡°Ugh finally that''s over, that was way too long, we should have just gotten here late! I totally could have eaten the last of the smooshi! A week long trip sounds pretty amazing though, fully immerse ourselves in the game, oh oh! Maybe by then we will have a pirate ship!! Ahhh adventuurree~¡± I have to keep pulling Kiera back into her seat as she tries to readjust herself again and again as she gets annoyed at the continuous talking of the Sci-Axium representative. ¡°I hadn''t heard anything about the lock-ins before?¡± I look at Zelia for my information as my little library. ¡°Mnn yeah they had it all announced together online with it all, you don''t exactly pay attention to that sort of thing anyway¡­ but yeah apparently they will lock the capsules for that week, apparently they are going to do them every 4 months, hold some in-game events and everything. We don''t have to do the events but apparently there are pretty good prizes to be had, cosmetics and things¡­ maybe we could get you an even riskier maid dress? Hehe¡± Kiera looks up at Zel and then to me, her mouth agape, ¡°You¡¯ll wear a sexier maid dress?!¡± I roll my eyes, of course that''s all she heard. ¡°No dummy Zel was saying it might be one of the prizes!¡± She looks to me, then to zel and then back to me. ¡°Prize for the what?¡± I sigh and crack my knuckles in frustration, which only seems to get Kiera excited. ¡°For the lockdown, there''s going to be in-game events little cutie¡± Zelia saves me from my annoyance and Kiera from her¡­ enjoyment? ¡°Oh yeah I already knew about that stuff, maybe I can get a sexy sword hehe!¡± I jus-aaaa why! A noise starts at the front of the cinema and a bunch of company logos appear across the screen again and again¡­ yeah I think they all don''t exist now, at least not as they were¡­ oh well, that''s the end of an era for you! The curtains fully open and the Cinema goes even darker, I feel Kiera loop her arms around both our arms and pull us in closer, using us to fend away the dark. It starts up with the title of the movie and then ¡°My dad was a farmer, uhh I mean everyone was back then, course he didn¡¯t start that way¡­¡± I relax into the familiarity, the soundtrack, the words and feel the closeness of the two lovely people by my side, many times leaning over further to kiss Zelia gently and softly, enjoying every moment of all of us being together out in the world, instead of holding up in my sanctum of silence. It goes on, from interesting lore and backstory, to excitement, to robot with A.I. personality, of course nothing like what exists, but still an interesting concept. At one point Nacho gets up on our laps and finds a good spot, thankfully turning down her heater as the closeness would have killed us, she has too much power. At one point I hear in the back of the cinema the people behind us whispering. Two women and a man. He seems older and as familiar with the movie as I am, mumbling along to it, when it gets to them leaving earth I hear gentle sobbing as he repeats the words of the professor character, ¡®Do Not go gentle into that good night, old age should rage and rave at close of day, rage, rage against the dying of the light.¡¯ At the end he bends over and his hands go to his mouth to stop any noise and the young woman next to him holds him close, rocking back and forth with him as the other woman holds her hand with sadness and familiarity on her face. I can only think about what kind of person would cry at such a thing, it brought a tear to my eyes the first time I saw it, such a powerful poem in such dark contrast to them entering into the void of the night. I hold both the girls by my side as I try to block out the crying as best I can, not in annoyance, but in trying to give them privacy, this movie means something to them, if not the world. I hold close the things precious to me so that I may not slip and listen to the things inside that tell me what I should be doing, trying its best to pretend to be me, I will not go quiet, I will rage on. Against the dying of the light. Chapter 33: Smooshi, love and drinks. ¡°Okay¡­ Question! If woman pretty¡­ Why not gay?¡± I can''t help but try to hold in my laugh as Kiera, hand in hand with us both as we exit, asks her first question about the movie, the most important question of course! I start to answer and then hesitate before looking the actress up, oh she looks good for a 60 year old! Sadly has not come out as gay. ¡°That is a mystery I will never be able to answer tiny thing~ there are plenty of attractive gay actresses though, but why settle for them when we already have the most beautiful girl by our side?¡± Zelia reaches past Kiera while giggling in happiness and smacks me as the little one makes fake vomiting. ¡°Saapppyyy~ there are more important things! Like more smooshi!¡± Kiera pulls both of us forwards to the sushi bar, it doesn''t take long but when we make it there is a line of people outside of the bar. Oh so much for that then¡­ ¡°Don''t worry I¡¯ll handle this¡­¡± Nacho leaps forwards through the crowd of people and small pets, not long after there is a path made and the chef comes forward and bows exaggeratedly. ¡°THANK YOU PLEASE COME IN, YOUR TABLE IS READY FOR YOU!¡± ahh¡­ it really feels like we are in the mafia¡­ We follow him in and make it to the back of the store where our table was before, a big hastily written reserved sign on it, he takes it off and bows again. ¡°PLEASE USE YOUR COMMS UNITS TO ORDER!¡± He looks super pumped up at least as he goes back to the preparation area, a few teenagers that look related to him are dashing around the store bringing out plate after plate as the man behind the counter in his own little world is whipping up a storm, yelling out in excitement whenever another dish is ready. ¡°Well that works I guess!¡± Zelia nods and smiles while pulling out her comms unit, Kiera nods at her comms unit as she presses all the buttons probably just nodding to acknowledge the fact that I exist and not what I was actually saying, having worked up an appetite from eating 2 whole bags of hot energy candy. ¡°I''m going to order some alcohol, are you good with that kind of thing Kiera?¡± She looks shocked for a second at her name being said and hesitates. ¡°Uhhh I mean¡­ I¡¯ve not really drunk much of anything before¡­ let me look at what they have¡­ CHILLI ALCOHOL?! YOU CAN HAVE SPICY ALCOHOL!?¡± she starts vibrating as she scrolls through the endless amounts of drinks on the menu¡­ with how much there is there''s gotta be another place that makes it or something¡­ ¡°What are you thinking love?¡± Zelia puts down her comms unit with a grin and winks at me, oh this has got to be good, I start scrolling through and see the drinks are getting bigger and bigger as I go, not just in size but in effort, some with ice cream floats and others with huge tops of sweets on them¡­ god which monstrosity has Zelia chosen¡­ I find an ¡®apple custard pie and salivate over the picture, it looks¡­ squishy. ¡°Did you end up getting one of the spicy ones?¡± She nods excitedly. ¡°The spiciest! It had a picture of a crying bottle of alcohol on it so it''s gotta be good!¡± I frown thinking back to a few times I¡¯d had something so spicy for me that I needed to vomit afterwards¡­ Please don''t do a Cali. ¡°Just take it slow, if you haven''t drunk much before it might hit you like a truck!¡± She throws her hands wide at my words. ¡°Yee Isekai¡¯d by truck-kun!¡± Ise-kied?! I turn to Zelia for help and see she has her head on her hand watching us both with such a happy smile on her face. Well as long as they are happy and having fun, even if I''m a confused mess it''s okay. ¡°I¡¯d rather get Isekai¡¯d by that body of yours, Lilia love~¡± ¡°Right Right! First time I saw those thighs, bam, I was so ready to die by watermelon squishing!¡± I look around in a panic and move my hands trying to get the both of them to stop speaking so loud about my body! Maybe this isn''t okay¡­ ugh I hope drinks arrive soon! Speaking of the devil, a thick and smooth robot the size of a child comes through the door, as it gets to the center of the room it rotates around and then starts opening up one at a time per table. Ohhh it''s thick cause it¡¯s full of alcohol, that will be me tonight, heh. I laugh to myself and the robot makes it to our table, and opens one at a time. First my apple custard pie, a layer of alcoholic custard lays at the bottom of my large cup with bourbon, brown sugars and apple juice. Kiera¡¯s comes out, a clear liquid with a single chili on the side, I really hope that''s not straight alcohol¡­ and then¡­ a parfait?! I turn to Zelia who has such a big grin on her face. It''s double the size of my cup and twice as thick, countless fruits, liquids and icecreams of different colors forming a towering desert extravaganza of sweets! Fuck I should have gotten one¡­ the night is still young! ¡°You know¡­ we might be adults but usually you have dinner before dessert~¡± She nudges me. ¡°You¡¯re just jealous that you didn''t get one too!¡± Ugh she''s riigghhttt! ¡°Mnn m-maybe¡­ but you will share won''t you?¡± She giggles and takes out the spoon, lavishly covered just from being put all the way inside. ¡°Say ahh my love~¡± I do, and she teases it around my mouth before putting it in, bringing a blush to my face that was not needed in public. ¡°What about you Kiera would you like¡­ some¡­¡± I look at her with confusion at her hesitation. ¡°Haha sure, I should order more Smooshi first though! hic¡± Her¡­ cup is empty¡­ HER CUP¡¯S EMPTY!? Wh-what how?! Did she just shoot back that entire thing, please don''t be all alcohol. I quickly search it up on my comms and check it¡­ ahh yes¡­ that''s a lot of tequila. Aahhhh. Her face is red from it hitting her so quickly from downing so much. Zelia isn''t fazed and seems to be enjoying it more, she dips in her spoon and pulls it out covered again, puts it in front of Kiera as she gingerly licks at the spoon while flicking through all the sushi menu. ¡°Here is your sushi, thank you for your business!¡± Multiple teenagers have put out our massive ordered array of japanese sushi, sashimi, tofu karaage, nigiri and edamame. It covers the entire table and I have to grab Kiera¡¯s comms unit before she hits ¡®pay¡¯ again, we are not going to be able to eat all of this much less anything else she wants to get! It''s going to be a long night! ¡°Nyooo more smooshhhiii!¡± I rub her head as she tries to get her comms unit back and she seems to forget all about it, instead pushing her head hard into my hand, getting all the pats she can. I hear a small whimper and Zelia is looking up at me with puppy dog eyes, I sigh and put down Kiera¡¯s comms unit, looping my arm around the other to give her pats as well, I blush as I hear some whispers before us, words like, ¡®adorable mother and her children¡¯ and ¡®I could never be that brave in public¡¯. I try my best not to flinch and just pull it in, we are allowed to be special with each other, I am allowed to be happy and so are they right now. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. I let go, to their chagrin, Kiera nearly falling over as she pushed against me too hard as I let go. ¡°Look cutie, so much sushi to eat, dig in, whatever happens tonight we will take care of you okay?¡± She looks up at me with such innocent eyes. ¡°I-I can go all out with the smooshi? ¡­¡± ¡°You can go all out with the ¡®smooshi¡¯¡± It''s worth it as her face lights up in such childish joy, wielding two parts of chopsticks she goes to absolute town on a plate of sashimi. I feel Zelia snuggle up to my side and kiss me on the neck, I smell the vodka from her drink on her breath as she does, ¡°You make sure you drink and have fun too love, tonight is for all of us.¡± I turn and smile, rub my nose on Zelia¡¯s and bring my drink up to the middle of the table. ¡°To us and all the fun we will have in the future, nothing is going to put us down!¡± Kiera awkwardly clinks her empty glass against mine as Zelia tries her best to pick up and carefully maneuver her monstrosity against mine. I offer my drink to both, Kiera asks for some of the custard and Zelia takes a little sip, she swallows it and I see how much she likes it on her face as she licks her lips sexilly. I slowly drink it down as I sample this and that from the table, Kiera grabs her comms unit back and a few minutes later another drink is delivered to her, this one with a lot more colour, as soon as I get to the custard Kiera makes grabby hands at the cup, ¡°Please leave some for me~¡± She pulls it out of her hand with a grin and then instead of tipping it over starts lapping it up with her tongue, causing me to shift around a little and Zelia to giggle at my ¡®enjoyment¡¯. ¡°Oh¡­ ahhh I¡¯ll order you another one! I ates it alls hehe sowwy~¡± I look at her agasp, having taken my precious from me, I wink and bring up the menu, finding the biggest weirdest drink I can find, Ahhh yeesss, the largest thing they have, a big jug of mixed sweet drinks, full of ice cream and yummies to even bring Zelia¡¯s to shame. It gets later and later, the patrons of the sushi bar leaving for the night as we order even more sushi to my surprise, although it has been hours upon getting here for dinner and the chef has stayed at the front happily making everything we ask. By the time we realize the time, talking continuously about our lives, us about being together and spending time with our family, to Kiera and her sister, how alone she feels over there, but at least having her Nacho by her side. The drink having gotten enough to my head I can''t help but ask. ¡°So with all the like¡­ strange walls and things they have started building and the monster we told you about¡­ we are going to move pretty soon¡­ maybe we can convince our parents to move as well¡­ Ugh, They have so much shit though! But like¡­ if you''re lonely and stuff why don''t we get a big place so that you can still have your room there but also spend time over with us, I mean if you don''t have to pay for that place you could rent a room for like your crazy computer stuff with us. And we could have a 3 capsule apartment¡­¡± I trail off as Zelia tugs on my shirt, I look up from my stupor and see that Kiera is shivering and crying, trying to push out words but not able to, I look at her and see a younger me, trying her best alone, a me without Zelia. ¡°Wh-why¡­ would you want me to be there?... You don''t hate how I am¡­?¡± I stand up and move around the table, pulling her up out of her seat and into my chest, Zelia follows me as I embrace her as hard as I can. ¡°You still want to be friends even after knowing how I really am?¡± She is sobbing to the point of her voice cracking, pushing out each word with so much effort. ¡°Of course we do! We have loved spending time with you in game and have loved learning more about you and who you are outside of it¡­ You''re super nice and derpy and cute and so full of life, why would we hate you?!¡± ¡°Wh-what if I¡¯m just tricking you?! All the others left so quickly, fuck the only person who I can even count as a friend is Squiddington and he¡¯s a roleplayer!¡± I can''t help but laugh a little as I hold her closer into me, Zelia coming from my front and also holding onto her. At least in real life we are the same height so we can do such things. ¡°Dummy little Kiera, through all we¡¯ve talked and enjoyed each other''s company, how could you think we could? We¡¯ve even shared our most messed up recommendations! I can¡¯t not keep you by my side now huh?¡± I raise my eyebrow at this and Zelia sticks her tongue out at me, yeah I don''t think I want to know. I start to get dizzy from how much I¡¯m rocking around, that and the amount of alcohol and food I¡¯ve consumed. ¡°How about we get a hotel tonight?¡­ We can all crash and go to sleep and think about it in the morning... We would love to be able to hang out more though even if you don¡¯t wanna move together with us¡­ We wanna be friends for a long time Kiera.¡± I feel her nod into my chest and then hold on tighter, her hands trying their best to make sure I can''t drop her or let her go. She does remind me of a part of me¡­ the part that is so desperate to not be abandoned¡­ the part that I can never let go of¡­ I would never let someone I like¡­ or love feel something like that¡­ ¡°I will order us a car, there is a hotel nearby that should be up to specifications for the three of you, I will see you all outside.¡± Oh fuck right, Nacho, they don¡¯t seem super happy¡­ fuck they have a friend don¡¯t they¡­ ugh¡­ I feel bad for them¡­ maybe we could bring their friend along? ¡°We are going to get a place together to sleep tonight, Zelia and I will take care of you okay? I¡¯m not going to let you go¡­¡± I look at Zelia and she has tears in her eyes as well, she tries her best to smile and leans over Kiera¡¯s head for a kiss. I do, gently, she leans down and kisses Kiera on the head and then holds us both. We arrive at the hotel already having Nacho check us in and fall into a bundle of drunken mess, the king sized bed catching us as we all fumble out of clothing and under the warm blanket. Me in the middle, Kiera to my left and Zelia to my right, all of us holding tight to what we have right now. Zelia took me into her life when I needed her the most and it looks like we have taken Kiera into ours when she needed us¡­ What that looks like in the future, only time will tell. We fall asleep with dreams of the void, but at least this time it''s full of warmth and love. Respite: A womans scorn in love. ¡°Hey¡­ When do you think she¡¯s coming¡­¡± A Chaise Lounge made of rugged gold sits in the middle of a white marble room, numerous stairs lead off it. It looks as if it was dripped upon where it now lays, a drop at a time, it is ungainly but also beautiful in its own way, upon it a woman languishes, a black cushion spread across it along with bedding. On top lies a woman with short black hair and incomparable sharp beautiful features, she stares up at the ceiling. A voice answers hers, monotone and uncaring, ¡°Surely I don¡¯t know who you are talking about.¡± A woman in a white cloth and passive expression filters through holding a tray with dark grapes and a goblet, a bottle of wine in a metal bucket in her other hand. Going up most of the ways of the white marble stairs she places down the bucket and pours the crimson coloured wine into the goblet, picking both the goblet and grapes and pulling them towards the beauty on the lounge. ¡°Yes you do, it''s not like I haven¡¯t talked about her for weeks!¡± The servant woman holding the grapes, hands her the goblet and pulls the grapes off one by one, stuffing them into her mouth. ¡°Oh yes of course, how could I ever forget Mistress~¡± She smiles without it reaching her eyes while she continues to feed her the grape. ¡°Wh-what. Hesel you only call me that when you¡¯re mad! What did I do wrong?!¡± Hesel¡¯s mouth cracks and flinches. ¡°Oh! nothing my Mistress Nemesis you could never do anything wrong~ Especially not to your servant of thousands of years! It''s just yes my Queen of the righteous, of course my worshipfulness, that''s all I am to you right?!¡± Hesel raises her voice while still pushing grapes into Nemesis¡¯s mouth. ¡°Nyo-no Hesel you¡¯ve always been by my side, please stop shoving those at me to shut me up! Just talk to me? Please¡­¡± Hesel throws the grapes to the ground and turns around huffing and puffing, her pouting expression bringing much anxiety to Nemesis. ¡°This happens everytime¡­ thousands of years I¡¯ve been by your side and this keeps happening¡­¡± Nemesis looks at her in shock. ¡°This is the first time you¡¯ve brought this up¡­ why didn''t you say anything earlier?!¡± Soft crying and hiccups coming from Hesel as Nemesis realizes what she¡¯s done wrong, throwing her goblet to the side off the lounge and pulling her maiden close and into her arms. ¡°I am just a priestess to you¡­ even through the many thousands of years by your side, through death, rebirth and hibernation, I have been here¡­ If this is going to be the end then I¡¯m done pretending everything is okay¡­¡± Nemesis holds her in shock, thinking their love familial and sisterly, just because she was her high priest for all Hesel¡¯s life and through death, doesn''t mean that she felt nothing for her¡­ just that Hesel never said anything to make her think otherwise. Through every champion that Nemesis courted and through the women of the heavenly courts, Hesel never said a word, now that this may be their last, was it her breaking point? ¡°You¡¯ve never been just a priestess to me my dear Hesel¡­ I wish you had said something so much earlier¡­ I could never live without you by my side, and I thought you would always be by my side until the very end.¡± ¡°You were always caught up in your ambitions and righteous indignation, not that any of it mattered¡­ there were always more¡­ always more people and gods deserving of what comes of their hubris¡­ and in-between you never looked at me like I would look at you, why would a goddess want such a woman as I¡­ but¡­ It wont matter anymore¡­ There''s no more running, for me or the eternal court.¡± Hesel tries to rise from Nemesis¡¯s grip but she holds her tight against her. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°You dummy¡­ you stupid dummy of mine¡­ you think that''s all you were to me¡­ you need to look in the mirror more often¡­ of queen of hells I wish you had spoke such words from the start¡­ Do you remember when you first met me?¡± She hesitantly nods in Nemesis'' arms, no longer trying to pull away, letting the tears run down both of them onto the lounge. Nemesis leans in deep into Hesels hair and breathes in, savoring every second of their connection. Speaking into her ear softly, ¡°You have had a life of burden and pain, will you become mine for eternity? It was a promise between us, and it has kept you in my life through everything and more and in the end we will lay by each other''s sides and be devoured together. Do you think that was made in jest? I watched you become my priestess as an adult and then grow old, never letting your values soften, always being a hand for me to guide. When you passed you appeared at my side that same woman I watched over and loved. I never allowed another to be that for me¡­ I wish I knew your thoughts earlier¡­¡± ¡°What would it have mattered¡­ such beautiful women you have courted, to think nothing of myself.¡± Nemesis laughs sadly and pulls her even closer, their bare skin hot to the touch. ¡°Have you never wondered about my type¡­ all of them reminded me of you in some way¡­ I could never love them¡­ but I could lust after them without you hating me for wanting you¡­ or so I thought¡­ they could never compare to you though, and so after a time I could not be with them no matter their wants. Haha I guess that is my own hubris¡­¡± Nemesis waves her hand and the grapes are pulled from the ground, slowly the stems grow more and more until its bursting again, it lands in her hand and she reaches it to the front of Hesel, pulling her down against her as she lays there stunned, grapes being fed slowly and gently into her mouth. ¡°My silly Hesel¡­ you will be mine won''t you?¡± Another grape goes into her mouth and it squelches, flavor and juice filling her mouth, she seems to realize this is actually happening and tears burst from her eyes as she scrunches them up. ¡°Mnn that''s the Hesel I fell in love with¡­ brash and emotional¡­ not the person I allowed you to become with my own foolishness¡­ Will you forgive me?¡± Hesel nods and pushes her face into Nemesis¡¯s side, all the years of longing and loneliness that had slowly eroded her personality, bursting out of her in tears and childish painful moaning by finally saying her feelings that she could never say until the end. After so much crying and consoling from both of them, they lay on the lounge together, pressed against each other. Hesel blushes and Nemesis blushes from the sight of her beauty, slowly they kiss, one that has been waited on for many thousands of years, its gentle and hopeful and full of pain and fear, only finding each other now, when the end is coming, and they wait it out, for the devourer to finish what it started, like so many times, this time, not being able to run away, the last of them all. ¡°At least we will have each other at the end¡± Hesel whispers, Nemesis nods with tears in her eyes. ¡°Until the end my Hesel, until the end...¡± Update! Book three will start uploading soon Sorry for the lack of content! have been doing lots of re-writing and working on book 3, I have nearly finished and then will start uploading again while I work on book 4, there are about 40+ more chapters on patreon that will start being on here while I get it all sorted. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Along with the big re-write, im working on creating an audiobook, realising how many changes are needed is eye opening weh Thank you for enjoying the story warning, book 3 was detrimental to my mental health... but if youve gotten this far you should realise its going to get more messed up before it gets more wholesome : 3 Arc 3 - Chapter 1: Dreams of smooshi Chapter 1 The morning light filters through the window, hitting my eyes. The warmth of curated blankets and sheets unlike those at home. A cold night turned into a boiling morning as it all had to be thrown off, the combination of all 3 of us in bed together making for a bodily heat hazard. On my left side, I feel lips pushed against my chest, my arm having fallen asleep where Zelia had used my bicep as a pillow. To my right, a cute butt has been pushed against my side, her head not just using my bicep as a pillow, instead, she has wrapped herself around it with both her arms, claiming it for queen and country. I relax back and try not to move, letting the feelings of being wanted and needed wash over me. Is this my life now. .? A pillow for two girls¡­ I really can''t complain, not when I felt so much love last night; all of us squished against each other and Kiera¡¯s freezing cold legs and feet having to be warmed up to let us go to sleep. Nacho is on the balcony overseeing Sydney, her tail waving slowly back and forth, the table out there a perfect place for a forlorn kitty. In our little dream haven, I feel bad for her. Kiera said something about her friend last night, one that Nacho was able to make back home, her first friend. It makes me feel bad for wanting her to move here with us, but¡­ there''s a nagging feeling in the back of my head pushing me to protect everything I hold dear that makes this desire into a desperate need. I look back at Kiera and see the drool pooling under her head; a puddle of happiness a bit different than I''m used to with Zel. Or with me for that matter¡­ Embarrassment runs up my neck just thinking about making them both drool for me. I feel my whole body react with abandon at the thought. I look down and see that I''m at attention; something that would probably interest both of them at this point if I woke them up¡­ No no, that''s not you, that''s just your head speaking, uhh the other one. There''s an old-fashioned analog clock on the wall, ticking with each slowly passing second. If only time could always pass like this¡­ ¡°Mmnnrrrgg, don¡¯t steal all the smooshi~¡± Kiera fusses at my side, then starts giggling slowly to herself, ¡°mmnn, yeess! It¡¯s all mine, come here smooshi~¡± I feel the sharp pain of teeth as they enter my skin. I flex and move my arm, trying to push her off, but she seems insistent on eating this inedible smooshi. Holding my scream of pain back I try my best to fend off the beast without waking the sleeping beauties; well one sleeping beauty and one ravenous one at this point. Both her hands go around my arm as she giggles around the bite, when finally I¡¯ve had enough and my screams leak through in a huff of unforgiving pain. ¡°Ow ow owww, pleaasseee!¡± I pull my arm from under Zelia as gently as I can and pry Kiera off me with the force of a thousand ouchies. She waves her hands wildly in panic. ¡°Nyyooo you can''t take it away from me¡­ wah¡­ heh. Uhh, morning~¡± She looks at me shyly and makes a love heart with her hands. Zelia¡¯s head pulls up from the other side, still rubbing the sleep from her eyes. ¡°Mnn, morning you two. I had the best dream about eating yummy sushi-¡± Kiera points to her and yells. My sometimes wolf girlfriend stares, nonplused. ¡°... What?¡± ¡°Why were you eating my smooshi in my dream!? Very rude of you, hmph! You owe me more smooshi!¡± She has her arms crossed as I fall back onto my pillow. Yeah, that''s a wake-up. ¡°Kiera, you''re not allowed sushi for breakfast, you need to eat a proper meal!¡± Nacho has wandered over and jumped up on the bed, looking at her charge with the conviction of a doting mother. ¡°Ahh, what if it''s for lunch?! Hehehe, I have breakfast right here!¡± I yelp in sleepy panic as I feel a small hand wrap around my member, accompanied by Kiera¡¯s laughter, which quickly turns into anguish as she falls off the bed from my flailing of limbs. Zelia bursts out in laughter as she plants her head on my chest. The suddenness was something I wasn''t expecting; knowing how forward Kiera was is one thing, but experiencing it myself is another. ¡°Tsk, nasty things you humans do! Ugh, get dressed already, I believe we have a schedule today with your game? And we still have a five hour trip back home! I¡¯ll wait outside.¡± Nacho stomps out the best a tiny kitten can do, muttering and cursing the whole way out the door as it opens and closes for her, Kiera¡¯s cries from the floor following after her. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Nyooo, I¡¯m sorry Nacho, I was just being funny! I¡¯m sorrryyy~ aaaaaa bleh¡­ am dead¡­¡± She slumps over herself on the ground with her eyes closed and her tongue lolling out. Zelia clambers over me and starts poking at her tummy, ¡°Oh noo, I guess I can¡¯t kiss little cute Kiera goodbye if she¡¯s dead, whatever will I do?~ All the kisses for Lilia then~¡± She laughs to herself and pulls herself back up, bringing me close and kissing me deeply. I have my eyes closed, so all I can hear is a thump and some shuffling, then when I open them, it¡¯s to find Kiera next to us with puppy eyes drooping and mouth begging. ¡°I-I¡¯m not dead¡­ kisses now?¡± I scoff at the fact that she''s already grabbed my dick this morning, not to mention the grinding she did against me last night as we all snuggled together, the ¡®accidental¡¯ brushing against my tits, followed by giggling as she enjoyed how squishy they were, and she seems so meek about kissing. Zelia turns to me and asks while humming and ahhing. ¡°Mmnn, should we give this cutie kisses?¡± I smile ruefully and nod. Zelia smiles and kisses me one more time before picking up Kiera as best she can. Being tall doesn''t mean she has any muscles on her, she is all skin and bone, looking like a princess after all. Zelia moves her closer to me and I can see her fidgeting and blushing, expectation and worry on her face, as if after all this I was going to reject her or something. Not that I don''t understand it, but with Zelia taking control of the flow, I know I''m safe; I always have been with her in the lead, my smart woman, my protector. Ruffling Zelia¡¯s hair, I lean forwards, making her reposition herself off of my lower body while giggling at my touch. I peck Kiera on the lips, and she leans forwards into it, wanting more. ¡°Bad little yeen~ Now it''s Zelia¡¯s turn with you.¡± She nods a little in apprehension as Zelia¡¯s hand presses against her cheek. She gives Kiera a short kiss, a chaste kiss, with desire in both their eyes, taking it slowly but wanting more with each other. I lean in once more, this time our kiss is longer, more passionate. Kiera darts her tongue in as she pushes forwards, this time with more vigor, losing all apprehension and innocence, our first kiss over and done with, so many more to come. We let each other go and she turns to Zelia, their lips connecting with a buzz of electricity, both knowing that it''s okay to let go. I smile knowing that Zelia and Kiera are both happy, their bodies fidgeting as they kiss. They let go of each other and turn to look at me with want, both seeming to have the same idea in mind. Zelia gives Kiera more space as they both lean over, I pull them down into my arms and kiss them the best I can with how I''m lying down, wishing at this point I had moved up better. Their tongues both lap at mine as we all try our best to make some kind of purchase with each other''s mouths, a tangled mess of tongues and saliva flowing between us. I feel a hand going around my dick, this time one I know well. She caresses me as I fidget between them. It feels like pleasure and punishment, not being able to manage so much attention, but being pushed on by how amazing it feels to be enjoyed by them working together. I moan into their mouths as I cum from Zelia¡¯s hand, and she makes a sound almost like victory. Being able to push me like that feels planned¡­ Maybe this is another one of her scenarios?! I flop down onto the bed as Zelia laughs, pointing out my crotch with her head to Kiera. She giggles back in response, leans into Zelia and whispers in her ear. Oh no¡­ Zelia¡¯s face lights up with happiness and blushing before winking at me. Disastrous. ¡°You really liked that didn''t you, big girl? Hehe,¡± Kiera taunts me with a giggle as I huff, still recovering from ruining my underwear. ¡°Of course I did! How could I not? I just wasn''t expecting to be bullied so hard this morning, first being bitten and then being made to cum between two brats! Not that I''m fully complaining, just give a girl some warning next time!¡± I pull them back down into my chest, enjoying the feeling of the both of them; their different smells and the heat of their bodies. They both pull up suddenly and look at each other. Zelia following Kiera¡¯s lead. ¡°Mnn, I''m glad you enjoyed it. Here let us give you some more~¡± They lean down together, and I moan as their lips press against my neck, but quickly turning to grunts of pain as their teeth sink into my skin. I don''t muffle my screams this time. ¡°Let goo! Stooppp! This better not awaken anything in me!¡± I pull them off and give them both a spank before standing up. They look up at me in happy bliss, seeming to thank me for the spankings. These lesbians really will be the death of me. Chapter 2: Home safe and sound. Chapter 2 ¡°Travel safe, and make sure you message us when you get home, okay?¡± As we start talking about Keira¡¯s train home, my thoughts instantly go to the enormous creature that stopped us on our way here¡­ Actually, maybe we¡¯re the ones in danger? Kiera gets the fancy underground rail, and we have to take the top rail¡­ It would be an absolute disaster if the underground rails were attacked somehow, but with how those voids were made, it doesn''t seem possible. Kiera giggles and pokes me in the belly with a smirk, ¡°Damn girl, next you''re gonna be breast feeding me and making me call you mummy!¡± Zelia instantly turns away with a blush on her face. ¡°Wait! We can do that?! Damn, sign me the fuck up! Nyehehe~¡± I shake my head and pull Kiera into a big hug, she squeaks in happiness, the air being pushed out of her as I ¡®accidentally¡¯ crush her a little. ¡°Both of you are frigging dummies! What will I do with the both of you? Anyway¡­ think about what we talked about with moving out here? We can discuss the details later, but yeah¡­¡± Kiera is nodding super fast in agreement before being smacked in the shin by Nacho, breaking what little concentration she has left in that sex addled brain. The aggressive cat shaped ball of love and motherly attention looks up at me before spreading its little legs and bowing its head down. ¡°Thank you very much for having us, it was¡­ fun. We must be off before we miss the next rail, we are all booked and I will not have us contact that stupid excuse for an A.I. to get refunds!¡± Nacho has gotten more and more aggressive as time has passed, I couldn¡¯t imagine someone being able to frustrate Nacho more than Kiera. Zelia pulls Kiera in for a gentle hug, before kissing her on the forehead. ¡°Travel safe, we¡¯ll message you, yeah? Can''t wait to go to the dungeon with you today! How are you feeling after sleeping last night?¡± Kiera throws her arms up in the air in triumph. ¡°Ugh, best sleep ever! I don''t know how I¡¯m going to live without more nights like that! So make sure we plan this thing soon!¡± Nacho smacks her again in impatience, and she jumps before scooping her kitty. ¡°Kiss for the road?¡± her puppy dog eyes come out in full force as she leans forward. I comply and lean down, kissing her softly, followed by Zelia¡¯s lips as well, Nacho schoffing at each kiss. Kiera¡¯s grin lights up our world. She sprints ahead to the station, and at Nacho¡¯s insistence to go slower, her laughter radiates down the street. There goes our Yeen. ¡­ The trip back was thankfully uneventful. Zelia falls asleep at my side again, and I stare out the window contemplating my life in the universe, which at this point I felt was between two cute girls¡­ where else should I be? There was no grand mission in my life, it was always that way from the day of Janus arriving, to staying alive, and I did, but I didn''t really live until Zelia and the Lanzes took me in, and even then it was a half life¡­ It took being crippled to actually change the biggest thing about me, and even then I was afraid of her seeing me as weak. I can''t be weak, I have to be strong to protect the people in my life. I nod along to my own thoughts; if I''m not strong enough, they will all die, just like everyone else. The thoughts in the back of my mind agree with me, whispering, trying to push me towards the right solution, the perfect solution, the one way to save everyone, then become on- ¡±Lilia love?¡± I feel the warmth of Zelia¡¯s hand on my neck, her touch full of life and love, jolting me back into the train. I was somewhere else¡­ it was dark... a void tinged with red¡­ ¡°I''m sorry love, I slipped out of my brain a little¡­¡± Feeling her warm kiss on my cheek, I turn to her, her smile radiating as beautifully as the day she sat next to me at the canteen. It was the thing that never changed about her, how wonderful her smile made me feel, even when I couldn''t feel anything. ¡°I was saying the notification just went off, should be arriving soon, we¡¯re nearly home¡­ Tomorrow night we should visit mum and dad and talk to them about everything¡­ asking them to move after they found such a nice place with all their friends is just painful though¡­¡± I hold her tight from the side, as she leans into me, sighing. And I thought that telling them we were together was going to be hard. ¡®Hey mum and dad, we are fucking now! Oh, also, we are afraid for all our lives, and there¡¯re now monsters outside the walls! Time to move and upend your amazing lives and jobs and friends.¡¯ Fuck. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. It was easy enough for me, I have nothing in my own apartment except Buta and the capsule. My whole life can be summed up in one box of goods, mostly things I¡¯ve gotten from Zelia anyway. I was ready to take the next step. I feel I¡¯ve been ready for a long time but just denied myself any kind of comfort in life. Denied myself any happiness. < Now arriving at the Regional District. Thank you for riding with us today! > Arriving home we flop onto the couch, but not before picking up Buta the best we can, giving them as much love and entertainment as possible, not much longer and they are starting to huff and puff from all the exercise. Felicity welcomes us back in with warmth and motherly love, telling us how much of a good kitty Buta has been, telling us that there is a new photo collection. We started telling her about our trip, getting to the part of the monstrous thing. She doesn''t seem that surprised, ¡°There is already recorded evidence of flora and fauna growing beyond what they already were, being more aggressive and intelligent, although nothing I¡¯ve heard of to such a degree¡­ I''m just happy my favorite people in the world are okay! Should I make a complaint to the transport division?! I feel I should, hmph.¡± I can practically feel her looking me over, making sure I''m not injured. Zelia looks at me with a weary smile and I hug her close. ¡°We are considering moving to the central sydney region, making sure we have enough space for our friend Kiera as well, we could get a place with higher technical options so that you could have a more realized physical body?¡± ¡°Aww thank you love¡­ are you that scared of animals and such¡­ I''m sorry you had to go through that¡­¡± ¡°Not just that¡­ the sight of the walls, the uhh sanctuary project, those terrified me, we had heard about it on the news and things but the scale of it¡­ it feels like they are preparing for something worse, or like some kind of godzilla scale monsters! Have you heard anything about why they are doing that?¡± She scoffs at my godzilla comment and then hums in concentration, ¡°mnn According to the official reason it''s because of the growing regions of the world that are uncontrolled by Sci-Axium, areas which were once deserts are extensive forests, being inhabited by animals and beasts, they are also using the walls for strict regulations so as for people with il-intent should be unable to gain access, there are more than one groups thats would love to bring sci-axium down and gain control of one of the regions.¡± Okay so basically they are building fortresses where the only ways in and out are Sci-Axium controlled, but they are so frigging high!? Zelia is next to me with her ultimate thinking face on, she brings her finger up a few times as if to try and ask something and then brings it down again, contradicting her own questions with another statement or question of her own. Finally after minutes of us watching her she blurts out the ultimate question. ¡°Yeah but why?!¡± Felicity bursts out laughing at this question, I can''t help but do the same, tension that has built up exploding from us both. ¡°Gosh I was expecting something much more complex love! Why what?¡± Zelia exaggerates with her hands, seeming to indicate everything, wanting so many answers. I hold her and plant her head between my boobs and rub her hair. ¡°Maybe you should let Kiera know we will be on soon? She won''t be home for a few hours, at least she should be safe, we can wait around for a while and enjoy being together with Buta. This little cutie needs some extra loving for us not being around as much as we should be. Yes, I¡¯m talking about you, you cute little bundle of orange fatness, yeesss~¡± I¡¯ve planted my face directly into Buta¡¯s fur, their tongue out the side of their mouth like a derpy doggo. ¡°Ugh there''s just too much information in my brain¡­ AM I BECOMING LIKE DAD?! If I start spouting out conspiracy theories just put me down, I¡¯m sure we can find a nice shed to bury me behind, fuck.¡± ¡°Please the only place I¡¯m burying you is in my tits~¡± She giggles and looks up at me with such adoration, kissing me gently on the lips making me feel so warm inside. ¡°Mmnnn just remembered¡­ we should get you in the shower, gotta clean you up from your¡­ accident hehe¡± I roll my eyes. ¡°That was no accident missy! It was murder of the first degree! Planned and executed, caught red handed and sentenced to being loved forever for your crimes!¡± Zelia can''t stop laughing at my words as Buta falls off my lap, pulling me towards the shower. I feign resistance but the excitement on my face reveals my intentions. One more round wouldn''t hurt. Respite: a brother’s worries. Respite: a brother¡¯s worries. ¡°Why did it have to be her?¡± I wistfully look at the console for the thousandth time and sigh, hands coiling around my waist and pulling me close, back off the seat a little, their warmth and grace unlike my own, muscled but not in an obvious way, their arms clean shaven, almost dainty, although I know how strong those arms can be. ¡°She chose this Oli¡­ you know how much she loves them, she decided this and she is a stubborn woman, she was a stronger woman than most men, you could never have changed her mind.¡± tears fall from my eyes, I know that, I know that so well, my twin and half of me. The screen in front of me lights up, a notification of events happening and changing, what could have been and what will be colliding, the humans and their complex ways, some of them outright doing whatever they want, pushing their own desires on others. And then the few that were trying so hard to protect people, to change their destinies. I sigh again and feel the warmth of the arms leave me, the footsteps of my ¡®boyfriend¡¯ echoing as they check all the instruments of the room. I want to watch them walk around, but I know that in the center of the room my sister''s incorporeal body, her essence, lay trapped, willingly so but still¡­ trapped¡­ ¡°Oli, can you please check the diagnostics of the sisters?¡± I start punching in numbers and codes, something created by the humans, easily learnt, something about having lived through so many ages and worlds, longevity of godhood making learning and storing information or something, I¡¯ve heard Daniel talk about it again and again, how our capacity for learning and informational growth beyond what humans could ever do, blah blah blah. ¡°The sisters are running at operational capacity, they are entering a vision cycle so they will be giving off strange readings for the next few days until they transmit the data to us, then they should be back in their recovery cycle.¡± A thank you comes from the middle of the room, I let him check my sister''s data directly. I think seeing her face right now would make me burst into tears, her peaceful smile as she looks at our world, as if she¡¯s dreaming and not just a receptacle for them. Daniel coughs and I almost look at him, his dainty features something to adore, he clears his throat and seems to hesitate before speaking, ¡°You haven''t slept in at least a few days¡­ we could¡­ maybe get something to eat together¡­ uhh if you want of course¡­¡± Fuck I want that so bad, the hesitation and worry in his voice radiating his wants and desires and fears¡­ a blush creeps up on my face, maybe I¡¯m overthinking things again¡­ but I could really get out of this room, Daniel has been by my side the past 5 years as my assistant, but he has been so much more than that, his hugs bringing me such joy and warmth and need. Five years of asking for hugs when I needed them, knowing his feelings as they radiated towards me, not pushing very far, knowing our stations in life and existence, never pushing beyond that. ¡°Of course I would love that¡­¡± I can feel his smile radiating from behind me, human emotions so easily felt, everything that the humans could express would be felt by us so easily. Daniel has always felt so¡­ beautiful, so pure and full of hope and love. How could I not be smitten by him¡­ but who would want to spend their time with a man so full of pain and sorrow¡­ I can only be grateful that humans do not feel our emotions back, not feel all the dark places I go to, so much for my title then¡­ ¡°How about¡­ you get dressed up and we go somewhere special?... Maybe I could reserve a small restaurant, some place uhh quiet, away from people.¡± I smile and stand up, grabbing my jacket. ¡°I really thought you would never ask Dan¡­¡± I focus solely on their face, their blushing perfect face, glowing like the sun ought too and smile fully for them. ¡­ ¡°And that''s how I got my first temple, a shabby little thing, next to my sisters enormous beautifully crafted marble monstrosity, oh they loved her, people of the night¡­ although on that planet the sun literally killed people, so it''s no surprise really that they preferred her!¡± Daniel laughs at my experiences, I can only laugh back, such lives spent and lived, all my memories perfectly lined up, looking back on my lives now nothing was like this¡­ everything congregating on the here and now, so that all those follies and messes that I got into seemed like a big joke, and I could only laugh and enjoy them. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Daniel loved to hear about it all, he thought his life was boring in comparison, but every word out of his mouth seemed like they were from an angel¡¯s¡­ ¡°Tell me about growing up in Brussels again Daniel¡­¡± They blush and shake their head, downing another glass of red wine, the empty tiny restaurant in the wall that he found for us, the staff waiting in the kitchen for our requests at whatever we needed. This is a different kind of power, something akin to being worshiped I suppose, when the stars aligned and I was able to condense a body, being waited on hand and foot. ¡°You don''t want to hear that again¡­ there''s only so many times I can tell you about my boring life Oli, you have so many stories and I love hearing you speak.¡± The wine has gone to his head, made him more bold, his hand reaches out and touches mine on the table, I bet he hasn''t even realized he is doing it. I clasp my hand around his, he looks down at it, the blush pulsing further on his skin, that beautiful skin that I so want to touch, ¡°And I too love hearing you speak, how I wish I could meet your family¡­¡± He pauses and strains. ¡°I mean¡­ they were never into the whole¡­ into men thing¡­ even with how much the world has changed and accepted the community¡­ but maybe you would be different¡­ how could anyone look at you and not love and worship you¡­ you¡¯re just¡­ so beautiful and perfect and oh god it¡¯s the wine talking I¡¯m sorry¡± He tries to pull away and I pull him closer. ¡°I feel the same about you Dan, you would have to know that by now¡­¡± Hic, He covers his mouth with his other hand, I burst into laughter and he looks so shocked at his own actions, the wine really getting to his system. ¡°After all, how could I not, 5 years of feeling your adoring gaze on my skin, the thoughts that you have had of me¡­ sometimes pure¡­ sometimes not~¡± He turns away, his blush covering every inch of his perfect body. I hold him tight, not letting him pull away from me. ¡°You''re too good for me Apollo¡­ I¡¯m just nothing.¡± I let go, saying my name like that instead of the usual familiarity, distancing himself with just a word. I don''t want to be a god right now, I just want to be his Oli. All the thoughts of self-deprecation coming back and powering through the courage I felt with the wine he had specifically chosen out for me, yeah we are different. I mumble out a sorry and turn away, all the feelings of the day rushing back to me, my sister, who loved and adored and was loved and adored back in return, she, she was the couragous one, but took up the mantle of the moon, her with the fiery passion and I with the dour feelings, she took it on to protect me, I should have been the one to languish in the darkness. ¡°Oli¡­ I''m sorry Oli, it''s not you it¡¯s me¡­ I didn''t mean it like that¡± hah¡­ I¡¯d seen that one in the drama¡¯s I¡¯d watched on earth, wrapped up on the couch that we¡¯d watched together, ouch, using something so cliche¡­ I can feel his remorse and longing throwing itself against me like the sea against a cliff, always eroding my own feelings. I stand up and turn away, not allowing him to see my tears. Why would he when I¡¯m just one of the gods, just some perfect being, so I guess we should keep it that way, I steel my heart and force my voice out. ¡°I¡¯ll see you at work in the morning, have a good rest of the night Daniel¡± He sat there as I walked out, radiating self-hatred as it burned into me, from outside and within. ¡­ I sit in front of the crypt holding my sister, drowning in agony, wishing to cry into her shoulder, the glass of the coffin in the way, surrounded by the 3 sisters as they channel through her, tears endlessly falling as I try my best to steel my heart, act like what my godhood gave me, but all it gave me was remorse. Did she see this coming? Did the sisters of fate hide this from me, is that why she chose to be the goddess of the moon instead of a fiery beacon of hope. Instead she was the night watcher and keeper in the dark. I caress the nameplate on her coffin, reading each word out loud, feeling the Oscium imbued metals as the sting of Oscium resounds on my skin, makes me feel stronger. ¡°Artemis System Core¡± Fuck you Sci-Axium. Chapter 3 - Nacho Power. Chapter 3 The void takes me, after what feels like days, our adventure with Kiera feeling like the most fun we¡¯ve had in years. My first real outing as me¡­ I guess you would call it a date? But maybe Kiera wouldn''t like that¡­ A date for me and Zelia at least, with our companion of chaos by our side, yeah perfect. The City of silver, a place of adventure and the sea, apparently a bunch of sex as well if Keeks¡¯s night out was any indication, I mean¡­ yeah, nearly forgot I got fuck jumped didn¡¯t I? Yeah, there''s a lot of things going on behind the curtains, damn. If only the things we had to do today were like that, and not just¡­ literally nightmare inducing. I try and think about the first thing to do, uhhh the guild needed to check the dungeon and uhhh gotta wait for Keeks, Zel should be around here someWHHEREE. ¡°Heya hot stuff, this ass for free wan?¡± two hands had enveloped my butt, squeezing it mid thought process. As I turn around a mischievous silver and blue fox girl smiles back at me innocently. ¡°I think Keeks is a bad influence moo!¡± ¡°No way! Keeks teaches me the best pickup lines for you~ What you didn''t like getting your butt squeezed in public wan?¡± I blush and turn away, of course I enjoyed it, but only after the fact, scared the heck out of me¡­ something that I will never admit. I cough and straighten myself out as gay as I can, ¡°It seems you didn''t get enough punishment in the shower moo!¡± She looks at me shyly like an innocent damsel that didn''t just cum from her ass only 10 minutes ago while screaming my name. ¡°Different bodies you know hehe, this one could use some fun as well wan!¡± I shake my head in derision. ¡°We have to find something to do while we wait for Keeks, maybe we could ask around at the cost of boats and things? I know she really wants to be a pirate, it could be a nice present for her, maybe we could have enough when we finish this dungeon moo?¡± She nods, sulking a little, obviously expecting a lot more out of our free time. ¡°Will I get that cowgirl fucking soon though wan?!¡± I nod my head and hold out my hand for her to take, she takes it and we start heading to the docks, the smell of the salty hot air swirling around us as Zel tells me about a new fanfic she¡¯s writing, sounding awfully familiar to our day in sydney central region. ¡°And then she plants her head straight in her butt and says, nothing better than hauling ass on a weekend and plows in wan!¡± I looked around shocked trying to hide both of us from any prying ears, thankfully it doesn''t seem to be very busy, the only one in utter embarrassment from listening to her explain her smut story out loud being me. ¡°Oh no we are at the docks! Gonna have to finish up your story later cutie, I¡¯m sure Keeks would love to hear it as well moo~¡± Not wanting to be that kind of girlfriend, it might embarrass the hell out of me but I would rather her be encouraged than to be silent. She nods and checks her messages. ¡°I thought she would have messaged by now wan¡­¡± I check my messages too, yeah nothing after she went home¡­ I''m sure she¡¯s okay, but I still worry, my fears compounding little by little, I really gotta get us all together. ¡°I''m sure she¡¯s fine, maybe her comms unit ran out of battery or something moo?¡± I try to explain away her actions hiding the worry in my voice as much as possible. ¡°Okay, if you say so¡­¡± We hold hands as we walk along the docks. Finally a ship purchasing desk of some sort comes into view and we can break up the uncomfortable worry with something other than silence. The whole area has transformed back into a place of constant work, no stalls in sight from 2 nights ago, either they just appear with game logic or maybe they actually do it so often that they can pull it out of the woodwork. ¡°Hi there, we were looking into buying a ship moo?¡± A grisled literal old sea dog stares back with his paw cupped around a wooden pipe, his hair is wild and he has the look of a man that has watched another man drown in the sea and just said out loud ¡®aye tis how tis¡¯. ¡°Aye¡­ and tis the place ta buy a ship¡­ what kind ya need waf?¡± I turn to Zelia with panic in my eyes and so she takes charge, I have no idea about ships?! Except that I am one sometimes!? This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°We would like to know pricing for a two mast and three mast ships, what kind of crew that we can get and what it would likely be for paying said crew¡­ unless you have some kind of magical boat that doesn''t need a crew wan?¡± ¡°Aahh waf waf waf waf, dats a good one lass, doesn¡¯t need a crew!? Unless ye talkin bout them ghost ships evry ship done needs a crew!!¡± The guttural heaving laughter of a man that has smoked since birth disturbing us only less than the look in his eyes talking about the ghost ships, they go wide in fear and then after screaming about needing a crew goes silent, staring off over the waves as if waiting for something. ¡°Uhhh yes, of course how silly of me¡­ sooo¡­ the price?¡± He seems to snap back to reality, uhh virtual reality. ¡°Right right the cost¡­ not the ghost ship¡­ well¡­ a two mastr will cost ye about fifty thousand gold and a 3 mastr will put ye back around a hundred thousand gold¡­ Then if ye need a crew ye would need ta pay an easy two thousand for each and then if they die ye will need to pay recompense to their families for an extra thousand, which will most certainly happen with that ghost ship out there¡­ waiting on the water¡­ waiting for me to go back out on the sea¡­¡± We look at each other and back away, trying not to disturb whatever vibes this man has got going on, ¡°How much do you have on you moo? I think I got like¡­ six thousand or so moo.¡± She shrugs. ¡°Well I''m about the same¡­ so much for that¡­ I mean we could find a crew of adventurers or something? Maybe Mershi has some idea, or if there''s some kind of shipping mission we could go on? Hard to say though wan¡­¡± I hold her close and grab her hand, pulling her away from the depressing hard gaze of the salty dog out to sea, the mumbling under his breath getting to me a little. Beep Beep < Message from Keeks > Oh shit, it''s about time, she should have been home already¡­ I open it up and see its just a crying emoji with a ¡®call me¡¯ on it, oh fuck what happened?! I look at Zel with concern before throwing us all into a call, she picks up with a video call and I see that she¡¯s on the street carrying a limp cat in her hands. ¡°Nacho ran out of poowweerrr!!!! She¡¯s soo heavvyy!! She got into a heated argument with the transport lady and must have busted something because she ran out of power when we got off the train!! OH?! MAYBE SHE WAS VANDALISED BY THE TRANSPORT LADY!? This is some kind of conspiracy to make me miss the dungeon?! Are sci-axium in on it?!¡± ¡°Kiera, Kiera, you''re all good, keep us on call and we can help you get home okay moo?¡± I pull away from the call to look around and see that there''s a tavern on the close end of the docks, motion towards it to Zel, and we head over there both consoling Keeks the best we can. ¡°Hey she¡¯s gonna be okay, she¡¯s the strongest kitty you know right?¡± ¡°Uhuh¡­ I guess¡­ she''s my Nacho¡­ just don''t want anything to happen to her¡­ I¡¯ll be all alone again¡­¡± Fuck¡­ my fucking heart. ¡°No cutie you''ve got me and Zel remember? It''s gonna be okay, you''re gonna get home and she will be there to greet you and then you can get Nacho all charged up okay. Where are you? I''m going to get a taxi to pick you up, it''s going to be okay and then soon we will all be in game again together.¡± She¡¯s nodding through the video call, tears slowly dripping down her face as she holds Nacho, her ragdolling in Kiera¡¯s arms. After a few minutes of coaxing out her address and where she is between sobbing and worrying thoughts she finally gets a taxi, when it arrives a voice starts asking about Nacho, quickly being responded with a ¡°You killed my beautiful Nacho!¡± Oh dear, transport lady¡­ got it¡­ ¡°She¡¯s not dead, let''s just get you home, you can ignore the transport lady and get home safe moo!¡± I hear mutters coming from Kiera as she is trying her best to hold in all her anger and fears, meanwhile in the background a woman is talking and rambling on about nothing, as if she wasn''t being ignored, maybe it doesn''t matter, some people uhh A.I. Yeesh. I get notification on my unit that Kiera has arrived at her destination, she rushes out the best she can with Nacho in her hands, runs up the door and into her apartment. ¡°NACHO?!?!¡± Her screams of worry being replied to as quickly as possible. ¡°Yes yes I¡¯m fine, just plug me into the wall, silly humans worrying about nothing.¡± A teary red eyed Kiera rushed to the wall and plugs her in, the Nacho body quickly coming back alive in her hands, her eyes flowing even more as she hugs her kitty tight. I feel Zelia pull into me and I pull her closer as well, such raw emotion being seen from our friend in the last few days while we have known who they are as a person. I want to protect both of them, no matter the cost. A voice whispers from inside my head in agreement, wordless in the dark. Chapter 4 - Nightmares within nightmares. Chapter 4 ¡°I''m sorry you had to see me like that¡­ I''m fine now, gonna end call and I¡¯ll see you both in game, can meet up at the guild or something¡­ bye¡± Before we can get a word in she disconnects, I close my eyes and sigh, the sobbing and screaming still fresh in my mind as I hold Zelia as close as possible to stop the spiraling, needing her warmth to light a path for me. Can we be that for her? Gods why are we all so fucked up hah¡­ A wet kiss is felt upon my cheek as Zel¡¯s head snuggles into my neck, ¡°It''s gonna be okay love¡­ She is fragile but strong, and we will be here for her whatever she needs, she just had a bit of a shock today. I just hope she remembers the good of the last few days rather than that being the big thing wan.¡± I start to say something before I hear coughing, one obviously to get our attention. Right, right we are in a bar. ¡°Sorry sorry just needed somewhere to sit down! We will be out of the way now!¡± I pull Zelia up and out of her chair, still snuggled against me, her arms tight around my neck. She¡¯s already got one mess of a girlfriend to deal with. I''ve got to be strong and supportive with Kiera the best I can, she needs people in her life and we are going to be those people, that I will promise her. Besides¡­ I feel she would do the same for me. ¡­ The guild is busy as usual, it''s already afternoon by the time we arrive, the guards eyeing us warily as we wait outside, I don''t want to miss Keeks as she arrives, I would feel bad if she wandered in and missed us in the kerfuffle of people going back and forth, a not-friendly face appears in the crowd and Zel instantly starts blushing, Mershi in her shark form swims over, her pool of swirling water splashing people as she passes by, I note the fear rather than annoyance on their faces. Yeah you dont fuck with the laser shark woman, thats for sure. I nudge Zel as she approaches and she coughs to hide her embarrassment. ¡°Hey you kids, ready to tackle that dungeon?¡± She looks nervous, even in her shark form I can tell, she''s fidgeting with her hands and running her tongue constantly up and down her teeth¡­ I can understand at least, the woman she loves is in there and she isn''t allowed to throw herself in to save her. ¡°Yeah, we will save her Mershi, don''t you worry, we will get her back safe moo!¡± She nods slowly before looking around. ¡°Where''s your pet snack?¡± I snort at her accurate description, looking at her mouth, maybe we have different thoughts on what a snack entails though. ¡°She should be here soon, just ran into some trouble at hom-oh there she is wan!¡± Off in the distance where the transporter obelisk stands tall, a tiny figure is waving their arms over their head, yelling and making a ruckus as she runs. ¡°I¡¯m here I¡¯m here don''t go without mmmnnnnyyeeee!!!¡± She huffs and she puffs and she¡­ falls at my feet, eyes open, enjoying the sight of what''s under my viking skirt. ¡°Damn¡­ you¡­ still¡­ wearing¡­ cow¡­ patterned¡­ underwear¡­ nice nye!¡± She gives me a thumbs up before dragging herself up by my legs, enjoying the feeling of my leg fur against her face every inch of the way. ¡°Annnd now we are ready¡­ oh wait we should get some potions and things before we leave.¡± ¡°Yeah make sure you¡¯re properly prepared, every time you fail the dungeon it will suck out some of her essence, so try and do it in one shot¡­ fucking rules though¡­ you fail once and then I¡¯m in, tear that fucking dungeon to the ground.¡± Mershi crosses her arms in anger, at the situation, us or the guild rules I¡¯m not sure. Stolen story; please report. Surely the fact that someone''s life is at stake should be more important¡­ but I guess a game is a game? It''s not something I want to think about, maybe they have some stupid reason for it, for everything WAR has seemed pretty accurate to its whys and hows. I sure as hell wouldn''t want some videogame explainist telling the world about how bad my lore is being thrown together. The first person that comes to mind is Zelia, getting angry that certain things just don''t make sense, but she seems to not be fully here, basically drooling at Mershi¡¯s mouth, probably imagining how it feels to get chomped. ¡°Oh Oh! I wanna get more speed potions nye!¡± yeah we might be a bit, shit. ¡°We can meet you at the Orphanage moo?¡± She nods and punches me lightly on the chest, frustration and unwillingness on her face as she leaves. Yeah I get it¡­ if it was me I wouldn''t let rules hold me back, different people I guess. ¡°Oh we looked at the cost of a ship, Keeks, it''s not pretty, 50k for a two mast ship and that doesn''t include a crew moo¡± She sighs against my stomach, still holding onto me with one hand. With our size difference, if she wasnt caressing my ass people might think we are mother and child, despite my wanting to protest such treatment of my body. Just for today, you¡¯ve got this Lil, considering the things she¡¯s been going through, and definitely not because it feels nice. ¡°M-maybe we can earn enough money from the dungeon to afford one nye?...¡± She pouts and looks up at me with such pitiful eyes. ¡°Y-yeah maybe, we will get you a ship so we can all be pirates yeah, until then up you get, we need to go shopping moo!¡± Keeks squeaks and clambers up my body, whips her legs around my neck and holds on tight to my horns. ¡°Next stop! The markets, wherever that is! Yarrnyee!¡± I can''t help but giggle and glance over at Zelia, the biggest sappiest smile plastered on her face looking up at me. ¡°What love moo?¡± She shakes her head and grins. ¡°Just love seeing you happy, my minotaur woman.¡± She takes my hand and kisses it, putting it on her cheek and nuzzling into it, tears fall from my eyes as I gaze upon the love of my life. I am no longer in the labyrinth, I¡¯m free to be happy, as happy as I want to be. ¡°First mate ZelAwoo, guide us to the promised land of snacks and potions nye!¡± She pulls me forward as the ship LilMoo wades through the crowd of people in silver city, destinations known. My best friends by my side, feeling unstoppable, fear of the future still in my chest. I won''t lose them, I will keep everyone safe, no matter what cost. I repeat it as a mantra in my head, again and again, before I know it we are in front of the Orphanage, all sitting together and talking. ¡°Hey¡­ Lil love are you okay wan?¡± I nod quickly upon realising where I am, right, we were shopping and then¡­ we were here, I must have zoned out a little bit, fuck. ¡°Yeah I''m fine, what were you saying love moo?¡± She looks at me with concern before speaking up again. ¡°I was saying we should make sure we have everything sorted before we go in, do you have anything you need to do, make sure you''ve put all your points in, wan?¡± I pull up my interface, realizing something with all my status points in place, rifling through my bag I pull it out. The fucking growth crystal. I¡­ right¡­ 2 fucking points! Ugh so damn close. Status Interface Name: LilMoo Level: 14 Race: Minotaur Gender: Female, She/Her Max Health: 255 Max Mana: 194 Max Stamina: 224 Points remaining: 0 Strength: 16 (20) Dexterity: 6 (14) Constitution: 18 (23) Intelligence: 10 (13) Wisdom: 20 (25) Charisma: 1 (4) Luck: 50 (53) ¡°I wanna use my growth crystal! Mmnn maybe we will level up when we get inside moo?¡± I look at the Orphanage, all the kids milling about the entrance, looking at us as we get everything ready, I see Cali and she waves to me, I wave back but the kids are shepherded back inside, the helpers not wanting to get in our way. The entrance to the chapel lies open before us, only one more thing to do now. We have a nightmare to kill. Chapter 5 - The crossroads Chapter 5 The dark of the chapel basement is offset by the glowing blue crystals, they seem to have spread around the hole even further than before, branching out like roots through the earth. It was beautiful¡­ and also horrifying¡­ this is what a dungeon is? ¡°Yeah this is definitely a dungeon¡­¡± I look over and Zelia has her hand against one of the ¡®roots¡¯, ¡°Says I need permission to go in¡­ Oh make us a party oh mooeful leader hehe wan!¡± I chuckle and throw Keeks and ZelAwoo party invites, their avatars appear in the corner of my screen¡­ Wait, we didn''t have those before when we did the quest with Mershi?! I ask Zel and of course she knows the answer. ¡°In dungeon specific areas we get extra perks like being able to see the health and stats of allies, makes it waaay easier for a support to help, that''s for sure. Oh that includes like boss arena¡¯s in open spaces wan!¡± Huh¡­ Wait, did Keeks and I never join a party properly in the starter town? Surely that should have been a dungeon quest, or maybe because it''s starter town like? Ugh my brain hurts! I shake my head to dispel any further thinking, I''m sure the game knows what it''s doing haha¡­ right? ¡°Can we go into the nightmare realm of darkness and despair now, I¡¯m boorreeddd nyeee~¡± She has started fidgeting with my leg fur, tying it together and pulling on it and then looking up at me to see my reactions. I slap her hand away and she huffs. There is a person on duty to the left of the dungeon entrance, in their hands is¡­ Horny teacher teaches a lesson she won''t forget!... seriously?! They are squinting and using the blue glow of the dungeon¡¯s entrance to see the thing, their snake-like eyes closing and opening continuously, obviously struggling, their tongue pushing in and out continuously in happiness. ¡°Hey, is there like, anything we need to know about the dungeon moo?¡± After waiting a few seconds with no response I wave my hand in front of the lizardman. ¡°Oh oh sorry, I get so distracted when I''m reading such a work of art! You¡¯re uhhh¡­ let''s see here¡­ LilMoo!¡± They nod to themselves before continuing, a sheet of paper being used as a bookmark is the apparent information sheet they were given. ¡°This dungeon has been judged as a D grade dungeon, so you should be fine! Nothing at all to worry about haha!¡± They thump their chest and start to go back to reading. ¡°Waiiitt wait wait wait. That''s all there is moo?¡± I ask, putting my hand on my waist in astonishment. ¡°I mean that''s pretty much it¡­ I can only trust the information that Mershi gave me! I¡¯m pretty new to the guild, but yeah, if she says it''s going to be okay then It''s going to be okay, If I said otherwise she would beat me up!¡± They smile broadly, salute, and go back to reading their book, sliding the piece of paper into the back of its pages, glee returning to their face as they absorb every word. ¡°Well¡­ nothing else we can do but go in?¡± We all nod to each other, pull out our weapons and walk in, the crystal hole goes down forever, lit by the pure blue, as we go deeper the blue starts to shift, from a darker blue, to a purple to a red. Fear creeps into me, panic and wanting to run filling my mind. The red of the tunnel becomes darker and darker, until finally, the crystals go black. < Entering Dungeon - Nightmare of the past > A flash of light stuns us all as we shy away, in front of us is a¡­ forest? Looking back is a large rock, a path of blackish red crystals going through it, our exit blocked but we can see where we came from at least. The forest is alight with sun, flowers and the smell of spring. In the distance a deer-like creature with 6 legs alights in startlement from behind a bush. The path is of old pure white stone, grass growing through and around each stone, many years having passed since it was put here. The tree¡¯s are large and thick but with enough space between them to let the spots of light flutter down. If it wasn''t in a nightmare dungeon I would assume we were at the perfect date spot. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Sooo¡­ where''s all the nightmarish misery I was expecting! I can''t feign a scaredy Gnole holding both your hands and asses with this kind of perfect fantasy forest vibe nye!?¡± I bump her with my ass and Zel does the same, eliciting happy squeaks from Keeks. ¡°That''s more like it, nye!¡± I shake my head at the little hopeless thing. ¡°I mean we are here, there''s gotta be some nightmares in here somewhere right moo?¡± I spot a sign off in the distance and point towards it, Zel and Keeks nod in understanding. We follow the trail alone, Keeks nudging us both with her hands until we relent and hold her between us. She uses the opportunity to make a swing out of us, determined to alleviate her boredom with any means necessary. We get to the crossroads where the sign points in multiple directions. Straight ahead the sign says ¡®Village of Saints¡¯ to the left it reads, ¡®Saints rise¡¯ and to the right it reads¡­ ¡®Tomb of the blue fairy¡¯. ¡°The blue fairy? Isn''t that some kind of myth¡­ like¡­ the blue fairy will grant your wish or something? Uhhh Pinocchio! That''s it wan!¡± Zelia looks proudly at herself then at me, I reach over and pat her head and she whines in happiness, as I let go Keeks jumps up and pulls my hand down to pat hers as well, with such cute actions I can''t say no. ¡°What''s a Pinocchio nya?¡± ¡°I''m surprised you don''t know it Keeks, It''s the story of the puppet that was brought to life by a blue fairy, although the original was completely different the adaptation was phenomenal, then the adaptations of that itself were incredible in their own ways, gosh the one with the robot child programmed to love was my favou¡­ what?¡± Zel stops her rambling after realizing we were both looking at her strangely, I tilt my head back and she looks with us. ¡°What''s a robot nya?¡± A small pure white kitten in a white dress with gold swirls around it looks at us from the trail behind us, it tilts its head in confusion. ¡°You must all be here for the festival! We only let outsiders in every ten years. I''m so happy to meet you all!¡± They approach and shake our hands, their white paws and pink beans squishing delightfully into my own. ¡°Will you tell me about where you¡¯re from and all your adventures and all your likes and dislikes and favorite foods oh oh! And tell me about Pinocchio and robots and all the things you said that I don''t remember!¡± I close my eyes and open them again, they are staring intently and their eyes are fluttering as they look back at each of us, stunlocked in place. ¡°Damn girl you can talk more than Zel nye!¡± The white cat huffs in annoyance, ¡°It''s not girl, I am the priestess this year! I am at the ripe age of eleven! just past puberty, basically a grown-up! So excuusseee me if I¡¯m excited since I was still weaning the last time all the guests came nya!¡± She is huffing and puffing, her tiny paws are against her sides, I nearly laugh and try to hold it in, swallowing it and coughing instead. Zel reaches around and slaps me on the back, her giggles timed with the smacks against me. Keeks just bursts laughing out loud without a care. ¡°Haha you think eleven is ripe?! Priestess girl you have no idea about the appeal of milfs! psht nye!¡± I try to grab Keeks before she says anything stupid but instead I just laugh harder, coughing getting worse as it pushes out of me. ¡°Oh! Oh! new word mil-Wait! It''s not girl! Ugh. It''s Anna, Anna Saintus, of the lineage of saints, if you can¡¯t tell by the name heh nya!¡± At the mention of her name my body gives out and I collapse to the ground, beaten by my own laughter. Wait did she say Anna? We all look at the ¡®child¡¯ with wide eyes. Ahh fuck, I guess we have already met the person we have to save¡­ now we have to figure out how. Chapter 6 - Oh Priestess. Chapter 6 ¡°Soo why are you out here Anna, oh amazing priestess woman moo?¡± I ask after my recovery from a near death laughter accident. She puts her arms proudly around her waist. ¡°I¡¯m glad you can finally see the magnificent me! I''m on a mission for my sister! She wants me to be on the lookout for suspicious people! She even gave me secret spy rations and everything!¡± She pulls out some pieces of candy from her dress. Sits down on the ground and starts sucking on one, rocking back and forth in joy with her eyes closed, little Nya¡¯s coming out of her mouth every little bit. Zel leans over to me and asks sincerely, ¡°Can we keep her wan?¡± I smile back and shake my head, wishing the same thing. ¡°Hey no whispering, wait¡­ you''re all pretty suspicious¡­ you could be spies?! Have I already fallen prey to the antics of the enemy?!¡± I can''t help but burst out laughing, what is this kid?! Keeks swaggers over and picks her up by the scruff of her neck, ¡°Oh we are definitely spies! Nyehehe¡± She tries to fight off Keeks¡¯s grabbies, but unable to resist, just goes limp in her paw. ¡°Nyaaa I¡¯ve already failed the mission!¡± Keeks puts her down and she looks up at us with teary eyes, still sucking on her candy. ¡°Nah I¡¯m kidding, we just here to play! Any cool places to play here nye?!¡± Wide eyed the girl looks at us all one by one, then dashes over to me, wrapping herself around my leg at my astonishment. ¡°Ooh you caught another one milky nyehehe¡± I look down at the wide eyed girl, she looks up into my eyes. ¡°Okay milky, you''re gonna follow me and we are gonna have fun okay?? I''m in charge though nya!¡± I shrug and nod, then look at Keeks with death in my eyes, goddamn milky?! I sigh in derision. ¡°Lead the way oh amazing priestess moo~¡± She giggles in happiness and pulls at my clothing to lead the way to wherever we are going. ¡­ After 20 minutes of walking through the woods and following the path labeled ¡®Saints Rise¡¯ the forest turns to fields. Countless flowers and white, pristine rocks litter the pure green grass, reds, purples, blues and yellows ahead of us. It''s like a dream that you would never want to wake up from. She keeps pulling us through the field talking non-stop until it starts going up. At one point Anna asked to be picked up, I put her on my shoulders and Keeks gasps in shock, mutterings of, ¡®but that''s my spot!¡¯ that I try my best to ignore coming from beside me. From Anna¡¯s non-stop talking we learn a bit more about the village, that it''s been around for thousands of years, protected by the blue fairy. The patron of the village that has kept everyone safe. The first of the line of saints found this place and fought a great evil, with the help of the blue fairy it was banished, now the blue fairy keeps watch over the seal of the bad thing and in turn they bring her everything she needs like candy and happiness. Sounds like a fairytale all right, I guess the game takes all that kind of thing from the real world and jumbles it together with their own lore, it''s fair but it also means it might be a bit predictable? I look over and Zel has her cute thinking face on. She hasn''t said a peep but keeps looking at Anna and then around a lot. All I can really think about is this being the most amazing date spot! Picnic! Flowers! K-kissing!? ¡°We are here nya!!¡± my pathetically innocent gay thoughts are thankfully interrupted by Anna¡¯s yell. Looking ahead I see a cliff edge, and before it lies a statue of pure white marble, kneeling and facing off the cliff. From the back I can see that it''s a cat woman. I stare off and am shocked at how high up we are, we are definitely on a mountain. Off in the distance I see spots of towns and plains, water¡­ wait, that''s the ocean¡­ where actually are we? We can''t be in the mist continent¡­ there shouldn''t be any towns or cities left over the wall from what little I know?! I feel a hand slap against my face as a furry little kitten tries her best to climb down my body, when I got to grab her to help she hisses a little at me, ¡°I don''t need help, I''m the priestess nya!¡± I close my mouth and do as I''m told, be the best scratching post I¡¯ve ever been. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. She gets to the ground and runs over to the statue, bends down and seems to make a prayer in front of it. ¡°This is my great great great great¡­ great¡­ great? Grandmother! The first of the saints! She watches over the world and stuff from here because she really loves people! Or at least that''s what the village always said¡­ I thought she always looked kinda sad¡­ Anyways! As my protectors and helpers I need you to help me pick flowers for my sister nya!¡± She looks mighty proud of herself. Keeks leans over to the both of us, ¡°Is this part of the dungeon? I was expecting more like.. Waah ppsshh aarrgghhh!! Kinda things nye?!¡± I shrug and look at Zel, she shrugs too. ¡°I think we are still in the story portion of it all, some games would have build-up to the combat, considering how in-depth this game is about its lore I''m sure we just have to follow along until we need to save Anna¡­ or something¡­¡± We clap a little at Zel, Keeks gives her a thumbs up, she blushes in response and looks away. ¡°Thank you, thank you! Now get to work! I want at least 20 white flowers before we need to go back for the feast tonight! We can''t miss the feast! I heard there''s so much meat and candy and wonderful things from afar hehehe¡­ mmnn candy¡­¡± Keeks instantly perks up at the mention of food. ¡°I-is it free food nye?!¡± Anna looks at her in confusion. ¡°What is free food? Like food that can move?! CAN FOOD MOVE WHERE YOUR FROM?!¡± she leans over us and bursts out in curiosity. ¡°N-no Keeks means like¡­ when you don''t have to pay for it wan!¡± She looks again in confusion. ¡°What do you mean by pay nya!¡± We look at each other and then back to her. ¡°Ahh don''t worry about it! Let''s find those flowers for your sister moo!¡± Zelia leans in to us as we walk a little away. ¡°I¡¯m guessing they all share the food and just work for everything instead of using a monetary system¡­ that or she is sheltered as fuck wan!¡± I would have to agree with either of those. ¡°Yeah she didn''t even know about milfs, gotta be sheltered nye!¡± I give her the side-eye in amazement. ¡°Yeah¡­ that or she¡¯s eleven you dummy, moo¡­¡± I sigh and pat her on the head, ooh you poor poor brain fried sex fiend. We spend the next hour searching through the fields, white flowers seeming to be the least common variety here, worrying me that we are killing them, until I find one that''s attached to another of the flowers. ¡°I think the white flowers are some kind of parasite to the other flowers! All the ones I¡¯ve found are either grown because they have taken over anothers roots and killed it completely, or attached and sucking the nutrients from them¡­ I¡¯ve never seen such a flower before wan.¡± ¡°I mean we are technically in a nightmare¡­ maybe they are some kind of nightmare plant? Weird but not super surprising, as long as we keep a lookout for anything dangerous I''m sure it will be fine moo.¡± At least I hope so. We finally collect them all, Keeks getting the most with the prospect of food, free food even, pushing her to her limits. Anna counts them all, and then counts again to make sure, and then again¡­ or maybe she doesn''t know how to count that high. ¡°Y-yeah that''s definitely 20 of them! I counted them so I''m sure! N-now, sis gave me a bag to put them in to keep them safe!¡± She pulls out a white bag and puts them all in there, then ties it up tight. ¡°Mission complete!! Sister is going to be soo happy with me nya!¡± she puffs her chest out and we clap for her, making her even more proud of herself. ¡°Uppies milky, we can get back to the village with time to spare nya!¡± Keeks looks in shock at her and then at me, her eyes misting. ¡°B-but I want uppies nye!?¡± I sigh and pick up Anna first, letting her wrap around my neck, and then pick up Keeks, putting her into my chest, she wraps her arms and legs around my body in happiness with a small muffled squeal. ¡°All I can offer you is my arm in this trying time Zel moo¡± She giggles and wraps her arm around my own, her warmth permeating my skin as her head snuggles into my arm. ¡°As long as your by my side love wan~¡± ¡°Hehe, onwards to the village of saints moo!¡± Chapter 7 - Nye Nya! Chapter 7 Despite the length of time it took us to get to the Saints Rise, we made it down the hill in record time, Keeks encouraging me to go faster with touching, Anna throwing me around like Keeks would do, acting as the captain, and Zelia¡¯s laughter from running down the hill, watching the wind go through her fur. Sometimes I would see small fluttering tiny wings around her as she lept and rolled in the fields. It''s a shame she wasn''t a butterfly, but moths were beautiful all the same. We eventually made it back to the sign, Anna requesting her mount to help her get down, to her dismay , I let go of Keeks to make sure I could properly use both hands. ¡°Ahem, thank you for that, it was¡­ a lot of fun¡­¡± She looks away to the village, seeming to want to keep playing but forced through obligations from her sister, she sighs and turns back to us. ¡°Shall we go nya?¡± She dusts herself off, turning this way and that to see if she¡¯s ready, sighs again and motions for us to follow her. We oblige and she trudges off in front of us, trying to look the part of a holy saintess. Keeks turns to us and tries her best to whisper, not exactly having an inside voice. ¡°She seems kinda down! Maybe she didn''t get enough boobs before we came here, nye?!¡± I look at her, then look at Anna, thankfully before I can say anything that Keeks might feel bad about Zel pipes up. ¡°Probably something to do with responsibility in the village, such a title as Saint might be why this is a nightmare for her, something in the past that really hurts her. A kid having to be some kind of saint? Sounds horrible. The poor thing probably just wants to be a kid wan.¡± Keeks seems to think for a second at this revelation and then shrugs. ¡°Look when I was her age I was obsessed with boobs, there was this lady with these huuuge bazonkas that my sister was friends with, I swear they were as big as me! She nearly suffocated me once when she hugged me¡­ good times nye¡­¡± Keeks stares wistfully off in the distance, Zel and I look at each other, nodding and thinking the same thing. Yeah that''s how kinks are made. We arrive at some fields surrounded by white stone, the path curving around and around, off in the distance stand some buildings, too far away to see what they are for. In the fields are green vines growing upwards, blue fruits almost like capsicum but more full looking are hanging from the vines, each field contains rows and rows of this fruit, this seems to be their staple. As we walk past, an old cat woman with blue fur tinged with gray emerges from between the rows and bows at the little saint in front of us. ¡°Oh pure one please bless us so that we may be delivered from the sins of the world.¡± Anna nods and makes a symbol on her chest with her tiny paws, a circle with a slash down the middle. The old woman seems to weep a little bit and then returns to the field, humming and muttering. I furrow my brow and say what our trio seems to be thinking ¡°That was weird¡­ I mean worshiping fine, but weeping? She''s just coming back from the forest moo?¡± Then I hear it again, and again. Blue cat folk coming out of the fields, saying the same thing and then weeping when she responds. Not fake crying either, a few of them seem to openly cry as if she was saving them with just one hand movement. Although from the front Anna seems to be stoic and unfeeling, her tail seems to be tightly wrapped, almost panicked. The way I had seen Buta¡¯s when I first got them, It was so scared of the world and all it could do. This was not a good place for her, even someone as dense as Keeks could tell. Keeks hand was roughly grabbing my fur, slight panic on her face, Zel¡¯s hand holding her back from grabbing Anna and taking her away from it all. After an endless parade of the same creepy happenings we make it to the village, as we enter a door opens to the left of us, a much older cat lady, her legs seeming to not work, sitting down at what could be a guard station. She bows the best she can, and instead of saying those creepy words instead requests something of us, something that I would rather not experience again. ¡°Welcome young saint, these weary eyes cannot fully see, but I can feel your radiance¡­ and beside you¡­ travelers no? Thank you for coming so far to our village, would you care to leave your weapons with me? This is a village of peace and such things of war are frowned upon.¡± I look at Keeks in panic and she looks back in annoyance. ¡°Really again? Can they stop doing this to us! Are we just that unlucky that we found a second quest that makes us get rid of our gear nye?!¡± I shrug and sigh, motioning myself to block off Keeks from everyone else, she knows the drill and Zel wide eyed follows suit. The sounds of Keeks rifling and trying her best to hide her weapons, knowing that it''s going to be one of those, no inventory places again. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. I pull out my ¡°weapons¡± and give it over to the old lady, she puts it in a box, the brass knuckles and a sword, Zel gives over her staff, not being able to figure out exactly how she was going to store that on her person secretly, the ends of it too sharp and¡­ unwelcoming for any good thoughts. Keeks pulls out some random weapons from her inventory and throws them in as well. ¡°Thank you, I know it''s hard to disarm yourselves as such, but in the last one hundred years of my life we have never had a death in the village.¡± I take a second to ponder her words, does that mean people are killed outside the village? Maybe she¡¯s doing the whole, oh, we dont kill them in the village, we take them out to the fields to kill them, fufu technically I''m not lying! Not like it matters¡­ I can protect myself without any sort of weapon, I am the weapon babbyyy! Gods I wish I said that where Zel could hear, I have to remember that one for later. In my rambling mind I hadn''t realized we had already started moving into the village, banners over the main ¡®street¡¯, if you could call it that. A dirt road leading through everything, cabins to each side, at the end of the road is a gathering spot, so many tables laid out, covered in cloth, seats at each side. Behind all of that rising up is a mansion in comparison to the rest, thankfully as we walk, people are only bowing to the saintess, not muttering that pure garbage and crying like they¡¯ve just seen a god in the flesh. ¡°There you are, silly girl! You need to get ready for the party nya!¡± A pure white feline woman has popped outof nowhere. She is wearing the same dress type that Anna is, silver lining running along her dress. She crosses her arms as she berates Anna to her face, completely ignoring us. Anna pouts and gets her bag full of the white flowers, bringing it up to the woman. ¡°B-but sister I got the fl-¡± Her sister puts her finger on her mouth, stopping her from speaking. ¡°You¡¯ve wasted enough time nya!¡± She grabs the bag from Anna and pushes her into the mansion before turning to us. ¡°And you are nya?¡± ¡°What you gotta be all rude for! Nya! I mean nye!?¡± Keeks rushes forward pushing her nonexistent chest outwards. ¡°We were just playing with Anna and helped her get those flow-nyaaa!?¡± Keeks recoils with the rest of us, a palm coming out and slapping Keeks across her face. ¡°You will stop speaking this instant! You are in front of the Saint of the village! Not some commoner! Thank you for taking care of my sister, please enjoy the feast. Nya.¡± She turns around, all of us stunned into silence. Keeks seems to blow up as she leaves. ¡°What the fucking fuckfuck nye!?¡± I grab her by the scruff of the neck and lift her up, catching her just as she leaps forward, she starts swinging about, ready to bust into the mansion guns blazing. ¡°That was weird right moo?¡± I turn to ask Zel, Keeks still fumbling around in my hand, but eventually giving up knowing she can''t escape the mumma grip. She nods back, brow furrowed, thinking intently. We had to look out for any weird things and turn around looking out on the village, the wide smiles on everyone''s faces, everyone greeting each other as they pass. It''s just¡­ creepy. Everything seems to have a sense of underlying tension. We see some new people coming into the village, what looks like merchants, they seem to find a place to set up their wares and are swarmed on all sides by villagers, then more people again and again. ¡°So¡­ every 10 years people come to the village for a festival and to sell their wares¡­ It looks like they are trading the blue weird fruits they were growing to the people for their wares, it must be some kind of delicacy, what about the flowers then that we got with Anna? It can''t be a coincidence that her sister shut up Anna and Keeks just as they were talking about them wan.¡± Zelia is in full focus ramble mode, muttering and trying to piece things together, I hold back the urge to hug her close, wanting her voice deeper in my ears. ¡°You can let me go now nye¡­¡± Oh, I put her down and she huffs at the mansion. ¡°You think I¡¯ll get a chance to kill the saint nye?!¡± I shrug, not at all surprised that that''s her first thoughts after getting slapped. ¡°Anything is possible, for all we know she is the nightmare herself or something, maybe we burn everything down to finish the dungeon moo!¡± Keeks just looks at me with wonder in her eyes. She starts muttering and I instantly regret my words. ¡°We burn everything down¡­ nyehehe¡­¡± I wonder if they sell leashes at the merchant stalls. Chapter 8 - The party that ends. Chapter 8 ¡°Aye it''s good to be back grr! Time to make some money ain¡¯t that right boys harharhar!¡± A bear man covered in pockets and belts sits down at the tables for the feast near us, instantly eliciting an elbow in my side from Zel. I look over pouting while she tilts her head to the group of people, seeming to be merchants¡­ or bandits dressed as what they think merchants look like. ¡°Yeah boss, it''s always a goldmine, if only we could become their suppliers! We could live like kings, and not just every ten damn years nyehehhee!¡± A Gnoll sits down next to him, the same kind of laugh but more menacing and high pitched than Keeks. ¡°Ahem, you come here every ten years moo?¡± I strolled over and put my arms around my waist, showing off how tall I am to the crowd. I can see there''s 5 of them, all different races, but all ones that could easily be in a gang, physical animalistic types, meat eaters. The Gnoll peeps up first, anger in their voice, ¡°Yeah so¡¯s what''s, who''s asking nye?!¡± Speaking like an 80¡¯s gangster, I have to pause myself to try and not speak the same way. ¡°We¡¯s- uhh we are mercenaries, it''s our first time here, we aren''t merchants or anything so we won''t take any of your share so you don''t have to worry moo!¡± The Gnoll hmphs and turns back to the group, the bear man still looking at us starts talking, slowly at first, then building up over time. ¡°Welcome to the Saints Village then mercs! I''m Bertilous of the Brawn and Brains Mercantile company. I¡¯m not sure how you got entry if you''re only mercenaries but welcome anyway. If it''s your first time you gotta learn the secret rules grrr!¡± the Gnoll starts laughing to the side, muttering about secret rules. Yeah they are probably going to try to fleece us, like I hadn''t dealt with gangs on the street before. ¡°Oh yeah¡­ the secret rules, right moo¡­¡± I lean over the bear, rising above them, knowing exactly how to deal with such situations from all my experience. < Bone Control > I bring a fist to the bear''s head, the same feelings rising up from my youth, the hatred of what those kinds of people will do to anyone they could, even a teenager. A single bone pierces slowly out of my fist, elongating towards the bear¡¯s eye, stopping inches from it. ¡°This secret rule would happen to be¡­ bad for us would it moo?¡± I widen my eyes, questioning as I feel them tremble in my hand. Maybe I should just teach them a lesson, then they can''t hurt me or the people I love, right? Right, do it. A voice says back to my own question. I feel a hand on my shoulder, fingers touching my neck, I freeze. Looking down, the man is trying to speak, paralyzed by fear. Oh¡­ did¡­ I do this? I pull back, eyes now wide with confusion. Why did he have to remind me? I feel a clang on my hand as Keeks seems to have reached around and flicked the bone on my hand, I instantly retract it, this time feeling it slide back through the opening, the skin closing around it, I wince. I look back at the bear and smile, ¡°Sorry about that, I don''t take threats well, what were you talking about a secret rule again moo?¡± They all look at each other and Bertilous coughs and in response. ¡°Oh nothing nothing, just a joke between friends gargargar¡­ we are friends, and friends don¡¯t hurt friends. ahh Since you''re new here is there anything you need to know, grr?¡± He laughs nervously, Zel thankfully takes the lead on the questions, my head pounding in my skull as I take a step back. She straightens herself out, compiling all her questions in the front of her mind and regurgitates it all in one blow, ¡°What happens every 10 years? Why can you not come in at any other time? Have you tried getting in before the 10 years? What is the blue fairy? Is there a blue fairy myth in your world? What is the blue fruit? Does it have some properties that make it rare? What do you trade with the villagers? Considering your friend''s comment it seems that you make enough on this fruit to last 10 years? Or is it that you do other work? If you''re a mercantile company and not just a merchant group you should be established, where are you established? Where is the saints village located? What year is it? Have you noticed anything different in the village or wrong? Oh, I am Zel, this is Lil and this is Keeks, pleased to meet you, please answer our questions¡­ well I¡¯m waiting wan?¡± Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Zel has brought out a notepad and pencil and is waiting determinately for them to start speaking, all of them looking at each other and trying their best to remember everything she said as they fumble over their words, she is looking at them like prey, I feel she is intimidating them more than I did. She is their weakness, confident intelligence, a woman needing answers. ¡°Well uhhh, ya see, uhh the¡­ which was it again¡­ oh! When I was a young cub, me dad put me on his knee and said¡­ he said¡­¡± If this man was a robot I¡¯m betting right now he would have smoke coming out of his ears, the look of confusion and desperation at trying to answer the questions that he had forgotten and instead regressing to a story about his childhood. A gravelly voice comes from next to us and we all turn, ¡°Ahem¡­ are yall done messing with my fatherarrr?!¡± A stocky, thick younger woman, probably in her twenties, reddish-brown fur covering her body. She throws down a huge backpack full to the brim onto the ground at the table''s feet, facing us with accusing eyes. We all marvel at this built woman and look back and forth from her to Bert, he looks at his daughter with such happiness at her arrival time. ¡°Damn old man you popped out a hot one nyehehe!¡± Keeks is the first to react to her arrival, with the most endearing of statement. The young bear woman blushes in response and turns to Bert. ¡°Dad what in the three hells is going on grr? Also you were supposed to wait for me, rarr!¡± She is grumbling and making cute growling noises to finish her sentences, I almost wish we could swap. With a look of confusion still on Bert¡¯s face I decide to step in. ¡°Your father was trying to swindle us so we had a nice talk. My partner may have said too much and overloaded your fathers brain, so apologies for at least that. I¡¯m-¡± As I¡¯m about to introduce myself Keeks inserts the name ¡®milky¡¯ and I push her over to her glee. ¡°I''m LilMoo! Shush! This is Keeks and this is ZelAwoo, we are adventurers and were asking some questions about this place before Bert blew a fuse.¡± She looks puzzled at our words, looks at her father and his crew and seems to ascertain something for herself. ¡°Ahh of course¡­ Welcome honored adventurers, I apologize for how my father acted, sometimes he smells money and can''t think of anything else. I Am Elaintile of the sea of tree¡¯s clan, if there''s anything you would like to know you can ask me¡­ I feel it would be unwise to ask my father much of anything if it doesn''t involve coin rarr.¡± her voice has changed to something liking to addressing royalty, even her little growl at the end seemed sophisticated and higher pitched. I think she may have made a mistake somewhere¡­ ¡°Ahh yes¡­ ahem, we would love to know more about this place, especially of the ceremony and what''s known about it outside moo?¡± She looks puzzled, as if we should already know about it since we are here, but straightens herself out, putting her hands behind her back clasped as if giving a speech in school. ¡°Oh noble ones! I will try my best to extend my knowledge to you¡­ It is said that hundreds of years ago the people of this village escaped destruction by demons, before the great wall of course, when they got here they found a hidden goddess, the blue fairy, she asked to be worshiped and not left alone, every 10 years she must be worshiped and adored upon, otherwise this village will be exposed to the world, the barrier that you crossed to get into the area is of her make, it stops anyone from entering or leaving. Each lineage of Saint will stay by the Blue fairies side to bring her peace and protect the rest of the village. Uhh¡­ was that good enough oh great adventurers rarr?¡± She bows and looks up at us, hoping that she did a good job. ¡°A+ Student, what happens at the ceremony wan?¡± Zel is writing furiously on her page and without looking up addresses Elaintile, she seems to think to herself and tells us as bluntly as she can. ¡°This village has a particular custom, the saints always have twins at birth, two girls, the first of the twins is to be the leader of the village, the other twin is to be offered in bonding to the blue fairy, to live out 10 years with her until the next ceremony when the next of that kin is offered, as it has been for hundreds of years.¡± I can feel a screaming in my brain, this is wrong, something is really wrong here. ¡°Wait wait wait¡­ what happens to the ones ¡®offered¡¯ to the blue fairy moo?!¡± She scoffs and then realizes I''m serious. ¡°Uhh she basically becomes one with them to live on by her side for all eternity as the blue fairy is a god rarr.¡± I motion and shake my head, not really understanding what she means. I feel a hand on my shoulder, it trembles and I know exactly what she¡¯s going to say next. ¡°They become one with the blue fairy¡­ they die miss moo rarr.¡± I close my eyes and think to the words I had with keeks previously, sighing I look at keeks, ¡°We might have to burn this village down after all¡­¡± Keeks alights with happiness. 10 years ago Part 2 I stare at the food service in front of me, my stomach growling and the pain gnawing at my insides. I know this will be my one meal for the day, I have to brace myself before going inside. The prying eyes, the disapproving gazes. They see a child on the street, but all they can do is look. What place is there for me in the world? I''d been asked my age and told them I was 18, they looked at me weird but what can they do, it wasn''t the truth of course. Just shy of 17 now, my birthday passed some time before I even realized it, another day of mourning for all the lost souls, another birthday passed. The streets were dangerous, but nothing like I hadn''t had to deal with, their shallow punches and scratching, their diseased looks nothing like the zombies that still haunt me. I woke up screaming and howling at one point which seemed to scare most of the sane ones away., Fighting for my life being attacked by those as rabid from hunger as I was, nearly killing a man by hitting his head against a stone building until he stumbled away never to be seen again. The days blending together into one maddening bad dream, each night his smile haunting me as it stretched and devoured me whole. The white room, my surroundings nothing like it, the dirty gray of the street, a stark reminder of how different life is now. From a happy home, to the world ending, to a lady tending to my wounds, to the white walls and screams of pain and ecstasy, to the street. All of it is like a nightmare that I¡¯m going to wake up from each morning. My mother is going to bring in a birthday cake, white chocolate icing with salted caramel base, my father will tell her ¡®Felicity my love you¡¯ve done it again!¡¯ We will watch some old cartoon movies, ones about friendship and family. My dad will try to teach me about cars again, try and ¡®toughen me up¡¯. I cry tears of self-hatred. WIshing I was home that day. That I didn''t go to the old oak. That I never told her that name that night. The last of her warmth as we died together that morning. This is just my hell. The whispering in the back of my head is just my demon, deserved to me, while it writhes inside me and tells me all about giving in. I should be upon my throne, I was destined for great things, it would whisper, Sweetly, in the voice I wanted to hear the most. She¡¯s dead, so I must be dead too for such words to filter through my deranged skull. I can only laugh to myself. ¡°Huh weird kid¡­¡± A passerby whispers to his friend, their shirts stained with sweat, towels hung over their shoulders, the shirt has barbells on it with words above and below it ¡®Gym Maximus, become the strongest you!¡¯ I think about the words again and again. Become the strongest me¡­ I need to become strong¡­ I need to survive¡­ I need to live, it''s a sign. The voice quiets down again, I sigh in relief at the silence. Only the sound of a car alarm going off in the distance to fill the void it left. I look around from where the men came from, spotting a back alley sign, the same barbells on it, people are still leaving, I¡¯d woken up at a bad time, my stomach screaming to ingest and feed. The food service was not until morning, I¡¯d somehow managed to wake up before midnight. The pain is too much to sleep through now, finding that if I ate a little bit of the food from the day I was able to sleep through the rest of the hunger, tricking my stomach, each day seeming to need less and less. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. A man comes out of the building and locks it up, heading down the opposite side of the alley¡­ My stomach¡¯s protests pushing me forwards. I get to the door and try the handle anyway, despite seeing him lock it, I look around and see a window above the door to the right. Leveraging myself up the best I can I feel it giveaway in my hand, screeching metal on rusted metal as it has probably never been opened before. I push up off the wall and fall inside, with a crash I enter the darkened space where I will become the strongest. I wince in pain as I feel a sharp stinging up my arm, I must have landed on something¡­ I ignore the pain the best I can and feel my way around the room, nearly tripping multiple times as I stumble into metal bars and weird contraptions, maybe for torture¡­ is that how I get stronger? I''m used to being in pain¡­ maybe getting stronger is easy! I find a room in the back and manage to somehow hit a lightswitch, the area illuminating around me as I find myself in a kitchen. Panic wells up in my body as I tremble, falling to the floor, vomit exiting my mouth like it was there the whole time, just waiting, the white tiles of the floor reflecting my expression of fear. The pooling of red blood follows it, it always follows the white room, I look up and around, expecting to find myself back on that bed, strapped down, cords coming out of my stomach, the crystals growing, always growing, the smile of the doctor taunting me. The room is silent, only my haggard breathing being heard in my ears, the pumping of my heart as it tries its best to cover up the flowing wound on my arm. I¡¯m not there, it¡¯s not real and I''m not there, it¡¯s going to be okay, I''m just bleeding, a large gash in my arm, exposing the skin under the skin, muscle maybe, it twitches and convulses to the pulsing of blood as it exits me. I calm down, worries over, it''s just a wound. I nearly slip as I slide through my pooling blood, opening cupboard after cupboard, finally finding a supply of bandages under the sink in a red box just like mum had under hers. I start to wrap it around my arm and find that the blood still goes through, I feel the void pulsing and calling to me as my vision starts fading, huh weird¡­ I haven''t done that since I¡¯ve been on the streets¡­ I must be hungry¡­ I make my way over to the fridge and find some yogurt in a tub, I just need to eat and then I can start getting stronger, I can be my strongest me. I start pouring it down my throat after pulling myself into a corner, the blood has soaked into my pants and I¡¯m not sure how I''m going to wash it all off, if only mum was here¡­ hah but she''s dead, everyone is dead, just dead, they all went to heaven and I''m stuck in hell¡­ I will become stronger, maybe there''s a way out of hell if I become stronger¡­ ¡­ ¡°Kid! KID! Are you alive?!¡± I laugh in response, of course I''m not, what a silly question. I open my eyes, they are weak and as I try to open them. I hope the food kitchen is open now, I just need some food and I¡¯ll be right to keep going. A man is in front of me, shaking my shoulder with one arm. He looks nice, like an older uncle¡­ He reminds me of the man who used to make the yummy muffins¡­ I wonder if he also has a husband. ¡°What are you doing here?! Fuck fuck. There''s blood everywhere! I need to call the guys in, this is fucked, how the fuck did a child get in here, they are going to shut me down!¡± The words flowed over me like the yogurt flowed down my throat. ¡°Stronger, be the strongest me.¡± I try to get up and stumble back into the wall, in a panic the man holds onto me, wow I wish I had big muscles like him, but like¡­ nice looking muscles! In my delirious state I can only laugh. ¡°Fuck kid, let me see that arm¡­ wha- how did you make so much blood with barely a scratch on you?! Theres half a human in here stuck to my fucking floors?!¡± I laugh, thinking about how many humans I must have had put inside me, their blood congealed all over my stomach, seeping inside me. Do I even have my blood inside me anymore? Maybe it''s made up of all the people that died above me, their eyes staring and pleading at me. I vomit and black out, the red specks in the darkness greeting me. Chapter 9 - Monster god moo! Chapter 9 ¡°Wait, you''re going to burn down the village?! Why rarr?!¡± Elaintile bursts out, then looks around making sure no one was listening in from the village, ¡°Why would you do such a thing rarr?!¡± I look at her in disgust, at this disgusting village and place, the insanity of the people here more and more evident. This is a fucking prison for Anna. ¡°They are going to sacrifice a child to this fucking ¡®god¡¯, you think thats okay?! Please tell me that you think that''s okay, then I won''t feel guilty for ripping you apart moo!¡± I feel a heaving in my stomach, this is just a game Lilia, this is just a fucked up game. Even if it¡¯s a game you''re still going to save Anna even if it means slaughtering all the people in this place. No child should feel such pain to be alive, knowing that you are going to die and just waiting for it. ¡°No! No of course I don''t want a child to die, but that''s a god we are talking about, you think this is some punk taking bribes or something?! This area has been designated unable to be tampered with by the crown, it''s basically a monument to the old ways. Besides, this is what this village wants, it''s not like we are helping it happen. We are just here to trade for the fairy fruits, enjoy some food and then we leave rarr!¡± She is rubbing her hands together nervously, avoiding looking in my eyes, trying to convince herself that she isn''t part of the problem. ¡°If you aren''t helping, then you are part of the problem¡­ you disgust me moo.¡± I turn away, the burning hatred turning into hot tears and charcoal in my mouth. I feel a hand on each side of my fist, wrapping around me and following after as I make my way out of the village, two beautiful people by my side, the silence building in my heart, slowly filling in with words and feelings of self-hatred. More reasons to get stronger no matter the reason. Zel''s relaxing voice enters my ears, piercing through some of the haze that has seemed to follow me, ¡°At least we know partially why we are here¡­ save Anna from the blue fairy, and this horrible place, how did the older Anna escape though wan?¡± She looks through her notebook, scribbles and words, circled and crossed out. ¡°Mnn I still need to know more wan¡­¡± I bring my arms around and pull both Zel and Keeks into me, feeling their warmth holding me down to this existence. Keeks¡¯ squeak of happiness and Zel¡¯s almost purring as we are all embraced together. ¡°Why do places like this even exist?¡­ Maybe they needed protection so many years ago, I read about how the entire land was once overrun with demons, but the village would have been safe after a few years wan.¡± I nod and recall some of the bear lady¡¯s words. ¡°Elaintile did say that people can''t enter or leave¡­ maybe they just never could¡­ and the fear of leaving turned into something more disgusting, like brainwashing, unable to comprehend anything else moo.¡± I feel keeks exhale roughly and look up at me through my arm that''s tightly coiled around her. ¡°People are fucked Lil, I mean we are fucked, but this is a prison, people become fucked enough when they are imprisoned, much less when they got religion to let them do whatever they want within its bounds. My sister told me a story about when she was trapped with her team or crew or whatever once. They were all trapped together with another group, no food, only water. It quickly turned cannibal with the other group''s leader being some kind of old-christian church dude, convinced the group that eating the weak was the same as becoming one with god, that he would want them to survive. He couldn''t touch my sisters group, but they had to experience it, the madness of that fucking place. Bleh, fucking religion, there¡¯s believing in something and then there¡¯s eating people nye!¡± She makes a fake gagging noise, although it could be real from her story. Wait¡­ I think to myself for a second but Zel beats me to it, ¡°Your sister was involved in the American Great Oscium cave collapse wan?!¡± Keeks nods sadly. ¡°One of the times she actually came back and talked to me about it, she stopped eating meat because of that, just came back and held me the whole day, wouldn''t let me go nye¡­¡± She looks on the verge of tears, I hold her closer and I think back to watching that on TV with the Lanz, all of us in shock as details came out about it. The weak person in that case happened to be a child, even their parents were convinced it was the right thing to do. Most religions were already on the downfall with such drastic changes in the world, although in some places it only inflamed it to a drastic degree. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°What does that mean for us? Stuck in this place, are we here to kill god moo?¡± That brings a small giggle from Keeks as she plants her face in my fur. Zel leans in close and giggles as well. ¡°What is a role playing game if in the end you don¡¯t kill god? It''s basically traditional at this point! I can¡¯t believe we are doing it so early though¡­ Well at least we know where the god is at, could just stroll in and kill her straight away, but I feel that¡¯s not the intention here¡­ on the eve of the ceremony we should rescue her like the damsel in distress she is wan!¡± ¡°YOU THREE! HAVE YOU SEEN THE LITTLE SAINT NYA?!¡± The old woman that was at the front of the village yells at us, accusatory and with panic in her half closed eyes. ¡°Uhh no we haven''t, not since we left her with her sister moo?¡± She tsks, going back to her house, grabbing out the box we put our weapons in and taking them out for us, throwing them at our feet. ¡°Ya better find her then nya!¡± We all look at each other, puzzled, is this a prompt from the game, like part of the story we needed to go through? The old cat lady has already returned to her house, taken out a pipe and started puffing, seeming to have stopped all interest in us existing. ¡°Well I guess that''s a big enough prompt as any¡­ she can only be at one other place right..?¡± We all seem to be thinking the same thing. She''s gotta be at the Saints Rise, I mean if I was going to be sacrificed to the blue fairy I sure as hell wouldn''t be hanging out there¡­ even if curiosity did kill the cat. I recoil at my own thoughts and how bad a joke is at this time. ¡°Let''s find us a kitten wan!¡± I unhand the two and we pick up our things from the box, weapons that we were hanging onto just because, still wondering where Keeks kept her bone sword, we leave the village, down through the fields of blue and over into the crossroads, towards the Saints Rise. ¡­ The light of the sun had started to seem down into the earth, the sunny paths giving into countless deep shadows as we made our way past the sign and into the Saints rise. There was a change in the air, a different chill than the lack of heat. A ways away I could see her, our little mischief kitten, she wasn''t alone. ¡°Are those other kids wan?!¡± As we were walking up we could see her surrounded by them, small blue things, their tails wagging back and forth in unison. We could hear talking but not what they were talking about. At least until we heard the screaming from Anna. ¡°Leave me alone! I don''t want this! I never wanted this nya!!¡± She is pushed against the statue of the saintess looking over the world, we try to sprint closer but it''s still so far away. I scream out with all my lungs, trying to divert the kids'' attention. ¡°ANNA!!¡± In unison, all the kids turn to us. Or at least what I wish were kids, they are standing so still, silent, as we get closer I hear it, the cracking of bones and sinew tearing, their entire face dripping with what I can only assume is blue blood. Suddenly all together and synchronized, their bodies elongate, stretching in all directions, the snapping of bone becoming even more prominent as their limbs twist and twirl. Behind them Anna collapses, seeming to pass out. The eyes of the once children alighting with blue flames, pushing away any sense of these being cat people. Their mouths open together and speak together, in one voice countless times. ¡°Do you want to play with us instead?!¡± I know something is incredibly wrong, just by them not saying nya at the end of their sentences. ¡°Are you the blue fairy moo?!¡± They just giggle in response, this time out of sync, each giggle vibrating their bodies as their flesh ripples like waves. ¡°Hehehe¡­ play with me, forever!¡± With a single bound, all the once-cat children surround us from each side, their expanded flattened bodies roiling around us, covering us from all sides. ¡°Let''s play Tag! If you lose you become one with us hehehe!¡± Using inspect I see something I really don''t want to, even more than before. < Inspect Level 2 > Name: Plaything of the Blue Fairy. Type: Twisted vision. Threat: D+ Rank. ¡®A child once sacrificed to the Blue Fairy for the sake of the village, to be hers in flesh, body and spirit for all eternity to play with as she wishes.'' ¡°I will not let you take another child, you fucking monster moo!¡± Chapter 10 - Power of the moon. Chapter 10 Completely covered on all sides, they seem to be watching and waiting for us to make the first move. Alright first move it is. I push down as hard as I can with all my leg strength, feeling the soil and flowers give way. My arms reach out towards Keeks and Zelia, feeling their hands clasps around mine. Surely with my sixteen in strength we can jump over and out of their creepy, graspy hands¡¯ range?! ¡°Oh, oh! You''re gonna love this nye!¡± startled, I look back at Keeks cheeky grin. As I release I feel the earth give way with nothing, still holding tight we zoom through the sky above, a simple jump over our enemies resulting in us rising 10 meters in the air. Zel¡¯s scream of surprise following us all the way up. ¡°Keeks what the hell moo?!¡± I yell at her, startled at our sudden arrival so high up. ¡°Did I ever tell you all I¡¯m not good with heights moo?!¡± Keeks starts laughing, all a game to her. I Look down and instantly feel queasy, but I can see them all clearly now, all eight of them. Looking up at us all, their comical bodies remind me of a flat cartoon cat. At least that''s what I¡¯m telling myself, their eyes alighting in the fast dimming of the afternoon sun. ¡°You both don''t get to have all the fun! Besides, how do you think I¡¯m so nyoomy nyehehe!¡± Zel laughs alone with keeks and then pulls her cards out of her sleeve. ¡°Alright my turn to show off something cool wan!¡± < Moon Form > I shy away from my beautiful wolf, her entire being seeming to burst with light, holding her body suspended in the sky, her moths flying out and forming a radiance just like that of the moon as she clasps her hands together in concentration. I feel everything has become right with my existence. The breath in my lungs surging, my body tensing and ready to spring, endless might rushing through my veins. Keeks has started screaming in happiness at the feeling rushing through her at the same time as me. The playthings of the blue fairy start hissing and looking away from the light, their smiles and mutterings of ¡®play with us¡¯ and ¡®tag¡¯ still happening despite their aversion. A veritable buffet of buffs seem to light up my bar, one for each status, one for gravity even. I guess I have time to put my cool action into play then. < Touched by the celestial moon > < Character has Gained + 5 to all status points > < Gravity of character is under the control of an ally > < Only lasts while under the light of the celestial moon > < ¡®Please celestial, fill your servants with the power to do what is right and redeem those that cannot redeem themselves¡¯ > I feel her land on the upper top of my back and remember to exclude that area from what I''m about to do. She starts clapping her hands in happiness, using me like a surfboard. ¡°Let''s drop these fools nyehe!¡± A voice penetrates through the light and adds onto her words. ¡°We are about to become curiosity for these kitties wan!¡± I almost groan, if I hadn''t been thinking such a bad joke earlier as well. ¡°Keeks! Zelia has us, get ready to turn off whatever your ability does! I¡¯ve got an idea and it''s not going to be pretty moo!¡± the playthings still waiting for us to drop with unveiled horrifying excitement. ¡°Do it nyehehe!¡± I feel my entire body using < Anatomy Sense > and I internally scream one thing. OUT! < Bone Control > Activates instantly, seeming to already know what I want. Crude uneven bones splintering from my body from every place they can, pushing out 3 inches long, feeling like my entire body is on fire from my skin ripping and tearing open. Keeks almost jumps off and sees that there''s a patch where she is standing. all the spiked and jagged bones harden again and again, creating a field of hardened thorny knives across my body. Through blood stained teeth I scream out to her. ¡°Push me down moo!¡± She realizes what I''m doing and I feel all her weight drop on me, then even more. I fall faster than I thought I would, the playthings gathering below me reaching out as if to gently catch my fall. There''s nothing gentle about this fall. As I get closer I see drool gathering around their mouths on their flat faces, or blood, it''s hard to tell, their eyes flickering against the light, not knowing what''s about to hit them. Just before I hit the playthings I pray to Nemesis that I make it through this, surely this is part of what she would want? < Undying rage > Targeting any one of the playthings my vision tightens, I throw my body wide, all my singular built up rage directed towards just one of the beings. Thankfully my body is big enough that even with that singular focus I''m able to hit them all. I now know what it feels like to be a meteor. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. < Received Overwhelming Falling Damage - 563 damage received after reductions (Flat damage reduction = Constitution x 4 = 112 reduced) > < Dealt 426 Critical piercing/falling damage to ¡®Plaything of the Blue Fairy¡¯ after reductions (2 horn attacks x 25 BD x 2.5 CD x 1.5 Weak x 1.3 < Slugfest > x 2 < Weight of the weightless > x Falling damage calculations) > The notification on damage popping up eight times, each with varying damage numbers but all over at least two-hundred. The feeling of cracking bone, ripping sinew and muscle, my body connecting with the creatures, and then barely a fraction of a second later, the ground. BOOM. my body screams to get up, to attack, to move, JUST DO ANYTHING YOUR TARGET IS IN FRONT OF YOU! In my terminal I see my status bars. Health 0/280 Mana 54/234 Stamina 235/309 Not even hanging on by a sliver, not that I should be surprised, nearly taking double my health in damage. Feeling everything in my body having been crushed in the impact, I should be a pancake right about now! The sounds of the playthings around me, distorted as their body and blood have mixed with me in this hole I created. ¡°Heh¡­ hehe¡­ T-tag your it! Heh¡­ hehe¡­¡± They say through torn throats, eviscerated lungs, my bones having snapped off alongside my fall, entering their bodies even with putting nearly 200 mana into hardening them and creating these daggers for tearing. Plaything of the Blue Fairy has returned to their master. Plaything of the Blue Fairy has returned to their master. Plaything of the Blue Fairy has returned to their master. Plaything of the Blue Fairy has returned to their master. Plaything of the Blue Fairy has returned to their master. Plaything of the Blue Fairy has returned to their master. Plaything of the Blue Fairy has returned to their master. Oh thank fuck! At least I got them all! A countdown on my bar is slowly approaching Zero, my ¡®buff¡¯, shit¡­ I hope Zel has a healing spell with that new form¡­ I didnt even think to ask hah. The countdown hit zero with the removal of the ability from my display. I wait¡­ and wait¡­ ¡°Are you gonna get up any time soon or am I gonna have to pick you up through all those boney bits nye?¡± I laugh internally, not knowing if I even have a throat or not, looking at my health bar, thinking I would have felt something when I got healed, my entire body in so much pain, my new mental fortitude ability seeming to have been doing its work this whole time. A sliver of health is continuously pushing upwards and then dangerously back down towards 0 again, some kind of regeneration instead of a full healing ability, hah alive is alive though. ¡°You fucking dummy! you almost gave me a heart attack wan!¡± The voice of an angel descends and I feel my head lift up¡­ or what''s left of it, a potion being poured down my throat, some of it dripping out into the ground instead of my body. My wounds start closing up and the bleeding effect stops, the regeneration doing some real work now that it doesn''t have anything to fight against. ¡°P-perfect plan moo!¡± I hear a scoff and then feel a foot against my upper back, the spot that was left empty of spikes as again and again her foot presses down on me. ¡°Perfect plan! Perfect plan?! Did you loosing all your brains along with your weight wan?!¡± I let myself get trodden on to appease my wolf vixen''s fury. ¡°It was a thing of the moment, I''m sorry~ I knew you would have a heal up your sleeve though love moo!¡± She huffs and takes her foot off me, letting me get to my knees so that I can beg more easily for forgiveness. ¡°I didn''t even know that I would have a healing ability! I only got to know what I could do when I used it, I didnt even know if I would have any fucking abilities wan!¡± Oh yeah, that was a close one then. I rub the back of my neck and stab into one of the bones, hah right. < Revert Bone changes > I feel everything pull back inside myself, the holes closing around where thousands of jagged bones tore out of my body, damn that was probably pretty horrific for Keeks and Zel to see¡­ oops. Keeks stares in fascination and Zel looks like shes about to cry. ¡°I''m sorry love, I won''t do it again without telling you okay, just wanted to get them all so they couldn''t get Anna moo¡­¡± She shakes her head and nods, her lips squeezed together in frustration, not wanting to forgive me but still doing so anyway. ¡°Alright dummy¡­ did we get them all? I saw eight of them right wan?¡± I nod and start counting the amount of notifications I got, yup eight damage notifications anndd¡­ seven return to the blue fairy notifications¡­ ¡°Uhh¡­ I think we lost one moo?!¡± I look around furiously, the hole that I created only having blue blood splattered around furiously, pooling at the bottom, no bodies to be found. Wait fuck. ¡°Anna moo!¡± One of the playthings has crawled over to her, reaching over to her passed out body, laughing and speaking to itself. ¡°Hehe, hehehe, one with us, play with us forever, tag your it!¡± We rush as quickly as we can over to it, Keeks vanishing from where she was and appearing above its body, plunging her blade down through it, but not before it lays its elongated hand upon her face. Plaything of the Blue Fairy has returned to their master. ¡°Phew that was that, anything else they wanna throw at us, the mighty Keeks can deal with anything nyehehe!¡± I exhale in relief as we get to her, then stop, no¡­ that''s not good. The fur on her face has turned blue, it spreads a little bit before stopping, like a scar across the side of her face. Zel seems to have gotten it instantly, looking from Anna to me, taking out a booklet from her pocket she chants < Clean Person > All the signs from battle washing off of me. The blue like the blood of the playthings staying on me, covering most of my body, my beautiful brown fur now dyed blue. Tag, I''m it. Chapter 11 - Fruit can mean anything! Chapter 11 After cleaning off as much as we could it was decided that it was there to stay¡­ maybe until the end of the dungeon? Zel was examining me closely for a while now, trying to figure out anything about it ¡°I¡¯m not so worried about it being blue, more about the fact that if you look closely, it¡¯s made up of tiny hand prints and creepy spirals¡­ like you have literally been touched by a bunch of small hands, yuck, I dont know whats worse, that you were just a pile of mush or that these creepy ass playthings are trying to claim my girlfriend wan!!¡± She¡¯s still pissed, at least it¡¯s not all at me. ¡°I don''t have any kind of debuff or information in my display, hopefully it''s nothing and just part of the dungeon¡¯s creepy factor moo?¡± She shakes her head, not agreeing with me. ¡°No, it''s going to be something else! You stay away from those things, or use a weapon, we need to keep them away from touching us¡­ you know¡­ I think we are dealing with a fae wan.¡± I nod my head and then look at Keeks, who also nods her head. We look back at Zel together and nod our heads, definitely knowing all about it. She sighs and shakes hers, ¡°Specifically things like tricksters, like stealing your names, trapping you in the fae realm for a year but it''s been a thousand outside, that sort of thing, classic fae stuff. Although I didn''t think this game had any fae. Gods and demons and things for sure, but I haven''t heard any mention of one, so it¡¯s no surprise that these people just call it a god wan.¡± I nudge keeks and talk to her with the side of my mouth while Zel has started talking to herself, creating conjectures and ruling things out herself, not needing us anymore except to nod and be her soundboard. ¡°You know any of this, or just the usual fairy stuff moo?¡± She shrugs and collapses onto the floor, ¡°eehh there''s plenty of games with fairy stuff, I didn''t care about the lore though, I just wanted to be tiny and kill things with my fairy powers pow pow nyehe!¡± I feel a rousing from my side, Anna seeming to have woken up, us all waiting for this so we could go back. ¡°Hey little priestess, you okay moo?¡± I get a groan in response and take that as a yes, she looks around and we watch her warily, Zel having finished her conversation with herself. ¡°W-where are those kids gone..? They were saying the most horrifying things to me¡­ about my sister¡­ about my mother¡­ n-nya.¡± She vomits, a blue tinge to the orange of it. ¡°Are you okay moo?!¡± I pull her up and wipe her mouth with part of my clothing, not unused to vomiting young animal girls now. She nods and looks down at the vomit, tilting her head in confusion. I can''t help but ask what she¡¯s thinking. ¡°Why is there blue in my vomit¡­ I''m forbidden from eating any of the caducous fruits, my sister would kill me if she knew nya¡­¡± I pat her head and pick her up, trying to calm the shivering cat girl. ¡°I don''t think you should worry about that¡­ let''s go back to the village moo.¡± She gasps and looks at what should have been left of the sun. ¡°Please we need to hurry! We can''t miss the festival nya!¡± We all look at each other, not knowing if we should go back there, still not knowing exactly how it would proceed. We ask Anna but she says her sister is the one that organizes everything. ¡°Alright, we should be ready for anything when we get back moo!¡± ¡­ ¡°THERE''S SO MUCH FOOB NYE!!¡± Keeks screams, having to be held back from instantly throwing herself on a pile to get started. Upon getting back to the village we are greeted by worried villagers, tables piled with endless food and drink, even more merchants than before all sitting and drinking and passing out their wares and most importantly. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡°Ahh welcome sister, being blessed so nyaa!¡± Endless compliments by the villagers for my new stylish look. Is this why they are all blue? Is there something more to this, the whole village being the playthings of the blue fairy, or just tainted by her? They seem to regard me with more reverence than any of the other people here, except Anna of course. The old cat woman greets us at the front, asking for our weapons, which Keeks once again seems to store her blade somewhere, with us having to put them away in the box. This time there''s a lot more boxes scattered around, it seems lots of others brought weapons and had to stash them as well. ¡°Should we not eat anything tonight in case we have to worry about poisoning or I don''t know, some kind of corruption from eating fae food wan?¡± Keeks looks at her like she was just told she wasn''t allowed to snuggle Nacho anymore. ¡°Ugh, if you eat Fae food in the lore you become part fae, or are trapped, or countless other things wan!¡± Keek¡¯s lips start trembling and her eyes start leaking tears. ¡°Fine, Fine! Eat what you want, get fae trapped for all I care wan!¡± I can''t stop myself from laughing as Keeks¡¯s face alights in happiness and she zooms off onto a table, instantly snatching food from the bear merchant''s hands, a scream of annoyance coming from her as Keeks devours her meal whole. ¡°Wow she went for instant troublemaking¡­ if the merchants are eating and are able to leave still every ten years, surely it should be fine moo?¡± Zel sighs and falls over dramatically into my arms, I sweep her and pull her close, kissing her all over her neck, noises of happiness eliciting from her throat. ¡°Hehe, ahh I need more of that so badly, but I think we should join Keeks before she starts a real fight over food. As much as I know you''re frustrated by Elaintile, it''s probably her dad¡¯s fault for teaching her to not care wan.¡± I sigh and blow a raspberry on the fur of her check, granting me more perfect noises before I set her upright, putting my hand in hers. ¡°Lets just think of the party as a date¡­ at least until everything goes to shit moo!¡± She winks at me and smiles. ¡°Deal wan!¡± We find our way to the disaster table, Keeks creating as much chaos as she can as she fights Elaintile for her food, everytime she goes to pick something up Keeks takes it out of her fingers, her super fast moves shocking the mercantile crew around her. As we get closer Keeks gives me the thumbs up, getting me at least a little revenge on the bear girl for her earlier uncaring attitude. I give one back and we sit down with them all. One by one they nod at us, trying to be polite in our presence. Something feeling off in the way they are acting, not fear, but propriety, as if we are actually people of importance. I can''t help but ask. The tall gnoll male from before eyes us nervously, even more so when directly addressed. ¡°Who do you think we are, mister?¡± he pauses and looks wide at the rest of the crew, Bert shrugs and looks away, as if he didn''t hear anything from us, throwing a hyena to the cow. ¡°Oh uhh¡­ w-well¡­ I wuld imagine yer with the guild right?... I-I mean they don''t let anyone in unless they merchants with a pass or have the guild master¡¯s seal¡­ like it took us years to get one, and then ye walts in nye!¡± waiiiitttt a minute. ¡°Which guild, little gnoll moo?¡± I look down over him, he is becoming increasingly nervous, seeming to have realized that our questions are more than strange, maybe they had the wrong idea in the first place, not that his position in the crew seemed to be able to do much thinking. ¡°Uhhh th-tha Golden City Adventurers guild¡­ which¡­ you''re definitely from¡­ right? Nyehe¡­¡± He¡¯s deflated as I stare at him squarely in the eyes, Zel pipes into the conversation, saving me from stumbling over my own thoughts, her voice louder than need be, so that the eave¡¯s droppers nearby can hear as well. ¡°Our cover seems to be blown, it¡¯s hard to keep a low profile here with such smart people around¡­ alas it doesn''t matter, we are just here to make sure everything goes smoothly, isn''t that right wan?¡± Still staring, unblinking at the gnoll I reply. ¡°Yeah, smooth moo.¡± I break eye contact and they slump against the table, muttering something about retiring, good plan. ¡°How much is your company selling the fruits outside for anyway? I''m just curious, it''s not something I need to report to the guild wan.¡± The Gnoll perks up at the mention of money and leans in to us. Whispering they mention an amount, making us scream out in unison. ¡°Two hundred thousand coins per fruit wan-moo?!¡± we cover each other''s mouths in a fit of surprise. Have we stumbled into a fucking drug ring?! Chapter 12 - The hits keep coming and they wont stop coming! Chapter 12 We really gotta burn this place huh? I didn''t think I would really be that spot on. The entire village is looking at us. The merchants in anger, the villagers in bewilderment, the Keeks in¡­ well she didn''t notice, still fighting with the bear woman for her food. ¡°So¡­ considering we are definitely with the Golden City Adventurers Guild¡­ you can tell me all about the effects it has on a person right? Cause I''m assuming you don''t eat your own supply, cause of the bad effects and all¡­ right moo?¡± I nudge the Gnoll and they nod before spilling the beans worse than Cali spills the Carrots. ¡°Yeah, yeah this stuff will mess you up good, but the nobility have gotten a real feel for it ya know, like it makes you basically hallucinate and feel really good but then you need to start living off this stuff, it''s not just an addiction, it grabs you in a vice ya know and reeeaallly puts the squeeze on ya-nyee!¡± He grabs his neck and throttles himself gently to make a point. Well shit. ¡°Any uhh signs when you eat this stuff? Any new and old you know of, just in case we need to track down any people eating the supply you know moo.¡± I try my best to try and come up with reasons that would make sense for someone that already knows this stuff to be asking¡­ Either he is already way onto me and stopped caring, or the man hasn''t got any brains under his mohawk. ¡°Ahaha well ya wouldn''t know it but ahh, when this stuff first started getting brought out of the village, the nobles suddenly gained an interest in dying their fur blue¡­ crazy coincidence right nyehehe!¡± He scratches his head with a wooden fork and then stuffs something akin to chicken on the table into his mouth, chews and starts speaking again. ¡°But ya know, I think it¡¯s the whole creepy ass smiles that give them away, big increase in emotions, like¡­ all of them! Anger, sadness, yikes and you should see the ones that are holy, turn em into really religious freaks. Nyee gross!¡± ¡°Huh¡­ thank you for your time¡­ moo.¡± I look at Zel and she smiles wryly back. Looks like this is pretty big, I hope this stuff got contained¡­ considering we are in the past and we haven''t heard anything about it, maybe it stayed in the Golden city. We sit down together and leave the Gnoll to his meal. Zel puts her head on my shoulder and sighs before repeating what I was thinking. ¡°We are going to have to burn this town down huh wan¡­¡± I nod and bend over, kissing her on her furry cute forehead. ¡°Yup, blaze of glory moo~¡± We giggle together and look out over everyone. The food thankfully is not blue, there must be other fields somewhere. There is meat and vegetables, soups and pastries, the entire village is huddled on their own tables, hands pressed together in prayer, all of them muttering and seeming to repeat the same things by the way their lips are moving. Creepy. We hear a plonk to the side of us, the side with the other Gnoll, Keeks basically pushes him off his seat, a yelp and angry muttering but not piping up to properly complain. I raise my eyebrow and she gives me the rudest grin. The Gnoll gets up and finds another seat, his companions seeming to know what''s going on and putting an arm around him in comfort. ¡°Keeks what was that about wan?!¡± Zel gets to her first, same thoughts except mine would have contained more swearing. Keeks Laughs openly and stuffs food in her mouth. ¡°Why do you think I love Gnolls so much! Matriarchal, I could tell he was from a rough clan as well, poor bastard could never look me in the eyes. I bet he was whipped everyday into not being able to disobey any Gnolls, it probably works with all women a little though nyehehe¡± She is so proud of herself, but I guess it kind of makes sense¡­ also makes sense why they were more than happy to help answer our questions as well. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°Damn that''s a brutal cutie, I hope it doesn''t come back to bite you in the ass tho moo.¡± She makes a Psht noise with her mouth and stuff¡¯s her face even more. ¡°Nothing wrong with some friendly rivalry! Like with that bear lady Enaline or something, just all fun and games, just because I''m faster, she gave me a few nice hits though, nice and soft with her paws mmnnyee.¡± Keeks is looking up in satisfaction. Damn we need to do something with our girl, she¡¯s gone too long without normal loving. We take our own plates and start filling them up, countless food types, rich aromas and flavor to make the mouth water. I wonder if they would be willing to share the recipes. A few minutes later a bell sounds off, deep and surrounding. Looking up to the main house where we took Anna I see her sister, standing upon a stage erected out the front, her sister by her side. She speaks outwardly, loud and booming, the crowd split into reverent concentration and hushed whispers. ¡°Welcome honored guests from outside our walls, in conjunction with the treaty bestowed upon us, thank you for coming¡­ I have personally helped prepare all the meals here today, I can only hope they are to your liking. May our trades be successful and our relationships concrete. My sister is to become the bride of the Blue Fairy and to watch over us all forever and always¡­ But that is later, for now, eat, enjoy¡­ and farewell. Donng Speeches always made me sleepy, Donng I barely paid any attention to it until the end, until she said farewell, weird words but still¡­ maybe it''s something normal¡­ Donng like something¡­ from a fairytale¡­ Dong Not being able to keep my eyes open, food still half-way into my mouth, the feeling of warmth against my side, the grabbing of Keeks¡¯ paws. Looking to the other side, Zel''s sleepy look that I adore, but in the wrong place. Aren''t¡­ we at some kind of¡­ party? Donng I gently fall into a slumber. ¡­ I remember the heat of the western Australian desert, the unrelenting sun that always poured down on us, the heat of the sand and the dirt. The animals were unable to get shade much less humans¡­ not that there was much wildlife left when I was growing up. The town is a refuge from everything around it. The only place that gave us solace was that beautiful tree, the one I sat under with my best friend, as we watched the world end. This heat¡­ was different, it came from the sides, around us, gentle but sweat inducing. I can feel the heat screaming at me, tugging at me as I try my best to sleep, not that I was any good at it. ¡°Mnn what moo?¡± A piercing sharp noise assaults my brain as I''m instantly wide awake, I swat at my ears in pain, hitting something, or I guess someone, as Keeks is now laying on the table looking up at me hurt, that I would do such a thing. ¡°Sorry Keeks but that hurt moo!¡± She responds with a pout while I try to get my thoughts together. ¡°About time, the village is on fire, we need to find Anna wan!¡± Wait¡­ fuck, the village, we were at the ¡®party¡¯ and had the food and then there was a noise or something. ¡°Stop thinking and get moving wan!¡± I feel a sharp sting on my cheek and eyes wide nod my head getting up from the table. The village was burning, first thought being that it was our fault, second being, fuck. Around us everyone was still asleep, not just the merchants, but the villagers as well, the fields of fruits were on fire, the buildings, absolutely everything burning as if it had been raging for 10¡¯s of minutes, not just now. I look around and see that the merchants that were next to us have all vanished, only the mess of half eaten food showing that they were there only just before. Was it them that did it?! No it was too much of a profit and they all seemed happy to leave this village be for the coin. Looking around I try my best to see where Anna could be, noticing the manor in the village seeming to not burn as badly. I point to it and pick Keeks up with a happy squeak. Zel by my side and Keeks under-arm we dash across tables as best we can, trying not to step on people. We get to the manor entrance and see Anna, her arms bound with rope, her sister by her side, both of them together in the entrance hall. Her sister turns to us, undaunted by everything around her, she grabs her sister and puts her behind her. ¡°Milky, my sister¡¯s crazy don''t let her do this pleheheassee¡± She sobs while pleading, her tears running down her white fur and onto the wooden ground. Her sister hisses at us as we approach. ¡°We will be the end of this village, the end of the bloodline, the end of the Blue Fairy. We will die and she will wither in her fucking prison nya!¡± Behind us the fire rages, in front of us the one who started it. And here I thought we were going to burn it down, shit. Chapter 13 - All the saints in a row. Chapter 13 ¡°Wait, you don¡¯t have to do this! We can save Anna and take her out of this village moo!¡± She laughs, almost cackles really, like the villain of this story. ¡°You think you can save her?! In this village we are the only ones not under the curse of the Blue Fairy, we are forced to live tormented and unable to escape, we are called saints but we are her prisoners. Like our ancestors going back hundreds of years. we are her fucking puppets. We are no more than birthing toys to stay pure for her own enjoyment!!¡± She breathes in and out, panicked but focused to a pin, so many expressions on her face as she screams out her pain. ¡°Every twin split and sacrificed, one to watch over the village to give birth to the next toys and one to be sacrificed for her enjoyment. This all ends with me. It is better Anna dies than to be that monster¡¯s thing, never to die, never to feel happiness again, only to be under her whim and in pain for all eternity just like our ancestors before me, NEVER AGAIN!¡± She pulls a dagger from inside her clothing and slams it down on the ground in front of her, causing all of us to go into our battle modes. ¡°That''s right, you''re going to have to kill me to save he-¡± She is interrupted by a hounding shriek that seems to rise again and again from behind us, cries of pain mixed with cries of joy, my fur standing on end as we all turn around and look behind us. The whole village was engulfed now, all of the people covered in flames, the merchants'' cries were of pain¡­ but the villagers¡­ they cried out in worship and happiness, their flames turning blue and seeming to become one with them. < Inspect Level 2 > Has become Level 3, using Inspect level 3. Name: Burning Eternal. Type: Twisted vision, Fire Base. Threat: D+ Rank. ¡®Their whole life for the Blue Fairy. The Blue Fairy will never let them go, in death they follow her will. If you die to fire you shall forever burn for me, brighter than existence.'' Keeks says it best first, ¡°Ahh fuck nye.¡± We all nod and sigh, so much for burning the village down. I hear a noise and turn around, Anna¡¯s sister looking out over the enflamed village, she laughs, tears rolling down her cheeks. ¡°I-I though this would be the end¡­ even in death you have the villagers¡­ at least the fruits will stop spreading¡­ haha¡­ now we just need to die and it''s all over, this will just be a cursed place with a being of fire roaming, a good warning I suppose¡­ haha¡­ nya¡­¡± She seems to have lost it, I look back for a split second to the fire and in my mind, an unrealised vision, I spin back, the dagger not having been logged into the floor anymore and instead in her hands. Shnk I watch in horror, the dagger entering the priestess¡¯s chest, her face a mess of tears, hatred and relief. An end that she no longer has to participate in. A scream from the little Saintess as her sister collapses, causing Zel and Keeks to turn around as well. Anna sobbing and screaming for her sister, her binds desperately being pulled at as we all stare on in shock and horror. A scream of happiness shocks us out of our state of disbelief, there are still creatures to deal with. ¡°Keeks, you and Zel take the creatures, I¡¯ll help Anna, don''t let them touch you moo!¡± I rush over to her and push a bone out of my hand, jagged and sharp, I cut her bonds and pull her up, holding her against me as she lashes out with all her might, sharp claws ripping at my skin to be let free. I get up slowly, ignoring all sounds of fighting and relying on my partners to do what they could to protect us. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. I cup her head with my hand, her small gently furred head. She wails and screams for her sister, the why¡¯s of it all, the same questions I had when I lost everything. Such confusion and fear, panic running through your entire being. And then. Just becoming nothing. When your whole world crashes down, where can you go from there? I release her, into the arms of her sister, her questions and emotions entirely flooded with sadness, deep unquenchable sadness. I¡¯d taken out the dagger and just kept stroking her hair, the sobbing infecting me, why does this always have to happen? Endless torment for those just trying to live their lives. This isn¡¯t a fucking game to me, this is as real as the feelings she is having. How can this be a game when such injustices are committed and shown. No game could do that to a person, not when the world has had such turmoil so recently. I push down my feelings and turn away from her to look at the enulged village, if it could be called that anymore, there was nothing but heat, smoke, screams and the crackling of lives burnt to a crisp. I see that my partners are maintaining their health through the display, thankfully holding up a fight of their own. The creatures are going down quickly, but from the fire they seem to spring up again and again, an endless wave of flame creatures. This is not something that we can extinguish ourselves. Mershi would have been amazing for this fight, she probably could conjure entire tidal waves to wash away the village in its entirety. I hear a creaking coming from around me, more importantly, around Anna. I look up and curse the gods for their fucking audacity. I jump towards Anna, managing to grasp her within my arms just in time for the creaking to turn into cracking, the roof falling inwards towards us, the weight of it falling directly onto my back. Notification after notification spewing into my console as the burning wood assaults my skin and senses. I hear the screams of my partners instead of those of the creatures, the sounds of popping and sizzling, water on fire as their measly spells of create water are poured again and again over the spot where we lay, curled up a shivering kitten against my chest, trying my best to protect her, please. Just let me save one person. The pain of the fire, muddling my senses, the smoke making it hard to breathe, the weight of the wood¡­ slowly lifting. I hear screams of annoyance of how hot the wood is, the anger at her comment and to just keep digging. I didn''t think we were deep, but I can''t even open my eyes to check. My eyelids having been burnt shut from the fire, not able to fully protect my face while I was doing my best to protect another¡¯s. At least Anna will be safe, all I can keep telling myself, the searing pain of being barbecued alive, that thought, all that was keeping me going. Finally a weight is lifted off my shoulders, literally, as the last of the wood is pulled off. I try my best to breathe but all I get are lungs full of smoke, I cough and try my best to ask. ¡°Is she okay moo?!¡± I pull her out of my arms, gently, trying not to squish her, let her breathe. I hear an intake of breath from Keeks and Zel¡­ I hesitate¡­ scared to ask. I feel healing magic being cast on me, my eyes seeming to recover as my health starts moving higher into the triple digits. I look into my arms, at Anna, her eyes closed, her mouth in a grimace of pain. I cradle her in my arms and weep openly, around the fire has stopped, having devoured everything in its path. Nothing else to consume it has burned down to the embers. By the dim light I see her, poor sweet brave Anna, I cup her tiny paw in my hand as I look down, below the arm, the fur burned and tattered, her clothing gone above her stomach, melted flesh and damaged muscle, her tail mostly gone. I-i Though I saved her¡­ hah¡­ I thought I was able to protect her¡­ th-this is my fault. Her labored breathing shows me she is alive, but at what cost. At the cost of living a normal fucking life!? I feel my whole body trembling. I look at Zel pleadingly. With tears in her eyes she shakes her head. Wow. This is just fucking cruel game. I hold her close and gently hum to her, my tears mingling with her own. I need to get out of this dungeon before I lose my mind. I¡¯m going to rip that fucking fairy to shreds. Chapter 14 - And you thought it was over. Chapter 14 ¡°H-how long were we in there moo..?¡± I ask with apprehension, the heat and smoke clouding any sense of time passing. ¡°It couldn''t have been more than 10 minutes¡­ for every one of the creatures we killed ten came back, but then the fire went away¡­ it burnt so fiercely but they must have been taking away from it every time they rebirthed wan¡­¡± We could all only look on at Anna, her labored breathing and closed eyes in pain. ¡°We need to get her somewhere safe while we kill that fucking pixie moo!¡± Keeks steps forwards and brings her paw out in front of her, a morose expression on her face. ¡°C-can you pass her to me¡­ I learnt to bandage off my sister¡­ We can at least wrap her up so she doesnt get an infection nye¡­¡± We both look at her surprised, she shrugs her shoulders and looks away shyly. ¡°W-well you know, my sister and I traveled a lot¡­ she made sure I knew basic first aid at least¡­ Now! Give nye!¡± I gently lean over and let Keeks cradle her, such fear in her eyes as we watch on. None of us feel like this is a game right now. It''s too real for us. We watch silently as the smoke clears, the burnt husk of the village, cremated corpses, barely the bones left, so little bodies as well, all the villagers having become the monstrous flame beings instead, just the merchants left.. What else will this dungeon throw at us? I can only hope that this will be it, the last part of this quest of ours. Keeks works slowly, making sure to avoid hurting Anna as much as she can, everytime Anna winces she winces with her, panic in her expression, so afraid to hurt the small girl. Watching her work fills me with love. This manic woman, hyper and whimsical, to be able to express herself in such pain for another. I look at Zel and she looks back at me, tears in her eyes. She smiles gently and leans into me, reaching around, I bring her close, both watching Keeks work. A sigh escapes her lips as she puts away her little first aid kit. ¡°Th-thats all I can do¡­ there''s too much¡­ surface, fuck. FUCK NYE!¡± She stands up, turns around and screams into the night with all her fury in one word. Turning back around she runs into our arms, her tears flowing freely, as she mutters and swears all she can. We all hold each other as we get ourselves ready for what''s next. Zel pipes up after a short while, the planner of the group. The one to think for us all. ¡°Lets¡­ get together to finish this¡­ get out of here, we can take Anna to the entrance and take care of this fucked scenario¡­ wan¡­¡± We all nod in agreement, our heads so close together that the others bonked into me, eliciting instant cries of pain. ¡°Oww why is your skull so hard nye!?¡± I chuckle and kiss her on the forehead and then kiss Zel¡¯s, both of their pouts too much for my poor heart to deal with. I Pick up Anna and lead the way out through the ashes of the once grand feast. As we reach the entrance to the village I see all our ¡®equipment¡¯ stored in a box, the same box the old lady put them in, untouched and waiting for us. I see Zel¡¯s weapon here¡­ I look at her quizzically. She responds with a sly grin. ¡°Hehe the staff is way good, but I figured something out with my new racial abilities wan~¡± She pulls out her hand and I see her furrow her brow in concentration, then. Fwoosh. Her hand scatters, the small silver moths gleaming, Slowly they form together, a fluttering dance as they all move around, one by one they make symbols with their tiny bodies. The dance ends, the symbols hanging in the air like when she normally casts spells. They meld into a sphere and BOOM shooting out a silver bullet of mana tears across the sky. The moths form back into her hand and she looks up at me in praise. I stand there stunned, then moving Anna out of the way to use my other hand I rub her head, eliciting happy ¡®wans¡¯ from my wolf magician ¡°That¡¯s crazy moo!¡± She shrugs and winks at Keeks. ¡°Mmnn hehe I think the crazy thing is still where Keeks keeps her sword when we get checked like that wan!¡± If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Keeks shrugs with a cocky look on her face, ¡°Let''s just say¡­ it''s a talent nyehehe!¡± We look at each other and shake our heads. Considering the pictures of her with those two dragon girls I can only think one thing. But I keep the words to myself. We make our way past the fields, following the curve of the stone walls and the devastated fields behind them. Eventually getting to a split. One to go towards the Saints Rise and the blue fairy¡¯s domain. One that we hadn''t trodden before, presumably the exit from the village and out into the territory of the golden fields. We make our way out, hoping that we were able to keep Anna safe while we delt with the boss, then we can bring Anna back through with us. Considering there has not been any changes in the quest indication, we still hadn''t saved Anna¡­ Huh, I question our actions to the rest of the party. ¡°What if we take Anna back through first moo?¡± Zel seems to think about it for a second. ¡°We should need to kill the boss before going through, we have only had small encounters, if any. It has felt like all of the encounters have been more theatrical than real bosses, although I''m still worried about that wan¡­¡± She points to my blue fur, unchanging since I became ¡®it¡¯ from the playthings. ¡°Ehh it hasn''t given me any debuffs or anything¡­ I''m just¡­ blue? Not the worst color but I still like my nice white fur¡­ It better not be permanent moo!¡± Zel giggles in response at my cavalier approach to life, both of us hoping that it won''t mean anything and we can just finish this already. ¡°Can''t wait to smash that blue bitch! I bet she is ugly as hell nye!" We try to banter as best as possible, all of us seeming to have a bit of a worry as we approached the border. It was something clear as day, it being night, a light above us shining the path ahead from Zel¡¯s magic. It¡¯s like there is a dome over the village, a slight sheen of blue to it, it covers everything. Now that we can see where it connects it''s impossible to unsee it. It''s above us and stretches past over the tree behind us. I can only wonder how far it goes. I touch it carefully and feel my hand go through, the path stretches downwards, down the mountain curving around the rocks and fields of crops as we look down on the world. As I lean in further, Anna touches it, or more precisely, her head, that sliver of blue that coated her face. She winces in pain and recoils in my hands away from the barrier. I pull her back and look at the two with concern. Keeks and Zel make their way through and seem to be doing fine, I brace myself and try to put my leg through, the blue stained leg. A shock goes through my system, a pain rushing up through my body as if my injury was acting up, I fall to my knees and breath in and out heavily as the pain goes away quickly. The memories of each time I was made weak rushing through my system. N-no please¡­ I feel Zel¡¯s arms wrap around my head, avoiding my horns. Her whispers of care run through my brain as I calm down. ¡°Well so much for leaving her beyond her domain moo¡­¡± I sigh and Zel helps me get up, trying my best not to rock Anna around too much. Keeks still outside of the barrier is trying her best to look into the distance and into the city off in the distance. Should we leave her here? Fuck¡­ is anywhere safe except by our side? ¡°Okay new plan¡­ should we take her back to the dungeon entrance..? Maybe we can finish part of the dungeon and get her out of here, then we can fuck that blue bitch up moo!¡± Zel nods and adds, ¡°There¡¯s nothing to lose by trying, we aren''t on a time limit wan¡±. Keeks having come back, reaches up and pats Anna on the head. I can see the pain in her eyes watching Anna in pain. ¡°Yeah, let''s get this one safe¡­ I¡¯m in a bad enough mood without her getting more hurt nye!¡± All in agreement we head on back, slow and steady, keeping an eye out in case we get jumped. The endless tree¡¯s and the dark forest being illuminated by a single bright light above us. After 20 minutes of walking we find the entrance, the dark red of the entrance glowing ominously in the dark, shining worse off the magical light. ¡°Alright¡­ let''s see if this works moo¡­¡± I approach and as I get up to the entrance a console command opens up in front of me. I clench my body in anger before realizing I might be hurting Anna, I try my best to calm down and then sigh in defeat. A fucking item¡­ really¡­ of course that¡¯s how the system see¡¯s it¡­ Reluctantly I press the Accept button, Anna giving off one last mew in my arms, her eyes opening briefly as she disappears from my grasp, the warmth leaving my arms as they drop to my sides. ¡°S-so did it work nye?¡± I turn around and nod sadly. They don''t need to know¡­ it¡¯s shit enough that we had to experience all this. An update to the dungeon quest appears and I can only shake my head¡­ we can¡¯t let her get away with this¡­ < !Quest Update! > Rescue Anna from the nightmare Main objective - completed Rescue Anna Side Objective - Incomplete Kill the Blue Fairy Able to leave the dungeon with minimal rewards and the knowledge that the NPC Anna will survive thanks to your efforts. Must complete Side Objective for full rewards. Let¡¯s end this. 9 Years Ago Part 1 ¡°Hey? Hey kid!¡± I feel the fog around me start to break, my glowing prison deep inside myself relinquishing me for a time, the void forever surrounding me cutting off all avenues of escape. ¡°Goddamn fucking kids¡­ made such a fucking mess¡­ shit I better not get arrested for this crap!¡± The anger in the voice is self-evident, but doesn¡¯t seem fully directed at me. I open my eyes, a dark roof greeting me, a window to the side bringing through just enough light to illuminate my surroundings, yet not cast shadows. It was some kind of storage room, endless boxes stacked around me. Under me lies a mat, something I¡¯d seen in my mothers exercise shows¡­ I-I did break into a gym¡­ I don¡¯t remember fully what brought me into the room. But at least I know I was found¡­ I check myself and find parts of my body wrapped up with bandages, I move my arms and feel no wounds though. I pull them open and see no scars, no pain¡­ no nothing¡­ I feel¡­ fine? Or my usual I guess¡­ my stomach letting me know quickly that I should eat something. Maybe lots of things. A hunger that I have never been able to get rid of. My head throbs, another migraine coming on strong, something that has just become normal life at this point. A screaming inside me, pushing at me, turning into a sharp noise all encompassing as I hold myself, waiting for it to pass. The door to the room bursts open and I shuffle back into the wall as fast as I can, fumbling while I try to hold my brains in through my ears at the same time. Adrenaline pumping urging me to flee as far as I can. A man looks down at me and sighs, he looks familiar¡­ maybe from last night¡­ but I can¡¯t connect to his grizzled face, only a subtle feeling. He speaks with exhaustion, the slight anger in his voice still there, ¡°ahhh¡­ now I look like the goddamn bad guy! fuck¡­¡± He gets closer and squats in front of me before sighing once again, looking more tired. ¡°Look kid¡­ you broke into my place, took my food¡­ and then fucking bled all over the place!¡± I look up at him, mind blank at his words. I don¡¯t have any wounds, I don¡¯t have any scars¡­ How did I bleed everywhere? Maybe I spilled jam or something¡­ or tomato sauce! I can''t utter any words, I can only stare up at him blankly. Waiting anxiously for a question or a command. Finally he asks one. ¡°Where are your parents¡­. Have you got anywhere to stay?¡± I slowly shake my head, keeping eye contact. He slaps his legs and pulls himself back up. Muttering to himself in anger before turning back to me. ¡°This fucking world man¡­ ugh¡­ alright kid¡­ how about... If ya want a place to stay you can crash here¡­ but! and of course theres a fucking but! you help clean up the gym¡­ you can do that at least right? cleaning? surely fucking kids can clean nowadays¡­¡± I nod hurriedly, if in acceptance of just to please this person who seemingly won''t tear me apart for what I did, what the hunger made me do. He nods back before continuing, ¡°Alright¡­ that settles it¡­ I had to clean up your mess but the gym will be open again in a few hours¡­ so get some rest¡­ When it opens I''ll get one of the guys to grab you some food.¡± He sighs and closes the door behind him as he walks out, muttering in disbelief at what he was doing. The mention of food brings me some joy, the need of it all, the building needs that I crave constantly. So much more than when I was a child, that my body screams at me for. Pushing me harder and harder. The street has been a daze, so little safety. I smell the mustiness of the room and feel that at least¡­ it''s not that sterile smell filled with traces of blood that I got so used to. I wrap myself the best I can with my clothing, and drift back to sleep for the precious hours I can get, conserve and keep my energy for as long as I can. The man''s whispers filter through as my chest beats deep and my brain hums, forever drifting through the void speckled with red. ¡­ ¡°Alright you gym junkies! We¡¯ve got a helper with us today, help him learn how a real gym works!¡° I falter under their gazes of curiosity, the group of tattooed, bulky men in tight fighting elastic clothing, great big beards and too much hair sticking out everywhere. I look down at the floor but try looking up every so often, trying to be polite as I can before the anxiety strikes again. ¡±Fuck, Kid whats your name again?¡° This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. I feel a panic run through my system. A name¡­ my name¡­ I-I have nothing tying me to my name anymore, my old name¡­ Everyone from my past is dead, anyone who knew my name was dead. A name¡­ I look up and try my best to speak, stuttering as I do. ¡°J-just call m-me Kid¡­¡± The man who gave me a place to stay nods and then looks back at the group, they all seem to nod along in some kind of understanding. ¡°Alright ye herd em, Named Kid! I¡¯m Jesse, Kid. These brutes in front of you may not look like much, but you need help, you ask em! We do lunch runs at 11, Ye can go with Dan for that one. Then after will get you to clean up the kitchen, help put away any gear that ye can, don¡¯t want any bells or whatnot on the floor. That¡¯s a damn tripping hazard. We can teach you how to spot which would save up a lot of time for everyone having to spot each other. Maybe get some muscle on you at the same time. Then! at night I''ll get you to wipe down the equipment, any oiling etcetera!¡± I nod along to everything mentioned, trying my best to note it all down mentally. ¡­ The days seem to pass quickly, the gym becoming my home, a place of rest and peace. A place to eat and sleep that¡¯s not out on the street. Jesse becoming like a father figure to me. Everyday I work at the gym, I seem to have a knack for working out, each day my strength growing. Being treated like everyone''s little sibling, I feel bad for Jesse, my hunger feeling limitless, eating as much as I can. I try my best to hold everything in, the hunger, my feelings, even my words. Speaking little and revealing even less. I can''t leave this home, I can''t. Everyday feeling more and more special to me, have I finally made a place for myself? Sitting in the gym one night, talking to Jesse. What feels like a normal night, what should have been a normal night. He¡¯s been looking more tired than usual lately. Is it my fault¡­ should I eat less¡­ but If I do¡­ I¡¯m afraid of the hunger. ¡°Hey kid¡­ have you seen those ahh blue crystals?¡± I flinch at the mention of it, looking away from him and into the darkness of the gym, only the light above us on. I shrug and try to look like I don¡¯t know the best I can. He chuckles at my reaction. ¡°Mnn yeah I get it¡­ they ruined many peoples¡¯ homes¡­ I mean not just the pain it brought, but the after effects too¡­¡± I can hear the clinking in his pocket as he moves his hand inside it. Such a familiar sound, one that I could never forget. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that you can sell even a small bit for a heap of money¡­ thousands¡­ I know a guy, but I don¡¯t think that¡¯s enough.¡± He looks at me with concern, worry. I feel¡­ blessed, and cursed that he would talk to me about this, that he would admit to having such a thing worth something, considering I tried to steal from him¡­ that he would trust me. I nod in response, trying not to panic and give myself away. He continues with a sigh, ¡°If only there was a way to make more of it¡­ the uhh gym, is in a lot of debt.¡± He looks like he just ate something foul along with his words. ¡°I don¡¯t know how much longer I''m going to be able to afford this place¡­ but it''s such an important place for the guys here, it¡¯s their home too.¡± I start breathing in harder and panicking more, feeling like he was building to something, something bad. He pauses for a few minutes before grabbing a beer out of the fridge and sitting back down, trying to put the words together like a puzzle, the puzzle being me. ¡°I heard you talking in your sleep. Thought I¡¯d check in on you¡­ you were saying so many things that didn¡¯t make sense. But¡­ one of the things you did say¡­¡± I feel my heart giving out as he looks up at me, trying to clarify his own words to be true through my actions. ¡°Was that blood made the crystals grow¡­ fresh blood.¡± I pull myself up in fear. No no no please don¡¯t take this place away from me, I¡¯m doing good I¡¯m making a home for myself! Grabbing Jesse''s arm I plead for him, ¡°Please Jesse please don¡¯t don¡¯t it''s bad the crystal is bad, it''s bad please¡­ please¡­ it''s bad¡­¡± I fall to my knees in front of him, the tears flowing freely as I beg again and again hoping the words will reach him. Jesse stands up, pulling me off him in desperation for me to stop, anger in his voice¡­ this time, is it at me? ¡°Stop! Stop¡­ alright kid I¡¯m sorry¡­ just forget it alright¡­¡± He sighs and goes into the kitchen, his voice coming off the walls and back into the gym, the sound of the fridge opening, the clinking of beer as I sit limp on the floor. ¡°You¡¯ve got to understand kid¡­ adults have a lot more to think on than just the next meal¡­ we have to find meals for others as well¡­ you included¡­¡± His hand slaps into my shoulder, slightly harder than usual, but no less friendly. The lights to the gym go off as he leaves, locking the door behind him, words fluttering through but unable to enter my brain as I sit there in the dark. This is where I deserve to be. Please. 9 Years Ago Part 2 9 Years Ago Part 2 ¡°Hey Kid, what did you wanna have from the store today?¡­ Kid?¡± I jolt upwards, eyes wide from Dan¡¯s words as they penetrate my brain stem in surprise. I open my mouth and then close it, like a dying fish out of water, then realising what he asked me, shaking my head in denial of need. I don¡¯t need it, I don¡¯t. Dan frowns at me before sighing, moving around the gym to the people that survive here, that because of me are at risk. This is the least I can do. I hold my stomach, feeling the familiar gnawing itch, the painful anger that seems to lash out from inside me. I hasten around the Gym, moving equipment around, cleaning seats, the walls, the kitchen. Constantly moving, constantly working, I need to keep this space, this is a safe space¡­ I don¡¯t like the streets, It¡¯s too easy to be a monster out there. My stomach gurgles in pain. In recognition of my thoughts. Jesse walks through the door, just in time to catch Dan on the way out, his eyes have sunken slightly into his skull, his beard is spotted as if distracted while shaving. He''s so tired¡­ trying to find money to keep this place running ¡­ I need to try harder, I need to push more¡­ is there some way I can help¡­ I sigh and think of that night. A week prior, trying to banish the bad thoughts from my mind, the clinking of those¡­ things. He would have thrown them away, he must be working elsewhere, without sleep. Full of anxiety, like my own. In pain for not being able to do anything¡­ Yes, I know that pain so well¡­ Jesse is a good man, no one who would take me in could be a bad person. I stand Idle at the ring, taking in the movements of Bruno and Tas, the professional boxers of the gym¡­ at least they used to be. There doesn¡¯t seem to be much use for it anymore. Their belts were hung up on the walls, cleaned everyday with my own hands. They shine in the light, full of false pride. ¡°Hey Kid, you want next round?¡± Tas''s voice, deep and haunting like a horror radio host¡¯s, reaches me at the side of the ring. Bruno¡¯s follows with eagerness. ¡°Yes! Let''s get the Kid some wind in his sails! I¡¯ve seen you pick up those machines with ease, you¡¯ve already got the muscle. Just need the sting! the bang! the gu-gu-gunnnss!¡± Bruno, with every intoned word jacks his muscles up in the air in excitement. Tas sighs and pulls up one of the ropes, putting his hand through, stretched out to my own. I hesitate, looking to Jesse in recognition, he then huffs before turning around, leaving with a tired gait. I feel a muscled hand grip mine tight and pull me up, stumbling through the open ropes, then press against me as I slide my best through. A forceful pull and I¡¯m in. In the arena that I''ve been watching while I work, seeing how the strong beat the strong. How all it takes is one punch and the human form can crumble like a rag doll. Gloves are pushed into my chest as I stagger backwards slightly in surprise. ¡°Go easy on the kid would you¡± I hear from the kitchen, Jesse poking his exhausted face out from the kitchen, hand in pocket seeming to fidget around for something before going back inside. I feel a hand on my shoulder, ¡°You heard the boss, gotta go easy on em, show em the ropes, with that kinda innate strength we gotta make this kid a¡­ Champioonnn~¡± Bruno ending the sentence in a sing-song voice as he raises one of my arms. I quickly pull it down in embarrassment, earning a grin for my efforts. I pull the gloves around my hands, they feel big and bulky, top heavy, like I''m holding a squishy mallet with an anchor on the end. I try to jab a few times, after each on Tas and Bruno start moving my body around, discomfort growing as they touch my sides, feet and shoulders. I push it all down knowing that they are just instructing. I don¡¯t like people touching me, fingers feeling like scalpels on my skin. Hands feeling like saws as I''m cut open, piece by piece. I follow along with their movements. Gait wider. Shoulders down. Legs more apart. No, not that far apart. A machine for the movement of others I slowly follow along. Construction of a human as I move along the axis, where they want me to move. Earned smiles of recognition of efforts. I throw a punch and they guide my blows, slowly, assuredly. ¡°You know¡­ I think this kid¡¯s got it¡­ damn.¡± Pride wells up in my stomach as does the hunger. I must get stronger. Maybe this is the right way to be stronger. Not through the way the voice tells me to. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°You might be right hah. Alright, time for a real match kid!¡± Tas taps me in the center of the chest, then moves back to the other side of the arena. Bruno gets in behind me, arms around mine, pulling up my gloves to my face. ¡°Alright kid this is it, you keep your stance, remember, move with rhythm, always have vision, never let your opponent disappear. Once you can¡¯t see their actions you lose. Protect your face. Don¡¯t want that pretty thing to start looking like me and Tas here!¡± Tas yells over from the other side of the arena, ¡°Hey I heard that! I¡¯m plenty pretty!¡± Bruno laughs back, shaking his head. He moves into the middle between us. I feel the adrenaline pumping through my ears, feel my veins contracting, my heart beating to the sound of a thousand drums. Bruno pulls his hand up, then down. His words, drowned out by my internal screaming. Tas moves quickly, more than I thought watching below, he isn''t small by any means, having a foot of height on me and easily a hundred kilos. His feet sweep left and right towards me, his actions purposeful, he is showing me exactly how he is stepping without any fancy footwork. I can see the muscles from his thighs contract with every movement. I mimic it as I move forwards, I need to keep moving forwards. This is a path for me to survive. Within range he seems to stop, the sound of his fist contracting, the bones creaking against each other loud in my ears, the internal screaming becoming that of eerie silence. He lunges forwards, aiming directly at my head, I throw myself to the side as it narrowly misses, my gloves barely deflecting the blow as it travels past me, I wince as the wind travels past my ear, a sharp melody of power. Power that I crave so badly. ¡°Nice dodge kid!¡± He seems to say gleefully, it just feels like mocking deep inside. Jumping on the balls of his feet he seems to tell me that he¡¯s coming. This time it feels faster, with intent to harm. It sails towards my face as I bring my hands up to block. Gripping the gloves from the inside tightly, bracing my head against the blow. The punch never comes. Endless pain erupts from my stomach, my legs giving way as I fall to the ground, I gag and feel only bile come up as I gasp for air. Panicked voices come around me as I pass out. Out of breath and out of mind. ¡­ ¡°Hey you awake kido?!¡± Jesse¡¯s voice. He sounds¡­ tired, angry, annoyed? Oh no¡­ the match, I passed out¡­ fuck they are going to be so disappointed in me¡­ I¡¯m useless. ¡°You really did a number on Tas, are you on any drugs or anything?¡± I open my eyes, back in the storage room, it¡¯s dark, moonlight streaming in from the small opening that could be called a window. He looks down at me, tired, so tired. I look up In confusion, moving my head to the left then right in denial, my neck feels sore. He sighs before getting up. I try to speak but feel¡­ blood in my mouth? my whole body slowly recognises the feeling of being on fire, like all my muscles have been working overtime for days on end. Unable to move I just lay there in the dark as the disappointment that is Jesse leaves, muttering to himself as he goes. What is happening to me¡­ Tas destroyed me, knocked me out in one punch. What does he mean on drugs? Did I do something to Tas after I went unconscious. D-do I need to apologize to Tas, would he hate me?! I remember looking into his eyes when he hit me, it wasn¡¯t in anger, he looked panicked as I fell over, he looked like he thought he fucked up. Shit¡­ ¡­ I wake up before everyone else gets in, cleaning and trying to make the place spotless. There''s blood in the arena, dried overnight. Did I do that? I must have bled some from that hit¡­ but¡­ it covers the mat, bits and pieces all over it, parts of it stepped on and slid around. I check my feet and see that the bottom is coated in dried blood. Groaning all I can think about is having a shower, looking back and forth from it and to the Arena. I really should clean it up¡­ but then I will miss my chance to use the showers alone. Fuck. I get on my knees and start scrubbing, and scrubbing, and scrubbing. What feels like hours trying to get it all off, every piece of dried blood, not wanting the revelation of the day before to be left in this safe place. I jolt in alarm at the voice next to me, being fully absorbed in cleaning. ¡°Covering up your crimes will not do you any good Kid!¡± I throw myself away from them, falling awkwardly on the mat, looking back up I see a laughing bruno, his stance wide. He tries to look at me with confidence, but I can see a twinge of fear as he looks in my eyes. I try to speak, the words failing to find purchase on my tongue. Bruno steps out and heads to the changing room. Missed my chance to ask about Tas and have a shower. I move to the kitchen, no Jesse in sight. I pull up my feet and wash them in the sink, desperately hoping no one sees. Cleaning them off with paper towels and feeling much better for it. The blood washed off me like nothing was wrong. The blood off the Arena like I never did anything. I never did anything, I didn¡¯t hurt Tas. That couldn¡¯t have been me. I would never hurt anyone¡­ right? The blood tells a different story, one that I don¡¯t want to believe. Chapter 15 - Food for thought. Chapter 15 I sit down and catch myself a little bit, trying to stop the thinking, I run through the endless notifications that I had been ignoring. Finding more and more surprising things as I go. < Warning user low health > < User taking Burning Damage > < Burning Plaything returned to the flame > < Exp Shared with Party > < Burning Plaything returned to the flame > < Exp Shared with Party > < Burning Plaything returned to the flame > < Exp Shared with Party > { 11050/10000 Max Exp Gained } { Level 15 Achieved } [ Level Up ] { Please assign your 5 additional status points } { 1050/11000 until next level } { Health, mana and stamina replenished } Damn¡­ I have enough points to use my ability crystal¡­ growth¡­ what will that mean though¡­ I take one last look at the item. < Ability Crystal - Growth > Grants Growth Ability Restriction: 20 base Constitution Restriction: 20 base Wisdom ¡®Crushing this crystal will grant you the Ability inside. Cannot be used until restrictions are met¡¯ Zel thinks I should use it, it can''t be that bad for me¡­ right? I put 2 points into constitution and the rest into strength, trying to balance my physical abilities a bit more, knowing that my dexterity is lacking¡­ maybe next time! I feel my entire body bulk up a little bit more, become more firm, ridgid, I punch out and feel the air crack like a whip as they stop. This is what it should feel like to be a martial artist! Status Interface Name: LilMoo Level: 15 Race: Minotaur Gender: Female, She/Her Max Health: 300 Max Mana: 237 Max Stamina: 332 Points remaining: 0 Strength: 19 (23) Dexterity: 6 (14) Constitution: 20(25) Intelligence: 10 (13) Wisdom: 20 (25) Charisma: 1 (4) Luck: 50 (53) I hear a gasp from Zel and tiny claps of excitement from Keeks, the Ability item on the ground, anticipation for what''s to come. Both excited that I get something new in my repertoire of messed up body changes. I brace myself and crush it in my hand, using the item that so long ago dropped from a monster that was not born as one. One that was molded to be what she was over so many terrifying torturous years. < Used Ability Crystal - Growth > < Ability Crystal - Growth has evolved due to compatible Abilities > < Ability Crystal - Growth has evolved due to Luck > < Ability Crystal - Growth has changed to Ability Crystal - The Enduring Hunger of Tartarus - (Unique) > Updating information on Ability Crystal < Ability Crystal - The Enduring Hunger of Tartarus - (Unique) > Grants The following Abilities: Release the Titan (Adaptive) (Active) Graveyard of the gods (Active) Will of the Devourer (Active) Restriction: 20 base Constitution Restriction: 20 base Wisdom ¡®Crushing this crystal will grant you the Ability inside. Cannot be used until restrictions are met¡¯ ¡°It was prophesied that the Titan¡¯s of Tartarus could not be held forever, but when that day came¡­ it was not the Titans that emerged. Something down there changed them. It was laughable, thinking that we could fight such beings¡­ we never stood a chance¡± - Tisiphone, Last of the furies, gatekeeper of tartarus. < User has gained Ability ¡®Graveyard of the gods (Active)¡¯ > < User has gained Ability ¡®Will of the Devourer (Active)¡¯ > I could only stare in shock at my notifications throwing up word after word from just using one ability crystal. I quickly showed my notifications to the girls, Zel¡¯s eyes going wide, Keeks eyes showing glee and apparently coming up with some¡­ different ideas. ¡°Unique Crystal? But it never said anything about that in the title of the item wan?!¡± She looks at me quizzically and all I can do is shrug. ¡°I must have hit lots of requirements for it to upgrade.. Bone Control, That scientist¡¯s notes on bodies, and then my high luck changing it again¡­ I would love to know what it was going to be without my high luck. It feels like its just event after event leading me to getting these fucked up items and abilities moo¡­¡± Zel nods her head slowly in agreement. ¡°With that high luck and the ability to double luck events, all of the things we have done together are a storyline of quests and small coincidences happening. So many interesting things just by being with you love¡­ you might have had a harsh start but I feel like the game is paying you back ten-fold with it all wan!¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. In Zel¡¯s excitement I can only recoil a little bit. ¡°Everything I have been through in this game¡­ has been horrifying¡­ yes it''s been fun and I¡¯ve been with you and Keeks. But it has only opened old wounds and made me feel reluctant to keep going, like it¡¯s targeting me to see the worst of this world moo!¡± I do my best to hold back the tears that I always keep bottled up, the voice in the back of my mind screaming at me that this is a weakness. How can I protect them all with such weakness inside of me, something that I should tear out of my fucking skull! ¡°Sshhh¡­ it''s okay¡­ I know it''s been weird¡­ it hasn''t been all bad¡­ it has let you open up¡­ and we have Keeks with us now wan¡­¡± I feel a hand on my shoulder and a heavy weight on my legs. Looking down I see Keeks looking up at me, worry on her face as she snuggles into me. Yeah, it hasn''t been all bad¡­ Maybe this has all been worth it. I¡¯m doing my best¡­ my condition in my real body hasn''t been acting up thanks to Felicity and the medical device. I¡¯m opening up and have found the love of my life in my arms again every night, little Keeks has become such a fixture in such little time. Everything is looking up¡­ even with my weaknesses. ¡°I¡¯m sor-¡± A hand goes to my lips from my side. I pause and breath out, kiss it and then bring her down to me while pulling Keeks up into a hug. Yeah¡­ everything is going to be okay¡­ as long as they are by my side¡­ as long¡­ as they are by my side¡­ Please don¡¯t leave me¡­ I pick them both up from the ground with me, ready to face this fucking fairy on. Quickly running down through the abilities as we walk back out to the crossroads and then to the blue bitch¡¯s house. < ¡®Release the Titan¡¯ > < 1st Stage > For one minute the user will double in size, doubling strength, When ability ends the user will perish. < 2nd Stage > For 30 seconds the user will triple in size, Tripleing strength, When ability ends the user will perish. < 3rd Stage > For 10 Seconds the user will quadruple in size, Quadrupling strength, When Ability ends, the user will perish. ¡®The Titan¡¯s Mindlessly threw themselves against the gates of Tartarus, Boom, Boom, Boom, The gods were waiting on the other side. But they never expected the screams that would come from them. As the walls fell, the Gods could only look through in horror at what had become of what they once knew. The slaughter began. And as quickly as it started, it ended. The howls of the once Titans reverberated over our planet. No longer were they beings in form, much less alive. Their skin ripped off, their bodies enlarged and changed in every way possible. The sounds though, why do they sound so happy while their bodies deform and tear open in front of my eyes?!¡¯ - Written in stone at the gates of Tartarus, writer unknown. What the fuck is this giant ass description!? And why I gotta die?! Fuck¡­ okay, surely the next one will be better! < Graveyard of the gods (Active) > Sinking into the ground, The graveyard of the gods appears around the user, bones from the graveyard pierce the user''s body, forming a cocoon around the user. > After 5 seconds of incapacitation it forms a shell of bone around the user that acts as a new body. Changes all resistances to 30 except for blunt, which is 10. Able to use ¡®Bone control¡¯ Ability with ¡®Graveyard of the gods¡¯ Ability. If the user passes out from the pain, instead the user will enter a rage and attack the closest living creature. The user can use the Reverse ability to stop being in said form, and will take 5 seconds of incapacitation to revert. 200 Mana and 200 Stamina cost. ¡®The bones piled high and then sunk into the ground from the weight and liquids spilled. Those that faced the gates of Tartarus would forever lie here, a graveyard of gods and mortals alike. Mixed together and now impossible to discern from each other. All differences erased upon death.¡¯ - Unknown author. S-so it''s an expectation to pass out from the pain?! I''m pretty used to pain now¡­ it costs a lot of stamina and mana though, seems like something I might have to start combat off with rather than use it as a surprise, especially since it will take 5 seconds of not moving to ¡®transform¡¯... at least I don''t die after I use it! I''m sure it will feel like it though. Okay onto the last one¡­ < ¡®Will of the Devourer (Active)¡¯ > User will be able to eat any creature below 20% health, instantly gaining body mass and enlarging physical form to eat larger creatures, growth equals the entire mass of the creature > Mouth will be able to open wider, able to consume anything that enters it. User gains ¡®insatiable¡¯ debuff User stops being able to heal and regain stamina User will regain Health, stamina and mana equal to the remaining health of the creature Able to recognise when a creature is below 20% health ¡®They ripped and tore through anything and everything, all in an effort to appease their growing hunger. It only stopped when they were the last left. And then they turned on each other.¡¯ - The last record of the one that stayed, sent through before the threshold closed. < Insatiable > The creature with this debuff will become incensed with the need to eat, as if the creature has not eaten in days, eating will reduce the pain from not having eaten. Haha¡­ hah¡­ yeah I¡¯m never going to use that. Fucking hell. Why did I get all super fucked up abilities?! This was supposed to be awesome and change so much¡­ The walk is eventful at least, with the abilities to ruminate on, once or twice Keeks ¡®accidentally¡¯ calling me the Duchess, making me squirm as I think about becoming what she once was. Just something that will eat everyone and everything she could, growing larger and larger¡­ Although she wasn''t fully complete, I hope I would never have to use it. We arrive at what could only be the blue fairy¡¯s house¡­ something from a fairytale, this is sure a nightmare to behold. Chapter 16 - Candy and castles. Chapter 16 Zelia Pov A castle like something from a romanticized Arthurian fairytale, rising from what could only be a swamp¡­ or maybe a bog¡­ the definitions were always so similar. Swamps were considered to be forested, this was something much more decayed and dying. A simple path leading through the muddy waters, bubbles rising to the surface like the last screams of a drowning creature. From a path we strayed after giving that poor child Anna to the system, back to where we came from. Depositing her into a dark hole of red crystalised blood. I nearly asked Lilia to take her back with us, that it would be better for her to be by our side¡­ but seeing her in so much pain, even if she was supposed to be just a character¡­ It brought such feelings of motherhood to me that I only really have felt over Lilia and Kiera, something I would never tell them. I¡¯m not the one that was deemed fit for motherhood¡­ I look over at Lilia, my brain going from strange places to one of longing. Damn I wish I had that body in my arms right now. No, nooo serious mode here. Phew¡­ calm down Zelia you dumb lesbian now''s not the time! Keeks looks at us both, surprise in her eyes ¡°Uhh do you think this is where that psycho blue bitch lives nye?!¡± I mean it''s kind of surprising I guess, I mean did her playthings build this? Lilia coughs and shrugs in confusion, ¡°M-maybe she just really likes pink moo?¡± I close my eyes for a second and then open them, looking at Lilia in disbelief. Keeks seems to follow suit as Lilia stares at us both back, back and forth before finally opening her mouth, ¡°Uhh d-did I say something wrong moo?¡± Her anxiety ridden face causing me to instantly try and dispel her doubts. Keeks beating me to the punchline. Her hands out in confusion she slaps Lilia on the belly, throwing her hands wildly at the castle ¡°It¡¯s not fucking pink! It¡¯s a fucking blue rock with a door nye!¡± I¡­ wait what?! I put my hands on Keeks¡¯ shoulder and Lilia''s side and hold them both, ¡°I see an old Arthurian castle, like something from england¡­ in a sw-bog! Like with a big ass pass going through it, like a huge castle, i-is this part of the dungeon that it¡¯s messing with our perception wan?¡± Lilia takes hold of my hand and I feel her warmth, bringing a tingling feeling through all my moth¡¯s, a sensation overwhelms me as I feel the urge to scatter, wanting to cover her with myself. ¡°I see¡­ a pink house¡­ made of candy and chocolate¡­ l-like something from a fairytale moo..¡± She looks away shyly, a small blush on her face. An idea manifests itself and I try to puzzle it together. ¡°Keeks¡­ if you were to think of what the blue fairy¡¯s home would be¡­ would this be it wan?¡± She stops to think for a moment, her foot tapping the ground, puts her hands wide and confirms my thoughts. ¡°Yeah I guess, so dumb blue bitch dumb blue rock for a house nyhehe!¡± I nod and state my conclusions. ¡°So her dwelling ¡®changes¡¯ our perception to what we were expecting it to look like¡­¡± Ugh there must be more to this¡­ something I¡¯m missing¡­ ¡°Lilia, are you able to point to where the door to her house is? Keeks, can you do the same wan?¡± Keeks seems to point directly to the center to where my castle door is, but the giant castle door was never a normal entrance, the real entrance is to the side. Lil seems to directly point at my normal door. This must be it¡­ I clear my throat and ask again to make sure what I¡¯m thinking matches up. ¡°Alright¡­ where does your path start wan¡­¡± Keeks points to the right of where we are standing and Lilia to the left¡­ mine also being on the right where Keeks pointed. ¡°Okay¡­ so it¡¯s a puzzle wan!¡± I look at them both with such happiness that they can only smile back. Then look at each other in confusion. Uhh right, right. ¡°2 of us see the same path and the same entrance, but it¡¯s all jumbled up, so we need to follow the path that both of us are seeing, which is Keeks and I and then go through the door that Lil and I both see! The other way must be a trap or something wan!¡± Finally something in this dungeon that I can actually help with that isn''t just combat! Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. I check my status information one last time to make sure I''m ready to proceed, the possibility that combat will be happening once we enter is all too possible. I had already distributed my points before, although I haven''t had anything as ¡®fun¡¯ as Lil, I¡¯ve been practicing with my scatter ability since we entered, considering how much mana and regeneration I have, it doesn''t affect my mana pools enough to matter so splitting off parts of myself and trying to form symbols in secret has been too much fun. Status Interface Name: ZelAwoo Level: 14 Race: Lupine Gender: Female, She/Her Max Health: 45 Max Mana: 155 Max Stamina: 54 Points remaining: 0 Strength: 10 (9) Dexterity: 10 (9) Constitution: 10 (9) Wisdom: 50 (70) Intelligence: 29 (51) Charisma: 10 (12) Luck: 2 (6) Health - 185 Mana - 526 Stamina - 165 The splitting headache that is starting to arise is getting worse¡­ but I want to get better at it¡­ be useful to my beautiful companions¡­ I feel a hefty arm reach around my shoulder from the side and grasp onto me, pulling me gently into her, I melt into her embrace. ¡°Hey love, you ready moo?¡± I nod and inhale, making sure to get my dose of her smell, different from real life but still comforting and womanly nonetheless. ¡°Yeah¡­ ready, should be a cakewalk at least wan!¡± ¡­ ¡°Pick me up pick me up I dun wanna fall nyyooo!!!¡± I try my best to pick up the screaming Keeks, barely grabbing onto her as she had fallen through the ground ahead of us, she was only a foot ahead though, and we both had the same path didn''t we!? Lil grabs me from behind and pulls, taking all of us down onto the ground. ¡°Y-you said we were on the right paatthhh nye!¡± Keeks tearfully looks at me betrayed. I- don''t get it, I thought I was right¡­ unless there''s something else too that I¡¯m missing, I ask her just in case. ¡°Isn''t this where your path goes wan?!¡± She looks at me with big eyes and then shakes her head. ¡°N-nyoo¡­ mine goes off to the side nye¡­¡± She puts to the left where my path diverges to the right. B-but we are supposed to have the same path¡­ Lil interjects, interrupting my train of thought, ¡°my path is over there on the right now moo¡­¡± oh¡­ OH! I groan and hold my head in shame. Of course there¡¯s three of us, so the path could cross all of us since its viering so wildly¡­ that explains why the path is so long as well¡­ lots of time to change what is real and what is¡­ apparently a gaping hole into nothingness under the swamp uhh bog¡­ whatever. Keeks kept following her path thinking it was the right path but she went left instead¡­ thankfully we were so close together otherwise we would have lost her¡­ I hold Keeks close to my chest, wishing I had more there to comfort her with. ¡°I''m sorry cutie¡­ we need to keep checking with each other as we go to make sure at least two of us are always going the right way wan¡­¡± I revise my plan and go over it with the girls. ¡°We all hold out our weapon and point it to where the path is going, we take it very slow¡­ if the path moves lots, then move your hands lots so we can all see it change¡­ hopefully we have no more cuties falling into holes wan!¡± Keeks sniffs and pouts a little then starts muttering something about heights and why did it have to be her. Lilia grins and brings up a better idea, bringing a big smile to keeks face. ¡­ ¡°Forwards nye!¡± ¡°Forwards wan!¡± ¡°Forewards Moo!¡±, Right Nye!¡± Left wan! Left Moo!¡± ¡°Guide us oh great mooship nye!¡± Lilia has picked me up in her arms, Keeks riding on her horns and we have given up all sensibilities. Keeks having been revitalized by the prospect of being a pirate captain on the great mooship once again. Every few seconds as we slowly meandered along we would call out the direction, all while holding our hands out, then we would course correct as we went. It was slow work¡­ but it made all of us smile, something that was hard to do in this place. We finally made it to the end with a sigh of relief, then a squeak of discontent as Keeks was taken off Lilia¡¯s shoulders. I would love to try and ride her shoulders one day¡­ but I could only feel embarrassment¡­ I¡¯m so much larger than Keeks¡­ and surely heavier¡­ m-maybe Lilia will use her release the titan¡¯s form and become bigger for me so that I can ride her¡­ hehe¡­ Ahead of us lies the castle/candy house/giant blue fucking rock. A place where the Blue fairy lay waiting for us¡­ surely knowing we were here now after our clown like display. Ahhh¡­ I just want to go home and snuggle Lilia. I check my terminal for the time back home and see that only a few hours had passed, despite what seemed like nearly a day in here¡­ some kind of time dilation¡­ that''s one way to make it feel more real. I guess we should get on with it. Chapter 17 - Blue da ba di. Please read the note at the top Chapter 17 Zelia Pov Before entering the castle I check again that Lil has the same door as me, she not only points it out, but knowing how anxious I am about the whole thing also shows me exactly how tall and wide the door is¡­ yes, exactly the same, this can¡¯t be another trap can it? That would just be rude! I breathe deep and look pleadingly to Lilia, she smiles and steps in front of us both, my knight in shining uhh bone armor. She looks back at us one last time, those eyes full of warmth and need to keep us safe ¡°Ready moo?¡± Keeks and I hold hands, her small furry paws eclipsed by my own, we respond in kind. ¡°Ready wan!¡± ¡°Ready nye!¡± We all nod and Lil opens the door to the boss of this hellish dungeon, a creature that has haunted this place for hundreds of years, making a literal hell on earth for these people. Creating puppets out of the villagers to play with. Everyone just¡­ toys to them¡­ like a fucking child¡­ time to spank this monstrosity! Beyond the door is dark, surely they know we are here, with all the noise we made it''s impossible for them not to, and then through the void we hear it, making us all jump with fright. High pitched and haunting¡­ the cries of a child. ¡°Aaaaaa wwhhyyyy stupid stuuppiiddd nya!¡± we all look at each other distressed, expecting a big confrontation with a monster and in the distance, on a throne made out of blue crystal sits a being the size of a child. ¡°I just wanted to plaayyy!!! Why you take them away from me nya!¡± A girl, about Anna¡¯s age.. Looking awfully familiar, that same look on its face that I''d seen before. ¡°Ahh the statue¡­ is this the first saintess wan?¡± Her ears perk and her eyes dart over to us, seeming to gain some semblance of recognition. ¡°Haha¡­ the first¡­ and the last¡­ that fucking woman! D-do you know how hard it is to be unable to leave a place¡­ cursed with this fucking body! My own wife leaving me and never coming back because of that fucking barrier, not allowed to leave not allowed to die just keep going and going and ahahaha¡­ nya.¡± she utters the last word with resignation before starting up again, a wide smile coming to her face. ¡°But that¡¯s okay¡­ even if they are gone¡­ you can stay as well, we can rebuild the village. And I will never be alone, right nya?¡± She¡¯s talking to herself at this point, mutterings of a mad woman kept in isolation. ¡°Wait so THIS is the blue fairy nye?¡± NYA!! We all recoil as the ¡®blue fairy¡¯ screams out and jumps off her throne. ¡°Yes! Yes yes¡­ no? Yes! I am the blue fairy, the bluest of them all! LOOK HOW FUCKING BLUE I AM NYA!¡± Pulling her arms wide the room shakes, from her arms sprout wings of shimming translucent blue, her form reaching outwards as the room alights with that same gods damn dull color. Ugh please add some different colors to this village. I feel like I''m wearing tinted glasses at this point. The room seems to grow in size, the door behind us vanishing. A circular room with something implanted in the walls, wiggling and twitching. A response from Keeks giving me more fears than less. ¡°Ewww there''s like¡­ copies of her in the walls, tortured and stuff, no likey nye!¡± I try and look but I can''t seem to pierce the darkness, Lil beats me to the question. ¡°How can you see what they are moo?!¡± Keeks shrugs, all of us ignoring the boss at this point to have a conversation, not that we wouldn''t have to wait for the boss to set up the arena anyway, basic game rules. ¡°Pssh please, darksight was one of the first things I learnt, night sex is fucking hot nyehe!¡± yes yes¡­ of course. We nod, no comment needed. ¡°How did you eve-¡± BOOM Oh, I think she¡¯s done. In the middle of the room, a partially destroyed throne reveals a dark red crystal, looking more like an orb than anything else. The blue fairy is looming over it, then with multiple cracking noises her mouth stretches, enveloping the crystal, wrapping her mouth around it and somehow¡­ she swallows it whole. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°That¡¯s more than twice that bitches size nye!¡± I nod my head in agreement and look to Lil, her eyes seeming glazed over as she stares blankly at the scene. ¡°Lil you okay wan?¡± She looks down at me, unblinking, fear and worry on her face but barely reaching her eyes, like she just swallowed something unpleasant herself. She responds with an uncomfortable grunt of recognition of our conversation but not the question, then pauses, finally processing it but still with a blank look replies. ¡°Yeah¡­ we just have to kill her and it¡¯s all over right¡­ moo?¡± The ¡®blue fairy¡¯ is twitching and writhing, causing anxiety as I nod back at Lilia, my beloved, my cursed love. She''s going to do something stupid isn''t she? The writhing calms down after a few seconds, the ¡®blue fairy¡¯ gaining back some clarity as she turns to us, smiles. And then the walls move. Creaking of shackles and metal, snapping of ropes and bones. Keeks hesitates and grabs both our hands, giving us one clear instruction. ¡°Duck Nye!¡± She pulls us as we all fall into a heap on the floor, things flying past us at breakneck speeds, literally. The creatures that were also the ¡®blue fairy¡¯ speed towards her and collide in a burst of flesh, a crunching of bone as everything seems to snap in her body at once. 11 of these things collide with her, 12 fucking blue fairies!? No thanks! Feeling the perfect timing to do some damage, if it was even possible, hard to tell what''s an invulnerability stage in this damn game! < Scatter > I spread my arms as I feel the whole of my body become a little bit less whole, less corporeal, my entire being created of individual beings of infinitesimal sizes, shimmering and fluttering in sync with my heartbeat that was rapidly charging towards one goal. Symbol after symbol spreading as my favorite spell, having hit level 10 had been imprinted on my mind, now able to be cast without needing a spell book, just an implement. That being of my own body at this time. Each time a bundle of moths creating the symbol would align correctly they would glow a furious red and then start another. After what seemed like eternity, my entire focus on casting the most pumped up spell I can while on the floor of a illusory castle, my loves both surrounding me. ¡°Burn at the stake! You horrible blue bitch wan!¡± Hearing my words Keeks perks up and joins in, ¡°Yeah fuck you you blue bitch nyehehe!¡± The spell releases and that familiar woman, the queen of witches rises from the ground translucent, clad in pure white clothing, defiance on her face. Then as she hits the pinnacle on her stake, she screams. Exploding into flames as she perishes for all the other witches, a scream that brought so many witches into the light of Iselgurd, if you would believe the lore. The ¡®blue fairy¡¯ all this while, her clones, having collided with her, smooshed against each other, pushing inside one another, digging holes where there were none before, connecting¡­ and then a shining red light as they all liquify around the large red crystal now visible inside the main ¡®blue fairy¡¯ from all the gashes and holes made by the rest of herself. In one fell swoop the liquid rushes inside her, patching up all the wounds on her body, as the flames start, she wraps herself over and cradles herself as if to protect the crystal inside her. The fire seems to caress her, licking at each part of her body, sizzling and burning, turning her black and charcoal as we watch silently. Just three girls watching a screaming fire, the smell of meat wafting through the air. I hear the sound of Keeks licking her lips and as I turn to her she pauses. ¡°What?! I can''t help it¡­ I hungor for foob nye¡­¡± I sigh and turn to Lilia, wanting to be a little bit mean to the tiny rascal. A single blue tear is forming under her eye as she looks on towards the fire, her lips moving slowly as if trying to figure out how to form words. I touch her shoulder and she slowly turns to me. In shock I recoil slightly, catching myself but still horrified at what has happened to my love. A stream of blue is flowing from her other eye, half her face dyed that same color. She seems to finally form the words she has been building up to say. ¡°T¡­ tag¡­ I¡¯m it¡­ love¡­¡± She smiles weakly as her left eye breaks into a flood of blue liquid.