《Surviving as the Villainess&#x27;s Alchemist》


 Prologue: A good life, a bad death

    Tammy put her phone down and closed her eyes, she leaned against the back of the couch, her movements devoid of energy.

    Her head hurt and her chest felt like it was about to burst.

    For the past week, she had been receiving nothing but calls that told her the company she signed up for wasn''t looking for anyone new and that she''s better off finding work as an engineer elsewhere.

    She could freelance but her portfolio and resume are nowhere near enough to even make that a viable option for her, let alone be lucrative enough for her to live off of.

    She grabbed her jacket and stood up, well, whatever, she still had over a dozen more companies to wait the answer for, one of them should have an answer that she wanted to hear right?

    Tammy certainly hoped so, her savings were starting to run out and she still needed to pay her student loans, if she doesn''t get a job by next month, her situation would become quite bad...

    But enough about that! Panicking while waiting wouldn''t help things get better! She needed to cool off.

    There was this cafe, it was comfortable and the ambience wasn''t so bad, it was a block away from her apartment, just far enough that she didn''t need to waste gas driving there.

    Walking helped her calm down... Sometimes- most of the time it just makes her more irritated though.

    Tammy looked up, god, why couldn''t her world be as simple as Tainted Orchids?

    If this world was an otome game, she''s sure that she would fare better than she does now, what with the power of friendships and all that helping her out.

    Unless she was a villain, the power of friendship didn''t work for those guys, and what they had was probably something more sinister, like the power of sacrifice or something, where everything they do has a cost.

    Tammy thought about how stupid of a drawback that was for the non good aligned characters to have as the sides of her vision started to go dark.

    The world suddenly turned into a blur and before her mind could process what happened, she suddenly fell.

    Tammy couldn''t respond to the hazy words a concerned passerby asked her as they shook her back and forth.

    Whu?-

    What was going on?

    Everything went dark.

    ...

    Did she pass out from overworking herself again? This always happens, even back in college...

    She opened her eyes and saw that she wasn''t inside a hospital like she expected, it was in some kind of room.

    She turned away from the wooden ceiling and sat up, her bed felt smooth and soft- what''s that sweet smell?

    She looked around the room and frowned.

    This wasn''t the hospital room she expected to wake up in. It was more similar to her old room if anything.

    The place felt familiar too, somehow. But she couldn''t explain why that is.

    Something at the back of her head is telling her that it was familiar to her for all the wrong reasons but she couldn''t put a finger as to what or why.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    Regardless, this is not the hospital and this definitely wasn''t her apartment.

    Whoever owned this place must have been interested in plants, she wasn''t. Never has been really. Okay maybe for a brief period of her life but that was just a phase.

    Back to the room, the decor of the place definitely spoke of someone who loved nature; Leafy imagery, the silhouette of trees, and drawn vines were all over the walls.

    And these weren''t just designs that came with wallpapers either, they were personally hand drawn. Presumably by the owner themselves.

    Looking up, she saw that the ceiling, some parts of it at least, also got the same treatment but for some reason, the person doing it stopped at the corners.

    She raised a hand to try and touch the ceiling and found out that she couldn''t reach it, hm? Weird.

    She got out of bed and made her way to the mirror.

    With each step, the sense of familiarity she felt increased, and when she got to the mirror, she understood why.

    White hair, red eyes, and black nails that, with a flex of her fingers, elongated into claws.

    She now had a doll-like face and it didn''t look like the wisened alchemist she knew but she could still recognize who this was.

    Who she is- was-

    ... Wait, w-who was she before coming here? Why couldn''t she remember her own name? Why was the memory of her original face replaced by the one she was looking at in the mirror?

    What was going on-

    "Thariel?! Are you okay?!" A concerned voice came from the other side of the door. This must be... So she was still alive?

    "I am!" Thariel replied, hiding her internal panic.

    Did Damphirs even feel panic? Weren''t they half vampires? Undead don''t feel panic, those guys were immune to that type of debuff in the game-

    ... Wait, why was she so sure she''s in that game already?

    "I heard screaming, are you sure?" Another question, this time about something she didn''t even notice she did.

    "Yep!" Did she really scream just now? She must have, otherwise her- Thariel''s mother wouldn''t come to her like this, "don''t worry, it was just a nightmare!"

    Please go, she was getting really tired of screaming her lungs out like this, she didn''t want to confront anymore of what she''s currently dealing with, if that woman goes in here right now, she''s going to literally confess about everything. Including her game knowledge.

    "... If you say so, come down in a little bit okay? Food is ready,"

    "Thanks... mom, I''ll do that," Thariel found herself smiling despite everything.

    She focused on her hearing for the next few moments and when the footsteps from the other side of the door disappeared, she ran back to her bed and screamed at her pillow.

    The muffled sound attracted no one this time around and she was safe to wallow in her misery by squirming around her bed.

    Panting, she stopped and stared dazedly at the ceiling.

    She knew what this was- reincarnation, a popular trope, and one that she didn''t expect she herself would experience.

    She had reincarnated into the body of the original Thariel, her so called "main" back in Tainted Orchids, an otome game that, just like any other of its kind, was good to the protagonist but ruthless to the villains.

    And Thariel Venrose, someone with the title of "Crimson Alchemist", was part of the latter group, having acted as the apothecary of the main villainess during canon.

    If let be, Thariel would end up becoming one of the most deadliest war criminals this world has seen

    But as always, when it comes to playable characters, Thariel had a backstory, and one that she personally sympathized with while playing the game.

    No sane person would willingly use biological warfare and utilize plagues to win a war, and no rational mind poisons rivers and water supplies but Thariel wasn''t sane or rational.

    Not after what happened to this place.

    She was half vampire, and Thariel wasn''t ridiculed for it but that didn''t mean she was safe.

    Vampires were... Complicated, especially when it comes to who they choose to join their ranks as immortal superhumans.

    It was only natural that the Concubines of the vampire lord who fathered Thariel hated the progeny of their husband and as luck would have it, she just so happens to fall under that category.

    Thariel looked away from the window and gazed at the walls, there were no eyes on the drawing, which meant they haven''t announced themselves yet.

    They were still out there however, watching, waiting, and planning with malicious intent.

    She wasn''t sure when she is in the timeline itself but she''s played Tainted Orchids for long enough that she''d know immediately after she confirms Thariel''s current age.

    Thariel was the only character who has never left her party while playing Tainted Orchids, not even once. She always made sure to grab this girl at the start of the game and then continue to have Thariel in her party until the end of it.

    She''s tried multiple builds with this character, messed around with her original skill tree to the point that she''s grabbed random traits from unconnected branches.

    And what else... Oh, and she''s also skimmed through her entire wiki, talked to people about the character''s backgrounds, read devlogs and WOGs about Thariel and... uhm- bought pillows and...

    ... Well, it was safe to say that calling her original like for Thariel as an obsession would be an understatement.

    She had an entire shelf of figurines of the character, some are official, a lot are either commissioned or bought because they looked pretty cool even though they''re a rip off.

    She has a figurine of a rip off of this character as an elf.

    Had. Mostly. She''s probably not going to go back to her original world and retrieve those...

    She hoped her apartment burns down- wait, did she leave her computer unlocked?

    That was unimportant-

    She knew how Thariel''s life- her life would play out from here on out, thankfully, she became Thariel way before the character''s backstory kicked into gear which meant she had what? Years before canon starts?

    She should be able to prevent a lot of bad things from happening.

    She couldn''t influence the world on a wider scope but the Tenlor territory (also known as the lands under the Villainess''s family,) could easily be travelled.

    Before that though, she should probably go and see when she popped into the timeline so she went downstairs and faced her mother. With a smile. And without an ounce of guilt.

    Whatever happened to the original happened, and it''s not like she could have done something about it...

    "Mom, how old am I?" Thariel didn''t waste time and bluntly asked her mother.

    Small talk? What''s the point? It''ll be weird no matter what so she should just be blunt.

    "Hm? Weird question-" Clyra, Thariel''s mother, said with a smile, "- but you''re 13, why?"

    Ah, so 1 year before the start of the game. That was a lot less time than she expected but it wasn''t bad either. It was more than enough.

    With her knowledge, she could gather Lost Grade items and other important materials in a year.

    "Nothing, just thought I''d ask," Thariel just smiled.

    She sat down on one of the chairs and with her elbows resting against the table and her chin prepped up on her palm, turned to her mother and said, "can I go to the village?"

    As expected, her mother froze up.

    Well, then, time to convince her mother to let her out of this place.

 Chapter 1: Making plans,

    [An otherwise gorgeous face marred by age, luscious red hair that was starting to dry and crack, and lively green eyes.]

    This was the description of Clyra Venrose within a flashback that she admits she''s seen more times than what should be considered normal.

    It was the description used for Thariel''s mother, who used to be a concubine of a Vampire count before she was banished from the brood for one reason or another.

    Honestly, the lore didn''t speak much of Clyra besides the fact that she was the main motivation for why Thariel was as ruthless as she was when dealing with other vampires.

    The reason why Clyra looked old even though she is only pushing her mid 30s was because her life force was taken from her by the count himself. Why? The lore didn''t explain it.

    For some reason, Clyra also didn''t hate Thariel because of what happened, if anything, she loved her daughter even more.

    And as curious as she was about why that''s the case, that affection is problematic to her present plans.

    Originally, way before the woman sternly looking at her was murdered by the vampire women hiding in the forest, Thariel was going to be sheltered in this house ala-rapunzel by her mother.

    But since Clyra getting murdered wasn''t part of her plans, she decided to try and argue her way out of this place instead, really, what else can she do? Wait for Clyra to die? Escape and then what? Get hunted down like a dog?

    "Why not?" Thariel bit back, "I think I''m old enough to leave on my own,"

    "Is that why you asked me your age just now?" Clyra bit back, her tone full of skepticism.

    Thariel didn''t want to admit the actual reason behind that question and Clyra''s assumption was a good alibi as any so Thariel nodded, "yes,"

    Clyra only nodded her eyes in response.

    The Damphir cleared her throat, "and I also think that I look old enough that no one would bat an eye when they see me,"

    "Those are all bad arguments," Clyra clicked her tongue in dismissal, "sure, you''re 13, and physically, you look 16, but that''s because Damphirs age faster, you still think like a child, you just don''t look the part,"

    "You''re saying I''ll get tricked," Thariel jumped the gun.

    "I said no such thing," Clyra shook her head, "but let''s say I did, what if you do get tricked, what then?"

    "Well, you know what they say, experience is the best teacher," Thariel bit back, "I''ll be fine, just let me go out there and-"

    "No," Clyra denied again, "that''s my decision, you''re not getting out of here until I say you''re getting out of here,"

    Which was never going to happen unless Clyra herself dies, which will happen, eventually, but Thariel wasn''t going to let this woman die just so she could leave this place! It weighs too much on her conscience damn it!

    Thariel kept her silence and stared at the table, she could sneak out of this place, it wasn''t a bad idea, but then she''d have to do it at night, which is the perfect time for the hags hiding in the forest to kill her.

    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    Her only other option was to run away while her mother was watching which was impossible.

    The woman before her may not look like it, but Clyra is capable of using magic, and she''s proficient at it too.

    She''s also a good combatant, enough that in one of the flashbacks, Clyra killed 3 of the 5 Vampires that attacked their home before going down herself.

    And if she can do that, then she sure as hell can restrain Thariel if she does something as stupid as blatantly run away. Night or not.

    "Prepare me then," Thariel had no choice, if she was getting out of here without risking her life, then she needed to do it with the permission of her mother.

    "I''ll think about it," was the answer which... Was good enough for now.

    It wasn''t like Thariel wasn''t planning on getting stronger on her own, she also wanted to give herself a week to prepare before she leaves for the nearby village. Assuming Clyra agreed to it in the first place.

    Hopefully a week is enough time for the woman to consider Thariel''s request and agree to it.

    "Fine, but you really should," Thariel relented, but at the same time, she also gave incentive, "I have a feeling that something in that forest is watching us,"

    Clyra''s eyes narrowed, hah! It worked! "again, I''ll consider it, and you''re a Damphir, your senses are sharper than an animal''s, if you feel like something is watching, then maybe there is,"

    Thariel huffed, what did the redhead even mean by that?

    Also, Thariel doubted that the vampires were actually a threat without their element of surprise, Clyra could go out there right now and kill them while it''s still day, it wouldn''t even take her any effort to do so.

    Then again, Vampires, especially counts, were known to be protective of their "brood" so that may be why Clyra was so keen on taking caution against the five hags.

    "Right," Thariel nodded, she reached out and pulled the plate of food Clyra placed in front of her, she ate her breakfast in silence.

    If she remembers correctly, Thariel, the original, should have a shed around here where she taught herself how to be an alchemist, apothecary, and also a bit of magic.

    She wasn''t sure if the shed was ever mentioned in canon- however briefly, - or if this was just a fan theory she read on some forum that she turned into head canon though.

    After breakfast, Thariel went out back to check and...

    She was right, it was canon, the shed in front of her was exactly as she remembered Thariel describe it as; well maintained, ominous looking, and imposing in size.

    She got close to the structure and gave it a good look.

    Overgrown vines crawled all over its mossy walls, the wood that made up the structure looked rotten, it was a miracle that it even lasted till this day.

    But that was just how it looked on the outside, internally, things were different.

    A [witch''s hut], that was how Thariel''s room was commonly described within the game.

    The half-blood had cauldrons, shelves of monster parts and herbs alike, and half open books that revealed pages of recipes for potions next to cutting tools on her tables.

    This place was also like that, everything was a chaotic, disorganized mess that left the current Thariel confused just by looking at it but there was also a sense of cohesion to it all.

    She just couldn''t see it, and probably never will- since Thariel decided that if she was going to work here, then she might as well organize it in a way that suits her tastes

    Which is to say, less chaotic.

    Books were closed and properly stacked, materials were labeled, the cauldron was cleaned, and the floor finally got to know what a broom was.

    When she finished, Thariel stood inside a much more orderly shed.

    Now, to actually use this place, starting with the books...

    Thariel checked her tomes, she skimmed through the pages to get a general gist of what they were supposed to be.

    Three were an introduction to alchemy, magic, and herbology, complete with written theories and the like, while the remaining two contained alchemical and medical recipes.

    Five books in total, Thariel thought they were useless at first but then she realized that it was only true for the ones with recipes, which were redundant and downright useless when compared to her game knowledge.

    The theory behind these recipes and how they work functionally was completely lost to her however.

    So not all of them are useless, just the two recipe books.

    She was excited to learn more about the magic system but thought that it was better to only get the basics down for now.

    Thariel opened the book for magic theory and it was exactly as she thought it would be, a basic guide for how to control Surge.

    These never existed in the game, as Surge, as a system, only ever existed to explain why the characters can get skills. The theory behind it was lost.

    The basics is that there are channels which can be naturally found across the body of any being and according to the book, any creature intelligent enough to understand what these channels are can utilize them to cast magic by making energy flow through them.

    To do that, she first needed to get used to the feeling of energy flowing inside her system which was harder than Thariel thought it would be.

    She must have spent at least several hours trying to get the Surge in her system to start flowing and when she did, she kept her stinking cross-legged pose for another hour or two so that she gets used to it.

    She only stopped when she was confident that she could easily repeat the process the next time.

    When Thariel opened her eyes, she noticed that it was already noon and also that a plate of bread and berry spread had been placed next to her feet.

    She ate it while silently contemplating about what this could mean, did Clyra agree to her request? Was this her way of saying that she did?

    Thariel wasn''t sure, she''s never read any dialogue or lore related to the original being given food while she was in her shack, in fact, the original Thariel never mentioned this thing at all!

    Regardless, she still needed to prepare, she can''t just go to Streamwise empty handed after all.

    The food aside, now that it was noon, she could work on her other plans, mainly; gathering slimes and then cooking them up to make more of her sunscreen as well as a ballistic suit.

    The ballistic suit is a big deal too, as it''s an item that can only be found in two places; the academy or a military outpost. What it does is absorb the impact of blows or hits.

    Basically, it was an upgrade to the gambeson that knights wore, and usually, someone of the lower class wouldn''t have access to it but she knew the item''s recipe and could make one from scratch.

    And to make that, she first needed slimes.

    Thariel stood up, grabbed the basket and net on the wall, and then set off to nab herself some of the gel-based creatures.

 Chapter 2: Slime capturing and cooking mini games,

    In her past life, Tainted Orchids was, and always had been, an otome game first and foremost. Which meant it prioritized character designs (and there were a lot of them,) over environments and other aspects of the game.

    That didn''t mean the other parts of Tainted Orchids were bad, they weren''t, just not as polished compared to the visual novel itself. Which was a good thing of course! She had no complaints about the main appeal of the game as being the most developed part of it.

    Anyhow, the reason why Thariel was thinking this as she hunted for slimes is because despite the mini-game for catching them being rather samey and repetitive, the lore for these little buggers was actually pretty fleshed out.

    Actually, everything involving about the lore was well crafted, not just the ones for monsters.

    In the lore, the reason why slimes- and any other monster for that matter, - are active during the dusk or the night is because the sun has power over the world and its light actively harms them.

    In Tainted Orchids, this manifests as monsters gaining debuffs when fighting on places illuminated by the sun, which explains why they like to gather in bushes, grasslands, or forests.

    Slimes drying out, damphir skin becoming flakey, vampires burning to death, goblins going blind, and trolls turning to stone are the few examples that Thariel can think of at the top of her head.

    There are genuine side effects that monsters suffer under sunlight, which not only helps with explaining why villages are untouched by the countless hordes of monsters but also why dungeons are so prominent.

    Because that is how monsters survive; they build or take over dungeons and turn them into their lairs.

    And due to the magical energy the monsters naturally produce, the items inside the dungeon end up turning into artifacts.

    And it''s not just limited to items either, as this process affects plants, insects, and even small critters, mainly rodents and reptiles.

    On the rare occasion, humans also get affected by this, and it is briefly mentioned in the lore that this is how Vampires, Lycans, and later on, Fae and Beastkin came into existence.

    With the knowledge that the sun harms them, finding slimes isn''t that hard, after all, there are only so many places that these gelatinous creatures can hide in.

    It was either slimes gathered in large bodies of water, underneath rocks, inside fallen logs or, when their numbers get large enough, they form actual lairs by hollowing out trees.

    Thariel found a pond shortly after she left her shed and after checking the pond bed by dipping a stick into the water, she accidentally hit a slime and moments after, an irritated blob of gel emerged from the pond and began hopping towards her.

    It was obviously trying to kill her but honestly? Thariel could never take something this cute seriously.

    She caught the slime in the air after it jumped and dropped it inside her basket.

    Well that was easy.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    Thariel searched for more slimes inside the pond but found nothing besides the first one she captured.

    She stared at the slime now trapped inside her basket, it wobbled back and forth at the bottom, unable to climb due to the hydrophobic properties of the material that lined the basket''s interior walls.

    Its surface was also lined with Ember Cap spores if she remembers correctly.

    Thariel closed the lid and hefted the basket to her shoulder.

    Since she found no more slimes, she moved on and searched for them elsewhere.

    After a while, she found a wet patch of grass under a shaded tree, this was a common sign of slime activity nearby which means that if she checks the trunk...

    Aha! A gash lined the bark at the bottom.

    The slimes haven''t come out yet but there should be a lot of them living in this tree, her basket might even become full before she captures all of them!

    After knocking on the bark, Thariel sat in front of the opening on the bottom and waited for the slimes to start coming out.

    It didn''t take long for the slimes to emerge and when they did, the first thing that greeted them wasn''t the open air, but a hydrophobic net ready to snatch them.

    True to her expectations, her basket did become full way before the tree was empty of slimes.

    With over a dozen captured slimes squirming in the container strapped to her back, Thariel ran back to her shed to make her ballistic suit.

    It all starts with igniting her hearth and putting a cauldron on top. As the cauldron turned hot, Thariel filled a quarter of it with water.

    She then dropped some ice-element herbs such as blue moss and frostfern inside and then waited for it to boil.

    When the scent of fresh winter started to mix with the rising steam, she poured powdered darkshade root into the liquid and then began mixing until it turned viscous.

    Thariel worked on the other ingredients while she waited for the slop to dry out.

    She grabbed her slimes out of the basket, placed them on a bucket, and using a metal rod, broke the cores before pulling it out of the now uncohesive gellatin.

    The effect of losing a core was immediately visible as the slime lost its structural integrity and became a pool of gel that sat at the bottom of the bucket.

    Thariel dropped her harvested core into a bowl and repeated the process until she had two buckets worth of the stuff.

    Afterwards, she placed all the cores inside a mortar and pestle and grinded them to dust.

    She sprinkled the powdered cores into her cauldron, mixed it with the goop, and when the goop turned into a gel-like substance, Thariel poured the slime gel into it before mixing it again.

    Now all that''s left for her to do was to continue mixing until the slime gel melded with the goop.

    Another bucket of charcoal later and the mixture was finished.

    Thariel scooped up a bit of the gel and inspected it.

    "Liquid-but-not-quite", that was how the material used to make ballistic suits was described, the gel in the cauldron had that exact same consistency.

    When it cooled, Thariel moved the gel out of the cauldron.

    She only filled a single bucket with it but that was enough, she could make a ballistic suit large enough to fit her entire body with just this much.

    Making the suit itself required another mixture however so she proceeded to thoroughly clean her cauldron of the muck from the gel and then cooked up a transparent liquid full of fire-element herbs.

    Thariel made enough of this to fill an entire tub.

    When she finished, Thariel went back to her house to grab the one last thing she needed to complete this tedious side-quest.

    "What are you doing?" Clyra asked when she saw her daughter carrying the tub they used to clean their clothes out the back door.

    "I need this, I''ll just return it!" Thariel replied with a grunt, for a tub, this thing sure was heavy! Also, wasn''t she a Damphir? Where''s her super strength?!

    "Just come back before dinner, you''ve been in that shed for the entire day," Clyra looked away and left her daughter to her own devices.

    Thariel turned away without replying and with a huff, got the tub out the door, she carried the blasted thing back to the shed and dropped it just outside the door.

    Then, with great effort, she carried her cauldron out and poured its contents into the tub.

    The ballistic gel shortly followed and now for one last thing, Thariel stripped herself naked before skinny dipping into the tub.

    Theoretically, the liquid suffused with the fire element should be enough to scare the semi-living slime gel she made into clinging to her skin, and since her head and neck were out of the water, it''ll only cling to her body.

    However, if she wanted to ever take this thing off of her- and she does, - then she''s going to need to guide the molding process using her own magical energy and this is what she is scared of the most.

    She wasn''t an expert mage, hell, she wouldn''t even call herself an aspirant, she knew jack shit about controlling Surge, let alone use it to guide a slime-gel into connecting to her skin but she still had to do this-

    "Make sure you come back with your limbs intact,"

    Thariel heard her mother speak before a hand was placed on the nape of her neck, then the flow of energy within her system became much more efficient.

    The difference between her control of Surge and that of Clyra''s was like night and day.

    With her mother''s help, she was able to successfully connect the suit to herself, allowing her to control it using her energy channels.

    Thariel opened her eyes, "thank you,"

    "Sure," Clyra sighed, "again, I''m doing this because this''ll help you,"

    "You''re not gonna ask how or why I know how to make a ballistic suit?" Thariel didn''t dare look the woman in the eyes.

    "No, it''s unnecessary, you know how to make it, it''ll keep you safe, and that''s what matters," Clyra stood up and walked away shortly after answering.

    Thariel stayed in the tub for a while before getting up and cleaning everything.

 Chapter 3: The first of a thousand steps,

    "I''m off!"

    "Be safe, Thariel," these were the only words Clyra said when replying to her giddy daughter''s jubilant announcement of leaving.

    She had never thought she''d see the day where she would allow her halfblood daughter to risk safety by intermingling with humans but here she was standing in the living room with her arms crossed on her stomach and putting on a soft smile.

    All the while Thariel''s looming shadow crept away from the carpeted floor and towards the distant grassland.

    Be safe?.. huh?

    Anywhere but here would be a safe haven for her daughter honestly.

    Clyra closed the door and sternly gazed at the living room, at some point, she had been a renowned vampire hunter, it was during a time way before the birth of her lovely daughter however.

    She had been permitted to bear a halfblood child then, and Thariel was supposed to be raised among her kin, but plans often went awry and anything that could go wrong, of often does.

    To Vampires, Lycans were often considered a threat, but the Inquisition even more so, and both working together?

    The brood had to relocate, was forced to really, and Clyra, with her child, was unable to fight and was thus forced to live away from them for the foreseeable future.

    Thariel was adamantly drinking her mother''s life force during her development, such a process would take a heavy toll to even a seasoned mage such as Clyra.

    It was a blessing in disguise however as she was able to blend into the crowd of humans as nothing more than an old woman thanks to her new visage.

    What followed was Thariel''s birth, and after that their lives had become relatively peaceful but as of late...

    Clyra cast a baleful glare out the window.

    She could feel their presence beyond the treeline.

    Even now, years after their separation, her sisters-in-name barely had the skill to control their power, let alone restrain their bloodlust and hide their tracks.

    She''s never noticed, mainly because she didn''t think they''d be stupid enough to do this but this was expected, they weren''t the kind to let a stray member of the brood live peacefully and would rather bury their corpses.

    And if they thought that this goal of theirs would be easy, well, they were mistaken and thus would pay for it with their lives.

    Clyra went down to the basement and grabbed her old tools; a sigil of the Sun Goddess, a stake, and a quiver full of silver-tipped arrows.

    Like the moon''s light being cast onto a Vampire''s pale skin, her old equipment adorned her body once more.

    Her sisters would not be killing anyone today. Or ever.

    Clyra looked at the table, it seems her daughter left her a potion of magical amplification. It was unneeded but she appreciated the thought.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    She smiled and grabbed the potion, uncorked it, then took a sip. Clyra felt invigorated moments after imbibing the liquid. It was potent.

    Thariel was talented, and if a few jealous hags were trying to cut that talent before it would fully bloom, then it was only fair that Clyra kills them in cold blood in response.

    Clyra drank the potion to the last drop and headed out the door, she may not be as physically capable as she was in the past but her senses remains sharp and skill rarely dulls.

    ...

    Thariel took one last glance at her house, she changed the timeline drastically just now didn''t she?

    She had a feeling that Clyra was strong and as she''s seen the woman prepare for the past week, that feeling solidified into fact.

    Her mother was a mage that specialized in the [Enhancement] department of Surge, and since she''s so knowledgeable about it, Thariel requested that Clyra teaches her.

    For the time being, she was taught how to use the three basic enhancement spells and told to practice them until mastery.

    It was... A bit extreme.

    This "training" method was probably why Clyra knew these spells by heart. Whenever Thariel sees her use them, it was like she was looking at a seasoned hunter and not a wrinkled woman past her prime.

    Clyra had specialized in three spells in total; [Tough Skin], [Strongarm], and [Sense Boost].

    All of them were also the heroine''s starting spells in the game (actually, it is said that they''re the starter spells in the lore) and as far as Thariel''s experience went, they were just that, basic spells.

    But Clyra''s mastery over them obviously showed that they weren''t as simple as they first seemed.

    In Tainted Orchids, spells naturally had a limit to how strong they could get but that limit seems to be non-existent in this world.

    Guess that weird in-game story about some guy who managed to become a legend using his mastery of the [Bolt] spell wasn''t naysay after all...

    Oh who was she kidding? It totally was. The bolt spell wasn''t that strong.

    Reinforcement spells on the other hand... Yeah, Thariel could definitely see them becoming useful the more a mage masters them.

    And all three? Well, apparently someone specializing in the basics could buff individual body parts.

    And that was just what Thariel could see on the surface, for all she knew, Clyra was good enough to use [Strongarm] on her muscles while her skin gets boosted by [Tough Skin].

    Honestly, the possibilities are endless and she''s going to explore every nook and cranny of it.

    Thariel also had a plan for how she would grow the three spells over time, first, she''d prioritized [Tough Skin] since her durability isn''t that strong, Vampires commonly got by with their regeneration but she didn''t have that unless she''s exposed to moon light.

    The second spell she''d be improving was [Strongarm] since she also didn''t have access to the fabled undead strength that vampires have.

    Lastly, [Sense Boost] would be improved until she fully masters the only thing she got from her half-vampire bloodline, which were ironically better senses.

    She could see in the dark, hear super well, and possessed a sense of smell that would make bloodhounds blush.

    They were lessened, sure, but she''d rather have these than the full package, as the senses that Vampires possessed were sometimes crippling.

    For example, their super hearing would often mess them up when they''re in loud spaces, their eyes get blinded during the day, and their nose was so sensitive that they only live in rooms which have been thoroughly sterilized.

    Her senses becoming weaker was a pretty big benefit, all things considered.

    Going back to enhancement magic, she could only practice her two other spells for now, which wasn''t a bad thing, as [Tough Skin] and [Strongarm] would only improve faster when she prioritizes them.

    And speaking of improvement, the best way to do that are two things, either she improves her energy storage or lower her resistance to the flow of Surge.

    That last one is what she is planning on doing for now and the best way to reduce her body''s resistance is to let the energy of the spell flow through her channels.

    This task was further aided by the ballistic suit on her skin and eventually, she might even have the ability to absorb spells and then shooting them back at the caster.

    Because like its name suggests, Surge had the same properties as electricity, it can be conducted or be resisted depending on a mage''s training.

    Resistance lowers conductivity and vice versa, both were methods used by mages to control Surge.

    Both methods also lead to two completely different ways a person can defend themselves against magic; redirection or resistance.

    Thariel can, in theory, train her body to be just like that of her mother''s, which is highly resistant to all forms of magic save for the main three reinforcement spells she uses.

    It was an OP build, and one that was impossible to achieve in the game.

    And since she had no clue about how it works or where it could lead power-wise, Thariel decided not to go with it and go with what the strongest characters of Tainted Orchids did; redirection.

    However, this type of method requires expert control of energy and an unprecedented mastery over Surge but Thariel can circumvent that and skip all the training.

    After all, Surge was just like electricity, and electricity can be redirected.

    She''s an engineer as well, not some prodigious mage. She''s gonna invent her way to pulling off redirection!

    Yes! She was going to make a lightning rod!

    Now all that''s left to do was to figure out a way on how to actually make it...

    ... Come to think of it, her ballistic suit was also quite surge resistant, so she may not even need to worry about magic at all!

    She may have just jinxed herself by thinking like that.

    Well regardless, she was going to have to deal with spells coming her way at some point since she couldn''t just stand there and take it like she was the Earl of Stone, but how does she survive a Mage to Alchemist combat?

    Her only solution to that so far was her lightning rod idea which wasn''t bad, but it could be better.

    Thariel took out her notebook and started to jot down ideas, this was a habit she had when she was still studying mechanical engineering.

    It''s a useful habit, especially when the person doing it is not easily distracted.

    She looked away from the pages for a brief moment and stared at the road ahead of her, how long was Streamwise from her house again?

 Chapter 4: Streamwise,

    Thariel looked over the village before her.

    She stood on top of a hill, from this distance, the people didn''t look as threatening or feel as intimidating as they did in her anxiety ridden mind.

    When she first left the house, she dismissed the villagers so much that they didn''t even cross her mind.

    Now that she''s in Streamwise though...

    She realized that they could kill her. Easily at that.

    She did have her potions, those could help her but she didn''t want to kill anyone and she also didn''t want to leave this place as a wanted escapee.

    Killing was a no go no matter what, she''s clear on that stance. She knows she''ll do it eventually, but she expected it to happen a year from now, not today or in the near future.

    Hopefully the situation doesn''t get to that point.

    Thariel pulled her hood over her face and started making her way down the slope.

    A tie easily hid her hair and her hood covered her ears well enough, sadly, she couldn''t hide the color of her eyes but she hoped that the shadow over her face covered their red-tinted hue.

    Her eyes didn''t glow in the dark so no one should recognize her as a Damphir like this.

    Thariel soon reached the village and fortunately for her, no one reacted to her presence.

    She got a better look of the houses as she explored the streets and they were exactly the same as they did back in the game; not destitute, but also not extravagant.

    They were constructed using a mixture of materials with a stone foundation, wooden supports, and clay rooftops.

    The houses had a same-y look to them, like they were all based off of a previous design that got copy pasted over and over again.

    Tainted Orchids didn''t explain why this was the case (probably because it didn''t need to, as games tended to not have unique structures unless they had a purpose) so they looked completely out of place in Thariel''s eyes.

    Thariel eventually decided to not bother with the way the houses were just clones of each other and turned away from them.

    She focused on everyone around here instead.

    No one seemed to mind her presence and even the guards only gave her a few seconds''s worth of staring before looking away and continuing with their day.

    By all means, everyone just treated her as if she was another traveler. Nothing more, nothing less.

    Thariel soon passed by the river port that earned the village its name.

    It seems that a boat had stopped by to drop off wooden crates, captains were negotiating by the docks and crewmen were hopping off the vessels to head into the village, presumably to take a break and enjoy themselves.

    Maybe she could also buy something while she''s here?

    Thariel turned away from the port and went back to exploring the village.

    Thanks to a flashback to the canon Thariel''s past in the game, she knew a few places in Streamwise and if she were to buy something from here, then she had a place in mind.

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    And it was about time she met the original''s sponsor anyways.

    The Three Ways market was named after the three interconnecting streams at the head of the nearby river, and it is a place bustling with all kinds of people and full of stalls selling various items.

    She wasn''t interested in buying anything from them but the stalls could be rented by the hour.

    She could rent one of them to sell her potions but Thariel wasn''t interested in doing that since there''s no guarantee that she''ll sell everything by the end of the day.

    No, instead, Thariel picked the even riskier option and headed for the house of one of the only merchants who settled in Streamwise.

    The building she found herself standing in front of was a mostly wooden structure with stone pillars holding up a metallic roof.

    A wooden sign with a water droplet carved onto it hung above the double-sided doors of the building, below it are a series of alien yet comprehensible lettering that spelt out "Dripblood Inc."

    And no, the name and symbol didn''t mean anything or were connected to vampires. Liora just chose to follow the common themes found across the Tenlor territory.

    Thariel walked past the sign and reached for the doors.

    The walls were enchanted and prevented sounds from going through them so she could take off her hood and reveal her identity to the woman inside.

    Quite possibly, this was the only time where being a Damphir would turn out in her favor when interacting with humans, as they are known to be good alchemists.

    Thariel jogged her memory for the traits and characteristics of the merchant who owned Dripblood before going inside.

    Liora Dewbright was a middle-aged woman who came from a family of merchants, she had honey colored hair and bright almond eyes which can discern the quality of items and people alike from just a single glance.

    Liora also likes to take on risky deals, which Thariel hoped was enough for the woman to buy her potions without so much as a second glance.

    Thariel opened the doors and walked inside.

    The inside of the building was heavily decorated, a thick shag-coat carpet topped the floor, shelves supported by metal bars lined the walls, and large oval lanterns hung from the ceiling, their weight held aloft by bronze chains.

    It was clearly a show of wealth and opulence, and you know what? Good for Liora, she''s clearly wealthy, possibly even wealthy enough to buy everything in Thariel''s sack.

    Without batting an eye that is.

    She admits that she may have concocted these potions in a hurry.

    At the opposite end of the door was a counter; it was made with orange colored wood and carved with intricate designs of river weeds and cattails.

    Behind that counter stood a woman with a face attractive enough for her to be an actress, on top of that, she was also quite curvy. All of that is offset by a mean demeanour.

    Okay, maybe that last one was just because she was looking at Thariel in a suspicious manner...

    "Can you take off your hood?"

    Thariel met Liora''s eyes, the merchant was expectedly blunt, it was a part of her character that made her so hard to talk to back in the game, as choosing dialogues for the merchant always ran the risk of running Liora''s amicability meter to the ground.

    And that was when Thariel was in the player''s party, according to other players, Liora increased the prices of her wares when the Damphir wasn''t involved.

    Fortunately, she''s never experienced that and talked to a more laid back Liora who was amicable to the player, it was during those times where she learned more about the merchant''s character.

    Liora didn''t like suspicious people, but if they were honest then she''d be more willing to talk to them, even criminals.

    "Is this place sound proofed?" Thariel asked in return.

    "Of course, most important buildings often are," Liora answered in confidence, "why?"

    "Because I''m a Damphir," Thariel''s reply caused the merchant to raise an eyebrow, "strange, I know-"

    "No, not really," Liora shook her head, "Damphirs are uncommon, but not rare, you''re one of them?"

    "I am," Thariel took off her hood to confirm it, Liora nodded in response, "I''m not here to buy things-"

    "I assumed so, yes, what do you want? Help?" Liora scoffed, "I''m afraid I can''t do that,"

    Wait, this feels familiar...

    ... So she actually managed to get the conversation to become similar to Thariel''s flashback in the game. The dialogue should be familiar from here on out.

    "I''m not here for help, I''m here to sell," Thariel said the same words the original did when she first met Liora, and if things were the same as they were back in the game...

    "Potions?"

    Okay, that was different, as Liora should have said something along the lines of ''you''re an alchemist?'' but this works too. Hopefully this still leads to a contract.

    "Yes, potions," Thariel nodded, she decided to advertise a bit of her wares to garner the merchant''s attention, "I have magic amps, strength, durability, and stamina boosts,"

    "Show me,"

    With Liora''s permission, Thariel stepped up to the counter and one by one, placed her potions on top for showcase.

    Liora grabbed and inspected them as they were placed and the way the merchant narrowed her eyes at the bottles made Thariel''s heart race from fear.

    It reminded her of how she felt during job interviews, no need to panic, she could get through this...

    "They''re good," Liora looked away from the potion and towards Thariel when the latter sighed, "you weren''t confident in their quality?"

    "N-no, I''m not," Thariel let out a nervous giggle, guess that particular cat is out of the bag, "I wasn''t sure that they''d pass as good products,"

    "They''re- well- they are of good quality, better than the first brews of most alchemists at least," Liora nodded in approval, "I''ll buy them for 8 gold each,"

    "Uhm- I was thinking that maybe I could be your supplier for them?" Thariel suggested nervously.

    This was a farfetched request but she hoped that Liora would at least consider it-

    "Sure, why not,"

    Thariel almost dropped her bag, "excuse me?"

    "I said why not?" Liora repeated, "are you deaf?"

    "I- I mean, why-" Thariel let out a nervous giggle, how did it even come to this? Why did Liora agree so easily?

    "Because like I said, they''re pretty good in quality, I''m hoping that you spend more time making the next batch though, if that''s okay with you?"

    "Uh, how do you know I?.." Thariel trailed off.

    "It''s obvious when potions are made hastily," Liora explains, "their quality doesn''t drop but their coloration is dull, don''t worry though, the effects won''t change beyond the duration,"

    "A-ahaha," Thariel didn''t know that, "I guess?"

    "Yes, you guess," Liora drawled, "so, how many potions did you bring me?"

    "I have 15 more, there''s four of each type and a few extras so I think if we go by your original price-" which Thariel still couldn''t believe was 8 freaking gold! "- you''ll only need to give me uhm..."

    Thariel paused, did she count that right? 152 gold coins?!

    "152 gold," Liora confirmed what Thariel thought was a miscalculation but nope, she was apparently correct! Liora grabbed a pouch and started counting out a few coins from it, "Let me just..."

    Thariel stared at the pouch that was dropped onto the counter, wait, was being an alchemist this lucrative? Seriously? 152 gold coins was a pretty big deal- like, mid game level big deal.

    Whu?

 Chapter 5: Contracts and products,

    "You okay? You look like you''ve seen a ghost," Liora commented as she handed Thariel the contract.

    "I am yep!" Thiora replied as she held her hand out, she took the contract and grabbed the Skytar feather on the desk. She didn''t think she needed to read through this.

    They had already agreed that they''ll each get a percent of the profits from the potions that got sold- 60-40 on Thariel''s favor, - while at the same time, the contract also gave Thariel the luxury of being able to buy raw materials from Liora at a discounted price.

    The discount was the most important part of the contract in Thariel''s opinion, as it''ll give her a profit from her potions even if she sells them at like, 4 gold or something.

    In that sense, the 6 gold cut she''ll get for every potion sold- each one costs 10 gold, - from the contract wasn''t a big deal.

    "I just didn''t expect the contract to be so good?" Thariel honestly wasn''t sure how she could ever put her feelings into words, the contract sounded way too good to be true.

    "Finding a good alchemist is hard," Liora shrugs, "and getting a budding talent is a rare opportunity,"

    It was? Thariel didn''t think alchemists were valuable...

    Liora must have seen her face because the merchant further added, "Trust me, any alchemist worth their weight wouldn''t accept this kind of contract, they''ll demand more," she explains, "if anything, I''m the lucky one here,"

    "Thank you?" Thariel couldn''t help but feel happy at the compliment, indirect as it was. She scratched her cheek, "so uhm, the contract says I''ll get a discount from all your wares, is that true?"

    "Yes," Liora nodded, "why? Do you want to buy something? Have anything in mind? I''m sure I have it here,"

    "A lot actually-" and with that, the floodgates that was Thariel''s required items opened, she asked for a lot of things, mainly the materials she needed to make more potions but also a few other miscellaneous items.

    "-I also want a mule and a cart-" because walking back to her house carrying everything she bought would be impossible.

    "Don''t worry, I''ll provide you with one, it''s on the house," Liora''s offer made Thariel giddy.

    "- right, that''s great! So in its place I want a new cauldron, preferably one made with folded bronze," as those things are good at reflecting magic, hence why they''re so popular as mirrors.

    And when they''re shaped as a cauldron, all that magic bounces back to their center rather than flying back to the enemy.

    Thariel continued listing more things, "uh, let''s see what else- oh, and I want a bag of toast wood and ember caps, alive ones this time, not the uh, dead powdered spores I asked for earlier, do you have those?"

    There was a recipe for making charcoal that never burnt out, and Thariel was jogging her memory to remember it.

    If her memory serves her right, then all she needed to make it was to slather blue moss onto toast wood, the ember caps would then just take root into the wood and when burned, they''d eat the heat and even start repairing the dead toast wood.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    "I can get those," Liora confirmed, "what else?"

    "That''s it, I think? So uh, how much is that all in total?" Thariel wanted to take a peek at the list that the merchant wrote down but she couldn''t, it was too far, "if I overspent then uh, just take off a few pounds of materials?"

    "You didn''t," Liora reassured, Thariel hid her relief, "with the discount, it only goes up to 83 gold in total, the most expensive thing here is the cauldron which even with a full price, isn''t going to make a dent to a hundred and fifty gold budget,"

    "Really?" Thariel couldn''t believe it but this was the power of having a mid-game level amount of gold and a considerable discount, now she remembers why she liked having Thariel in her party in the first place!

    "Yes," Liora snapped her logbook close, "I''ll be able to procure these in a few hours, so do your own thing for a while,"

    "I''ll uh, do that yeah," Thariel nodded, she did wonder what she can do around here to burn so much time but she''s sure she''ll figure it out.

    After buying a few other things- mainly a weapon in the form of a silver-edged dagger and chainmail for armor, - Thariel left the merchant''s shop and headed back out to Streamwise where she walked around for a bit.

    She soon found herself standing in front of a smithy, which unlike most of the houses here, was completely made of stone and not much else.

    At the front of the house, there was an open space with a basin of water, an anvil, and a forge, she wasn''t sure what was behind the door on the wall but it was probably just the blacksmith''s house or a storage or something.

    The blacksmith himself- a man she couldn''t recognize, - was working on something when she arrived and he was so focused on his work that he didn''t notice Thariel sitting down on the bench bolted to the stone pillar.

    "Can I help you?" Someone did approach her thankfully.

    Thariel looked at the guy standing by the pool of water, he held a bucket which meant that he must have just come back from the well.

    He didn''t look like much, just slightly muscular and with a bit of facial hair on his otherwise undeveloped face.

    Thariel stood up and smiled, "I''m looking to commission a few items,"

    For the past week, she had thought about how she could realistically solve her DPS problem and concluded that the best way to do it was to just... Make a gun.

    That''s it. Make a gosh darn gun and shoot anyone she sees as an enemy.

    The original Thariel used spells or potions for this issue but screw that! Those things were completely unreliable! Guns are so much better!

    "Commission?" The kid asked, he scratched his cheek and chuckled, "I- uhhh..."

    "It''s okay, you don''t have to worry about payment," Thariel flashed a gold coin for emphasis, "I have enough money to pay for them,"

    "Kid, go back to filling the tub," a gruff voice butted into their conversation, prompting Thariel to look at the blacksmith, who had stopped hammering the anvil at some point, "what do you want?"

    "I think it''s better if I just show you," Thariel took out her notebook and showed the man her blueprint, it was multi-layered with all the necessary calcs for the size and weight of each component.

    The smith took her notebook and looked the blueprint over, he looked at Thariel with a raised eyebrow, "I don''t know what these are for but this''ll take me a week to make,"

    "It''s okay, I can always come back," smiled Thariel, "and uhm, how much do you think would this cost?"

    "15 gold," the smith answered with a scoff, "I can''t enchant them though, so you''re gonna have to find someone else to do that for you,"

    "Oh don''t worry about that, I can solve that issue myself," Thariel replied in confidence, she patted her chest, "just leave the indents for the enchants on the surface of the metal and I''ll do the rest,"

    "Right, then it''s gonna cost you 15 gold still," the smith gave Thariel back her notebook and after pocketing it, she gave the burly man 10 gold as reassurance.

    "Come back here in a week," the smith said, "I''ll have your items by then,"

    "Thank you," Thariel bowed and left.

    Hopefully he makes it with tempered iron like she requested. Hm, maybe that was why the price was so high?

    Now that she''s taken the first steps into making her gun, Thariel thought that she might as well work on the rest of the needed materials to make her gun, next up was the jeweler, which she also didn''t recognize.

    There was no negotiation for the sapphire and amethysts, just a simple series of requests, showcases, followed by a swift purchase at the end.

    These should allow her to enchant her gun appropriately; the sapphire was for the heatsink while the amethyst served as the catalyst for the electricity. Hm, maybe she should buy some onyxes as well?

    Thariel went back to the shop and bought the aforementioned gemstones, which would help with strengthening the tempered iron that made up the gun.

    Tempered iron alone would be fine under the strain of a rail gun but it was better to be safe.

    After buying the gems she needed for enchantment, Thariel went back to Liora''s and bought materials to make the bullets and these, unlike regular bullets, will be made using alchemy.

    Depending on the mixture that makes up their bodies, the bullets will have different effects such as acid, explosions, or some other thing while their base would be made with iron thistles, this will allow them to be shot out.

    "See you Liora," waved Thariel while heading for the door, she paused just as she was about to go out, "wait, by the way, do you know a good place to eat?"

    "There''s Embercap Inn," answered the merchant without looking up from her logbook, "their beer is pretty spicy but I don''t think you''d have a problem with that, since you''re a Damphir and all,"

    "Ahaha, yeah... I''ll go check that place out," Thariel hid her disappointment, she asked Liora this question to begin with because she didn''t want to eat at that chili-obsessed place!

    Well, whatever, it''s not like there''s something inherently bad about the Inn just that it was owned by a Dwarf, a race known to have such a high poison tolerance that they add powdered zinc (the mineral, and also the vitamin,) into their meals.

 Chapter 6: A decent haul,

    Thariel''s tongue was still burning on the way back to Liora''s shop.

    The merchant was looking over her log book when Thariel arrived, using the list as a basis to check the group of crates that sat next to the merchant''s feet.

    "You''re here?" Liora turned away from her logbook and faced Thariel with a curious look, her brows raised in surprise, "so Damphirs don''t have any resistances to spices?"

    "No, we do," Thariel corrected with a tired smile, without her natural resistances, she''d probably be dead, "it''s nothing compared to what Dwarves consider as "spicy" though, those guys eat metal dust, too, did you know that?"

    "Yes, Zinc, if I remember, are one of Birtyl''s favorite spices," replied Liora.

    "Leave it to the dwarves to eat entire pounds of vitamins and think that it''s good for their health," Thariel sighs as she takes a seat, the worse part is though, that much zinc is good for a Dwarf''s health, iron too undoubtedly, and tungsten, "by the way, have you finished organizing everything?"

    "Not yet, I did prepare the ones I''ve procured on your new wagon, it has no labor animal for now however, she''s resting on a nearby stable, tended to by a caring farm hand," Liora looked at her, "you eager to leave?"

    "Kind of, I''m just... Worried, I guess," Thariel vaguely replied.

    The vampires stalking her wouldn''t stop doing it just because she left her home, if anything, they''d do it even more now that she''s out in the open and possibly even prepare an ambush for her during the night.

    "Do you want me to hire a few guards to escort you?" The merchant must have caught on to her worried expression for Liora to say that, "I don''t really mind,"

    "No, I''m fine," Thariel put on her most reassuring smile, an expression she''s used to showing due to her self-destructive tendencies during college, the problem wasn''t a lack of sleep this time around though.

    "I can get by on my own," Thariel let her smile fall into a more subdued expression.

    "If you say so," Liora looked away and went back to organizing the crates.

    Thariel was confident that she could fight against one or maybe even two of the vampire brides trying to kill her, but all five? That''s straight up impossible.

    She did have aces up her sleeve, like her advantage of moving under sunlight as well as a lessened weakness to the Sun Goddess''s sigil, which she''s currently carrying with her. And unlike regular vampires, coming into contact with silver didn''t burn her skin, just stiffen it.

    At the same time, moon light also boosted her regeneration by a decent amount, and staying in the shadows also caused her presence to go down by a... Decent-ish amount.

    How does one translate a 1x evasion boost into real life?..You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    Not that a lessened presence would matter here, vampires had sharp senses and Thariel doubted she could hide from them, even when she''s under the cover of darkness.

    Regeneration on the other hand...

    She could see it being useful, in fact, the canon Thariel drank dangerous potions during the night to amplify her power level, the recoil of doing so is then negated by her regeneration.

    The problem is, Thariel didn''t bring those kinds of potions with her, she''s not even sure if she could make them right now.

    Well, at least the effects of silver wouldn''t be as pronounced, hopefully the silver edged dagger she bought earlier would be enough to fend off the brides, and if not, well, she was confident that she could kill at least one of them before being killed herself!

    Okay, maybe she was actually scared shitless by the brides, but now wasn''t the time for panicking, and it''s not like she''ll actually encounter them on the way back.

    "It''s done,"

    Thariel snapped out of her daze and turned to the shop''s back door, Liora leaned against the doorframe, her expression full of worry and her eyes fixated on the Damphir.

    "Are you sure you''re okay?" The merchant asks, "again, a group of guards wouldn''t be too expensive for me to hire, if you''re worried about owing me, then just pay me back,"

    "I''m fine really," Thariel stood up and dusted herself, she smiled at the merchant, "thank you but I don''t think guards will help here, they''ll just die,"

    Liora''s eyes landed on the dagger hanging from Thariel''s hip, understanding flashed in her eyes, "I see."

    The merchant pushed herself off the doorway and went out back, Thariel tailed her, "I''m aware of how vampires operate," Liora says once Thariel catches up, "I''m sorry I couldn''t do much,"

    "It''s fine, I doubt they''re still alive," Thariel retorts, she had a small smile as she says that, one that swiftly faltered due to a nagging feeling at the back of her head.

    Could this be?..

    Thariel shook that thought off and looked at the cart and mule ahead of her, she saw it as a chance to change the uncomfortable topic.

    It seems that Liora also had the same idea.

    "This is everything you''ve asked for, Whisper Buds, Frost Ferns, Iron Thistles-" all ingredients for defense boosting potions, "- Ember Caps, Blue Moss, Titan Stalks, Silver Stalks, and other monster parts that you requested, like Dire Wolf Fangs, Kobold Scales, and Blood Bat Gullets,"

    "Right, everything seems to be in order," Thariel says as she finished checking on the crates herself, each one was labeled with the appropriate ingredient and felt quite heavy when lifted.

    "You''re mainly making boosting and resistance potions correct?" Says Liora, Thariel nods, "why?"

    "We''re in Tenlor territory," Thariel answers with a knowing smirk.

    Liora returned the exact same gesture, she flashed her teeth, "I see, I suppose signing that contract with you wasn''t such a bad idea after all... Come back here safe and sound, I''ll be waiting,"

    "Thank you, for uh, the sentiments and the contract," Thariel weakly smiled, "and don''t worry, I''ll come back in one piece,"

    The discomfort in her mind says that much will be the case.

    "Mhmm," Liora crossed her arms, "by the way, how many glass bottles did you ask for again?"

    Thariel looked away from her cauldron, a brief check was enough to confirm that it was high quality, and it was made with folded bronze too, "roughly over a hundred, why?"

    "Over a hundred huh?" Liora''s gaze shifts over to the crates, "and how many potions should I be expecting?"

    "I''ll be able to fill all of these I think, but individually, you''ll be able to get a 10 Magic Amplification-"

    "Fifteen," Liora corrected, "there''s enough Silver Stalks in there for you to make two dozen magic amp potions," the merchant estimated, "I want fifteen magic amps,"

    "Right, 15 Magic Amplification Potions, 20 strength, durability, and stamina boosts each, and also a few cold, poison, and fire resistance potions," Thariel listed out her revised list, "I''ll deliver half of these three days from now and another half by the end of the week,"

    "That''s sooner than I expected," Liora approvingly replied, "you work fast, I thought you were new?"

    "Not as new as you think, I''ve been at this for... I think over a year now? Wait no..." Thariel hummed in contemplation and turned to the skies.

    How long has the original been practicing during this point in the timeline again?

    "No, two years, I''ve been at this for two years," that was her rough estimate based on Thariel''s spread out backstory, the canon Thariel practiced for two years before her mother''s death.

    "You''re not sure?" Liora shared the Damphir''s confusion.

    "I kind of lost track of the time," Thariel grinned, that was a good excuse as any, it might even pass a lie detector if she said it properly.

    "You''re sheltered," Liora''s guess wasn''t far off.

    "Kind of, yeah," Thariel awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck, "it''s dangerous for me to be out here, that''s why,"

    "Then what are you letting me keep you here for?" Liora clicked her tongue, "tch, go back to where you came from already! It''s past the afternoon!"

    "Ah, right," it was already dusk wasn''t it? Time sure flew.

    Thariel hopped onto the wagon and began driving away.

    Thariel no longer worried about being ambushed by the brides on the way back, she had a feeling that nothing, not even a wolf, would come out of the forest to attack her as she journeyed out of Streamwise and back to her homestead.

 Chapter 7: Home sweet home,

    After traveling through the evening, seeing her home didn''t alleviate the strange feeling creeping up Thariel''s spine, it ate into her head from top to bottom and the only way to relieve it is to tightly clench her teeth.

    The door to the house opened when Thariel got close and out came Clyra, she had an apron on and was wearing a calm yet unnerving smile.

    That last part might have just been her imagination.

    Thariel couldn''t help but compare her situation to the folk tale of Hansel and Gretel, did those two kids see this same unguarded smile on the witch''s expression and still thought that the woman meant them no harm?

    In Thariel''s case, obviously Clyra really did mean her no harm.

    This didn''t stop Thariel from thinking that the aging redhead would pounce at her and start disemboweling her guts though.

    Clyra raised her height by standing on her toes and looked over Thariel''s shoulder to take a peek at the assortment of crates on the wagon.

    "You''ve bought a lot of things," Clyra commented, her tone happy but somehow sounding hollow to Thariel''s ears, "oh, and thank you for the magic amplification potion you left me,"

    "Right, ha-ha, you''re welcome?" Thariel said, unsure if the potion was as influential as Clyra indirectly pointed it out to be.

    Earlier this morning, as she was leaving it for the redhead to use, Thariel had a feeling that Clyra didn''t need the potion to kill the five Vampires hiding in the forest. She was confident that her hunch was right on the nose.

    Telling Clyra that didn''t really do anything though so Thariel talked about something else.

    "I bought meat and flour, spices too," Thariel threw out a lifeline, she really didn''t like the fact that she wasn''t the one leading this conversation, it just felt so eerie.

    Clyra smiled, seeing it made Thariel feel sore, "you did?" The next smile felt more welcoming, warmer, "thank you,"

    "It''s nothing, I think it''s about time I start helping out," Thariel said, she hopped down the driver''s seat and patted the mule''s bum, the animal huffed in annoyance, "take care of her for me? I''ll leave the crates I don''t need here and then cart the rest to my shed,"

    "Of course," Clyra nodded, she held out her hand which Thariel dropped the mule''s reins onto. Clyra left with the labor animal tailing after her.

    Once alone, Thariel took solace in Clyra''s absence and absentmindedly focused taking the food crates out of the wagon and down to the ground, Thariel saw that the door to the house was open and the basement door was too.

    She''s only seen it in passing and thought nothing better of it but the basement was definitely connected to the brides''s death since her instincts were screaming at her to investigate.

    What was in there?

    No, it was for the best that she didn''t do anything irrational.

    Thariel swallowed her curiosity and went back to organizing the crates, she stacked them on top of each other before leaving for her shed.

    She had a lot to do this following week, most of that was just her making potions but she also needed to practice magic and then start working on her "surge rod".Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    When she arrived to the vine ridden structure that was her witch''s hut, Thariel didn''t immediately start organizing the crates and instead left the wagon to go inside.

    Thariel held her chest while leaning against the closed door. She could feel the thrum of her racing heartbeat through her skin. She realized she was panicking.

    For the next ten minutes, Thariel''s heavy breathing was her only reminder of the physical reality outside her chaotic thoughts.

    Through it all, Thariel did her best to try and process the feeling of wrongness that overcame her mind and she could only come up with one canonical reason for why she''s feeling like this.

    In the lore, it is said that Vampires were emphatically linked with their brood, and Thariel wasn''t sure what that meant at first, just that as a Damphir, the effects of the link to her mind had been greatly lessened.

    Greatly lessened her ass!

    Seeing Clyra filled Thariel with feelings of hopelessness, depression, and melancholy all at once and the three emotions mixed and melded within her skull to form this chaotic blend of feelings that she could only describe as panic.

    And if she felt this way as a Damphir, how did the brood, which consisted of only pure bloods, feel about the brides''s death?

    Were they going to come here and wreck the place? Oh god Thariel hoped not! She didn''t just change the timeline for the worse did she?!

    The future has changed because of her actions.

    Thariel knew that this would happen from day one. She was prepared for it even.

    Her reaching Streamwise months before the canon Thariel did wasn''t a big change, the fact that she met Liora and signed a contract with her this early on also wasn''t that much of a deviation.

    Clyra hunting the vampire brides on the other hand...

    That was...

    ... Probably not a big deal, right? Thariel hoped so.

    She should stop worrying about this.

    As far as Thariel knew, those brides didn''t do anything in canon and she''s never encountered them during any of her many playthroughs of Tainted Orchids. This includes the spin off game as well.

    So that meant they probably weren''t all that influential in terms of the overall canon, sure there''s now a bit of a divergence to the timeline, but that''s mainly directed at the Tenlor territory.

    Thariel''s sure that only good would come out of this, she might even prevent the frontier from being taken over by the Ytallotiks through this divergence!

    And speaking of them...

    Nope- Thariel decided she didn''t want to worry about the "Tainted" part of the game''s title for now, she should focus on other things, like getting back to work.

    After several deep breaths, Thariel walked out of the shed with a mind clearer than when she first came in.

    The Damphir then proceeded to organize the crates into a ramshackle stack outside the shed, deciding that she''ll go back to working on them come morning.

    With nothing left to do but to go into the house, Thariel left the shed and entered her home.

    The air felt a lot more oppressive than before, carrying an ominous feel that felt almost tangible and her senses screamed at her, yelling to her mind''s metaphorical ears that a murderer''s scent lingered in the air.

    Said murderer was cooking something that smelled nice, the scent of meat took off some of the tenseness in Thariel''s mind.

    The Damphir walked near and checked the pot her mother was working on and smiled, "soup?"

    "I had some broth leftover and thought that since you got meat, why not make stew with some of it?" Clyra explained with a smile, "I know you prefer dried jerky but I''m sure you''ll also like this,"

    "I probably will," Thariel put on a reassuring smile and hugged her mother from behind, "thank you,"

    She flinched when Clyra''s hand touched her head, "anything for you,"

    They both knew that there was a double meaning to their words but no one chose to say it out loud.

    The Vampires were now dead, and for some reason, the brood also left them alone.

    Thariel broke the hug and said nothing as she went up the stairs to change out of her clothes.

    ...

    "You were right, the half-blood has talent," Fernus didn''t bother to look at the woman standing behind him as he spoke.

    Someone who rejected their lord''s blessing didn''t deserve his respect but her status aside, it seems that her daughter with the count had turned into a delectable fruit.

    "How long has she been practicing?" The warlock asked as he watched the girl leave the shed.

    Its walls had been overrun by vines, why didn''t the lass bother to clean that up? That must stink to her senses, dull as they were compared to pure bloods.

    "She''s only been doing this for half a year," answered the mortal.

    Would she stab him in the back? Fernus wondered.

    Well, if she does, he didn''t doubt that the rest of the brood would come crashing down to wreck this place after his death, he knew she didn''t want her precious daughter to die so he was safe.

    Tch.

    Mortals. Always with the emotional sentiments.

    "I see," Fernus was willing to acknowledge that his half-human sister had talent, she had the potential to live up to the creations of the century old alchemists working for the brood.

    A pity that the old fools were prideful-

    Hm.

    It wasn''t out of possibility that they may try to take the girl''s life in the future, which would be bad for the brood as a whole.

    Fernus swiftly thought of plans to thwart their schemes.

    "You said she made a ballistic suit as well?" Fernus asked, the one around his skin felt rather rough. It was of good quality of course, comparable to that of Thariel''s.

    Was his ballistic suit novice work? Of course not, this just showed how much talent his Damphir kin had when it comes to alchemy.

    Still, for Thariel to be able to make it in the first place was certainly odd.

    ... Where did the girl learn of such a recipe?

    And she made it using locally gathered materials as well?Before she even went to the nearby village to procure ingredients? Actually she didn''t even bother!

    "I''ve seen enough," Fernus pulled out a book from under his robe and threw it the mortal''s way, "blood magic. Make sure she knows of her roots,"

    "I will, thank you," he passed by the woman and scoffed at the sight of her. Horrific.

    If she had just taken the blessing of undeath, she wouldn''t look so old and wrinkled. Moronic.

 Chapter 8: New, unfamiliar roads,

    Thariel couldn''t help but keep glancing at the new addition to her stack of books while she brewed potions.

    Compared to the dated tomes it was crushing under its weight, her new book had a sense of quality to it that Thariel couldn''t put into words, like the black leather that covered the pages of the tome were simply just naturally superior compared to all the others.

    Thariel could see the cracked lines lining the surface of the leather even with the dim lighting of the shed, it wasn''t because of her sharp senses or anything like that, but because the lining had a red after glow.

    Most likely, they were dusted with Hemonium to achieve the effect.

    The title too was written in this glossy red metal, with the etched words spelling out "Plasmononicon" in crimson gothic font.

    It was dark and broody- in every sense of the word, - with the book itself feeling like it was straight out of a steamy vampire novel.

    And in some sense, it kind of is.

    There was a spin off game for Tainted Orchids called Blood Lily and it''s centered around vampires and the game utilized this particular book.

    She''s played it briefly and because of this, seen some of the book''s pages, she never used the book though and most of her knowledge regarding it comes from lore sheets, the wiki, mandatory quests, and cutscenes.

    She knew that the methodology of vampires- and by extension, their book, - was maybe a tiny bit erotic?

    The bloodsuckers were kept PG 13 of course, since the devs didn''t want their spin off game to have a limited demographic (adults).

    Game and reality were two completely different things however and here? The Plasmononicon didn''t have its pages cut out.

    Thariel feared that with her access to a wider variety of pages, she would find the more... risque parts of the book.

    Thariel was afraid of what she''ll see when she opens the Plasmononicon, she''s willing to admit that much.

    It wasn''t all bad though, and presumably, it''s not all about sex, with some of the pages mainly involving ritualistic rites and sacrifices.

    ... How weird was it that she didn''t mind seeing blood and gore but draw the line at sex?

    Movies really desensitized her version of humanity to death huh?

    Thariel turned away from the book and put her focus back on brewing the mixture.

    Despite this being her second time making potions, she already has an equation for making them with a low cost-to-profit ratio.

    With her only basis for doing so being the lessons on her economy class during highschool as well as Tainted Orchid''s wiki, which had lists for the exact amount of materials needed for each potion to be high quality after making them.

    With the help of her alchemy book and a magical weighing scale she borrowed from her mother, figuring out what 3 Dire Wolf Fangs meant in weight and effect distribution had turned out to be surprisingly easy.

    And after calculating an (ingredient-to-weigh-to-effect) ratio as well as doing tests by personally drinking her prototype magic amplification potions, she was able to write down an actual recipe for making an entire cauldron''s worth of high quality mixture using the least amount of ingredients needed.

    The day Thariel spent doing this was definitely worth it as she was able to figure out a way to not waste 3 Dire Wolf Fangs each time she wanted to make a single strength boost potion.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    The overall cut to the material cost was pretty substantial as well, as Thariel learned that she only needed 8 fangs if she wanted to fill her cauldron, a full cauldron fills up 6 bottles in total.

    And 6 potions, with a regular recipe, costs 18 Dire Wolf Fangs to make so it was a pretty sweet deal.

    When Thariel was done brewing her first batch of strength boosts of the day, Thariel realized that it didn''t take that much time so she went on and brewed another batch.

    She finished around lunch time.

    Thariel headed out, after just a few hours of work, she now had a dozen strength boost potions, which was around a quarter of the promised amount she''ll deliver to Liora.

    When Thariel entered the kitchen, she saw that Clyra is already there, she was cooking something and from the scent, it was some kind of meat pie.

    Thariel stood by the door, she had her hands on her belly and her eyes were fixed on the back of her mother''s head, after putting the uncooked pie into the oven, Clyra faced her, "you have questions,"

    "The Plasmononicon," Thariel didn''t waste time, "where did you get something like that?"

    "Did you read it?" Clyra deflected her question and briefly turned away to prepare her mitts.

    The woman''s demeanour is as calm as Thariel''s, implying Clyra knew the significance of such a book, anyone less knowledgeable would have panicked at the name alone.

    "A small amount of it, yes," Thariel lied by technicality, "I saw a ritual related to removing the guts of an animal and turning it into some kind of puppet,"

    "An assistant," corrected Clyra, did the redhead support necromancy? Huh. She and Thariel felt the same way when it comes to that then.

    A free labor force is always a good thing, especially if they were just emotionless puppets strung along by magic.

    Clyra gave her daughter a side glance, "you don''t want it?"

    "I do,"

    The book was useful, incredibly useful, as the Plasmononicon was one of the few things where she can learn to make homunculi and other kinds of unorthodox magic.

    But...

    "Why did they give it to me?" Thariel asked.

    This was never part of canon, in fact, there''s no route that leads to this kind of outcome, the original Thariel has always been a vampire hunter, not part of a brood.

    Being given the Plasmononicon however meant that the brood has accepted her as being one of them, which had a lot of implications, mainly that she now had vampire allies and could enter their establishments when need be.

    Thariel was now wishing she played Blood Lily more instead of just going through one or two playthroughs.

    She was familiar with the bigger parts of the game, and locations weren''t a problem for her to remember but she wishes she knew the deeper secrets that it held.

    Like for example, there was an entire plot point about how different races utilize different potions due to their innate resistances.

    Such as Dwarves just straight up eating wyvern hearts to boost their physical prowess or vampires literally having living potion bottles (or animals pumped with drugs).

    It went deeper than that, as seems to be indicated by the side-quest she stopped doing halfway through her second playthrough.

    Ugh.

    "I don''t know," Clyra finally broke the minute long silence, snapping Thariel out of her thoughts.

    Her answer didn''t sate a single one of Thariel''s many curiosities. The redhead seemed to have been genuinely confused about the outcome herself.

    Clyra also doesn''t know huh?..

    "Right, well, that''s your choice to make," Clyra says, "how are your potions?"

    Thariel took the change in topic in stride, she loosened her posture and relaxed, "it''s exactly what I expected it to be," replied the Damphir, "I''m almost done with my strength boosting batch and only need to brew 8 more bottles, I''ll probably brew them in batches of 4."

    "I see," Clyra smiled, "and your materials? Do you need to buy more when you go back to Streamwise?"

    "I''m only gonna buy glass bottles," Thariel assured, her equation did wonders to save materials honestly.

    "How long would an entire crate last?" Thariel was about to answer before Clyra further added, "before it expires,"

    "A month at most," Thariel replied, she hummed in consideration, "now that I think about it, maybe I should spend the rest of the month just making potions?"

    "You''ll only spend a large portion of it making potions," Clyra clarified, "you need to practice your magic and train your combat prowess-"

    Thariel stared at her mother in confusion, what did she mean by this?

    "- there''s also the problem of your fitness, your physique needs to be prepared for the ritual," Clyra finished.

    Thariel pinched the bridge of her nose, if it was about the ritual, then why did she need to learn how to fight?

    "I''m not fat am I?" Thariel asked in disconnect. Why was she concerned for her weight? She''s a Damphir.

    "I don''t mean that as you gaining weight, I meant that you don''t have a single pound of muscle on top of your bones," explained Clyra, which was... The same, wasn''t it?

    "... I know that," Thariel looked away, "but do I really have to exercise?"

    "Yes," Clyra gave her a stern look, "it''s a must,"

    "I see," Thariel wistfully smiled, "when do I start?"

    "Later tonight, when the moon is at its brightest," Clyra looked away from her to check on the pie, "you don''t have to worry about anyone attacking you anymore so you can train at night,"

    "Right," Thariel sighed, the vampires were now gone, darn it.

    Well, hopefully her regeneration will help a lot with-

    "I know you''re thinking that your regeneration will help you out so I want to make things clear; I''m gonna train you knowing you''ll be fully recovered come morning,"

    Thariel''s smile turned stiff.

 Chapter 9: Training, First Part.

    Thariel stared at the shed as she lay on the ground.

    She was exhausted beyond compare yet somehow still conscious.

    Was this the price of regeneration?

    The day had been so peaceful too...

    ... Wait, no, that wasn''t a good thing! It just turned what happened during the night into an unexpected curveball!

    Regardless, Thariel closed her eyes and reminisced about the painless, peaceful morning where she had to do nothing but painless and peaceful (but still monotonous and repetitive) work.

    After lunch, she managed to make the last two batches of strength boosting potions and added an extra 12 of durability potions on top of it, safe to say, she was beyond the deadline she set for the delivery. She might even add resistance potions on top it.

    Knowing that brewing potions is a quick and easy process was a good thing, especially now that her nights from now on are going to be filled with nothing but... This.

    Thariel tried to raise her arm, she failed. Her muscles didn''t respond to her command.

    Tomorrow, after she finishes the last of her potions, Thariel decided to take initiative and practice for the rest of the day.

    It may not be the arduous (torturous) physical training like the one she just went through but it''ll still be lengthy.

    And well, she''s also fond of magic so she thought that practicing how to use it wouldn''t be such a bad thing.

    Thariel soon heard the words she dreaded would come.

    "Get up, I know you still have the energy to keep going," Clyra said from somewhere above Thariel.

    Thariel groaned but still did as told.

    Clyra jabbed the butt of her wooden staff to the ground, "after exercising, you should get a move on and start with your stances, teach yourself to naturally do this."

    Thariel didn''t mention the fact that the aforementioned "exercise" was a hellish physical regime where she had to run several laps with rocks tied to her chest, legs, and arms, and then do push ups with a backpack full of pebbles, most of which were biting at her skin through the backpack''s leather!

    The last time she complained, everything she needed to do increased two folds, which she had a feeling may have been why she was this exhausted.

    Past Thariel had been so stupid.

    "Stances?" Thariel asked, the only thing keeping her from falling down was her remaining will power, "I don''t even know where to start!"

    "Then let''s start with something more simple," Clyra stared her down, "what kind of weapon do you think suits you?"

    "Weapon?.." Thariel thought about it, she had never even considered that she''d fight in melee, as shooting things from a distance is simply the better option.

    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    Problem is though, she now had the Plasmononicon, which opens up a lot of things in the close combat avenue.

    Thariel genuinely put some thought into her answer and after a while, she came up with what she thought was the best weapon to keep her safe during melee, "a spear I guess?"

    Throughout Earth''s history, peasants used spears. Untrained peasants. And they won wars. Spears were kind of ridiculous in terms of versatility during melee combat.

    And a spear is just an overall good choice; it had decent range to keep enemies away, could be used for both stabbing and slashing, and when the enemy is too far, then a spear can just be thrown.

    Clyra hummed in thought, "you sure?"

    "Yes," Thariel confirmed, "I''d like to use the spear,"

    "I''m not good with it but I know the basics," Clyra explained, and Thariel thought that was enough, it''s not like she herself planned on mastering the spear.

    Clyra went away for a while and came back holding a wooden stick whose ends had been sharpened into a point.

    "Here,"

    Thariel caught the spear mid air, she then stared at Clyra, "you''re actually not good with the spear right? I just want to make sure,"

    "No," replied the redhead, shrugging, "actually, I''m not good at any weapon... Or I''m not a master at using them, would be the better description," Clyra further elaborated, "I did learn how to use all of them though,"

    "All of them?" Thariel asked, shocked, "you learned to use every single weapon?" Her mother nodded gravely in response, "okay?.. Then do you actually specialize in something?"

    Clyra looked at the forest, "I think what I specialize in is aiming,"

    To demonstrate, Clyra bent down and picked up a pebble, she threw it at a faraway tree, the resulting impact caused the bark to break into countless splinters and leave behind a white surface of exposed wood.

    "I... See," Thariel murmured.

    Well, then, it just so happens to be that she also wanted to use a weapon which utilizes aiming more than any other skill so this might prove useful.

    "I think I''ll also just learn the basics when using the spear," Thariel at her mother, "what do I need to do?"

    "To start?" Clyra asks, Thariel nods, the redhead shrugged, "nothing tiring-" what did this mean? "- you start thrusting your spear forward, don''t stop until you''ve done a hundred, and no, you can''t take breaks,"

    "Yeah, I can do that," Thariel casually replied before going into a stance, she stabbed forward and felt the ease of doing it. A hundred thrusts was easily doable!

    It wasn''t doable.

    She had felt tired after her 30th and the rest that followed was absolutely hellish, her arm was crying out for her to stop when she reached 60 and by 80, her movements had turned sluggish but she pushed on anyway, only stopping at 94, where her limb lost its strength and dropped the spear on its own.

    "That was a good start," complimented Clyra as she neared, "but the way you did it was wrong, what you were practicing just now was a short stab, something soldiers only do when they have no other choice, give me the spear,"

    Thariel exchanged her spear with the flask of water her mother brought, she quenched her thirst while watching Clyra showcase what a proper spear thrust was and hers looked downright sloppy when compared to Clyra''s.

    "You see now?" Clyra turned to her, "that''s how you thrust your spear, you will always do this, no matter what." The redhead explained with a tone of steel, "and when you can''t? Then figure out a way for you to do it again, run away and put distance between you or your target,"

    "I think I''m starting to understand," Thariel replied as she took the spear again, holding the weapon with her tired arm made it feel heavier than it was.

    "Now, while your arm regenerates, you''ll practice how to properly do it, I''ll be the judge, when I think you''re finished, you''ll rest for another 10 minutes before doing another set of long thrusts, this time try to reach 200,"

    Thariel exhaled deeply, "hooo- okay, okay, wow that''s..."

    200? Seriously? Her arms were already tired!

    "Isn''t that too much?" Thariel asked.

    "It''s not, you''ll be fine by morning," Clyra deadpanned, "actually, you''re lucky you can even improve your physique, actual vampires don''t have this kind of ability,"

    That''s not a good thing!

    Instead of shouting out her thoughts, Thariel just nodded, "okay, so, I just pull my arm back and then thrust right?"

    "Use your elbow to extend your forearm when you thrust," explained Clyra, "you''ll probably have a hard time figuring out how to lower your posture but don''t worry, you have all night to learn how to,"

    "Ugh," Thariel groaned but didn''t bother to physically protest, she pulled her arm back and did her best to imitate the spear thrust that her mother did just now.

    For a while, she practiced how to properly thrust a spear and the constant breaks where Clyra explained to her what she did wrong allowed her muscles to recover.

    Thariel wished they didn''t.

    When she was finally allowed to start with the following exercise, the sky had become entirely black and the full moon was fully visible in the midnight sky, this caused her regeneration to be at their peak.

    It had been so much easier to do the 200 spear thrusts because of it and it took her no time at all to finish the task.

    She turned to Clyra, expecting another set of spear practice from her but instead what Thariel saw was the woman nodding in approval, the redhead then pointed at the rocks and rope on the ground.

    "Wear these, you''re going to exercise again,"

    "Again?!"

    Cue another hellish hour of physical exertion that left Thariel panting and sweating even with her regeneration.

    "Good job," Clyra''s face replaced the starlit sky as the woman stared Thariel down, "well? Get up. What are you waiting for? You''re going to start practicing how to use the spear again,"

    And so, she did, and when she was done, Thariel was finally allowed to take a break and she gobbled up the food that her mother cooked for her like a victorian child seeing meat for the first time in their life.

    Normally, eating so much meat would put her off but in this instance, Thariel thought that she at least deserved this much. Especially after all of that!

    When she finished eating, Thariel was left to clean the field all by herself while Clyra went back to the house to sleep.

    When she was done, Thariel finally had the relief of dipping her aching muscles into a tub of steaming water and it was the best feeling in the entire world.

    She even took a brief nap.

    Thariel cleaned herself clean and afterwards headed to bed.

    She fell asleep seconds after making contact with her bed.

 Chapter 10: Training, Final Part.

    Expectedly, Thariel felt sore when she woke up.

    And how could she not? She basically tortured herself last night under the guise of "exercise" and "improvement"!

    Well, she could still get up at least, a shock all on its own really.

    Thariel got out of bed, she sighed in relief when she felt her sleeping muscles get pumped with blood and invigorated. Besides the fact that her limbs felt tired, everything else was fine.

    This was the power of a Damphir''s regeneration, literally, it allows them to fight all night and then get up in the morning like it was nothing.

    This ability would get boosted once she awakens her bloodline too, and Thariel was curious what it would become when she gets to that point.

    Would she be able to heal an entire arm if it got chopped off? Thariel considered the possibility. It was tempting.

    Unless they were expert blood mages or something, Vampires wouldn''t be able to heal an arm that had been cut off, this is because they''re undead. If they wanted their arm back, they''d have to reattach it.

    But Damphirs were living beings, they should be able to regenerate lost limbs right?

    And speaking of limbs, Thariel''s knees lost their strength and she fell down to the floor. Groaning, she checked herself for any broken bones.

    Okay, she''s willing to admit that she may have been over exaggerating when she thought she had broken bones, she didn''t thankfully, and after a few stumbles, she was soon able to start moving again.

    Thariel went downstairs and got greeted by the smell of meat, a lot of it, Clyra did say that she needed to eat a lot of meat for recovery and muscle gain. Guess the woman delivered on that promise.

    "Oh good, you''re up, buy more meat from Streamwise when you go there tomorrow okay? We''re a quarter into our current stock," Clyra said as Thariel reached the table.

    "I can do that yeah," Thariel agreed, she took a seat, "but I won''t get paid until the potions get shipped out,"

    "And? You have extra gold and also, a ship is coming tomorrow, actually, ships visit that village almost daily now since there''s a war going on and all that," Clyra looked as calm as a stormless ocean while explaining the frontier''s current situation.

    Glad to be reminded of the war, Thariel decided to ask about its progress, "how''s that going anyway? Are the Martollians still keen on conquering us instead of helping out with the Ytallotiks?"

    "It''s not going well," that kind of response was more or less expected, "they''ve pushed deeper into our territory and have been claiming land left and right, they''re also starting to make outposts,"

    "So they''ll be hard to root out," Thariel hummed in consideration, "how did the crown react to this?"

    "Nothing as far as I''m aware, they just sent out a battalion of knights in response and that''s it," Clyra answered.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    "Knights? Not the militia?" Now Thariel was confused, why was the king conserving his forces? Because of the Ytallotiks? Wait, that might be a good reason why actually.

    "Yes, I think the militia is still in reserve for now, the Tenlors are relying on their own men to push the Martollians back,"

    "Ah," Thariel replied in dumbfounded realization.

    Right, guess the Tenlor House losing power might also be why the crown decided not to expend their army, not just the invasive squid things from another dimension.

    Thariel paused and considered the ramifications of her realization.

    This might be why Virelith was so keen on marrying the crown prince during canon, because her house was starting to lose power (and for good reason, apparently) and the only way to get that back was through marriage.

    Thariel wondered that if she helps the war efforts with her potions, would the Tenlors not become as desperate as they were during canon? That means she essentially stops Virelith from becoming the villainess right?

    Right.

    Guess her plan on dedicating a lot of time into making potions was a good idea after all, she''ll have to sacrifice at least a few weeks to do it but hey, knowing her mother, she''ll most likely still find a way to make Thariel exercise when night comes.

    Maybe she can even practice magic while she''s recovering in the morning? Earlier seemed like the perfect time to circulate her energy...

    ... Actually yeah, it''s a decent idea.

    With her plans now set, Thariel ate through her meal as quickly as she could, she didn''t even bother to chew for taste and just broke the meat down enough for her to swallow.

    After breakfast, she went ahead and brewed the 8 remaining durability boost potions and then spent the rest of the afternoon circulating her energy.

    She did take the occasional break, such as for lunch, and during these, she also worked on her blueprints, her idea of making some kind of device to redirect magic had merit and so far, her math had proven that it was possible.

    She just, you know, needed a lot of gemstones and enchanted silver to make a prototype. Sounds easy enough.

    Not. It''s expensive as heck!

    Where does one even get enough money to buy that much stuff?!

    It''s a good thing that selling potions was so lucrative, otherwise saving up for 10 Platinum''s worth of enchanted silver would have been a massive pain in the bum.

    It''ll take her what? A few months to get that much?

    Actually, no, it''ll take her at least two years since she''s not gonna spend every second of her waking hours brewing potions to sell. Does she have enough time to do that? Definitely not.

    Well it''s fine, she could always just make more potions every week. That''ll solve the issue somewhat.

    Back to her magic, her progress in circulating her energy and lowering her body''s resistance to Surge had been pretty fruitful so far, and she didn''t have prodigious progress or anything like that but she could confidently say that her progress was pretty good.

    "Your progress in magic is slow,"

    So naturally, Clyra would put a dampener on her feelings of self-praise and rain on her parade! How exciting!

    "R-really?" Thariel held herself back, she was one minute away from snapping at the woman and telling her that her progress was just fine actually!

    "Yes," Clyra walked away from her and grabbed a pair of... Enchanted silver knuckles from the kitchen counter? How come Thariel never noticed them? When did Clyra get those? Where? She had those?

    Clyra looked at Thariel as if to check for something, she seemed to have been satisfied because she nodded, "do you know that the best way to widen magic channels is to strike and temper them with enchanted silver?"

    "That''s false actually," Thariel was willing to defend herself on this, even if she was aware that her rebuttal is blatantly false.

    She knew that this was the case, she just hoped that Clyra didn''t know about the method. In retrospect, Thariel realized that she was hopelessly stupid.

    "I think I remember a paper detailing that something like that is just a false rumor borne from mass hysteria," Thariel looked at her mother, Clyra... Didn''t seem convinced.

    "Uh-" why was she getting close?! Thariel raised her hand, "are you seriously gonna beat up your own daughter?!"

    "We''re at the frontier, a small beating would be nothing compared to what you''ll experience at the hands of the enemy, you need to learn how to defend yourself," Clyra had the same tone all parents had when yapping about something called "tough love" or whatever.

    THIS IS NOT TOUGH LOVE!

    "Mom..." Thariel said with a gulp, "I don''t want to feel pain,"

    "Bleed now, sweat later," was all Clyra''s response before she was upon Thariel in a sudden burst of speed. Her fist was just as fast as her legs and the Damphir could barely react to the punch coming to her abdomen.

    Pain erupted from her core.

    Thariel gagged.

    She puked. She actually puked.

    Thariel glared at her mother, Clyra glared back, "good, be defiant. You''re going to need it for what''s to come,"

    The following was a complete and utter beat down that left Thariel battered on the ground.

    Thankfully, her ballistic suit had soaked up most of the damage so she only had pain to deal with but by this point, what kind of difference did bruises make?

    She was given the relief of a small break following this and since the sun was about to set, her regeneration kicked in and it didn''t take her long to recover.

    When she did, she exercised and the events of the previous night repeated themselves.

    "You know," Thariel asked as the night concluded, "why are you even doing this?"

    "You''re going to the Militant Academy aren''t you? This isn''t just for the ritual," Clyra sounded sure of her claim, and well, it''s not like she''s wrong.

    Thariel didn''t reply and stayed silent.

    "You''re going to need to do this much if you want to graduate from there,"

    Right. Guess that makes sense. Damphir or not, at the end of the day, she''s just a regular person, not some kind of main character who will overcome all odds.

 Chapter 11: Back to Streamwise,

    Thariel groaned as she hefted a crate of potions, she let out a breath of relief when the darn thing finally left her tired arms and fell onto the wagon.

    Even when she wasn''t physically fit, doing something like this in the past wouldn''t even phase her, but the physical exercise (torture) she''s done these last few nights had left her entire body bruised.

    It was incredibly painful to move and even standing took a lot from her, straight up, doing physical activities was very hard for her right now.

    She''s about to head to Streamwise to deliver the potions she promised Liora and this otherwise simple event was a godsend in Thariel''s eyes.

    Why? Because she''ll finally get a break.

    On that note, her delivery is going fine and she''s made more than the 20 strength and durability boosts potions she initially planned.

    She added another 10 poison resistance potions as an extra because she had the time to brew them yesterday. Thariel hoped that they will help the frontier''s army when dealing Ytallotiks.

    With a ship visiting the village later today, Liora would have no trouble selling the potions and that meant that the merchant would pay Thariel her due in the same day as her delivery.

    Thariel felt happy knowing that she''ll come home 300 gold richer.

    Besides Liora, she also needed to check on the blacksmith and see if he finished the parts she commissioned from him.

    A rifle-shaped rail gun would mean that she wouldn''t have space for her spear on her person but who needs a spear when you have a freaking rail gun?!

    Anyhow, if she did want to carry a spear around- she doesn''t, - then maybe she can ask the blacksmith to make one with a foldable body or something.

    Maybe she can even ask him to make multiple, which would allow her to throw her spears without worrying about losing her melee weapon but again, spear throws were simply redundant when faced with alchemical bullets.

    But eh, these were all the plans she''s only considering for the time being and besides her initial goal- to sell her potions and check the rail gun parts, - she''s not actually gonna do any of them when she arrives at Streamwise.

    Thariel grabbed the reins of Rarla, the mule huffed, "well, I''m going now," she said to her mother, "see you later,"

    "Goodbye, oh, and make sure you buy meat, we''re running out of it," replied the redhead as she sent Thariel off, "I wish you the best of luck,"

    "Thanks," with one last smile, Thariel turned away and whipped Rarla''s reins.

    One of the few benefits she got from this entire training thing was the fact that she got to eat a lot of meat during dinner.

    Her lunch and breakfast were more balanced though, with the former consisting of nothing but fibrous greens these last few days.

    If she were ever an athlete in her past life, Thariel assumed that this kind of thing would be her diet, she wasn''t though so she had no clue if this was true or not.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    The drive to Streamwise was a bit dull, Thariel had nothing better to do but sit back and relax.

    She supposed it was good for her health, be it mental or physical. A break wasn''t so bad.

    She stared at the road ahead in a carefree way, the lack of walking on her part made everything relaxing, it also made her feel antsy, she was getting used to doing things instead of being idle.

    Thariel decided to work on her blueprints.

    She''s been testing the power output of amethysts for sometime now, she didn''t have any devices to calculate voltages sure- maybe she should have bought quartz? Should she buy some? Eh. - but at the same time, she didn''t really need to calculate voltages as a whole, just see what works and what doesn''t when shooting bullets.

    Her tests so far utilized a rudimentary rail she made with prongs and iron rods, it wasn''t quite a rail gun, but it was close and with it, she was able to slowly figure out how to make her weapon work.

    With her prototype rail gun, well- a test rail gun was a more accurate description for it since it could barely be considered a sling, let alone a proper rifle. It was just a U-shaped metal rod that shot out iron balls-

    Anyyyways!

    While working on more of her calcs and equations, she managed to get satisfactory results that could be toned down to the shape of a rifle.

    The problem is though, her calcs were a bit volatile, the problems came from two things; power output and the weapon''s durability.

    The only way to solve it without using stronger metals was to reduce the amount of amethysts she''ll socket into the weapon, this lowers the power output but then putting more amethysts causes physical strain on the weapon itself and...

    She''s just repeating herself now, the point is that she either used stronger metals or she greatly reduces the power of the rail gun''s shots.

    Well, there was a third solution; work with the materials she has now and then make her actual rail gun in the future.

    Thariel hoped that her current rail gun was functional enough to be used until she got to the Academy, which was unfortunately pretty unlikely. She''ll definitely have to make more after the first prototype breaks.

    Besides those glaring flaws, she didn''t find any other problem in her blueprint or her math so everything about the rail gun was otherwise fine.

    Halfway through, Thariel stopped checking the design of her rail gun and instead began to etch out a blueprint for her spear.

    The folded handle was a bit of a pain, as there''s no realistic way for regular iron to be tough enough to still be used as a spear after all the modification she''s planning to its shape.

    Her only option left was to use folded bronze as a material, which isn''t expensive but the metal is priced just high enough that Thariel thought it wouldn''t be worth it to make multiple spears out of the stuff.

    Thariel still made a blueprint anyways and she managed to finish it by the time she reached Streamwise. She didn''t plan on using it anytime soon.

    Or ever.

    The drive to Three Ways market had been brief and when she reached Liora''s shop, the merchant was already waiting outside, ready to greet her with a nod.

    Liora gestured for her to follow and Thariel drove the cart while being the merchant''s tail. They soon reached the back of the shop.

    "You work fast," complimented Liora as Thariel hopped off the driver''s seat.

    The merchant walked towards the wagon and opened one of the crates, she pulled out a strength boost potion and inspected it.

    "As promised, this is half of the total amount, with a few extra that had been added," Thariel explained while taking off her hood, "it''s 20 strength and durability boost potions as well as 10 poison resistances,"

    "Poison resistances hm?" Liora opened the crate with such a label on it and checked, "I see," the merchant nodded after a brief glance at the contents, "why poison resistance?"

    "Ytallotiks," Thariel explained simply, "they utilize poison way too much,"

    10 poison resistances wasn''t a lot when compared to the sheer number of soldiers that can be potentially afflicted by the Ytallotiks''s poison in a battlefield but Thariel hoped they would at least be able to save a life or two.

    It didn''t change the fact that it was simply better for soldiers to wear masks to not inhale the poisonous mist that the squids were so fond of using however, as prevention is always better than cure.

    Still, getting poisoned was a real possibility and during that time, her potions would have their use.

    "I think that fire resistance were a better choice since Martollians are more of a threat at the moment," suggested Liora.

    "Ytallotiks are dangerous," Thariel said seriously.

    Liora gave Thariel a strange look, "the squids don''t pose much of a threat with their current numbers, I think fire resistance potions would have been better,"

    "The Ytallotiks aren''t a threat?" Asked an incredulous Thariel.

    "Yes?" Liora replied, "sure they''re individually powerful, and we don''t know where they came from but we''re able to take out their cells with technological or spell-based artillery without issue,"

    So this was the point in the timeline where the squids still weren''t much of a threat, and they''re nothing more than an annoyance?

    Have they not built the Gap Generator yet?

    "Don''t the Ytallotiks use portal spells?" Thariel decided to ask instead of wondering about it. If the squids still haven''t opened a gateway to their homeworld then there''s a genuine possibility for change.

    "Not as far as I know, no," says the merchant, "but they do have the potential to do it, as they''re powerful spell casters," Liora hummed, "huh, that makes me wonder why they don''t utilize portal spells in the first place,"

    Because the squids don''t understand how space works here- Thariel decided to keep quiet about that.

    "Right," Thariel nodded, a change in topic was needed, she had a lot to think about for the time being, "so uhm, I heard that a ship was coming here?"

    "It''s scheduled to arrive around noon," confirmed Liora, "don''t worry, I will be able to sell your potions and give you your cut before the day is over,"

    "Mhmm," Thariel smiled, she expected as much, "say, do you sell maps?"

    "I do, yes," Liora raised an eyebrow, "why?"

    "Nothing important, I also want to buy a few blank scrolls, if that''s okay with you?" Thariel added, she didn''t want to take initiative but she wouldn''t get another opportunity like this ever again.

 Chapter 12: Forestry Preparation,

    "That''s everything," Liora says as she dropped one last scroll onto the counter. This one, unlike the previous ten that Thariel bought, was unenchanted and mundane.

    It was still just as important as the rest however, as it held a lot of useful information that Thariel thought would be vital when learning more about the local area.

    The paragraphs the scroll held about the locations in the nearby forest are the real prize however.

    Together with a map, she had what could only be considered a primitive Atlas, one of those exploration books that detailed the various locations all across Earth.

    The people of her previous planet had made something of an explorer''s encyclopedia and that, on its own, would have taken a lot of time to make so her imitation of it couldn''t be compared to the real thing.

    Hers wasn''t as detailed as an actual Atlas but it would do since she only needed to figure out a way into the Silent Shrine using the available information.

    Really, her knowledge related to Tainted Orchids was the larger variable here, but she couldn''t really use that without a map nor the information of the local area.

    The flashbacks related to Thariel''s past didn''t really show any of these places properly, just the bare minimum. She knew the shrine existed and that by the time canon started, it had relocated someplace else.

    Whatever happened in the next few months caused the shrine to be displaced, unsurprising given that the Ytallotiks would have taken over everything around here a year from now.

    She''d do something to prevent that in this reality though and to do that, she needed to find the Silent Shrine.

    Making a connection with the blind saint was probably going to be harder than pinpointing the location of the shrine itself but Thariel was willing to do and offer a lot to earn his graces.

    After all, the only place where she can get spirit water from is the Silent Shrine.

    And spirit water is one of the only things that could push back the taint that the Ytallotiks bring with them wherever they go. Spirit water can also be used to cure any disease, albeit at a cost to the soul.

    After getting access to the Silent Shrine, she''ll try to prevent the biggest events that caused the Ytallotiks to get a foothold on the area and hopefully, with her efforts, things wouldn''t be as bad as they were in canon.

    That would mean that the main character wouldn''t grow as well as she did in Tainted Orchids though, but that was a sacrifice Thariel was willingly going to make.

    Personally, Thariel considered that kind of consequence as nothing compared to the suffering everyone would be under when the Ytallotiks officially start invading and the three kingdoms go to war.

    "Thank you," Thariel says as she put the items into a recently purchased leather bag, "by the way, I also want to buy a few pounds of meat,"

    "I''ll give it to you when you''re about to leave," Liora casually replied, "what are they for?"

    "Hm? Nothing," Thariel shook her head, "I''m being trained by someone I know so I need to eat a lot, of meat,"Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    "Just meat?" Liora asks.

    "Yes," the Damphir shrugged, meat was the only thing she needed to buy, as they already had crop plots growing vegetables back at home.

    "I also want to make jerky," Thariel elaborated, "at some point, she''ll probably tell me to go into the forest, I want to be prepared before it happens,"

    And it''s not like she''s lying, Clyra would probably make her go into the forest at some point, that is, if Thariel didn''t plan on going there on her own in the first place.

    She''s sure that her mother would understand that finding a shrine on the back of a turtle was a good idea. Or something.

    On that note, she should probably also prepare some other things, like a basic survival kit, "maybe also buying a fire starter wouldn''t be so bad," Thariel sheepishly added, "and also a tinder box, and uh,"

    "You want a survival kit?" Liora cut to the chase.

    Thariel smiled then nodded, guess the merchant would know more about this kind of thing than she would, "yeah,"

    "Then wait here," Liora left and came back a few minutes later carrying a sack, she dropped it on the counter, "this has rope and a hiking axe for fire wood and scaling, a waxed pouch for food, a fire starter that uses rubies for ignition, and an enchanted drinking set that cleanses liquid stored inside of it, I recommend you also buy a lot of cotton, make yourself a water purifier since the canister only cleans water, it doesn''t remove debris and particles."

    "Water purifier?" Thariel asked about the last part, everything else seemed self explanatory, it was buying cotton that confused her the most.

    "Trust me, even if you''re a Damphir, it''ll help, you don''t want to eat sand while drinking water do you?" Liora retorted with a question of her own.

    "No, I meant-" Thariel paused, oh. She gets it now. "Well I guess you already explained what it was... yeah, I''ll do that, maybe I can even add sand and gravel?" the Damphir hummed in thought, "do you have those here?"

    "Just find them outside," Liora replied flatly, "there''s a lot of sand by the docks,"

    "Right," Thariel nods, she headed for the door, "thanks by the way,"

    "Don''t mind it, I also want to help out," Liora smiled.

    It was only when the Damphir was near the river bank that she realized that she didn''t have anything to store the sand in, let alone collect it!

    And this was when she saw a few street urchins carrying wooden bowls while asking for money, the sight gave her an idea.

    "Hey," Thariel called out to the street rats, "I''ll buy you all lunch in exchange for giving me two of your bowls, how does that sound?"

    The urchins naturally became suspicious of Thariel''s presence and they backed off.

    "No," one of them said defensively.

    "Why not?" Thariel actually had to pause at the rebuttal, these kids should know how to carve wood so a bowl made out of it shouldn''t even be a loss to them, they can just make another one!

    "Because you''re obviously only planning to kidnap us and turn us into a monster!" Yelled another urchin, this time a young girl.

    What did she mean by this?

    "I don''t get you?" Thariel tilted her head.

    "Alchemists kidnap young kids to do bad things to them!" Said another urchin, much to the nod of every other kid around him, "you think we''re stupid? Huh?"

    Thariel sighed, well, if verbal stuff won''t work then how about this- she flashed a gold coin and smiled, "we can eat at the place you all usually eat in, how''s that sound?"

    The urchins stared at the coin.

    "And you only want our bowls?" Skeptically responded one urchin.

    "Yes," god these kids were so hard to convince weren''t they? Why are they so suspicious of her?

    "Okay..." The one at the lead nodded and stepped forward, "but try anything funny and you''ll regret it!"

    "I won''t, I won''t," Thariel grinned, "lead the way,"

    Surprisingly, the place that they brought Thariel in wasn''t rundown or some stall on the street, but rather a church. Hm, that was expected, she supposed, guess urchins would eat at a place like this.

    Still, she could feel her skin burning from being so near a blessed site of the Sun Goddess, it was uncomfortable and itchy, she didn''t think she could last any longer so regrettably, after only a few minutes of accompanying the kids, Thariel decided to leave.

    "I need to go," Thariel said, cutting her conversation with the priest who had come to greet her, "I''ll just take the two bowls and leave,"

    "Of course, I won''t take any more of your time, thank you for your patronage, a few gold coins means a lot to these kids," says the middle-aged man with a smile, "I hope to see you again,"

    Thariel only laughed awkwardly in response to that last sentence, she hoped that she didn''t have to go to another church for the foreseeable future.

    With her two bowls, she went to the river bank and started to gather sand and gravel.

    It was a bit embarrassing scooping it with her hand like some child and plunging her entire arm into the river to collect gravel felt a bit demeaning in her opinion but she pushed through it.

    Thariel came back to Liora''s shop and told the merchant of the good news, "the ship''s about to dock,"

    She had seen it back on the river bank and it seemed to have been a merchant vessel so things were looking up!

    "I am aware," replied Liora, "do you know how to make a purifier?"

    "Kinda?" Thariel answered, she was aware what a strainer was and how it worked, and she''s seen videos about this kind of thing while browsing through the internet in the past so she was confident about making one.

    "I see, let me do a small explanation before I leave anyhow," Liora grabbed a flat piece of wood from the counter, "put a hole at the center of this then place them on top of your cotton, sand, gravel, or whatever else,"

    Liora grabbed a cylindrical wooden cup, "stack them together inside another container with the exact opposite order I just mentioned, gravel goes to the top, sand at the center, and cotton is on the bottom."

    "I think I get it," Thariel nodded in thanks, "I can make it easily enough, do you have scissors?"

    "I do yes," Liora placed said scissors on the counter, "well, I better get going, I need to talk to the captain to sell your potions, I''ll see you soon,"

    "See you," Thariel waved as the merchant left.

 Chapter 13: Piecing Information,

    Thariel stopped by the edges of the port and scanned the people around the docking ship, she looked at the captain with apprehension.

    The man was talking to Liora- most likely negotiating the price of the potions, - so Thariel didn''t think that stepping in right now is a good idea, scared she''ll ruin negotiation between the two and loses profit for Liora or something.

    She plans on approaching the captain and ask him about something when they were done though. Like what''s the situation on the frontier? Is the war going well?

    She wanted to ask about the Ytallotiks as well but decided that it probably wasn''t a good idea, and besides, what would the man know about the psychic squids that would be worth risking herself getting discovered by them?

    Gossips and nay says? Folktales? Thariel deemed that her own knowledge when it comes to the Ytallotiks is far more accurate than everyone else''s at the moment.

    It will change eventually, but that won''t happen for at least another year.

    After a few more minutes of waiting, she saw the captain give Liora a large pouch, he had a frown while doing so.

    Liora took the pouch with the complete opposite expression, she had a carefree smile on her face as she opened it and nodded in satisfaction.

    Thariel decided that now was the time to head on over so she walked forward, it didn''t take long for Liora to notice her coming, this was shortly followed by the merchant looking at her in surprise.

    Naturally, the captain Liora is with would turn to look at Thariel as well.

    "And you are?" The bearded man asked, "don''t think I''ve seen you around here before,"

    "Thariel," she introduced herself, "I''m an acquaintance of Liora,"

    "The alchemist?" The captain turned to the merchant.

    "Yes," Liora slowly nodded.

    "I see," the man said, "you make pretty good potions lass, but you price them way too high,"

    10 Gold was too high? Thariel bought some of the things she''s selling for 15 Gold in Tainted Orchids! She''s selling them cheaply compared to the shams back in the capital.

    "Then sell them where there''s a demand for them," Thariel suggested, arguing with the man didn''t seem like a wise decision.

    "Where there''s a demand for them?" The captain asked with a smirk, Thariel knew he was just entertaining her.

    "Like a battlefield or something, then fleece everyone there with a higher price, I''m sure the generals won''t mind the price, let alone mercenaries or adventurers." The Damphir elaborated.

    The captain barked out a powerful laugh, "I see!"

    Thariel shook her head, "I''m not here to talk about my potions, I want to know the current state of the war,"

    Despite all of her canon knowledge, she never knew how the plot of this particular part of the game''s story played out, so it was important for her to learn everything thing she can about it.

    "How long has the war been going on?" Thariel asked.

    "Well, lass, if you want to know then you''re gonna have to-"

    "9 months," says Liora, "and Tenlor has been successfully pushing back the Martollians during that time,"

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    "I see," Thariel nodded, "how has it been playing out?"

    "You mean what''s going on?" Liora asks, she answered before Thariel could reply, "well, at first we were pushing them back just fine but the Martollians started to overwhelm the army with sheer numbers,"

    That checks out, the Martollian army was strong due to their large numbers and that requires a lot of logistics to fully support, it''s probably only recently where they established supply lines to feed their army during the war.

    "And horses?" Thariel said, cavalry was another thing the Martollians specialized in.

    "Yes," agreed Liora, "and horses,"

    "They have more supplies too if I remember correctly," Liora said, proving Thariel''s prior guesses right. "I think that the biggest factor of the Martollians''s current victories is the fact that they have a supply line that fuels their massive army,"

    "If the army didn''t need to worry about food then they can just continue conquering," Thariel supplied.

    "Yes," it was the captain who agreed this time around, he followed his words with an irritated huff, "if the noble and royal factions get out of each other''s asses and work together, we''d also be able to fight back but-"

    "They want the Tenlor territory to fall, the King has enough resources to help," said Liora with a thoughtful look, "it''s not a secret that the crown wants Tenlor under their banner while the nobles don''t mind the family falling since they''d have one less house to worry about,"

    So the situation is exactly as Thariel thought it would be.

    The Damphir went into a thoughtful silence while the other two continued discussing the current state of the war, the only way for her to know more about it is if she''s close to the Tenlor household.

    She wasn''t sure when in the timeline Virelith recruited Thariel however...

    And even if she did, the butterflies she caused may have removed that event altogether.

    It was better if she just gets the information all on her own instead of hoping for Virelith to recruit her and give her constant access to the frontier''s dire situation.

    And as luck would have it, she did have a way to reliably gather information; Liora.

    The conversation about the war soon ended and everyone parted ways, Thariel kept thinking about how she could convince Liora to help her on their way back.

    "By the way," Thariel started as she and the merchant entered the shop, "can you help me get information about the ongoing war? I''ll pay you for it,"

    "I can," nodded the woman, she gave Thariel a strange look, "but why the sudden interest?"

    "I''m just concerned," Thariel rubbed her arms in discomfort, "that''s all,"

    "I see, I better make sure that you''re well caught up with it then," Liora smiled, "you''re worried that the frontier''s going to fall?"

    Thariel paused, she thought about her answer for a moment before giving Liora a slow nod.

    "I don''t think that the war will reach this place," Thariel knew it would, in canon, the Tenlor territory had been pushed back to the point of the family becoming obselete.

    And if she doesn''t change the outcome of the war then it''ll happen here too.

    Thariel couldn''t do anything else besides make more potions to support the already battered army though, but every bit of help counts.

    And even if she was powerful or influential enough to positively change things Thariel couldn''t confidently say that she would be able to influence such a large scale war all on her own. She wasn''t the main character.

    Her only way of helping was her potions.

    But would that be enough?

    Thariel thought twice about her only option and decided that it wasn''t.

    ... Or it could be, assuming she somehow manages to produce large quantities of potions every month.

    But how would she do that?

    She remembered the Dwarves designing automatons in canon and had an idea.

    Her plan would probably require a lot of math and brainstorming to fully realize but it wasn''t an impossibility...

    Power- the only problem her previous world had in terms of creating mechs, - wasn''t an issue here thanks to magic and with her modern knowledge of engineering she could plausibly design an assistant capable of making potions and increasing her production rate.

    Thariel decided to at least try it out, she was 300 gold richer now and spending a small amount of it on an automaton wasn''t a bad idea.

    And hey, if this fails then she can always make homunculi.

    "Liora," the merchant turned to her, "do you have materials used to make carriages?"

    "I do," Liora nodded.

    "Can I see them?" Thariel requested.

    "Sure," Liora left for the back of the shop and came back carrying a sack, she dropped it below the table and began organizing its contents in front of Thariel.

    Thariel inspected the items in a thoughtful manner.

    The tech level of Tainted Orchids was mainly focused on three things; Medicine, Machinery, and Weaponry.

    Communication was almost non-existent here, or at least long-term connections are.

    There were chatroom-esque devices that 2-to-10 people can use called Parslates (or Paragraph Slates) but the internet as a whole basically didn''t exist here.

    Which was a good thing come to think of it.

    The digital degeneracy present in the modern day was... Definitely something.

    Anyhow, despite this world having technology that are sometimes way more advanced compared to that of Earth''s, they weren''t wide-spread.

    The common villager most likely didn''t even know what a Parslate was.

    The only things that the common folk got access to are advanced tools, melee weapons, or the occasional farming vehicle, these are used to protect/automate food production and nothing more beyond that.

    Most machines (especially immobile ones) are also guarded heavily due to the existence of metal eating monsters.

    Hiring guards and soldiers to protect factories already cost merchants a lot of money so innovating automated mills for better production just wasn''t a viable option.

    Overall, technology here, while advanced, are only limited to the rich, the military, or those with status.

    And, as luck would have it, all of these factions use carriages as a mode of transportation.

    And since carriages aren''t immobile the same way factories would be, monsters can''t just easily consume them, thus carriages can be innovated.

    This leads to the vehicles being quite advanced, not as good as Earth''s cars- some of which can run as fast as 100 mph, - but are quite advanced regardless.

    They still use horses sure, but that was because animal labor is cheaper than steam engines.

    Oil didn''t exist here on account that wood-eating bacteria existed since time immemorial so the only options people had to innovate technology was either magic or steam.

    Any scholar worth their weight would naturally choose magic, which was expensive to utilize and required a lot of resources to properly implement so carriages simply aren''t part of that budget.

    But you know what carriages have and earth-made cars don''t?

    The ability to drive on uneven ground, not just flat asphalt. The car companies of earth wish their vehicles are as versatile and multi-terrain as carriages here.

    With that being said, her automatons shouldn''t have balanced or dexterity issues if she uses carriage parts to make them.

    Springs for stability, cranks for breaks, levers, locks, and pistons were all present on the table.

    Thariel picked them apart to see if they can be used by her to make an automaton and as it turns out, all of them were usable.

 Chapter 14: Questions,

    "I think I''ve seen one or two of them yes," Clyra said as she closed the lid of the pot, stopping the scent of stew from wafting out. She faced her daughter, "why?"

    Thariel paused her chewing, "Nothing, it''s just I''m looking for something in the forest,"

    Thariel let her thoughts drift while she waited for her skeptical mother''s answer.

    She had woken up in pain after another night of exercise but she wasn''t as sore as she thought she would have been. It''s lunch now and save for the bit of aching in her muscles, she otherwise felt fine.

    "You''re looking for Fire Lanterns," Clyra drawled, it took her a while to give out a reply, "why?"

    "Spiritual stuff, I can''t answer you even if I wanted to," Thariel lied, honestly, she just didn''t want to tell her mother that she was searching for the Silent Shrine, as Clyra would definitely stop her from going there if she knew.

    "Spiritual stuff huh?" Clyra crossed her arms, "what kind of spiritual stuff are we talking about here? A pilgrimage? Some kind of ritual? Is it about the book?"

    "Possibly all three," Clyra admitted.

    Now that the Plasmononicon has been mentioned, she actually thinks that Spirit Water would be able to cleanse her spirit if she drinks it.

    That should allow her to have all the benefits of having an awakened bloodline without any of the drawbacks.

    "You''re searching for the silent shrine," Clyra''s guess was strangely spot on.

    "How''d you know?" Thariel mused that trying to hide it had been worth a shot.

    "Why else would a Damphir search for "spirituality" in the forest?" Clyra huffed, she sounded almost disappointed. "It was obvious from the start you wanted spirit water."

    "Just so you know, cleansing your soul would only lessen the drawbacks of your awakened bloodline and not remove them fully," the redhead warned.

    "Okay? But what if I don''t awaken my bloodline?" Thariel asked.

    "If you don''t then your weaknesses will be gone while you''ll have all the perks you currently have... With a few changes," Clyra answered.

    The redhead tapped on her forearm with her index finger, "You''ll have minor healing when exposed to the sun, and also the moon but you''ll also partially lose your heightened regeneration under moon light,"

    "As for your actual question, well, you''d no longer need to wear sun screen, your body can be empowered by the sun as well, it''s not a bad deal all things considered." Her mother finished.

    "What happens to my weaknesses if I cleanse myself with an awakened bloodline?" Thariel asked.

    "They''ll only become lesser, your skin would turn red and slightly burn from being exposed to sunlight but it won''t blister like it would have been if you didn''t drink spirit water," came the answer.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    Thariel considered Clyra''s explanations and thought about her options.

    On one hand, everything she''ll get from awakening her bloodline was too good to pass up but at the same time, she would still have her weaknesses after she drinks spirit water because of it.

    So should she just not mess with the Plasmononicon?

    What benefits weighed more? Becoming stronger- and also gaining connections to the vampires, - or losing her weaknesses?

    After putting some thought into it, Thariel decided that she''d awaken her bloodline.

    Not doing it was simply a bad decision in her opinion. She''d get so much by enhancing her current abilities that it''s not even funny.

    And if the price for all of that is that she''ll still be reliant on sunscreen even after cleansing her soul then Thariel thought it was reasonable, and also not that different compared to her current situation.

    "It''s a good deal I think," Thariel tapped her plate with her fork, "I''m already using sunscreen anyway, nothing''s going to change."

    "Right," Clyra agreed with a nod, "but this is assuming you find the shrine,"

    "I can find it," Thariel rebuked, "I just need to know about the forest, the locations in it at least. Then I''ll be able to pinpoint its location." She adds, "what can I find in there?"

    "Nothing much, just trees," replied Clyra.

    "Any notable landmarks? Areas I should be avoiding?" Thariel hoped that the redhead would bite, she really didn''t want to just outright admit that she knew how to find the shrine.

    "Well there''s the Silken Crown," answered Clyra after a moment of silence.

    "Spiders?" Thariel drawled.

    "Spiders." Clyra deadpanned.

    Well, that was a start at least, now all she needed to do was lead the conversation into talking about the places inside of the spider infested area as well as those around it.

    Amori Falls being outside of Silken Grove was the best outcome she could hope for here as she''s never liked spiders in both her lives.

    "The silken crown sounds like the perfect place the silent shrine would be in right?" Thariel edged the conversation forward.

    "And for a good reason since no one would find the shrine if it was surrounded by man eating spiders." Clyra looked at her seriously, adding, "if you''re going in there, then you''re gonna need your bloodline to be already awakened beforehand, otherwise you''d just die."

    "It''s that dangerous?" Thariel asked, Silken Crown was never part of Tainted Orchids as the forest it is on had been overrun by the Ytallotiks way before canon started.

    "As an example, the brood living in the forest use the spiders as a pet or mount or something else related to domestication since they''re so useful," admittedly, Clyra''s explanation went over Thariel''s head.

    Wouldn''t the spiders be weak if they can be domesticated? Or is it the fact that Vampires chose to domesticate them being the reason why Clyra told her about it?

    Oblivious to her thoughts, the redhead continued, her tone filled with unspoken warning, "a single bite from one of those things is enough to kill an adult Ironclaw,"

    "I see," Thariel murmured, "and I''m guessing there''s going to be hatchlings mixed in there with the adults,"

    Unseen spiders biting her neck and killing her sounded like something straight out of her nightmares honestly. Now she was feeling skittish! Ugh.

    "Naturally," Clyra huffed, confirming all of Thariel''s fears, "you''re going to need to be prepared if you want to get out of there alive,"

    "Right," Thariel closed her eyes, "I''ll go there by the end of the week instead of tomorrow then,"

    It wasn''t exactly what she expected things to play out but what else can she do? Besides the fact that she hated spiders, the Silken Crown sounded more and more like a dungeon as she got to learn more about it.

    And from the feel of things, it was a high level dungeon as well. So not something she can easily dismiss.

    After lunch, Thariel spent the rest of the day brewing potions, she was able to fill another crate by the time evening came and after dinner, she was once again on the fields outside their house.

    Thariel looked around, noticing that the grassless dirt now sported several signs of tampering, she commented on it, "what''s going on with all the items and indents on the ground?"

    "I''m making something of a training ground for you, don''t worry, it''s not gonna be much." Clyra answered as she grabbed the practice spear.

    Thariel noticed that it too also had a few changes done to it.

    "And what''s with the rocks on the spear?" Thariel asked.

    "It''s so that you get used to the weight of the real thing," Clyra replied with a tone that said the answer was obvious, "now take it, we''re practicing your strikes before you start exercising,"

    "Practicing my..." Thariel trailed off as she hefted the spear to check for the weight, huh, it was lighter than she expected, "this isn''t as heavy as I thought it was,"

    "It is, you''re just more fit to carry it now," Clyra corrected her assumptions, "now practice striking the air a few hundred times, then you''re going to work on your fitness,"

    "Right, my fitness. I''m more fit now right? Why am I feeling worried?" Thariel let out a nervous chuckle.

    "Instinct I guess," Clyra calmly replied, "your senses probably know that you''ll be worked to death by the end of the night."

    "Worked to death?" Thariel shakily replied as she got into her stance. She thrust the spear forward.

    She had been able to adapt to the movement of doing this. Her thrusts had more power to them now too.

    "Worked to death." Clyra repeated. Deadpan.

    That definitely wasn''t a good thing.

    Thariel prepared herself for the worse as she turned silent and focused on practicing.

    She did notice that her muscles weren''t as sore as they usually were this morning but that didn''t mean that the amount of exercise she needed to do should get increased right?

    When the time came for her to work on her physique again, Thariel was battered, bruised, and exhausted by the end of it.

    Athletes seriously did this everyday in her previous life?!

    Thariel glared at the moon as she lay on the ground, she did her best to try and catch her breath with a pair of overworked lungs.

    The bloodrite ritual better be painless after this!

 Chapter 15: Bloodrite, First Part.

    Thariel woke up without feeling sore for once.

    Yesterday, she had finished her delivery and came back so late in the night that her mother no longer considered training her.

    Along with delivering her potions, she also bought a few important items such as a spear, leather armor to put on top of her chainmail, as well as leather boots and pants.

    She now has all the appropriate gear for foresting including all the miscellaneous items she needs for survival. A botany book included.

    She is now prepared for the survival end of the trip and all that''s left was to fix the combat-related portion of her preparations, which by her mother''s own estimate is good enough to let her fight against most of the monsters inside the forest.

    And honestly, if Clyra thought she could now fight then Thariel''s going to take her words to heart.

    Which means she now only needs to awaken her bloodline, a requirement she''s going to fulfill later today.

    Besides learning hand to hand combat, she''s also been practicing her senses as well as her magic.

    Thariel didn''t know just how much they''ll grow after the bloodrite ritual but from her canon knowledge as well as the Plasmononicon''s own description; she could safely assume that her both her magic and her senses would improve by leaps and bounds.

    And that was a bad thing, especially the last one. Why? Because she would most likely be overwhelmed by the sudden shift in her perception of the world.

    She hoped the change wouldn''t be as influential as she was fearing it to be but Thariel didn''t hold herself over it.

    And honestly? Her senses becoming maddeningly sharp wasn''t a bad thing in the long run.

    By tonight, she''d have her bloodline successfully awakened.

    Doing the bloodrite ritual before she leaves for the forest was a good idea in her opinion as it allows her to face the dangers lurking behind the trees with greater strength and since the sun barely went past the canopies, she was safe from her weaknesses during the day.

    Well, on another note, she didn''t need to exercise tonight because of both the ritual as well as her needing to leave for the forest afterwards.

    Thariel didn''t know what would be worse, offering a dead animal to the Goddess of the Moon and getting her body mutated while she''s still conscious or going through another hellish round of physical torture disguised as exercise.

    She decided that both were equally horrible.

    Thariel jumped out of bed feeling refreshed, she yawned.

    Thariel faced the new day with a chipper attitude and a smile on her face.

    Clyra greeted her when she went down stairs, "you''re up,"

    "I am," Thariel replied, "I''m gonna go to the forest later tonight,"

    "I know," Clyra nodded, "are you gonna do the bloodrite ritual before that as well?"

    "Mhmm," truth be told, Thariel already expected her mother to be able to guess her plans, the woman was just that sharp.

    "Come back alive," said Clyra.

    "And I will," Thariel nodded. She wasn''t going to die now of all times, maybe if she was reckless sure, but she knew how to handle herself in a fight even before she got reincarnated. "Can I ask for one of the goats?"

    "Take it," Clyra agreed, "I''ll also bring chalk here later, you can pick it up in the living room table,"

    "I''ll do that, thank you," Thariel responded.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    She started her breakfast and thought that she couldn''t wait to be able to heal her wounds by consuming meat.

    This was a canon ability that all Damphirs apparently have but she learned about it via Thariel''s skill tree in the game where she has a skill called [Carnocurii] which can be upgraded from another skill named [Hemo Therapy].

    On that note, all Vampires can use blood to recover from fatal wounds and they can even regrow limbs with it if they''re good enough, no need for reattachment.

    For some reason however, Vampires couldn''t do the same thing with meat. But maybe that''s because they''re undead?

    After breakfast, the morning came and went.

    By lunch, Thariel was in her shed working to prepare the space for the bloodrite ritual by temporarily throwing out crates, a table, and a few other unneeded furnitures to make room for the magic circle.

    When she went back to the house to grab the chalk, Thariel noticed something game changing; it was magical.

    Thariel raised the cylindrical object to eye level and inspected it.

    When placed under direct sunlight, dots of silver reflected outward from the chalk''s surface.

    This thing was infused with enchanted silver.

    Thariel felt excited.

    Now that she knew she had access to something like this, Thariel decided that she might as well go all out on preparing the ritual.

    She carried the chalk back to the shed and proceeded to check on all of her remaining ingredients.

    She still had a good amount of silver stalks left, and also a few dire wolf fangs, slime cores are also here, moondews too and...

    ... She had more than enough materials to make this entire thing work. High scale rituals were usually expensive to do but not when the person doing it has a discount from an influential merchant.

    Great. Everything was going to be better than she first thought it would be.

    And yes, she was aware that a high scale bloodrite ritual wouldn''t do anything to change the effects of the awakened bloodline and she''ll be just as strong if she did a regular ritual but where it differed is the pain she''ll felt when undergoing the transformation.

    High scale rituals barely hurt their users and the fatality rate is non existent. As an added bonus, the process will also go smoother and much quicker.

    The convenience she''ll get from a high scale ritual was enough to make Thariel put in the work and resources to prepare it but since it was more complicated than the standard ritual, a lot of things were needed to be done.

    First off is the enhancement of the sacrifice''s quality; with silver stalks, moondews, spider eyes, and slime cores, Thariel brewed a mixture which will give the goat more mutations than normal.

    It will also put the animal in unending agony after it mutates but it''s their pain that makes the process go so smoothly so...

    On the theory side of things! How the potion works is simple: The unstable-yet-stable energy within the potion would cause the animal to experience a hastened version of the change they undergo when living inside a dungeon.

    At the same time, the lackluster quantity of said energy would cause their change to be less than desirable, effectively turning them into freaks of nature who are under a lot of pain due to the energy''s destability.

    While the Abomination Concoction cooled, Thariel cleaned the cauldron and began brewing the second thing she needed for the ritual, a paint made from moondew, silver stalk, and slime gel.

    Mixing all three results in a viscous yet magically conductive adhesive that would channel magic right as long as it hasn''t dried out.

    Thariel made enough for two batches, one would be used along with the chalk for the actual ritual while the other would be painted to make a debuff circle which''ll put the goat to sleep during mutation.

    Thariel poured the paint into two buckets before sealing them with a thick, circular plank. Afterwards she started working on the goat''s cage, which even with her mother''s help in making it, took over half of the entire day.

    The goat went inside the cage after it was constructed and then Thariel carried it into the shed where it waited while the Damphir began working on the remaining things she had to prepare.

    With the aid of the Plasmononicon, she drew the magical circle for the bloodrite ritual using the chalk. Once that was done, she grinded said chalk into dust using her mortar and started mixing it with slime cores.

    This new powder was then poured into the rune paint.

    Thariel drew three more symbols using the enhanced paint, one for magical enhancement, another for magical absorption, and another for magical release.

    The three symbols were drawn inside the first circle and were only distinguished by their more blueish coloration compared to the glistening chalk.

    Thariel then proceeded to make the goat drink the abomination concoction and as it mutated, she drew two different symbols around its cage, first was the one meant to put it to sleep and the other was for erecting a shield around the cage in case the mutant escapes.

    The changing process of the goat was very painful looking and Thariel had to take multiple breaks while drawing the symbols surrounding the animal''s cage.

    She finished the circles by the time the goat fully mutated.

    The sun had also set during this time and it was now night. She was on schedule.

    Thariel opened the cage and took the sleeping abomination from inside and carried it to the center of the magical circle.

    Thariel gently laid it down and didn''t for it to wake up, she opened her Plasmononicon and began uttering a chant that will attract the attention of the Goddess of the Moon.

    Pressure began to build around her as she spoke of the sentences with each syllable adding more to the mounting weight.

    When she finished the two paragraphs, Thariel''s focus snapped back to the present and the first thing she felt was the presence of the Lunar Goddess staring at her.

    Thariel gagged and realized she couldn''t move.

    She fought against the pressure and picked up the ritual knife from the table, once the blade was in her hands, she moved towards the now screaming goat.

    Walking under the immense weight brought on by the sheer presence of a Goddess was like swimming while sick. Thariel''s inside were violently tossed around with each of her step. She loss count of how many times she swallowed her bile.

    She did it again when she reached the bleating goat-thing.

    She locked gazes with the abomination she made.

    Her only option now was to end its pain.

    Thariel kneeled and gently placed her hand on the goat''s forehead.

    She looked up, daring to gaze at the spot where the Goddess resided before saying- sputtering- "I- I bestow- this-" Thariel spat blood, "I- I bestow upon thee, A- a sacrifice!"

    She said that last part quickly to make sure she didn''t stutter when saying the final part.

    Thariel plunged the tip of the blade into the neck of the goat.

    Blood spewed but it didn''t flow- not downward at least.

    As though the world was now under the effects of zero gravity, the blood coming from the goat''s wound floated upwards instead of down.

    Thariel eyed the crimson liquid with defiance, prepared for what was about to come.

    As its body got drained of its life force, the goat began to break down, its corpse rotted as though time for it sped up. It didn''t take long for the goat to disappear, no trace of its existence was left behind.

    The blood that flowed out of its body turned green then blue once the influence of the magical circle took center stage.

    Before long, Thariel felt the power of the moon wash into the liquid.

    Thariel felt relief upon seeing this, looks like she wouldn''t be drinking pus or blood today.

    The blue liquid soon began to gather in front of her. It piled into itself until it formed a smooth orb that then floated closer to her head.

    The Damphir opened her mouth, hoping that most of the liquid would go through it instead of the other orifices.

    She didn''t know if her hopes were answered when the tendrils that broke out of the orb went inside her mouth, ears, nose, and eyes.

    The only thing that Thariel knew was that the world had turned dark.

 Chapter 16: Bloodrite, Final Part.

    The liquid dissolved the moment it made contact with Thariel''s skin.

    Some of it did at least- the rest flowed deeper into her body, it packed her lungs and began choking her for a split second before it went back to dissolving.

    None were able to reach her stomach and the mixture thankfully stopped around her chest area.

    It seemed to favor melding with the bronchial organs of her lungs before suffusing into her bloodstream, where it then circulated through her entire body.

    More of the fluid filled her lungs, preventing her from breathing. Adrenaline flooded Thariel''s system as a primal sense of panic overtook her mind.

    Her racing heart thrummed violently, putting energy into her veins and causing the energy-rich blood it received from her lungs to run a lap around her entire body in record time.

    When the energy blessed her cells with its touch, Thariel felt them change. First it was a burning sensation like no other cooking her from the inside, second was agony as her bones, muscles, and skin morphed reformed.

    Her body was reaching maturity far faster than it would have done without the bloodrite and Thariel felt literal years move past as she physically grew.

    Amidst all the pain, a brief thought came and Thariel wondered if she would still continue to grow after this or if the ritual had aged her to her physical prime.

    Would she look like an adult? Why was she worried about this?-

    Thariel screamed as her mind began to warp from the sudden onslaught of pain that drilled into her skull, her eyes itched, then burned- they felt like they were starting to melt- Thariel tried to grasp her face but her unresponsive arm remained immobile. Her muscles senile from the torture they had gone through.

    Then, all her sensations were cut loose and she got to experience a brew of all the world''s agony all at once as her body began to fully mutate.

    Her veins carried rivers of fire, her muscles tore and healed, and her skin ripped apart before stitching back.

    Thariel felt each and every process that she underwent, from the most minute of details such as her nails being broken down to the searing ache of her organs being torn to the mind breaking pain of her bones being pounded to dust.

    When her muscles regained their ability to move, Thariel began to involuntarily twitch, her throat soon followed and she only lurched out air until her empty stomach got the memo that it had gone empty an hour ago.

    Oh wait-

    What followed after her recovery was her puking and swallowing her own bile over and over again.

    It was a repeating cycle of pain that, admittedly, wasn''t as bad compared to what was happening to the rest of her body right now.

    Clarity with a side-dish of a pounding headache followed after the muscle pain and with it, Thariel realized that the ritual was more or less finished.

    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    Her body was now healing, reforming into something torn between organic and inorganic all at once. Alive, yet dead.

    She was now under the banner of not just the Moon, but the Sun as well. A living paradox who couldn''t decide which side it wanted to be on.

    Confirmation about her bloodline being awakened came when the pain she was feeling quickly disappeared and was replaced by warmth. Her healing factor had improved.

    Thariel fought to open her lethargic eyelids and when they were, she came to the sight of a ceiling overrun by vines and not a midnight sky torn asunder by the presence of a God.

    Thariel sniffed and frowned at the smell her nose whiffed from the vines.

    There was a disgusting scent coming from the plant, it reminded her of crushed leaves. And not of the good scented kind either, it was the kind of smell you would get from roadside leaves when you crush it with your hands.

    Concluding that she couldn''t do anything about this, Thariel did her best to ignore it and moved on.

    Standing up and failing made the Damphir realize that her strength- however enhanced, - had been sapped from her by the bloodrite ritual. She couldn''t even get up on her own with how weak she was.

    Thariel placed her palm against the dirt for support, wincing the moment she felt the hundreds of thousands of particles inside the dirt press against her raw skin.

    So her senses had sharpened to the point where she can compare herself to regular vampires, who were known to be rather strict with where they live because of it.

    Great.

    Thariel stood up, she wobbled and fell, she found herself holding onto the edges of the wooden table, the rough patches of everything in the wood didn''t feel right to her touch. It was like there are hundreds of bumps, gaps, and hair across its entire surface.

    Thariel decided that she needed gloves asap. She didn''t want to continue feeling the smallest detail of everything she touched, it just didn''t feel right.

    Thus, the first thing that Thariel did after awakening her bloodline wasn''t to test out her new abilities but instead, to cook up a bucket of slime gel that she eventually molded into a pair of elbow-length gloves.

    The vampiric side of her mind had decided to influence the makings of her new glove and Thariel spent another hour or so adding designs to it for aesthetic''s sake.

    She brewed two new batches of paint- white and green, - and used them to turn the gloves white before adding vine-like line across its surface.

    The green strands started from the edges of her glove and ended around her wrist, where they coiled around each other to form a crown-like knot.

    The result was so much better than Thariel expected it to be and she guessed that awakening her bloodline had caused her to gain some kind of artistic skill.

    It made her wonder if Vampires also had this kind of thing. And if so, it explains why their houses and the things they wear are so pleasing to look at.

    Thariel looked at her gloves with a strange feeling of fondness blooming within her chest.

    A quick inspection of the feeling got her to realize that it didn''t just stay in her heart, that''s just where it starts before spreading to the rest of her body.

    This made her realize that no, this wasn''t just some strange happiness she felt upon gazing at the gloves.

    It had something to do with magical energy and when Thariel realized this, she went into a meditative pose and began circulating her energy to check what it was about.

    Circulating surge is so much more easier than before. She now had an instinctual understanding for how the energy flows inside her channels as well.

    None of that made Thariel feel excited about this development.

    There were a lot of problems that came with her new system like for starters; her channels now circulated energy differently than humans, which meant that her mother would no longer be helpful to practicing her magic.

    ... Wait, wasn''t that a good thing?

    Her bias aside, she still needed to figure out a way to practice magic with an applicable theory behind it, otherwise she''d just be going into this blindly.

    The Plasmononicon was the next best thing she thought of when learning more about magic but if she really wanted to take this seriously then she needed to go to the actual experts.

    A.k.a the Vampires.

    Thariel didn''t want to meet them honestly as they''re a bit... Problematic.

    Well she can always learn on her own, it was fine.

    Thariel got out of the shed, she paused when she saw her mother, "how long have you been waiting here?"

    "A while," Clyra vaguely answered, "how was it?"

    "I did well," Thariel replied, she looked up at the moon, "everything feels so different now,"

    And wasn''t that an understatement? She could feel the smallest shift in the night air from the barest hints of water particles present within the wind.

    If she were to put her feelings into words, it would be that there''s a sense of weight to the air whenever it touched her skin.

    The feeling wasn''t universal however, like for example, the air that struck her cheek had more weight while the one that caressed her lips felt so much lighter.

    What did this mean? A difference in humidity most likely.

    But what did that mean?

    Thariel had no clue, she still lacked experience to tell the actual difference, let alone make weather predictions based off of those kinds of details.

    It would be possible one day though, she''s seen Vampires in the spin off game predict the weather like it was nothing.

    Thariel shivered when another breeze struck her face, it came from the west and the cheek facing it felt the weight of the air as heavier than normal. Rain?

    "I need a mask," Thariel decided, she didn''t have time to worry about these sorts of things when she already had so many things to work on.

    "I don''t have a mask," Clyra deadpanned.

    "No-" she forgot Clyra was with her!

    "I''ll work on it when I come back from the forest," Thariel corrected herself, she really didn''t have the time for this, "for now, I should probably get my things ready,"

    "You don''t need to, they''re all in the living room and you just need to pick them up,"

    Thariel paused, she looked at her mother, then silence. She nodded, "thank you,"

 Chapter 17: Into the Forest,

    Thariel hummed a wistful tune as she traveled between the trees. Her spear was tightly bound behind her and her satchel hung along her sides, she had a tool belt around her waist and a smile on her face.

    That last one was a cover up to the discomfort she felt from her newly improved senses.

    Since she left shortly after awakening her bloodline, she never had the time to work on that aspect of her change and because of that, she felt uncomfortable.

    Even the sense of vague familiarity and safety she felt under the shade of trees didn''t feel right.

    Her instinct as a Vampire told her that staying in the forest was a good thing, that danger would have a hard time finding her here in the thickets.

    How did she know that?

    She didn''t technically, she just had her guard down because her animalistic instincts felt more comfortable inside a forest, her more human rationale however thought different.

    Sure, she can hide behind the trees and divert her presence by blocking the line of sight of any would-be predator but how would any of that matter when faced with the sheer strength some of the monsters possessed?

    And not only that, she wasn''t the only one with sharp senses here. A lot of creatures, including insects, have just as if not better senses than her.

    Ultimately, her divided thoughts resulted in a war torn between feeling safe and being vigilant, which in turn led to her feeling uncomfortable.

    Thariel eventually decided to just focus on her tasks, like figuring out which way to go. She hoped that a distraction was enough to put her mind at ease.

    - But she just stupidly concluded that she can just pick a random direction knowing that the abandoned road she''s looking for encompasses the entire forest anyways.

    So refocusing on something else was completely pointless...

    Now back to feeling discomfort, the Damphir scanned the dark spots behind the ever shifting treeline with suspicious eyes. She felt like someone was watching her but couldn''t put a finger as to what or where they are.

    Wait was that?!-

    Thariel blinked. Huh, was her paranoia causing her to see human silhouettes in the shadows now?

    She soon stumbled upon the road, a neat little distraction that ultimately helped clear her mind by giving her thoughts something to distract herself with.

    Choosing to no longer wallow in her paranoia, Thariel put her mental processes into thinking about the history and background of the gravel road. Whose simplistic look betrayed the magic that was used to build and sustain it over the past centuries.

    But despite its history of being made by a once thriving ancient civilization, the road has long since been weathered down by the natural forces of rain and time, it''s enchantments washed away under the torrential downpour over the course of the passing centuries.

    Along the path, pieces of gravel have gone loose, been removed, or broken down. Leaving behind an empty pothole on the spot they once occupied.

    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    Thariel learned that like holes to a slice of cheese, gaps like these were commonplace.

    After another twenty minutes of walking, the feeling of traversing an ancient ruin lost its luxury and Thariel treated it like any other path. Thankfully, she didn''t have to deal with anymore discomfort during this.

    Thariel followed the road until she reached a fork in the path, there were three directions she can pick now with two continuing as gravel and the last being dirt.

    Thariel chose the last one.

    She gazed at the road before her, it looked simple. Recent.

    A stray dirt path without any similarity to the gravel road she has been following until now.

    It didn''t have the same ruined as the gravel road feeling despite the myriad of bushes littering the unmaintained earth nor did it give off the sense that it had once been built by an ancient civilization lost to time.

    She dodged a bush looking to scrape her leg.

    The story behind the dirt road wasn''t any lesser than the ancient gravel road however, as this was made and utilized by The Loveless King. A man who due to his obsession with the maiden of the spring, lost everything trying to helplessly gain her love.

    The lore tidbit she got from Tainted Orchids about the myth wasn''t a lot but it was enough to put context to what happened; The King, having fallen in love with the maiden, did everything and anything trying to make her feel the same way as him.

    Then one fateful night, when he no longer had anything to his name, the king lost his rationale and killed her.

    What followed was the man becoming ridden with guilt after seeing the dead maiden and taking his own life.

    It was a simple tragedy that followed the typical myth template which can be found thoughout human history.

    The reason for why it was in Tainted Orchids is because it served as an explanation for the existence of Amori Falls. The story helped contextualized its existence and why the hidden area had so many important items.

    By the time canon starts; Amori Falls was the only remnant of this forest that was left behind.

    The Ytallotiks never bothered to terraform the waterfall and its surrounding area into their preferred environment for some reason.

    And there''s a theory that why this happened is because of the item hidden within the waterfall- The Necklace of Ail was said to be made by an ancient goddess, which she then gifted to her daughter, a river nymph.

    And it was the necklace''s cleansing capabilities which deterred the Ytallotiks from ever trying to terraform the waterfall.

    Besides the fact that it has cleansing properties, the necklace can also store water. Lorewise, this function should have allowed the otherwise water bound nymph to walk on land.

    "Halt!" A voice suddenly called out, "you''re trespassing into Crawlfish Tribe territory! Who are you?!"

    Thariel focused on the present and saw that a Kobold now stood in front of her, blocking her from advancing any further with the tip of its spear.

    Given Tainted Orchid''s japanese origins, the fantasy monster in front of her wasn''t a reptilian dragonoid like in most fantasy media but instead is a short humanoid with dog-like features.

    It had a snout, a coat of brown fur, two floppy ears drooping from the sides of its head, and is currently glaring at her with a pair of heterochromatic eyes.

    She didn''t think it can hurt her honestly.

    Also, it was so cute! She always liked these talking furballs back in the game!

    Thariel used all of her willpower to resist the urge to pet its head. But the fact that it was pointinglessly aiming a spear at her is just so gosh darn cute she can''t!-

    Thariel cleared her throat, "hello," she greeted the Kobold, "do you know the way to the silken crown?"

    "The silken crown?" The creature''s brief confusion upon hearing her words would have been its downfall if this truly was a fight. Too bad she couldn''t tackle and begin cuddling it...

    The Kobold snapped back to glaring at her, "why would you want to go there?"

    "I''m glad you asked," Thariel took off her hood. She smiled when she saw the Kobold''s first reaction to seeing a Damphir was to shake in fear.

    "You''re one of them," the canine said in dawning horror.

    "One of them?" Thariel tilted her head. Were there Vampires in this forest? She didn''t know that.

    "Don''t play dumb!" The Kobold regained its composure and followed it up with a spike of anger. It stepped forward with its spear raised towards Thariel''s throat.

    Cute!

    "I really don''t know what you''re talking about," Thariel replied honestly.

    "Wha-" the Kobold flashed its teeth with a sharp growl, "you dare pretend I don''t know what you are?!"

    "A Damphir?" Thariel pointed at herself.

    "Yes!" The Kobold exclaimed, "which means you''re part of their brood!"

    Again, it was implying that there was a Vampire brood nestled somewhere around here, weird considering that she''s never heard of it before.

    Well maybe she has?

    ... Yeah, she did. Her mother mentioned it while talking about the Silken Crown. She just forgot.

    It was unfortunate that she didn''t know any of the names of the Vampires her father ruled over.

    "Well, I guess I am," Thariel said, "I''m the daughter of the count actually,"

    Was that good enough? Also, the brood wouldn''t hunt her down just because she did this right?

    Thariel felt the Kobold''s blood rush out of its face as it went pale. It was like her perception of it turned from a blood sack into a useless pound of meat, she could also feel the sudden lack of heat in its breath.

    Thariel focused on the conversation at hand, she really didn''t feel like learning more about her senses right now, "shouldn''t you be, you know, saying that I was lying?"

    "W-why would you lie?" The Kobold said, its tone shaken by fear.

    "I..." Thariel decided to play along, "right, I guess I don''t have a reason to lie now do I?"

    The Damphir smiled, "so do you know where the silken crown is?" The Kobold nodded, "great! Lead me to it. Oh, and tell me where the Amori Falls are on the way there,"

    "I don''t know where the water fall is,"

    Thariel paused, wait really? Wasn''t the falls literally falling from a giant cliffside? Wait no, it was inside the excavated roots of a giant stone tree.

    "Do you know anyone who does?" Thariel stared the Kobold down.

    "Y-yes," it replied with a shaky nod, "there''s a shaman in our tribe who goes there to pray once a year,"

    "Great! Lead me to it then!" Thariel began walking. Seconds later, the stuttering Kobold behind her decided to follow.

 Chapter 18: Dog- Kobold Tribe, First Part.

    Thariel''s new friend''s name was Zogg, and he was a Kobold hunter.

    Zogg had been in the middle of a hunt when he suddenly encountered Thariel and since he had to lead her back to his tribe, he had to home empty handed.

    He also told Thariel that the chief wouldn''t mind it because she''s going to be there?

    Anyway, he''s bringing her back to his tribe under her request so it was only natural that he didn''t get any blame for this.

    The Kobold had also reluctantly agreed to escorting her and even now he was being avoidant. It gave Thariel the impression that he''d leave to continue hunting after he takes her to where he lived.

    The two of them talked in the meantime and from Zogg''s stories, Thariel learned a lot about the woods, its monsters, as well as its denizens.

    Based on what was she was told, Thariel now knew that she needed to be wary of four monsters in total: Giant Snakes, Broom-bottom Spiders, Goblins, and most importantly, Timber Drakes.

    There were also other notable monsters such as Clockerback Beetles and even a Satyr but they didn''t pose that much of a threat to her. And this is even when the latter was "leading" a tribe of Goblins it had taken over.

    Since she had time to spare and also that her conversation with Zogg had winded down, Thariel decided to assess the problem each monster theoretically posed.

    Broom-Bottom Spiders were an inevitable encounter so Thariel didn''t feel the need to worry about them. Not as much as she normally would anyways.

    Giant Snakes sitting still for an ambush can be sensed by her- she assumes, they were never a monster in the game. - so they''re also not that much of a problem.

    Timber Drakes can be as smart as a 10 year old kid but they can also be quite arrogant and naive so right as long as she says the right words she can escape.

    Goblins... Might strangely pose a threat to her with their numbers. Strange as it may sound.

    Greenskins are brutal hunters who will kill at the slightest provocation, they''re also numerous and are quite good in adapting group hunting tactics.

    Since the local tribe is also being led by a Satyr, it was safe to say that there will be demon-goblin hybrids in their group, that''s basically inevitable with Satyrs around.

    Oh and according to Zogg, the Satyr-led greenskins are constantly doing raids to various other Kobold tribes around the area, including his own. That can only mean that the greenskins have a lot of resources to support their growing numbers.

    Which is not a good thing. Hm.

    Thariel asked if that will be a problem and the Kobold only replied with a serious look followed by a huff. He didn''t even answer her!

    "Keep yourself sharp, we''re almost there," Zogg called out as they broke past the treeline and stepped into a grove cleared from trees.

    In the distance, Thariel was able to spot over two dozen tents built on the side of a running river. There were two uniquely built structures among them; a wooden building built on stilts above the river and a dome-shaped dirt mound a few meters away from the stream.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    Farm lands were all over the river bank and the Kobolds utilized some method of river irrigation to water their crops via water canals lining the earth.

    Some of the farms had wooden structures with a semi-circle shape near them.

    Thariel noticed that weird looking animals grazed around these buildings, she rightly assumed that these served as barns and cattles for the tribe.

    Thariel soon got close enough to see the smallest details from the tents that the Kobolds called their homes.

    The tents were made of leather and are almost as tall as her. Little bone knickknacks were hanging from their walls, some of them were tools carved from broken jaws or other equally grotesque animal parts.

    Among these was a tent taller than her by several feet. It sat on the center of the settlement and had a horned skull mounted onto the top of its highest pole. She was made aware of this beforehand, this was the Chieftain''s home.

    Zogg looked back at her with barely disguised suspicion.

    The Kobold gestured forward with his paws. A constrained smile tugged at his lips, parting them just enough to reveal the row of jagged canines Zogg called his teeth.

    "Well, we''re here," Zogg sounded constipated, which Thariel didn''t get.

    "Great!" Thariel happily replied. She had been genuine when she told him earlier that she meant no harm to his people and she intends on keeping her word.

    A bunch of Kobolds came to wearily gawk when they got close to the tents, and a whole lot more gathered around them when they stepped into the settlement proper.

    A lot of the Kobolds greeted Zogg. Huh, guess the guy was quite popular among his people.

    People... that were really just anthropomorphic dogs.

    A.K.A talking balls of fur.

    Thariel used up all of her will power to hold herself back.

    She was surrounded by so many fluffy things and they''re just there! Waiting for her to take them!

    The puppy dog eyes the younger Kobolds were giving her while hiding behind tents and peeking out from the flaps with half their face out was just-

    Ughhhhh- her heart couldn''t take this!

    Like, they were all looking at her with the cutest expressions ever and it''s just so tempting to reach for their cheeks and start squeezing and molding them like dough!

    "Are you listening?" Zogg turned to her, his expression perplexed. What was he so confused about?

    "I am yep," the Damphir nodded, "and don''t worry, I doubt your shaman is as weird as you think he is," Thariel reassured, "I''m sure we''ll get along,"

    Zogg made a noise torn between a cute huff and a pant and Thariel wondered if it was the right choice to hold herself back like this. Surely the Kobolds would actually like that she plays with them like stuffed animals right?

    "You think I was lying to you?" Zogg looked away.

    Thariel tilted her head, how cute, "no? I just don''t feel like you were telling the whole truth,"

    "That''s called lying." The Kobold rebuked.

    Thariel chuckled in response. It''s too bad he''ll stab her when she goes and tries to squish his cheeks.

    "You also need to meet the chief before going to Trivok''s," Zogg informed.

    "I get it," Thariel responded.

    Before the going to the shaman, Thariel first had to meet the chief. It was a sign of trust or some such.

    Thus Thariel found herself standing in front of a sitting Kobold minutes after Zogg led her to the chieftain''s tent.

    Vrix was a Kobold who was more serious compared to the others. He had an intimidating air to him, a fact which was further amplified by the furless scar running down the edges of his mouth and up his cheek.

    The chief had dark-grey fur, blue and yellow eyes, and a burnt right hand. There was a story to his wounds, Thariel could tell.

    Vrix looked at Thariel and didn''t bother to hide his displeasure at her presence.

    "Hello," despite her usual lack of nerve when it comes to meeting people with status, Thariel didn''t let the nervousness she was feeling show.

    "What brings one of you here?" Vrix got straight to the point, his gruff voice echoed around the tent.

    "I want to know where the Silken Crown is," Thariel answered honestly.

    "Why? Don''t your kin already go there to tame broom legs?" A tone of confusion crossed Vrix''s gruff voice, "and yet you claim you don''t know where it is?"

    "I''ve never lived with the brood, I''ve never even met a member before honestly," Thariel admitted, "and this is also my first time going into the forest,"

    "And the first thing you do is come to us?" Asked the chief, he was understandably skeptical of the entire thing, "why? There are so many other denizens here you can visit for aid. Like the goblins for example,"

    "I don''t like Satyrs," Thariel said in distaste. She schooled her expression and ceased frowning.

    Honestly, she wouldn''t be surprised if those hedonists were specifically designed to be as unappealing to the female demographic as humanely possible.

    "You don''t, do you?" Vrix asked, tone even more suspicious than before.

    Wait. Did he think she liked...

    Ew!

    "Nope," Thariel raised her hands, "they''re a bit too much for my taste and even if I did like the rapey satanic goats, I don''t know where the goblins are so it''s a moot point."

    "I see, and you somehow can''t divine the location of your prey? You''re unable to track them?" Vrix''s continued interrogation was starting to piss her off. He doesn''t even look that fluffy, who was he to suspect her like this?

    "No," Thariel snapped, causing the scarred Kobold to tense up, "I''ve just recently awakened my bloodline so I have no idea how to use my improved senses." Thariel met Vrix''s glare with her own, "so if you can just let me talk to the shaman, I''ll get on with my business and then leave this place,"

    "Are you demanding things from me?" The Kobold''s question had an undertone of a threat mixed into it.

    "Yes," Thariel didn''t back down, this wasn''t a job interview where she had everything to lose. "I think it''s best if we go ahead and get this thing over with, I''ll pay you for your troubles if that''s what you want as well,"

    "No, you don''t need to," Vrix stood up, he glared at her, "stay here, I''ll talk to my family first to see how we would go about this,"

    Thariel watched the Kobold go, silently, she couldn''t help but be surprised at the fact that he was almost at her height when standing up. No wonder he wasn''t intimidated by her.

 Chapter 19: Kobold Tribe, Second Part.

    The group of Kobolds who entered the room was a varied bunch, with each one having unique traits that differentiated them from the other.

    The one at the front, a female Kobold next to Vrix, had fur the same color as snow, her heterochromic eyes were purple and green and she had a height which is taller than Vrix himself and is just a few inches shy from matching Thariel''s.

    She was lanky compared to Thariel and the chief though, with her body being so thin that Thariel felt concerned about whether or not she was malnourished. She had a necklace of differently colored slime cores hanging from her neck and a brown fur coat over her shoulders.

    Right behind behind her were two other Kobolds, also female.

    One is as white and tall as the first with the same colored eyes- it was safe to assume that they were related, - while the other was orange, both in fur and eye color.

    That last trait made Thariel pause. Kobolds as a whole had heterochromic eyes, with each one having two differently colored pupils which differentiated them from other Kobolds.

    Thariel believed that this was universally the case among their race but it seems that she had been mistaken. The orange Kobold in front of her had a set of purely orange eyes the same shade as her fur.

    She wore a contrasting white coat over her shoulders and held a wooden staff headed by the Sun Goddess''s sigil in one hand. She carried her stave with pride and diginity and had an authorative feel to her overall demeanour.

    Wait- was this Travik?!

    ... Did Zogg lie to her? What a hypocrite! Now he''ll have to pay by letting her pet him until she was satisfied-

    "You must be the Damphir,"

    Thariel broke out of her musings and looked towards the speaker, which is the white Kobold next to Travik. She smiled at Thariel in a way that only dogs can and raised a hand adorned with a pair of bracelets made with teeth.

    "I am, yes," Thariel took off her hood and returned the smile.

    Thariel decided to take over the conversation then, cutting past the pleasantries and asking the names of everyone.

    "I''m Thariel," she introduced herself, "and you''re?.."

    "Sylka," the bracelet wearing Kobold introduced, "a pleasure to meet you,"

    "I feel the same way," Thariel softly replied. She turned to the other Kobolds who all had differing reactions to her indirect request of making them introduce themselves.

    Vrix had a sour look on his face, the necklace wearing Kobold had a soft yet threatening smile and Travik the shaman placid''s expression never changed.

    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    It was that last one who decided to introduce herself next, correcting Thariel''s misunderstanding of her being Travik. She started by halting and then proceeding into a bow.

    "I am Zyla," she introduced, "a priestess of the tribe, daughter of the chief, and its future emissary,"

    Thariel frowned. Emissary? Kobolds had those? Judging by the glare that the other three sent Zyla''s way it was a secret that she should have kept to herself.

    So why did Zyla do this? Why announce that she was an emissary?

    "Emissary?" Thariel decided to pry deeper, the dog was out of the bag anyway so she might as well, "you guys had those?"

    "Yes, we often have them go to other Kobold tribes in request of aid or to send it," the slime-core necklace wearing Kobold swiftly replied, she introduced herself next, "I am Lyzvek, wife of the chief,"

    Lyzvek gestured to the Kobold next to her, "- this is Vrix,"

    "I can say my name just fine," the gruff Kobold rebuked without heat, and looking at the dynamic between him and his wife made Thariel think...

    ... Oh my god- they had so much chemistry together!

    Instead of letting it get the best of her, Thariel used her excited emotions to put on her best smile. It didn''t help, she felt her lips shaking.

    "T-that''s great actually!" She stammered, "Kobolds need to work together after all, especially when times like these are upon you,"

    Vrix sat down and glared at her, "do you think we''re weak?"

    Thankfully, he ignored the fact that Thariel''s comment on working together was way out of the blue. Honestly, Thariel preferred the suspicious looks over the awkward silence which would have followed if she was asked why she said that.

    Then again, she also has no answer for this one...

    Fortunately, the gruff chief''s second half- a lively wife capable of tempering his emotions, - butted in seconds after Vrix started growling at Thariel, "I''m sure she doesn''t think that lowly of us Vrix, she has her reasons for wording it like that,"

    Thariel tilted her head, she''s going to direct the conversation somewhere else, "I mean, you''re all dealing with a Satyr here no? There are half-demon goblins running around the tribe he''s taken over so fighting them is going to be tough,"

    "And you are right," Sylka nodded sagely while Vrix just scoffed, "have you dealt with Satyrs before Thariel?"

    "I have actually," in game, but they didn''t need to know that, "they''re fairly easy to kill,"

    "That they are," Sylka''s smile turned thin, did she say something wrong just now?

    Sylka gestured to the chief, "Vrix, my father, has killed one himself. He can attest to how easy it is,"

    "Wait, you mean the skull on the pole is?.."

    "A Satyr skull yes," confirmed Lyzvek.

    "Huh," Thariel turned to Vrix, well it didn''t seem all that farfetched now that she thought about it.

    "Killing monsters aside, what brings you to our humble tribe Thariel?" Lyzvek went ahead and put the conversation back on track.

    "I''m looking for the Silken Crown and a Kobold said one of you does a pilgrimage there every year?" Thariel admitted with a small smile, "there''s something in there that I need."

    "Silken Crown hm?" Nodded Lyzvek, "don''t your broodmates go there often?"

    "For spiders yeah, but I''m not going there to tame broom-legs, I''m going there to confirm if the myth of the loveless king is actually true," will this lead to them telling her about the Amori Falls? Thariel wondered.

    "The loveless king?" Zyla''s orange eyes blinked in confusion, "why? There''s nothing there but death,"

    "Death?" Thariel turned to the priestess. Did she go to the waterfall before?

    "Yes, death." Sylka butted in, her voice deadpan, "there''s a myth going around our tribes about the nightly winter which permeates the land around the water fall and how it represents the coldness the king felt when he killed the heart of the spring,"

    "Uhuh... Can you tell me more? I already know about the rest of the story so just tell me about that part," Thariel asked. Nightly winter? Whuu?

    "The story goes like this; after the king killed his lover, a curse which causes winter to occur during the times of their death formed." Sylka explained.

    "According to Trivok, this story is true as severe frost coalesces across the land whenever the sun goes down." Sylka continued. "Killing everything and anything unprepared, it is said that those who live through the event are spared by the maiden''s warmth, which she expends nightly for the lives of the forest''s denizens."

    "It is however rumored that for the winter to stop, the king must experience the warmth of the maiden''s embrace just once, but with the coldness of his heart freezing the nights, the maiden is unable to spare him anymore of it, thus repeats a nightly cycle of violence whose consequences affects the king, the maiden as well as everything around them," Sylka finished.

    Thariel''s eyes brightened, that kind of tragedy... "Thats so fascinating!"

    She never knew that actual myths existed around here!

    Did that mean this story was also in the game? Was this a scrapped idea from the developers? A hidden note in the game files? Or maybe this was only unique to this world?

    She had always considered that a myth forming all on its own here was a possibility but for it to actually happen to an aspect of the game that was nigh impossible to explore during canon was just so, so cool!

    "I-it is?" Sylka''s calm attitude broke and a worm crept into her tone, "what made you think that?"

    "Well, for one, the nymph, or the real maiden, shouldn''t be alive right now- wait, is this okay for me to tell you?" Thariel murmured under her breath. It wasn''t, she probably shouldn''t go around breaking myths by exposing the truth behind them willy nilly.

    Thariel giggled, "ahaha~ I probably shouldn''t have said that,"

    The Kobolds nodded in unison.

 Chapter 20: Kobold Tribe, Third Part.

    "What''s going on there?" Thariel pointed to a group of Kobolds leading what she can only describe as an oversized melon with two legs and a lot of fur using rope.

    "They''re herding Lumprats," replied Sylka, Thariel''s chosen guide, softly. The Kobold gave her a side glance, "Have you never seen one of those before?"

    "Nope," she''s never seen anything like that even back when she was playing Tainted Orchids. She did know that Kobolds rode Woodfeller Anteaters and even Dire Wolves as mounts though.

    "I see," Sylka pressed her index finger against her lips, she smirked, "would you like to see more of them then?"

    "Lumprats?" Thariel asked while hiding her distaste. The animals, while alien, weren''t really that interesting in her opinion. They look weird if anything.

    "Yes." Sylka nodded, "we herd them in preparation for winter, then we slowly kill them off while they hibernate during harsh days. They''re an easy way to store excess amounts of non-rotting food,"

    Now that was interesting.

    Humans from her native planet also had the same system during most of their primitive history but the ones here didn''t need to do that as they have access to magical greenhouses during winter.

    Kobolds- and most likely other less advanced races, - adapting this kind of system made sense however.

    "I''d like to see them," Thariel agreed, they changed course and Sylka began leading her towards one of the barns, "I heard you guys also have trefeller anteaters and dire wolves as mounts, can I see them?"

    "We have dire wolves, yes," Sylka gave her a wistful smile, "anteaters? No."

    "Oh, do Kobolds not ride anteaters?"

    "No, we... Do," Sylka corrected, "it''s just that our particular tribe cannot spare the resources to feed them as we don''t have termite mounds within our territory,"

    So that means they''re expensive to maintain, it makes sense given the size of those things. They must at least eat several pounds of insects everyday to survive, keeping the anteaters healthy must be a task all on its own.

    "Why not just feed them root cockroaches then?" Thariel suggested amidst her confusion.

    Despite their namesake, Treefeller Anteaters aren''t strictly limited to just eating ants, they also eat other insects and Root Cockroaches are said to be a feet long when fully grown and they breed as fast as regular roaches.

    Overall, they are an insect that ticks all of Thariel''s icks.

    "Cockroaches?" Sylka gave her an odd look.

    Thariel''s expression shifted into one of sympathizing disgust, "yeah, I guess you''re right, I mean, they are a bit disgusting,"

    "Uhm?.." Sylka trailed off.

    She thought that as a Kobold, Sylka wouldn''t mind that kind of thing but being the daughter of a chief probably meant that she had the upbringing of one.

    "How about mealworms then? Or grubs? Those things are easy to get and they''re not as disgusting," Thariel suggested, "and on that note, maybe you guys can even farm mosquito larvae to feed your fish?"If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    At some point, Sylka had told her that the Kobolds here had fisheries and the building on the river that she saw when she first arrived is supposed to be where all their anglers worked/lived.

    "Uhm, I think you''ll need to talk to my father for that," smiled Sylka, her expression felt stiffer than normal though. "I wouldn''t want to take credit for your ideas,"

    "Well won''t he just ignore my suggestions since I''m not a member of the tribe?" Thariel rebuked.

    The Kobolds here were mainly based off of the common asian so they are very traditionalistic and put community values above all else. Daughters suggesting ideas are fair game however, as that is their role in Kobold society; thinking.

    "Well, I suppose, yes," Sylka responded with a frown, what was she thinking? Thariel wondered. "Then maybe I''ll go with you? I can also tell my mother and sister about your ideas,"

    "Thanks," Thariel gratefully said.

    "It''s nothing, and also, do Vampires commonly deal with insects?" Sylka questioned, she gave Thariel a curious look, "you seem to be knowledgeable about breeding them, and the local brood also utilizes spiders as mounts,"

    "I don''t know," Thariel answered in honesty, "I do know that a lot of them are fond of insects though, it has something to do with vampires being able to sense and read insect pheromones though, which makes us compatible in training them more than any other species."

    Thariel looked at her chest, "and as for me..." The Damphir hummed, "... Well, I once had a pet lizard so I had to breed mealworms and stuff to feed him. He''s dead now though,"

    "I see," Sylka''s gaze shifted to the ground, "so you had a reptilian companion? How did it die?"

    "Because it''s stupid and reckless," Thariel sighed to distress. Honestly, why did her stupid pet jump into an open wire and electrocute himself to death?

    "I sympathize, sometimes we lose our pets in the heat of battle," Sylka gave her a warm smile.

    "What?" Thariel snapped out of her melancholy and faced the Kobold. Did she also lose a pet? And battle? Did Sylka have a Dire Wolf in the past?

    "Nothing, oh, and we''re here," Sylka deflected.

    Thariel let Sylka''s avoidance be and turned her focus towards the barn. The space beyond the fences blocking the building''s gaping entrance reached above Thariel''s waist.

    Beyond it, in a room that would have normally been an area too dark for her to see is a gathering of bloated balls packed with fur.

    The Lumprats waddled around without a care in the world, their bulbous eyes strangely listful as they moved from wall to wall in dazed monotony. These ones were fatter compared to the first one she saw, how long has the tribe been taking care of these guys?

    "What do you guys feed them?" Thariel asked.

    "Nothing much," Sylka said from beside her, "fish heads, the fruits we occasionally harvest from the forest, and leftovers from our feasts."

    So the Lumprats were omnivores, Thariel should have expected this when she first heard the "rat" at the end of their name.

    "I see," Thariel looked away from the animals and faced Sylka, "don''t you guys only eat meat? Why harvest fruits?"

    "For the rats," Sylka''s answer made sense in hindsight, "and only them, we don''t even have groves for such trees," Sylka''s expression turned sour, "the tribe considers it a waste to raise fruit trees unfortunately so a farm for fruits has never been realized."

    "Then what about the farms near the river?" Thariel asked.

    "We get those to trade with the occasional merchant who passes by," Sylka answered.

    That makes sense, but also Thariel realized something-

    "You were the one who told everyone here to feed Lumprats with fruits," Thariel concluded. Sylka''s bitter look confirmed her guess, "why didn''t you convince them that creating a grove was a good idea?"

    "Because they think it''s a waste," Sylka answered, "there''s no point to putting effort into something the tribe considers as useless, they say it''s only a waste of time,"

    "Or so they say, reality couldn''t be any different." Thariel faced the cattle in the barn again, "feeding these guys is invaluable though,"

    "A lot of ideas related to cattle often are," Sylka softly replied, "but new things scares the old and they indoctrinate the young into following their ways so no change can be made."

    "I guess," Thariel said, "but maybe you should try to inspire change?"

    "I can''t," Sylka''s reply had an undertone which implied that she tried to do just that but failed, "the other kobold tribes aren''t faring much better but them thriving isn''t the problem... Not right now at least."

    "The goblins are?" Thariel guessed.

    "Yes," Sylka nodded, "it is them that I am most worried about," the Kobold murmured, "I fear that their access to dark magic are overtaking our efforts at pushing them back."

    Sylka''s expression turned from calm to worried, "and I fear that an alliance between the tribes would save us this time around. We are simply hopeless."

    Thariel got what Sylka was indirectly telling her here- they needed help and the one who can give them that just came.

    It was a quest in every sense of the word and if she was playing Tainted Orchid''s, a notification that says "new plot lines discovered!" Will pop up on the side of the screen to tell her that she just received it.

    Commonly, she can wait this sort of thing out but that wasn''t an option here. Time would move if she leaves this place and continues searching for the Silent Shrine. The problem wouldn''t stay idle and wait for her to come back.

    But also unlike in the game, Thariel can offer her aid in other ways. Not just follow the absolute requirements of a quest like players are commonly forced to.

    She had other choices beyond "fulfill this task" or "give us these items" and one of those is to ask the Kobolds to relocate (unlikely to happen) or get the Vampires to interfere. Maybe get a Timber Drake to come and wipe the greenskins if she felt desperate enough.

    But the question was, is it worth it?

    This kind of thing would take a few days to finish and she didn''t have that kind of time, the few hours of night time she''s burning talking to these everyone here is already enough to put her plans out of schedule.

    She did have one option left though. It was a good thing that she brought a few potions with her during this trip.

    "Here," Thariel grabbed a bottle from her satchel and held it out.

    "What... A potion?" Sylka recognized the item instantly. She took it and stared at it in a daze, "what is it?"

    "Strength boost, give it to your father, it''ll help a lot." Thariel smiled, "drinking it should be enough to keep the Satyr at bay and even kill a lot of goblins, hybrids or not."

    "... Thank you,"

    "Mhmm," Thariel let her actual feelings show in her smile, "it''s nothing much though. I wish I can do more but I have other things to do, sorry."

    There was no reply but the way Sylka stared at the potion told Thariel how much gratitude the Kobold felt for receiving it.

 Chapter 21: Kobold Tribe, Final Part.

    "Thank you for leading me here," Thariel directed a grateful expression towards Zyla.

    The priestess kindly returned her gesture, "it is my job to help out travelers with stuff like this." She humbly explained, "please reserve your gratitude for when shaman Trivok offers you his help, you could have also found this place without my aid,"

    "Thank you regardless," Thariel grinned, "it''s the thought of guiding me that counts,"

    "So be it," Zyla replied, her tone had an edge of finality to it which ended the back and forth exchange. "I wish you luck on your endeavors, may Solaria bless you with safety," the priestess offered a courteous prayer before bowing, "for now, I shall take my leave. I must discuss things with my family,"

    Thariel waved as Zyla turned her back on her.

    Once alone, Thariel reminisced about what led to this situation.

    Earlier, Sylka had taken a few minutes to process the fact that she was just given a potion and when she did, the Kobold practically quickly dragged Thariel back to the chieftain''s tent where she and her family immediately began discussing things.

    Seeing as they didn''t want her there, Lyzvek gave her permission to meet with Trivok and Zyla volunteered to lead her to the shaman''s home where things played out the way they did just now.

    Thariel turned to Trivok''s house and tilted her head.

    The entrance was nothing more than a hole with a curtain draped over it for cover. Thariel knew from sight alone that she wouldn''t be able to fit such a tight nook.

    Dirt roof and walls growing all kinds of plants made up most of the house''s decoration with the remaining details visible to her being the flatstones buried into the earth to form some sort of walkway leading to the entrance.

    There were no lights here, which she supposed was done on purpose given that Kobolds were nocturnal creatures and could see in the dark.

    And it''s not like it''s a problem for her either.

    Thariel walked towards the door and wondered if she should knock on the dirt or?..

    "Hello?" She decided to just call out for Trivok, every other option just seemed so destructive to the house or intrusive to the shaman''s privacy.

    "I''m here," a weak yet gruff voice came from beyond the drape, a second later and a head with a mop of matted fur peeked out. The Kobold''s eyes widened, "you''re?.."

    "I''m here to ask about the silken crown and also about amori falls?" Thariel explained instead of introducing herself, "don''t worry, I have the chief''s permission. I''m Thariel by the way,"

    "Silken Crown?" Trivok pulled on his beard and began humming, "I see... Did your brood not tell you about its location? You''re a Damphir yes but you awakened your bloodline, that requires permission from the entire brood to happen."

    "Well no?" Thariel crossed her arms, she frowned in confusion and gazed at the moon. "I''ve never met any vampires before to be honest, not even one."If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    "Hm? Have you not?" Trivok sounded skeptical, "I see... Then come in, come in,"

    Trivok disappeared behind the curtains, leaving Thariel alone to contemplate about what just happened. She had enough time to do it so might as well.

    Thariel looked at the tiny hole she was supposed to go inside of to enter the shaman''s home. As a test, she placed a fist next to the hole and realized that no, her entire body couldn''t realistically fit in something like this.

    "Uhm, I don''t think I can?" Thariel said towards empty air.

    Trivok peeked out again, "you can''t?" He said while sounding genuinely confused, "why?"

    Wasn''t that supposed to be her question?

    "The hole is too small," Thariel replied sheepishly.

    And even if she could fit in it, she was taller than the dirt dome by at least 4 feet! Where is the rest of her height gonna go in there?!

    "Is it?" The shaman looked at the entrance to his own home far longer than Thariel felt was necessary before nodding sagely, "I see,"

    "... Ahaha, yes?" Thariel was at a loss for words, what did the chief and his family do whenever they wanted to visit Trivok in the past? Squeeze themselves?

    "Yes," Trivok rubbed his beard, "I see that now,"

    Before the conversation goes for another loop, Thariel cleared her throat and put on her best smile, "well then, now that it''s been established that I''m simply not the right size for your home, how about we talk outside?"

    "Outside hm?" Trivok walked out of the curtain, allowing Thariel to see the rest of the Kobold''s- admittedly malnourished - body.

    Trivok was thin enough to have a visible ribcage outlining his chest and his fatless arms had the hardened edges of bone. His cheeks were barely there and his lower skull looked uniform with the rest of his spindly snout.

    Patches of brown spotted some parts of his graying fur, indicating that the autumn coloration was what the shaman once sported during his youth.

    A bony hand with fingers that looked like they would fall apart at the slightest pressure held a staff the Kobold used to hold himself upright. Covering his back as well as the sides of his body is a cloak which was lowered to the ground by his hunchbacked posture.

    A pair of lively purple and blue eyes met Thariel''s gaze, their energy betraying the disposition of the frail old man before her. "Well then, should we go?"

    Thariel nodded and did her best to hide her concern for the fact that she may have just gotten an old man out of his nursing home because she wanted to ask him something.

    Come to think of it, didn''t Zogg say this guy went to Amori Falls once every year to pray there? How does he do that? Wait, maybe it was a lie? It probably was. Zogg seemed to like lying so it makes sense.

    "Do you know how to use magic, girl?" Trivok''s sudden question made Thariel focus on him.

    "A little bit yeah, I know how to cast [Strongarm], [Tough Skin], and [Sense Boost] but I can''t confidently say that I''m good at using them." Thariel replied, leaving out the fact that her skill at utilizing the spells was completely different from her ability to call on them during a fight.

    "Do you sense it?" Trivok asked again, this time he was even more vague.

    "Sense what?" Thariel looked around. Her sharp senses should be able to pick up anything the old Kobold is telling her.

    "Magic." Replied Trivok, "it''s all around us,"

    "Is it?" Thariel knew that was the case but it couldn''t be sensed as far as her knowledge of it went.

    "Yes," Trivok nodded, "creatures like us are more in tune with the magical world compared to humans, we are more like Drakes or even actual monsters in that sense,"

    "What about Cjorms?" Thariel asked about the nomadic avians. Come to think of it, Cjorms are kinda like Damphirs in that they''re torn between the Moon and the Sun.

    They praise the God of the Skies, an intermediate deity, which helps them stave off the influence from the two celestial sisters non-stop bickering.

    Maybe she should do that as well?

    Food for thought.

    "Cjorms too yes," Trivok nods, he gazes at Thariel with a shine in his eyes, "what about you? Do you sense it?"

    "I can''t," Thariel admitted. She decided to correct herself, maybe she''d learn something new here? "Or I don''t know how to rather,"

    "Hm? Why not?" The Kobold asked, adding, "sniff the air and feel the energy within it,"

    ... That sounds like something someone selling candies inside an alleyway would say.

    "Uhm? Okay?" Thariel inhaled and circulated her magical energy. There. Simple.

    "No, no, you feel the energy with your nose," Trivok tapped- booped his little nose. Cute. "You see?"

    "I don''t," Thariel dumbly replied, she wasn''t sure why the shaman expected her to know how he feels when he inhales air. That was such a bad example.

    "Hm, I see," Trivok nods, he looked up at the stars, "it seems it is not my place to teach you this." He said cryptically, "if you are searching for the Silken Crown, it is in the east."

    And there it was, the answer that she wants. It''s in non-cryptic language too!

    "Thank you!" Thariel bowed, "I''ll come back here to help you guys out with your Satyr problem once I''m done,"

    "You''re looking for the Necklace of Ail?" Trivok asks, Thariel nods in response, "that item does not cure the soul of taint, however justified it may be,"

    "I know," Thariel smiled, she actually understood this one. "Thanks for the warning."

    "Hm," Trivok contemplated for a moment then said, "if you are searching for Amori Falls, then you will find it at the edge of the Silken Crown, you can circle the spider territory if you wish and you would still find it,"

    "That''s helpful! Thanks!" Thariel grinned. She can pat this guy right?

    "What are you doing?" Trivok asked in confusion.

    "A gesture of thanks," Thariel put her hand away.

    Trivok only huffed in response. Thariel had a feeling that the shaman knew exactly what she was doing.

 Chapter 22: Goblins, First Part.

    Thariel gave the Kobold tribe a somber look. How come she never got to pet more than one of them?

    Trivok had yapped on about how she needed to feel the magic of the world throughout the rest of their conversation and seeing that that wouldn''t go anywhere, Thariel simply guided the shaman back to his abode before silently leaving.

    And now she was here. She didn''t even bother to go and tell the chieftain and his family goodbye.

    To say that she made friends around here was an overstatement. She made acquaintances, not friends.

    And maybe she''ll come back here to help them out with their Satyr problem but even then, Thariel considers it more as a gesture of thanks than anything intimate.

    She was just being a good samaritan, and the Kobolds here were being good hosts. That was it.

    Thariel turned away and faced the forest.

    A quarter of thenight had gone by while she talked with the furballs living next to that river. She''s burnt how many hours since then? 2? 3-ish? Maybe more?

    It wasn''t a lot but with only a few hours of travel time left, Thariel hoped that the distance for Amori Falls wasn''t long otherwise daylight would catch up to her.

    The good news is that by the time she gets there, the nightly winter would have already ended and she''d only deal with the day time mist so there''s that for silver linings.

    It''s really worth noting that at this point in time, Amori Falls was cold. Like blizzard levels of cold. It was preferable that she gets there during the morning hours.

    According to Trivok, the mist that the cold waterfall and the searing lake beneath it creates whenever they make contact during the day freezes and turns to snow during the night.

    That snow then turns into permafrost as the temperature drops even lower.

    By now, Amori Falls should be a hellscape of ice.

    Come morning, the lake and waterfall would start to produce heated mist once more, it''ll envelop the land and eventually cause the ice to melt back into liquid.

    It was a nifty little environmental cycle inside a closed off area, essentially turning Amori Falls and its surroundings into a world of its own.

    Add the creatures specifically adapted to living in such an environment and stepping into it would be like entering a completely alien world.

    ... With a river bed of sapphires serving as fuel for its self-contained cycle.

    Thariel naturally intends to take some of those sapphires for herself. It wouldn''t be a lot, just enough that she could start experimenting with the gem''s cooling properties to make an item which can permanently stave off the sun when worn.

    Besides the sapphires, she''s not going to touch anything else.

    The Necklace of Ail would be good to have yes, but should the Ytallotiks come, Amori Falls would be easily taken over.

    She didn''t want to ruin a natural wonder because of her own greed. That''s what capitalists do, and look how her world turned out in the end.

    There''s also the manner of the hot spring.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Taking a brief break to skinny dip into that isn''t a bad idea.

    Actually, she decided that it was a great idea.

    Thariel actually moved across the forest much quicker than before at the prospect of possibly turning this entire thing as a sauna trip. She passed through the undergrowth in record speed, intending to reach Amori Falls as soon as possible.

    With her pace, it didn''t take her long to encounter something.

    It wasn''t the waterfall she wanted to find but it was definitely something.

    In front of her is a group of bald headed humanoids as tall as a child with long and pointy noses, rough skin, and sharp claws.

    They wore nothing but loincloths on their groins and carried an assortment of primitive weapons such as wooden clubs and blades made from sharpened bone.

    Goblins.

    There is a single hob amongst the group of 8 regular ones.

    Thariel jogged her memory about what her mother told her when it comes to the greenskins''s behavioral patterns, and based off of that she was able to conclude that the group before her isn''t a hunting party.

    At least not in the strictest sense, they were out here in search for animals still but they didn''t want them as food but as pets and mounts.

    The 3 darker-skinned goblins with tiny bumps protruding from their heads were also hybrids, they looked healthier than their greener counterparts. Talk about favoritism on the Satyr''s end.

    But if the hybrids were healthy, then the hob was a mound of fat and muscle.

    The massive greenskin - it wasn''t a hybrid strangely enough, - stood around 8 feet tall and carried a thick wooden club the size of her legs and twice the height of a regular goblin like it weighed nothing.

    Thariel assumed that the group before her consisted of the entire party. Goblin scouts were known to be expandable so the one who found this party''s quarry must have already died.

    But just in case, she decided to follow them and wait.

    She would have preferred to go on her way but these guys were heading in the same direction as her so there''s a chance they might encounter each other again and maybe in that time the cards wouldn''t be in her favor.

    The greenskins continued down the path they were heading and after following them for a bit, Thariel got a glimpse of the tracks they were following.

    A Timber Drake- wait seriously?

    The Satyr leading them is one ambitious bastard if he thinks that a single hob and 8 goblins are enough to take a pseudo-dragon down.

    After tailing them some more, Thariel caught something else doing the same the same thing. It couldn''t have been a feline predator otherwise they would have leapt from the shadows and begin killing the goblins post haste.

    A series of long winded observations led her to realize that it was another goblin, most likely the group''s scout.

    Why was it hiding? It seemed to be pretty good at its job too. Way too good. Almost as if it didn''t want the group it was tailing to discover its presence.

    Thariel put the pieces in her head together and got a not-so-pretty picture of the situation: the hunting party is tracking a Timber Drake and are clearly going to fight it.

    The problem is, they wouldn''t survive something like that. Let alone emerge victorious by actually killing the drake.

    Thariel considered them stupid at first but that was before she saw they had another goblin discreetly stalking them.

    The scout was hiding their presence from the group so it didn''t intend to be discovered even though they were all goblins which can only mean one thing.

    The group is a sacrifice and the scout is there to take something from the drake while it was distracted.

    And there is really only one answer as to what that "something" is.

    An egg. The goblins were going to take a drake''s egg.

    So the Satyr wasn''t as stupidly ambitious as Thariel first thought it was...

    She decided to follow these guys in the first place since they were moving towards the Silken Crown''s direction but she may have discovered something big here.

    These guys cannot get an egg.

    Thariel tailed behind the group, waiting for the perfect chance to strike. In her mind, the opportunity comes when the goblins start fighting the drake and the scout runs for the eggs.

    She''d intercept the latter while the pseudo-dragon massacres the hob and its party.

    Thariel knew that what she has been waiting for is close when she saw the goblins begin to chitter excitedly.

    Thariel ducked lower into the bushes when something big moved with weight in front of the greenskins.

    In response to this, the greenskins charged as though they were personally convinced they would win this fight. Idiots. All of them.

    The first to run forward had been a single goblin before it was tossed back into the group as nothing more than a head.

    Then the Timber Drake roared.

    This didn''t deter the greenskins and the hob stomped forward with a roar of its own. Club in hand and a vicious grin plastered on its face.

    When Thariel heard that the massacre was now underway, she stepped out of the underbrush and circled around the greenskins and the pseudo-dragon.

    She briefly caught a glimpse of the Timber Drake and as she thought, the dragonoid looked slim and her bark-like scales had a smoother texture than what would be normally found on male Timber Drakes.

    It didn''t take Thariel long to find the drake''s nest.

    She waited for the scout along the nest''s periphery.

    Her brows rose in warning when she saw the Goblin she has been waiting for step out of its hiding place.

    Strange as this may sound but goblins were normally primitive creatures technology wise.

    Shocking right?

    But you know what''s even more shocking? When a goblin is seen with items that should be far beyond the scope of their normal technological scale.

    The armor that the goblin scout is wearing wasn''t proper chainmail but Thariel would be stupid if she didn''t say that it was at least close to that.

    It wore a layer of bone shards weaved together with linen and fiber on its chest.

    Beneath it is what Thariel could only assume as leather armor. Which isn''t strange to see in some goblins, especially those led by more competent leader castes.

    What really set Thariel''s alarm bells however was the damn thing''s weapon.

    Raw iron wasn''t ideal to be used when making a blade but discounting the fact that these goblins now knew how to forge metal, the scout''s sword also sported a ruby crystal embedded next to its hilt.

    An enchanted weapon, however primitive, was problematic when wielded by a creature who had the same elemental attribute as that of their enchanted weapon.

    This is what makes Liches and their stupid Amulets of Death so hard to deal with.

    On that note, demons are immune to fire and the goblin before her seemed to have more demon blood in its veins than the three hybrids she saw on the hob''s party.

    Did she forget to mention that ruby crystals had the fire attribute?

 Chapter 23: Goblins, Final Part.

    It looked more like an Imp than a Goblin.

    The hybrid had red skin, two small yet pointed crimson horns growing on its forehead, and two bumps of keratin mounds on its temples.

    It being a hybrid meant that the ruby crystal socketed onto its sword wouldn''t be as compatible as it would when wielded by a pure blood demon.

    The latter two features Thariel listed were the typical demonic traits universally found across the infernal race.

    But since the hybrid''s parent had been a Satyr and the hybrid lacked the ram horns the hedonists were known for, it was clear that the greenskin didn''t fully inherit the demonic genes it got from the Satyr.

    The best example of this failed inheritance being the limp, clearly useless limb hanging below the hybrid''s right arm. It still had three arms however, with its extra third resting around its waist pretending to be some kind of belt.

    The greenskin''s gear, however useless, is nothing to scoff at but it may also have magic on top of that.

    Thariel took caution and mentally noted to keep watch for the third arm during the upcoming fight.

    She waited for the hybrid to get close enough for her to inspect more of its features.

    The hybrid had a wooden mask on its face and is soundlessly treading towards the hollow tree trunk that the drake called its nest with the aid of its leather boots.

    Thariel readied her spear, she only had one chance to throw it at the goblin without telling it about her position. She pulled her arm back, the nights of training on how to properly throw a spear coming back to her in crystal clear clarity.

    Her muscles moved with practiced precision as her arm catapulted forward, the burst of speed her limb could instantaneously produce had shocked even her.

    Her own instincts were sharp enough to know when her hand reached the end of her body''s natural flexibility. Thariel''s reflexes took over then, guiding her fingers and causing them to loosen and let go of the weapon.

    The spear whipped through the air with a whistle before landing on the hybrid''s shoulder.

    The greenskin stopped moving and began to wail in pain. Its cries loud and audible.

    It reached for the weapon buried in its tendon and used two of its hands to try and pry it out. This is when Thariel jumped out of the bushes and started her own ambush.

    She ran for the now panicking greenskin who in response activated the enchantment on its sword and making it erupt into flames.

    The ruby crystal socketed into the hilt began to crack as it powered the fire around the now melting sword using the hybrid''s meager reserves as well as the tiny bit of energy its tiny frame could store.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    This did not lessen the threat that the hybrid posed whatsoever.

    Thariel jumped back and dodged a fiery slash. A direct hit would have caused the molten metal to get onto her skin and stay there. Not an ideal outcome by any means.

    She hastily moved to the left and almost stumbled when she saw the third arm of the goblin raise upward and shoot out a spell.

    The ball of hot ash which almost struck Thariel head-first flew by her ear, missing it by mere inches before singing a few strands of her hair.

    Thariel activated [Strong Arm] and ran forward before quickly jumping back and shifting her magic channels into using [Tough Skin], a wise choice given that droplets of liquid iron dripped onto her arm and neck.

    Thariel bit back a scream of pain for fear of the drake''s attention.

    She hastily retreated and removed the cooling metal on her skin. She squeamishly winced when she saw strands of flesh stuck to the metal getting taken off as well.

    Thariel glared at the greenskin when she dodged another ball of hot ash, surely it''s running out of magic by now? The ruby crystal should be sustaining the fire on the sword all on its own so why-

    A sharp crack. Then the crystal shatters.

    This was shortly followed by the flames lapping the hybrid''s sword dying down.

    Thariel looked at the orange-hot lump of iron that the hybrid was holding and felt relieved.

    Calling it a blade no longer fit, it was now just a useless hunk of steel whose only threatening feature was the fact that it would break apart from the smallest pressure and slather anything in front of it with molten metal.

    Thariel bent down and threw a rock at it.

    The hybrid''s futile attempt at dodging backwards caused its own weapon to sway towards it and with how malleable the sword is, it bent downwards and then struck the goblin''s chest.

    The hybrid began to panic, screaming and jumping in a futile attempt to shake off the molten metal on its skin.

    Thariel was about to deliver the finishing blow when out of nowhere, the Timber Drake leapt out of the darkness and chomped on the hybrid. The goblin got swallowed starting from its head and down to its knees.

    It died with a crunch and like any demonic hybrid, it erupted into flames the moment its flammable blood made contact with its organic muscles.

    This fiery reaction made no difference to the wood attribute dragonoid as it gulped the corpse down. Flames and all.

    Thariel froze when the Timber Drake stared her down. The pseudo-dragon barely sported any wounds even after it had been ganged up on by a hob and 8 goblins.

    Come to think of it, it should still be distracted by now shouldn''t it? Did it leave when it heard the screaming near its nest?

    "They''re gonna get away," Thariel warned it.

    She knew that the drake would understand what she was saying. The pseudo-dragons as a species were smart enough to know words even when they couldn''t respond to them due to a lack of the appropriate vocal cords.

    Thariel didn''t know what the ensuing silence meant but she hoped that it was one of agreement to her proposal.

    The growl that vibrated out of the drake''s throat told her that it, in fact, wasn''t.

    "They''re gonna come back in larger numbers and overwhelm you." Thariel elaborated even further. Come on, heed her warning and let her chase the stragglers!

    The drake growled.

    "The goblin you just ate was a hybrid, they''re being led by a Satyr and it wants your egg," Thariel added more information, "it <i>will</i> send more of its children here to fight you until it gets what it wants." Thariel inhaled, third time''s the charm right? "Let me go and I might just buy you time to relocate your nest by killing the straggler."

    The drake settled down.

    "The Satyr will assume that the hybrid you just ate will try to undermine its rule and will send out scouts to search for its child instead of coming here, buying you time to escape."

    Miraculously, the drake turned away.

    Thariel sagged in relief. It was sad that her spear was swallowed by the Timber Drake but she didn''t mind, she''ll just buy a new one.

    She left the vicinity of the nest and ran to the direction the Timber Drake came from.

    She soon reached the corpses of the goblins and saw that all of the lesser goblins had died, including the hybrids judging by the scorched ground.

    Only the hob was left.

    She wouldn''t struggle searching for the remaining survivor.

    Thariel left the corpses and followed the blood trail leading deeper into the forest.

    Her ears soon picked out heavy breathing and her nose got a whiff of a scent that, while captivating, also smelled disgusting.

    Thariel eventually decided that she wouldn''t get any other opportunity better than this in practicing how to track using her senses.

    She inhaled sharply and began to determine which direction the scent of blood is the thickest.

    Left. The blood had clustered to her left.

    She ran to that direction while continuing to follow her nose.

    It didn''t take her long to come upon the mortally wounded hob goblin.

    Its bloated stomach had a massive gash near the waist and one of its arms is missing. Half its face had been torn apart and its mouth now had an open hole that exposed its teeth. A few molars are missing from the row.

    Thariel activated [Strong Arm] and scaled the trees.

    She jumped from branch to branch until she was directly above the greenskin where she then dropped from above and delivered a hammer blow to its hairless head.

    The creature died seconds after its skull got caved in.

 Chapter 24: Amori Falls,

    Thariel placed her hand on the wall this side of the "cliff" she was on.

    Amori Falls is exactly where Travik said it would be and she didn''t even need to go to the nest of Broom-legs in the Silken Crown like she first thought she would to find it.

    From the looks alone, the stump of the fossilized tree that Amori Falls is hidden under looked more like a mountain than an actual tree. It was that big.

    The straight lines running down the texture of the stone reminded Thariel of one of the world''s wonders in her past life. She forgot its name and only remembers the bare details but the lines running down that mountain? Cliff?... They looked exactly like these ones.

    This fossilized tree trunk is said to have belonged to a species of pine that the ancients used to build their houses with and also that its wood had magical properties.

    The species is now extinct alongside the ancients so no one could truly prove if this great species once had the ability to continue living even though it had been cut.

    Phragmonites- a construct made by the ancients to serve as guards, -  were said to be made with materials using a pressurized version of the tree''s wood but again, no one could prove if it is true and even the lore is quite vague when it comes to that sort of detail.

    Thariel thought about meeting one of the shield-armed golems as she circled the foot of the fossilized tree in search of the entrance to the waterfall.

    Her mind had cooked up a story where she saves one from the clutches of the Ytallotiks and they become friends by the time she found the entrance.

    Actually, calling this hole an entrance was too much.

    It was more of like a 4 foot wide cave she had to squeeze into in order to reach the roots of the great tree. At the end of this tunnel is where she would find the enclosed ecosystem of Amori Falls.

    Just like how Alice jumped into the rabbit hole, Thariel squeezed herself into the cave and almost fell down because she didn''t notice a rock was protruding from the ground on the mouth of the darn thing.

    Thariel skipped over it the moment she realized that the rock wouldn''t budge from its spot.

    The next thing that followed after the hazardous entrance was a drop into a bottomless pit. Her night vision did allow Thariel to see how far it went down but that wasn''t a consolation nor a silver lining.

    More of like a uhm, sign of what''s to come.

    How the hell did that stupid turtle get in or out of here anyway? Digging? Actually yeah that sounded like a reasonable option now that she thought about it.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    Thariel began her descent using the dirt platforms Trivok used and maintained during his many pilgrimages over the years.

    She stumbled but thankfully caught a stray plant root before she fell down. The steepness of the pit was extremely hazardous and worse still, the paths that Trivok created for himself were literally just that; <i>for himself.</i>

    Thariel had to squeeze herself into the little platforms just to fit and every jump to the next platform made her feel like she''d fail the landing and slip or worse, cause the dirt to loosen and the platform to collapse.

    Both resulted in her either suffering from broken bones for a few hours as her body regenerated or losing consciousness for the same amount of time.

    Huh. That second one is clearly the better option so maybe if she did fall she should do it in a way she hits the ground head first?

    Moving through this entire death trap made Thariel age 10 years quicker and she had to genuinely catch her breath and stabilize her mind when she finally reached the bottom.

    Thankfully, she managed to get down without a scratch so she didn''t have to worry about regenerating a broken bone or something equally mortifying.

    Also, she noticed that the air here feels extremely cold.

    Thariel continued down the cave. She took winding turns and scared off more critters than she can count before she finally reached the actual entrance to the waterfall.

    And you know what? This? Seeing this made everything she just went through worth it.

    The entire place is a cavern so large that Thariel wouldn''t be shocked to think that this place was on the surface instead of underground when she sees it out of context.

    In front of her is a cave wall so wide that it became its own ecosystem consisting of flocks of birds, aerial reptiles, and plants- carnivorous and geothermic alike, - treated it as their permanent nesting ground/home.

    And at the center of this ecosystem is a titanic waterfall that''s taller than a skyscraper and wider than a lake.

    The falling stream of water came from the highest point of the cavern where a glistening river ran across a seemingly flat ground with an entire forest on top of it.

    At the bottom is the waterfall''s lowest point and it is a land ridden with mist, the contents held within invisible even to Thariel''s enhanced senses.

    Thariel could feel the frosty air coming from the waterfall from here and her sweat quickly dried off after being under the presence of such a cold breeze.

    Unfortunately for her, this is where Trivok''s pilgrimage stopped and she''d have to face the ever freezing temperature in the lower levels of the cavern without a clear path downward.

    Thariel decided to take a break for the time being. There was no time to rush.

    She sat down on the ground and circulated her magical energy. It was at that exact same moment where she got the bright idea to use her spells to brave the hazards of Amori Falls.

    After her break, Thariel immediately went to work in scaling down the slope.

    Her journey through the cave system seemed to have taken an entire night to finish so now was the perfect time to explore the area without needing to worry about freezing to death.

    She activated [Tough Skin] throughout her entire journey and together with her natural regeneration, she managed to stave off the worse that the journey had to offer.

    It was still incredibly painful though.

    Thankfully, her mother''s training is so much worse so she only felt annoyance at the setbacks done to her by the biting cold and the powerful winds that the waterfall in the distance produced just for simply existing.

    Thariel reached the bottom and her problems turned from staving off the cold to surviving the hot mist while trying her best to locate the shrine inside of it.

    The process is as tedious and hard as Thariel thought it would be and she didn''t even find the shrine by the time she decided to stop searching and take a break.

    She wasn''t even close on getting a whiff of it actually.

    Man this is one elusive turtle.

    And to make things worse, there are also trees inside the mist.

    Trivok already told her about them so she wasn''t shocked to learn that navigating between trees would be necessary down here.

    But you know what Trivok didn''t tell her about?

    The stupid lampreys and living, bloodsucking balloons that live here!

    There are parasitoid worms in this forest with a length twice the height of an adult man and they live alongside bulbous sacks of blood who Thariel can only assume stick to freaking <i>dinosaurs</i> because what else would they suck on?!

    Overall, Thariel didn''t like the change in scenery and she kept glaring at the hole leading outside of the tree root she found herself resting in.

    She''s decided to hide underground after finding this place but even that had its fair share of problems.

    She had to fight tooth and nail against a worm whose circular mouth had more teeth than a shark to even rest here.

    And the worse part? The scent of blood coming from its corpse was making her feel hungry.

    Thariel gulped and eyed the dead parasite.

    Surely it wouldn''t be bad if she just gets a small taste of it right?

    She crawled towards the worm, opened her mouth, then bit down on the patch of loose skin her saliva dripped on.

    It was <i>bliss.</i>

 Chapter 25: Winter Wonderland~

    Blood tasted sublime.

    It was sweet and addictive to the point of redundancy.

    Every sip only left her wanting more.

    The iron within it didn''t feel tangy or bitter like she first expected but instead, it added a certain amount of creamy-saltiness to the overall taste.

    A stark contrast to the sweetness, yes, but this only further improved it by giving the blood a sticky after taste.

    In her voracious mind, drinking blood was like eating diabetes inducing pudding.

    It was soft yet not so much that it was practically water, there was some resistance to eating it but it also flowed down her throat like it was liquid- and- and it was just so-

    Thariel let out a soft whine of pleasure as her mouth left the now dry flesh. This section of the large worm had ran out of blood but she wanted more-

    She tossed the corpse to the side and moved on to the next part.

    Thariel dove into a frenzy where she bit down on and sucked at various parts of the corpse. She didn''t stop even when the body turned cold and the blood flow slowed to a crawl, she only stopped gorging herself when there was no blood left for her to drink.

    Thariel wiped her mouth, she never knew that her body could stand to drink so much blood. Where did it all go?

    Well, she knew for a fact that at least a few buckets of it went and stained her body.

    She looked down at herself and... Yeah, she looked messy. So much red has never been part of her fashion but this development wasn''t so shocking given the way she ravenously fed on the blood just now.

    What was that about anyways?

    She went into a such a deep frenzy that she couldn''t think of anything but drinking blood. And when she thought she would be disturbed by something like that remembering just felt... Right? Strange.

    It wasn''t all bad however, since she could feel herself getting stronger with every pound of blood she drank.

    And after drinking every droplet of the worm''s blood, Thariel now sported considerably sharper senses than before and maybe enhancements to her vampiric abilities beyond that.

    She could feel the air molecules on her skin, how it intermingled with her sweat and cooled her epidermis. Her nose inhaled everything in this enclosed space, down to the smallest details in dirt. And her ears? They could now sense vibrations from the ground.

    That last one was the most prominent out of everything so Thariel decided to focus on it. There was a lot and she knew instinctively that they came from other creatures.

    Her instincts gave her information about what and where these things could possibly be while the knowledge she had in her brain added further details about the weight, speed, and state of the animals causing them.

    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    She got all of that from listening to vibrations on the ground. This new ability of hers was quite insane.

    She still couldn''t differentiate the vibrations from each other or figure out which direction they came from but the information that she got from listening to the loudest of them was more than enough to let her know that giants?

    Giants roamed this place.

    From Thariel''s own estimate some of these vibrations came from creatures with a weight of over ten thousand pound and yet despite that, they moved with a consistent speed which betrayed their supposed heaviness.

    Or in other words; they were strong as all heck.

    Dragons were the only organisms that Thariel can rationally assume such vibrations would come from but what would those prideful bastards even do here? They lived in hard to reach places like the deep ocean. Not some random forest.

    Drakes..? Or a variant maybe?

    Mountain Drake''s would realistically be able to produce something like this but those thick lugs are heavy and the magma they carry in their bellies wouldn''t allow them to produce this kind of vibration with the sort of consistency Thariel is hearing.

    Whatever they were, she''d meet them soon enough.

    It was kind of hard for her not to, what with all the blood staining her they''d have to get attracted to her scent.

    Looks like she needed to prioritize the hot spring trip sooner than she expected. Thankfully she brought an extra set of clothes.

    But before any of that, she first needed to sleep.

    Thariel yawned and slowly went into a lying position, she rested her head on the patch of bloodless flesh next to her and before long, she lost consciousness.

    Thariel came to and immediately realized that something was wrong.

    There was a creature trying to scratch away at the dirt near the entrance to widen the hole and said something is a 2 fingered, scaley hand armed with claws twice the size of her legs.

    She knew this because said legs were directly facing the entrance, thus allowing her to make an apt comparison. Were. Her legs were next to the entrance.

    Thariel crawled away at the first chance she got.

    With her back quite literally pressed against the wall, the panicking Damphir began to think up ideas to escape the grasp of the titanic creature on the other side of the tree.

    Thariel wanted to ask why it didn''t just uproot the damn thing but she didn''t feel like complaining about good things right now.

    She looked around, searching for anything that might help her but besides her satchel there was nothing here.

    Thariel grabbed her bag and took out her dagger.

    You know what they say, desperate times call for desperate measures.

    She pointed the tip of the dagger at the dirt and struck it.

    Thariel found tree roots the first time she did this, then the second time, and the third.

    It was in the forth strike when she finally found a layer of pure dirt which can be dug through without issue.

    Thariel began digging, striking at the earth to loosen its otherwise hardened surface.

    She moved with fervor and was relentless with her constant stabbing. She pushed aside roots, cut down stray plants, and threw away rocks just to continue digging.

    And all the while the creature behind her didn''t stop trying to pry her out of this goddamn hell!

    Shit!

    Thariel dug even faster when a loud thud echoed across the entire tree. She didn''t just feel the vibrations in the ground, but also the ones which reverberated through the wood above her.

    It was just her luck that she encountered a drake on her second night here wasn''t it?

    At least the monster was familiar to her, she knew how to deal with drake variants. Mountain Drakes were slow and lumpy and this weakness gets worse the larger they get.

    The one trying to kill her is an oversized drake to be sure, the thought of it gave Thariel some sense of safety as she noticeably calmed down and began digging with clarity.

    Soon, the light at the end of the tunnel came to greet her and as Thariel spotted the first vestiges of snow fall into her tunnel, she activated [Strong Arm] and used her boosted strength to break out of the ground and reach the surface.

    With its sense of smell, the drake would be here soon so she should...

    That isn''t a drake.

    Thariel stood frozen at the sight of the gigantic creature that circled the tree.

    It had a body covered in blue, white-tipped feathers, a long, winding tail which ended in a colorful bush of plumage as well as a thick mane around its neck.

    Two legs carried the titan''s weight while its feeble arms sat idle in front of its chest. A chiseled jawline packed with muscles began dripping with saliva as the creature growled, baring its teeth in a display of primal hunger.

    ... Why is there a T-Rex here?

    Also, isn''t this place covered in snow?! Dinosaurs wouldn''t survive in this place-

    Thariel''s legs moved on their own when the aptly named king of tyrants let out a ferocious roar that shook snow off of branches and made the earth itself tremble in fear.

    And her ears? Bleeding. Great.

    She had gone deaf just from hearing the damn thing scream!

    Thariel could sense it running behind her, the sharp senses she had been so excited to explore last night gave her information on the organism.

    From the heat of its breath to the vibrations it makes with its thundering footsteps, down to the extreme heat its titanic body emanated... Wait, is it losing heat?

    Thariel wasn''t sure-

    She turned left, jumping past a tree to dodge a charge. Where did it even get the energy to do that?! Is eating her worth it?!

    Thariel ran as fast as she could, putting distance between her and the dinosaur.

    When she thought it was safe to do so, Thariel focused on the heat coming off of the T-Rex''s body and sure enough, she noticed that it was steadily decreasing with each passing second.

    So it wasn''t warm blooded. That explains the thick feathers.

    But where does it get the heat it needs from? Isn''t it too cold around here?

    Thariel screamed in fear when the darn thing roared again.

    Okay stray musings are not important right now! She needed to focus on doing loops around it until it runs out of gas and hopefully it''ll leave her alone to refuel on heat. Wherever it gets that from.

 Chapter 26: Lost World,

    Like most birds, dinosaurs weren''t cold or warm blooded but are instead something in between; they rely on their environment, movement, and most likely- size to regulate their body heat.

    This was something which Thariel found out during her many hours of doom scrolling through short videos on Fiktik.

    Therapods as a whole were pretty large thus they, especially predators, run the risk of overheating pretty quickly when exerting themselves during hunts. This is why T-Rexes were eventually found out to be ambush predators rather than chasers.

    Which is to say, these guys can''t be warm-blooded, it is simply impossible given how gigantic they all are.

    In an otherwise impossible twist, should a T-Rex somehow manage to live in a cold environment and say, has an access to a constant source of heat then instead of ambushing, they''d be able to actively chase prey.

    Thariel couldn''t help but recall this theory as the feathered dinosaur behind her gave chase.

    Then she decided that the dinosaurs that Earth''s archeologists knew were completely different from the ones here so that tidbit was completely useless.

    And whether or not this particular species has perfectly adapted to this environment didn''t matter. It will run out of gas at some point.

    It will either be that its own feathers would overheat it or that its body runs out of the heat said feathers are actively retaining.

    Either way, it would end the chase in Thariel''s favor. That is, if she herself could keep warm in this frozen hellscape.

    Thariel veered towards the direction of fist-sized ice balls hanging from the branches of a group of trees in the distance.

    She hopes she successfully crawls under one of these this time around.

    She has since learned that the T-Rex preferred to avoid them rather than ram against them like all the other obstacles. She didn''t know why this is but it was useful in buying her time regardless.

    She got near and... Thariel leapt, she grunted when pain coursed through her chest but went on to begin crawling.

    Thariel ducked under the frozen orbs and began to slowly move towards the center of the tree. Her careful movements were purposefully done with the knowledge that the feathered biped chasing after her wouldn''t be able go here.

    She looked back when she was deep enough and locked gazes with the giant eyes of the predator peering through the space between the lowest orbs and the ground.

    Thariel shivered and swiftly snapped her head forward.

    There is something in those eyes that causes primal fear to bloom within her.

    She soon reached the center of the tree and there is thankfully enough space for her to fit in.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    Thariel got to work and took herbs and spices from her satchel to swiftly make an item that''ll keep her warm.

    Kobold scales, firevein moss, and toast wood tossed inside a bottle and ignited together created a type of light source that while hot enough to warm her hands, wouldn''t actually cook her skin.

    Tossing in a few ember cap spores in the bottle further added to its longevity and will make it so that the toast wood will keep burning unless she chooses to kill the fire.

    After adding a tie of rope around its neck to be used as a handle, Thariel huddled next to the bottle to give herself some much needed warmth.

    She had time. Thariel turned her focus outward.

    The T-Rex outside had decided to sit around the tree to wait for her, which begged the question of why? It clearly wasn''t for food by this point.

    She wasn''t even worth that much calories! Was that prick just doing this out of a sadistic need?!

    Grumbling slightly, Thariel pulled her arms closer to herself and leaned her chin against her knees. The bottle would keep her warm at least.

    Eventually, the stupid dinosaur chose to leave and curious as to where it was going, Thariel waited for it to gain distance before crawling out of the tree and following its deep footprints.

    With its size, it would have taken hours for the snow to bury something like this.

    Thariel soon got to see the gigantic therapod stand in front of a geothermic vein, gathering excess heat with its body curled into itself like it was a sun bathing lizard.

    So this is how these guys survive the cold. Interesting.

    According to Thariel''s senses, the vein didn''t waft off that much heat but if there are hundreds of these things out here then that explains why the snow easily melts during the morning hours.

    Maybe the veins also become hotter during the day?

    Why these veins are active during the day but not on nights was lost to her however. Or even why these things no longer existed by the time of canon.

    Actually, a lot about this place is lost to her. She didn''t know half of the things here like she should have.

    This place is as wonderous as it was when she learned about Tainted Orchids'' lore for the first time and if she could dive into a rabbit hole of videos explaining this winter wonderland she would.

    Thariel left the dinosaur- which she dubbed Thostasaurus, named after the embering toast wood in her bottle. - and went back to searching for the shrine.

    Now back on the prowl, Thariel stalked the snowscape with the finesse of a 2 week old infant.

    The deep snow proved to be quite the obstacle to her goals and with regular boots meant for rain than snow, her feet basically sunk with every step she took.

    Pulling it back out was another matter entirely and more often than not, she almost fell face first into the soft layer of snow before she caught herself.

    How the hell did she manage to run earlier?

    Thariel stood underneath a tree and thought about it; she didn''t have problems with moving while being chased by that T-Rex so what changed? The lack of an apex predator lighting a fire under her bum?

    Most likely not, but she did use [Strong Arm] to boost her running speed earlier.

    A quick test proved the guess as true and with that figured out, Thariel went back to treading across the jurassic-winter-wonderland she found herself in.

    Now that she didn''t have anything else to take her attention, Thariel actually got a good look at the land which housed most of Amori Falls''s ecosystem and she couldn''t help but think that it looked quite beautiful.

    A thick padding of snow covered the ground, burying grasses and other kinds of plants beneath it until the only thing left visible were the upper parts of their stalks. A quick dig also confirmed that yes, most of the underbrush is underneath the snow.

    This plantlessness of the land only enhanced the beauty and with nothing left to cover her line of sight, Thariel could see even the farthest tree growing out of the snowy ground across all distances.

    Some are so far they looked nothing more than dots to even her enhanced eyesight while the closest had details Thariel hadn''t been able to notice before. Mainly? Nests.

    There are oval bird nests hanging from the trees, they lacked entrances and are perfectly sealed away from the harsh environment.

    Others had weird lumps of growth across their branches. Whether or not these belonged to wasps or some species of termite, Thariel wasn''t sure.

    She also didn''t want to find out. She heard that termites were capable of spitting acid and those are regular ones from earth! Imagine what the termites here can do.

    Thariel stopped in front of a tree.

    This one had the same ice orbs hanging from its branches as the tree she hid in to escape the Thostasaurus.

    She reached for one of the orbs, curious as for why the therapod avoided these things.

    Putting one directly under sunlight... No, there are hives of bioluminescent insects up in the cavern ceiling.

    Well guess she found the answer to her year long question of what the birds here ate.

    How come she''s never noticed this before? Even back in the game?

    Anyways, going back to the ice orbs; putting one under direct insect light got Thariel to see a green liquid sloshing inside the orb.

    Something tubular with a sharp tip cast shadows over this liquid, darkening some parts of it inside the orb.

    A quick inspection later and Thariel concluded that these must be seeds. Shaped like a tube and with a needle-like extension on both ends but a seed nevertheless.

    How sinister. No wonder the Thostasaurus avoided these.

    If one of these orbs popped and released their seeds onto her when she was crawling away from the dinosaur earlier, would she have died?

    And assuming she survives, how painful would removing one of these out of her be? What about hundreds?

 Chapter 27: Silent Shrine,

    Thariel held her dagger with one hand. She twirled the weapon in a steady spin, letting go and catching it just before it falls from her grip.

    She''s been practicing this little technique for a while now, and she''s learned a few things because of it.

    For example; her reflexes and muscle memory were very adaptive towards everything she physically practiced.

    In hindsight her first, actual spear shot hit her intended target with little to no miscalculation regarding the trajectory so she should have figured this out already.

    That goblin hybrid would have had a harder time if she just chose to fight with her spear instead of throwing it. And she in turn wouldn''t struggle around here as well since she''d still have her primary weapon.

    Strange as it may sound, Thariel genuinely thought that she would have stood a chance against the Thostasaurus if she had her spear back then.

    ... Or maybe not.

    Just as Thariel finished thinking that, she saw one of the titanic dinosaurs crash out of a treeline in a planned ambush and snap its jaws around the neck of some boar-looking herbivore.

    The herd uselessly dispersed in reaction while the Thostasaurus, having caught its meal successfully, went back to hiding behind the trees. Its white camouflage was so perfectly suited for the snow that Thariel couldn''t spot it after it did so.

    Thariel decided to no longer walk in that direction. It wasn''t worth the trouble.

    Also, she''s now back to believing that she couldn''t beat a Thostasaurus. Spear or not, there''s a reason why those things are- most likely, - the local apex predator.

    And if there''s a creature that''s some how above them in the food chain..?

    Yeah, Thariel didn''t want to imagine something like that exists. It was simply too inconceivable. She refused to believe that there''s a deadlier organism than the Thostasaurus around here.

    More walking later and Thariel came upon a large crater with hundreds of geothermal veins and hot springs on the bottom. She could feel the heat they spewed from here.

    Naturally, there were creatures here as well.

    Thariel managed to recognize a few of them as Thostasauri- there are entire families of them here even, - but the rest weren''t so familiar to her. She never saw this kind of ecosystem in the game.

    She internally debated if it was worth it to go down there and clean herself but decided that no, she''s not going to have a sauna party with a bunch of dinosaurs.

    She wasn''t going to risk her life for a potentially deadly hot spring that''ll boil her alive if she takes a dip in it.

    ... But the creatures taking mudbaths looked so happy though-

    Ah screw it!If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    Thariel hopped down the slope and began a slow slide down to the bottom of the crater. Flocks of birds began to circle her from above as she made her way downward.

    Scavengers?

    They didn''t do anything thankfully, and she reached the bottom without needing to fight off a bunch of vultures.

    The first thing Thariel did upon getting down was figuring out which of the hot springs here lacked creatures and a quick scan with her eyes was all it took for her to quickly spot an unoccupied hot spring she could use.

    Thariel headed towards it while avoiding the other creatures and once there, she bent down to check the temperature with her fingers and it was exactly the right amount of heat.

    She flinched when she touched it first sure, but after realizing that it didn''t scald her hand Thariel quickly began stripping off her clothes before taking a skinny dip into the steaming water.

    Thariel groaned as the heat loosened the tension in her muscles.

    She needed this.

    Thariel washed herself clean after relaxing for a bit and left the hot spring feeling invigorated.

    It was a bit awkward to change in front of a bunch of dinosaurs at first but she got used to it. The spare set she brought isn''t as protective as her chainmail and leather armor but also not as muddy and grimey.

    Thariel threw on a cloak on top of everything for the cold and then she left the crater using the pathways the visiting animals have long since flattened during their many trips to the crater.

    With the cold air at her back and her muscles feeling youthful, the journey up the crater had been refreshing instead of straining.

    She then continued on her search for the shrine.

    Thariel made sure to avoid anything she thought as either suspicious or dangerous.

    She didn''t go near suspiciously lonesome balls of snow in the middle of nowhere, groups of trees that might hide a Thostasaurus, and even herds of herbivorous animals since those things can be worse than carnivores when they feel threatened.

    And honestly, Thariel didn''t feel like she wanted to mess with animals who defended themselves against Thostasauri in a daily basis.

    The constant back and forth across the snowy land barely affected Thariel''s stamina as she spent most of the night searching for the Silent Shrine and her search couldn''t have ended sooner.

    With how it was the only thing in sight with actual grass on it, Thariel safely assumed that the hill behind the strangely hexagonal walls growing out the ground is the Silent Shrine she''s been looking for all night.

    She couldn''t see the Soul Pagoda yet but she''s confident that she''d be able to convince the blind saint to allow her access to such an important location.

    Her knowing about the future should be enough of an argument to make the saint agree to her request.

    Thariel hastily made a beeline for the shrine and when she walked past the only gap in the hexagonal walls, she got greeted by an autumn-like warmth. It was like the harsh winter outside got completely cut off in here.

    This wasn''t shocking though.

    A complete mastery over temperature and atmospheres wouldn''t be that strange to see when it comes to the beings who built this shrine but you know what would be?

    A weird taste in robots.

    Thariel didn''t know the exact reason for why the blind saint had its eyes gouged out but they were.

    And despite its name, the automaton could actually see just fine. Its sensor tech is way too advanced for it to just be blind after all.

    Besides the saint''s gouged out eyes, it also has the face of a newborn infant complete with a bulbous, hairless head, stuffy cheeks, and a button nose. Its body was "malnourished" and it had four, gangly arms and two spindly legs.

    Knowing that everything about the automaton are just there for aesthetic, however ugly and gorey they may be, Thariel bravely approached it and bowed in respect.

    It spoke before she could introduce herself.

    "I have been expecting you, Thariel, welcome. I have never seen other worlders for millennia now."

    Okay, now that was creepy.

    Thariel''s smile cracked, "excuse me?" Thariel chuckled nervously, "other worlder? You''re calling me one?"

    "My creator, eccentric it may have been with its aesthetic tastes, built a device which takes souls from other universes to power its society," instead of answering, the saint began to explain.

    "It was broken, naturally." The automaton put on an unnerving smile, "however, it seems to still function and an error occasionally manages to pull a soul from somewhere but with no device to power, souls such as yourself instead merge with the existing ones here,"

    "Uhuh..." Thariel looked at herself, "you mean the original is still in here?"

    "As much in the same capacity as the alien soul within you exists in that body yes," the saint replied sagely, "I presume the resulting egodeath led to you believing you are one person but in truth, you are not."

    "Explain in much more simple terms?" Thariel begged. She really didn''t get any of this.

    Like before, the saint droned on about some random explanation instead of giving her a straight answer.

    "You bear the instincts and skills of an alchemist who has practiced for a long time and the knowledge of a world not of this own, yet uncannily familiar to you at the same time and vice versa."

    "Uhuh," Thariel stepped back, she didn''t want to have an existential crisis right now. She''d rather continue with her previous plan and forget about all this, "can you help me? I want to get at least a droplet of spirit water from here,"

    "I can do you one better," smiled the saint, "in some sense, it is my responsibility as my creator''s remaining creation to hold the weight of your transfer here, as compensation, I will grant you this,"

    Thariel looked at the ethereal object that emerged from the saint''s open chest with widened eyes. She wordlessly gulped.

    "But first, a quest. Specifically an extermination based one."

    Cold water got poured on Thariel''s fiery excitement and slapped her back to reality.

    "There are only dinosaurs here though?"

    The saint only smiled in response. Thariel thought it was more unnerving than all the previous smiles it wore.

 Chapter 28: Quest, First Part.

    "Do you wish to continue?" The expectant look of the blind saint was turned unnerving by its odd aesthetic and unmoving disposition.

    Thariel turned away from the automaton and looked at the running water on the edge of the hill. The liquid had the color of pure white and was putting out so much spiritual energy that Thariel could feel it emanating from the water''s surface.

    She originally wanted to just get a cup of spirit water- and maybe even an access to the shrine while she''s at it. - but getting a Soul Mark is, quite literally, the upgrade to the effects of drinking spiritual water.

    And on top of that, she wouldn''t just get access to the shrine once she has the mark either.

    No- she''d have access to any and all ancient ruins because the Soul Mark is the I.D equivalent of the civilization that built them.

    Which begs the question of why the blind saint is rewarding her with something so important for killing a few dinosaurs.

    "Why give me something like this?" Thariel was naturally skeptical of the entire thing, she couldn''t help it. Soul marks were so rarely given that even the main heroine of Tainted Orchids never got them. And she was the saviour of the world!

    "I mean, there are so many other things you can give me, why a soul mark?" Thariel decided to explain more of her thoughts but she couldn''t phrase them as clearly as she wanted.

    "Because I wanted to take responsibility for my creator''s actions," replied the saint, it sounded melancholic. And was that the only reason why it was doing this? Responsibility? Really?

    "Your creator''s actions." Thariel said dully, "that''s it?"

    The saint slowly nodded, "I wish that cases such as yours would never happen but I suppose that transgressions of foreign souls into our world is simply an inevitability."

    Thariel wanted to run away when she heard the saint begin to drone on and explain to her his own reasons for why he decided to give her a soul mark. She was smelling a quest here.

    And worse still, it didn''t seem to be part of the game. This was strictly her own little storyline- which isn''t a good thing! She''s just a regular girl goddamnit! She can''t help bury the skeletons of a long lost civilization!

    The automaton continued with the words Thariel dreaded to hear, "Unless, that is-"

    Thariel closed her eyes, does she stop this? Should she? Others can do this right?

    Before she could speak her mind and make a decision, the blind saint finished talking.

    "- you turn off the Bottle of Souls,"

    And there it is.

    Thariel wanted to groan, "you mean destroy it right? Not turn it off?"

    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    The blind saint only smiled wider at her suggestion, "I see that you have already accepted your role, so you wish to proceed then?"

    "What do I get out of this?" Thariel asked. A Soul Mark wasn''t good enough but if the rewards get an increase then she might just agree to it.

    "What do you think follows after the Soul Mark?" The blind saint replied in a clear yet very cryptic manner.

    "Access to all your facilities?" Thariel guessed.

    The blind saint smiled but nevertheless nodded, "if you can find them yes,"

    "If I can find them huh..." Thariel frowned, well she did know a few places where- she did not like the way the saint was smiling! "Okay- fine! Fine!"

    She decided to give up, "you win you stupid robot, now what?"

    "I''ll start your first quest, naturally," said the saint, "there is a certain species around here which hunt in packs, they were once known as Tartan Yeeros in the oldest language I am familiar with,"

    Thariel nodded, that meant the language of its creators. Whatever this thing was implying by mentioning that is lost to her however.

    "And what that means in a direct translation is "Packball Raptors"," the automaton elaborated, "as the name implies, they cuddle together to form a spherical shape and then wait in ambush, I assume you''ve seen one of these aforementioned spheres?"

    Thariel would remember it vividly if she saw a ball of dinosaurs so no. She shook her head.

    "Tell me, other worlder, what do you think piles on top of the ball?"

    "... Snow?" Thariel slowly said and her brain caught up. She was right to avoid those snowballs! She knew it!

    "Oh." Thariel dumbly said.

    "So you do recognize them." Said the saint.

    "I guess I do yeah," nodded Thariel, "so you just want me to hunt one of those?"

    "Four. But yes, pop one of the balls open and kill them, then come back and bring the corpses here." The saint nodded, "I do believe that you will find what you can craft using materials harvested from them quite satisfactory. Especially in this climate."

    "You''re saying that I''ll have access to a magitech fabricator." Thariel deadpanned, she wasn''t aware something like that existed in this shrine but if it did...

    "Yes." The saint replied in the same weightless tone.

    "Okay, I''ll do it."

    Well there goes her clothing problem, and now that she knows she''d be the one using the dinosaur parts she''ll be harvesting, Thariel actually felt more eager to hunt the raptors and finish the quest.

    "I''ll come back here with all four corpses," Thariel replied. She patted her chest for emphasis.

    "And you''re going to ruin your current set of clothes while doing so- it seems I was too lenient." The saint smirked, "here''s an added condition; come back here without a single stain present on your clothes after each hunt for me to consider it a success."

    "... Right," Thariel sighed, guess she had acted too eager.

    Thariel thought about how to realistically pull off a "clean" hunt while leaving the shrine.

    She did take into account the fact that this world is no longer a game and that she could do whatever whenever in this reality but that didn''t help much with her current problem.

    Setting up traps meant that she''d have to get dirty regardless while making them and unless she changes clothes...

    ... Which wasn''t part of the condition-

    She had been so stupid.

    She can do whatever here. It''s no longer a game.

    Among her options includes removing the set clothes a player picks for their avatar in the character creation screen or a wardrobe or the current set she''s wearing!

    Grinning slightly, Thariel left for the nearest tree where she shook off her clothes and changed back to her previous gear.

    The grimey leather armor and chainmail packed with dried mud didn''t feel nice to wear but she can ignore creature comforts for now and focus on finishing the quest and earning herself a set of raptor clothing.

    Which now that she thought about it; how would that look like? She hoped it was more feathers since it''ll be extremely useful in staving off the cold.

    What coloration would it be though? Snowy camouflage like the Thostasaurus''s?

    Thariel only felt more excited the more she thought about the possibilities of using a magitech fabricator to make a set of clothing using dinosaurs.

    Like how cool is that?!

    And also, something like a magitech fabricator was usually only reserved around late game since the player won''t have quests asking to explore ancient ruins by then but getting one this early? Oof. She''s going to abuse such a game breaking concept to the best of her ability.

    With how eager she got at the thought of finding them, it didn''t take Thariel long to spot a giant ball of snow innocently waiting in the middle of nowhere.

    She knew that something was off about it from the get go but for it to actually be some kind of ambush-ball-thing made up of four little dinosaurs- she says that like the ball isn''t twice her height, - is kind of interesting.

    Curiously, Thariel sniffed at the ball to get a whiff of the creatures inside but nothing. The snow hid everything about them, not even sound could escape the thick layer of pure white snow bound to their feathers.

    The only thing Thariel knew was that it was slightly warm which meant the things inside must be in a state of pseudo-hibernation and are waiting for something to get close so they can pounce on the unfortunate fool.

    Currently, she''s the unfortunate fool she just described.

    But misfortune and helplessness were two different things and thus she fearlessly ran for the ball of snow knowing what''ll happen if she goes near.

    What followed was the giant snowball erupting into countless pieces and the emergence of four hound-sized raptors with feathers the color of deep midnight.

    Moments after they laid their eyes on Thariel, the raptors looked ready to pounce at her and start tearing her apart.

    They let out a guttural sound as they circled around her, eyes glazed with violence and claws primed, ready to open her stomach and tear out her guts.

 Chapter 29: Quest, Second Part.

    Thariel jumped back. She went into a ready stance and brandished her dagger into a reverse grip as the four raptors began to attack in unison.

    She anticipated they''d first try and strike her from four different directions so that she wouldn''t have time to pick which part of her body to defend.

    The best way to counter such a tactic would be to take initiative and risk herself getting bitten while her guard was down by throwing out an attack before any of the raptors reached her.

    She slashed forward, missing the snout of one by a feather''s breath.

    This near-connect thankfully caused the raptors to become cautious and halt their advance.

    The four predators paused and they warily stepped back and began making strange noises, their feathers ruffling as a hiss-like growl vibrated from the depths of their throat, their teeth bared in futile intimidation.

    Thariel held her dagger out in front of her in response, ready for a slash should any of them come close.

    Earlier, she had felt confident coming here but now that she was surrounded by four raptors looking to take her life she felt a tiny bit of apprehension on her form.

    Her senses screamed at her when one of the raptors from behind her made a move-

    Thariel turned around and went for the raptor who tried to come from her flank, she gave chase to the feathered dinosaur as the other three began to move under the veil of her blind spots.

    Thariel leapt and stabbed the avian from the back, it fell and they both rolled around the snow, the raptor loudly screeching as it tried to scratch at Thariel with its claw.

    Thariel pulled her head back as she wrestled the raptor, putting in everything she got into locking it down hard enough for her to be able to take out her dagger.

    It didn''t take her long to get the opportunity to do so and she pulled her weapon out from the raptor''s upper thigh and plunged it into its neck.

    The dinosaur screeched directly to her ears but Thariel persevered through the deafening pain and dragged her dagger''s blade across the creature''s jugular.

    Hot blood gushed out of the wound and spewed onto Thariel''s face and a single taste put a thick cloak of haze over Thariel''s mind and pushed her into a blood frenzy.

    She pressed her feet against the underside of the raptor and kicked it away before then bending her legs unnaturally towards the ground to plant her feet on the on the snow.

    With the flexibility of a boneless gymnast, Thariel raised herself back up hip first.

    Thariel''s bones cracked and snapped as her body rearranged itself from the unnatural angle it just lifted itself. Her spinal cord released pops as she coiled her core back into place and her neck let out a sharp crunch as she twisted her head to gaze at the raptors behind her.

    Thariel gazed at them with eyes full of malice settled in an otherwise expressionless face.

    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    What followed next was a bloodbath that Thariel woke up from with only a sharp headache to tell her as for what happened during her lapse in consciousness.

    She came to a sight of four dead raptors surrounding her but to her surprise, none of them had a lick of blood sucked out from their bodies.

    The corpses were kept intact with the only damages present being the deep wounds in either their heads or neck.

    A swift and precise kill. Efficient with no action wasted.

    It made Thariel feel sick knowing that it was her who did this but at the same time, she was thankful to know that she had such a weird ability this whole time.

    She''d probably have to get that sorted out at some point but for now, she was glad to have access to what can only be a berserker frenzy after tasting blood.

    Still, she should probably find a creature to drink blood from before going back to the shrine, she didn''t want to wake up getting held up in the air by the saint''s stasis bubble because she accidentally went into a frenzy.

    After finding another one of the worm things holed up underneath another tree, Thariel went ahead and carried her quarry back to the shrine.

    "Good work," the blind saint said, "but why are you soaked in blood?"

    "I didn''t want to go to the hot springs carrying four corpses with me so I didn''t bother cleaning myself." That sounded like a recipe for disaster, and one which will undoubtedly have her end up inside the stomach of a Thostasaurus.

    "I see," the saint replied softly.

    "So uh, the fabricator?" Thariel asked. She looked around expecting to see it but it was still the same shrine as the one she saw in Tainted Orchids.

    "It''s in there," the silent saint pointed at the foot of the hill and Thariel was about to ask what the automaton is talking about when the ground suddenly split open to reveal a hidden entrance leading underground.

    "What?.." Thariel murmured as she looked inside the hole. Well this is new.

    "Shocked?"

    Thariel was about to turn back to reply when she noticed the monstrous saint standing next to her. Its head was literally next to hers.

    "Ah- hey!" Thariel jumped back at the sight of the automaton''s ugly mug. She held her heart and glared at the automaton, "what the hell is wrong with you?!"

    The blind saint tilted its head, "I don''t follow?"

    It did. It totally knew what it did just now! This prick!

    Thariel huffed before looking at the inside of the surprisingly hollow hill, "what is this place?"

    "A room for guests," replied the automaton, "this place has a place to cook food, or make them if you prefer that, a room to practice surge, a bedroom with an attached bathroom, as well as a workout room."

    Kitchen, gym, bathroom, bedroom, and then a... Room to practice surge? What''s that?

    "What''s a room for practicing surge?" Thariel asked the moment the question popped into her mind.

    "It is just that; a room which will help you move magic through your channels more efficiently, it has scanners and databanks to give you the physical and spiritual results of each meditation so you may know what to improve in the future as well as how much magic you can accumulate, store, and run through your channels."

    Thariel''s eyes widened with each word spoke, they noticably lessened when she heard what the saint had to say next, "it also has a prediction algorithm for people''s potential,"

    "That''s great! How useful," Thariel smiled.

    She is not touching that last one for fear that she''d see her potential being in the dumps but the rest sounded super good.

    A room that''s an automatic physician for magic and it also helps her channel Surge while inside? Count her in!

    "So this is where I''m staying while here?" Thariel faced the saint, who nodded. Giddy, she asked another question, "and I can use the facilities whenever I want?"

    "Yes. I do believe I have implied as such," the blind saint agreed, "do with it as you wish,"

    "Neat!" Thariel went ahead and turned around to carry the raptors into the room. She paused when the saint suddenly levitated them from the ground.

    "I''ll carry them to and unlock the maintenance room for you," The automaton thoughtfully offered before it levitated the raptors closer to itself and went inside.

    Thariel ran after the saint, "maintenance room?"

    "Yes," the blind saint nodded, "I will eventually reactivate the harvesters so that you don''t have to individually drag the pieces of the Thostasaurus in here but for now, manually doing this shall do."

    "Thank you?" Thariel replied in a soft murmur. Magitech fabricators having harvesters never crossed her mind.

    Thariel looked around and eyed the shrine''s guest room when it became clear the saint no longer wanted to keep the conversation going.

    The room they were currently in is a mix between the living room, dining room, and entrance.

    It had furniture such as couches, tables- glass and wooden alike depending on which area of the room they are in, - and even vending machines? Huh. Neat.

    Most of the room had a floor composed of flattened granite while the ones on the living and dining areas had sleek marble, their importance and separation from the rest of the room further distinguished by the square of white marble they were on top of amidst the brown granite.

    The walls are stone with metal beams for frames. Paintings, statues, and potted plants were placed all over it acting as decoration.

    Four doors sat on each corner wall with all of them having a label of some sort and written in a language Thariel couldn''t recognize.

    She was led to one of these doors. The door leading to the back to be specific. Hoo. Standing in this hallway made her feel like she''s about to die any second now... Eerie.

    "We are here," the blind saint faced her as one hand reached forward to unlock and open the door. It levitated the corpses into the maintenance room.

    Thariel watched as something whirred from beyond the door and began to pixelate the corpses before then absorbing them someplace else.

    How bizarre. And uncanny. Really not helping with the vibes here.

    "There are tools and manuals inside if you wish to mess with the functions of the guest room overall," the blind saint began walking back the way they came, "feel free to be comfortable."

    "I''ll do that, yes," Thariel put on her best smile.

 Chapter 30: Quest, Third Part.

    Thariel sat on her bed and began working on her hair.

    As it turns out, going back to the hot springs to clean herself had been unnecessary. There''s a bathroom here and the bath tub that came with it could increase the water temperature in it justttt enough for it to be pleasing.

    It was so much more better than the hot springs too since it didn''t have mud and other debris from visiting fauna.

    Besides the added bathroom, the bedroom also had a few miscellaneous day-to-day items and furniture in it and among them is a closet full of ready to wear clothes.

    Now she didn''t need to worry about constantly washing her clothes while staying here. Limited as they are right now, she''d have a hard time cycling through them after every single hunt, and this is even with her new raptor-made set being included into that count.

    Her gaze shifted over to the closet, specifically on the set of clothes hanging on the outside wall to the right of its doors.

    A long-sleeved vest, a pair of pants, as well as boots. All of them were dyed black with the resulting coloration being so dark that they looked like they absorbed the surrounding light.

    Each one was made using a smooth, snake skin-like material but the rough texture of typical snake skin isn''t there. It instead looked as smooth as latex, though it is not as thin. It is also quite rubbery and stretchy when compared to latex.

    Feathers consisted of most of the clothe''s design and are omnipresent across the entire set with the only place lacking them being the stomach of the vest, which is completely flat and the lack of feathers accentuated that area even further.

    The featherless-stomach combined with the thicker circle of feathers along the belt and hips of the pants gave an emphasis to the wearer''s curves. And with the thicker bush of plumage on the chest area to further emphasize her chest and well...

    ... There''s a reason why Thariel immediately took the clothes off the moment she saw herself in the mirror.

    She looked away with a frown.

    Why did she have to look like some high society fashionista while wearing the damn things?!

    Thariel groaned.

    She honestly no longer wanted to use the magitech fabricator out of embarrassment.

    The thought of wearing something so high quality just gave her pause like, won''t people be disappointed when they realize she''s not as rich as her clothes say she is?

    Will they think she rented them even?!

    Thariel''s head met the mattress face first and she screamed into the soft material with her embarrassment as fuel. She must''ve spent a minute doing it at least.

    She knew that anything made by the magitech fabricator would be good looking- [High Quality] was part of every item''s description for crying out loud! - but she didn''t expect that the reality the game set in her mind would be blown away by the actual thing!If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    Thariel rotated her neck till her cheeks were pressing up against the mattress and her eyes were pointed directly at the wall. She stared at the concrete listlessly.

    ... She looked so pretty when wearing them too, which honestly was a testament to how good the clothes look.

    But anyone would look gorgeous in those things! Even a potato!

    It was only natural that she also looked good in them.

    ... Which wasn''t actually a bad thing isn''t it? Thariel thought to herself.

    She''s never felt bad for wearing good clothes before and this was a first but again, it just speaks to how good the make of a magitech fabricator is.

    It''s like being given clothes fit for a king and she hated to admit it but she would definitely feel out of place in them.

    BUT- she''d totally rock the darn things.

    Well she might as well give it a shot?..

    Thariel smirked and crawled deeper into bed. Feeling the weight of the lumps on her chest as she did so made her wonder if the fabricator could somehow figure out the sizes of the person crafting the items.

    Because she was confident that the clothes the player avatar always makes with the stuff never had such an emphasized chest area. This includes all the clothes with feathers on them. All of them were... Flat? So to say?

    It didn''t really matter-

    Thariel let out a whine of a yawn.

    She rested her head on the pillow and grabbed another one to cuddle between her arms. She closed her eyes. She couldn''t wait to go out wearing those tomorrow.

    When she woke up, Thariel felt ready to face the rest of the night and go on hunts and complete everything before the mist rises in the morning.

    Having a room to sleep in around here genuinely changed her opinion when it comes to finishing the rest of the quest. Seriously, she first thought that she''d have to sleep out in the forest again while searching for a Thostasaurus.

    That sounded beyond stressful.

    After putting on her clothes, Thariel got ready to go out.

    The blind saint was in his usual spot, sitting cross-legged and pretending that he didn''t look straight out of someone''s nightmare.

    Who in their right mind created this guy? And were they really part of the ancient civilization which lived in a utopia? Were they their society''s equivalent of a degenerate or something?

    "Your creator sounds like a degenerate." Thariel blurted out, she also didn''t bother to correct it since she had no regrets doing so. It had to be said.

    "He has been called that in the past, yes," nodded the saint, he stood up, completely ignoring Thariel''s befuddled expression.

    What did the robot mean by this?

    Before Thariel could comprehend her own questions, the automaton went ahead and dropped a bombshell in the middle of the conversation.

    "Your next task is fairly simple; hunt down the organism you yourself have dubbed a "Thostasaurus"."

    "You''re kidding." Thariel dumbly stared at the automaton.

    "I am not."

    "Are you doing this out of spite?"

    "Mayhaps,"

    Oh okay, yeah, that explains it. Maybe she shouldn''t have let her mouth run like that? Should she have run her mouth? Can she still apologize or is it already too late?

    "Can I do side quests- er, can I hunt other things in the meantime?" Thariel pleaded, she really wasn''t confident in killing a Thostasaurus all on her own right now.

    "Of course," nodded the saint, "do whatever you want."

    Thariel sighed in relief, "thank you,"

    The saint gave her a nod before turning away and facing the snowy landscape outside the shrine. Thariel followed its "gaze" and did the same thing.

    From the safety of the shrine, it did look peaceful. Thariel could get why the automaton liked staring at it.

    The reality is this place is dangerous though.

    Thariel left the saint and headed back to the guest room. The bathroom didn''t just have a tub, it also had a machine which cleans all kinds of gear, armor included.

    Safe to say, Thariel threw her gear into it the first chance she got and now that they were back to being spotless, she intends on wearing them during this particular hunt.

    She left the packball set for now since she didn''t need it.

    Thariel headed out of the shrine and searched for one of the parasitic lampreys she first found and after spotting one, she killed it and brought its corpse back to the shrine.

    "And what is that?" The blind saint asked. It turned its head to "stare" at the corpse.

    "Something to harvest, I want to make a weapon," Thariel replied. There are multiple ways to get/make weapons in the game, but out of all of them, manufacturing one using the magitech fabricator is the best.

    "I see," nodded the saint, it clapped its hands and moments later, the ground opened up, "drop it here,"

    Just like the Raptors, the worm''s corpse pixelated before getting sucked into the walls. Thariel saw the process from start to finish this time and she still couldn''t understand what the heck was going on with this thing.

    The manual said something about turning physical materials into pure energy before then rearranging them into something else but that basically went over her head. She didn''t understand a single thing. At all.

    After the worm, Thariel went back out and gathered sticks as well as several rocks before dropping them onto the harvester. They pixelated, disappeared, and the pit closed.

    "Sticks and stones." The blind saint told her, deadpan. Like he didn''t approve of her using the magitech fabricator this way.

    "Yep, I want to make a bow and some arrows," she couldn''t make a gun just yet so she''d manage with a bow for now. They''re basically the same thing anyways.

    And besides, she might even stick with this particular bow since it isn''t just an endgame gear but there''s also a chance that the weapon can give extra effects to the regular arrow it shoots out.

 Chapter 31: Quest, Fourth Part.

    Thariel held her new bow by its grip.

    The weapon looked better than she first expected.

    The bow had tendons for string and chitin-bound muscles for a body. Its color is a deep shade of dark-red with hints of rich crimson peeking from the gaps along the chitinous frame. The "mouth" is an opening between four fang-like teeth growing out from the center of the bow.

    On the end of its recurved frame, growing along the bottom, is a row of jagged teeth with thin tendon fibers tied around the ridges of the spikes. These thin lines of fibers are then coiled around each other to create the bow string proper.

    A single tug and release at it and Thariel felt a great thrum of power vibrating throughout the bow''s frame.

    Her sharp senses spoke to her about how the muscles underneath the chitin plating sang with exertion after the string''s release and how the bow itself yearned for a target to direct their shots at.

    The weapon was alive. And the oddest part? It had a soul.

    Magitech fabricators can forge and manipulate souls. They were that powerful.

    Back in Tainted Orchids, the amount of powerful weapons one of these fabricators can create is a lot, quite varied, and also extremely powerful. And that''s precisely why the devs decided fabricators should only be in the end game.

    Thariel also had the option to pick a non-living bow but she deliberately chose not to since a living weapon is several times better than a regular one with only one minor drawback; sapping HP everytime the wielder uses it to cast a spell.

    The bow, despite being alive, also didn''t have sapience let alone any kind of sentience. To compare, it was mentally closer to a single-celled bacteria than any living creature.

    The bow''s lack of intellect wasn''t a detriment though.

    If anything, it was a boost to its overall capabilities as it can focus all its (basic) mental faculties into its natural understanding of how sharp shooting works as well its rudimentary senses in detecting the wind to help with correcting the wielder''s aim.

    It did have thoughts- basic ones which came from its melded soul - but most of it consists of a single minded-goal; find a target to shoot and kill.

    "Don''t worry," Thariel purred in response to the weapon''s thrum, "I''ll find you a few noteworthy targets soon,"

    With the bow on her hands, the Thostasaurus stood no chance.

    "I think I''m ready to finish the quest now," Thariel greeted the saint with a respectful bow. Her words accompanied by the sounds of metal plates smoothly folding into each other as the door to the guest room closed behind her.

    The automaton faced her, "that is good." The saint then made a show of "looking" at her bow by turning its head towards it, "and that is the weapon you made with the tendon burrower corpse? You could have made a heavy bow with it couldn''t you?"This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    That is what those worms are called? Darn that''s an ominous name. And whose tendons do they dig into?

    "Yes?" Thariel lifted her bow and looked at it for a moment, if she did that she wouldn''t have been able to make her quiver.

    Thariel went on and defended her bow, "I think it''s pretty useful, it can help out with my bad aim." She explained, "then there''s also the fact that every arrow I shoot out of it gets endrenched with non-coagulating venom,"

    Honestly, she had expectations of some kind of DoT effect when she picked this bow in the fabricator''s grid. The surprise came when the effect was marked as being "bleeding" and not "poison" like she first expected.

    But as it turns out, the bow did use venom, just not the damaging kind. Instead the effects were similar to a komodo dragon''s in that it stops any wound it inflicts from forming a scab so it''ll just keep bleeding.

    "A heavy bow is too much honestly," Thariel added during a lapse in the conversation, how come the saint didn''t reply? What was the robot thinking? "And also it doesn''t have the bleeding effect this one has so..."

    "I understand," nodded the saint, "and I suppose your current bow packs enough of a punch with every shot that making a heavy bow would only make things redundant."

    "Yes. Exactly," Thariel agreed readily. "It just doesn''t make sense for me to make a heavy bow you know? What use would that even have?"

    "Piercing barriers, I suppose," smiled the saint.

    "Pfftt-" admittedly, Thariel didn''t think about that. Maybe she''ll turn the gun parts she''s repurposing into a pistol for breaking barriers, that sounds like an idea, "- I know that."

    "Anyway I need to leave," Thariel picked up the slack and waved goodbye, "I''m going to track the Thostasaurus now,"

    "Goodbye," the automaton returned the gesture.

    Thariel turned around and made her way out.

    Okay, she now has a weapon good enough to possibly kill a Thostasaurus so the question here is if she is good enough to actually kite one during combat.

    And the answer to that is that she isn''t sure.

    At the end of the day, she only knows that she can outrun a Thostasaurus but fighting it while running is completely lost to her. She''s never done this before after all, and she has no baseline to compare herself to.

    She was trained in combat yes, but she only knew the basics of positioning and making opportunities for counter attacks.

    And even then, what she learned isn''t meant to be used for a bow, or even in range for that matter. No, her knowledge was centered around utilizing a spear.

    A weapon that she may have been able to craft - could have crafted really - but she already thought things through earlier and well, she eventually decided that making a bow instead of a spear was simply better.

    And besides, with her bow''s special effects, she could just wait for the Thostasaurus to bleed out. But that''s assuming she lands multiple arrows at it or better yet, miraculously hits a large vein.

    The neck was her best bet for doing that, but if she wanted to land an arrow there she first needed to figure out how to not get spotted by the dinosaur.

    Back on earth, Giraffes had long necks so that they could see predators from far away. Thostasauri didn''t have long necks but they might as well have with how tall they are.

    Then there''s also the problem of the color of her clothes perfectly contrasting that of the environment''s.

    She wasn''t going to lie, the packball gear is very comfortable and warm to wear and she also feels that the feathers suit her well but its black coloration is just too obvious amidst all this white snow. She just stood out so much you know?

    With time to spare, some more thought was put into her plan on taking down a Thostasaurus.

    Thariel eventually concluded that she only needed one strike on the neck of a Thostasaurus waiting in ambush and the rest will work itself out.

    She first started her search for one of the therapods by sensing massive pods of heat coming from the landscape.

    The winds here blew in a strange manner and instead of the outlier air being weighed down by humidity, it was instead the air which got enlightened by heat. The air felt heavy to her senses so figuring which direction the lighter pockets of wind came from wasn''t that hard.

    Thariel followed that type of air knowing that it will either lead her to a Thostasaurus or a herd of its prey.

    True enough, she found a herd of the boar-like animals she saw getting eaten by her current quarry a while back.

    The boars are large things with tusks twice the width of her head. Their feet have thick hooves and their legs are covered in a large bundle of fur. A bushy tail swished back and forth behind them.

    They didn''t seem to think of her as a threat thankfully, and she was able to walk alongside them in peace until she found the creature she was looking for.

    Thariel smiled once she saw a Thostasaurus hiding behind a group of trees in the distance.

    She stalked forward, bow in hand and her fingers on its string.

    She grabbed an arrow from her quiver and plucked it onto the bow. She pulled. Her aim was being aided by the very weapon she wielded, Thariel used her senses alongside the aim assist to point the tip of her arrow on the neck of the giant therapod.

    Thariel released her grip and let the arrow loose.

    The projectile flew from the bow string and briefly bent when its shaft pressed against the enamelous fangs of the bow, then it straightened up once it passed through the center and began to fly freely in the air.

    It whizzed past dozens of boars, passed several trees, and landed on the neck of the Thostasaur.

    The dinosaur roared. The boars scattered.

    Thariel grinned despite herself, her racing heart was torn between excitement and fear but she knew that the former would conquer the latter as she runs away from-

    Eh? Why was the Thostasaurus running away?

 Chapter 32: Quest, Final Part.

    Thariel let go of the reins and turned to the blind saint with a dull stare. "Hey, can you tell me why this thing-" she pointed a thumb behind her in exasperation, "ran away the moment I landed a successful hit at its neck?"

    "It is an animal, they have self preservation instincts," replied the automation sagely.

    ... It made sense honestly. Thariel never considered that.

    As Thariel considered the implications of panicking animals during a fight, the blind saint went ahead and helped her by raising one finger and shot out a tractor beam that lifted the corpse of the Thostasaurus like it weighed nothing.

    Thariel frowned in displeasure upon seeing this.

    "I had to drag that thing back here like my life depended on it." She commented- more like complained really. She did have to fight boars and other scavengers while doing it. Which wasn''t fun. At all.

    "You should have made it run away in this direction then."

    Thariel raised a finger to spout out a rebuttal but found that she couldn''t for the life of her. Damn it. It had a point! Stupid robot and its stupid arguments.

    "Yeah I have no rebuttal to that." Thariel murmured softly, "it makes sense in hindsight, I should have done that." She admitted, "darn it."

    "We all make mistakes, the best we can do is learn from them." The saint began, sounding more and more like a teacher by the second. This is what Thariel expected it to act like the first time because this is how the saint was back in the game dialogue-wise.

    The one she got is... More eccentric.

    "Yeah, whatever," Thariel looked up at the skies, how do the insects up there survive such harsh conditions? "So what can I make with this much material anyways?" She asks, "some kind of weapon?"

    "A cloak." Replied the saint. It gave Thariel a side glance which spoke volumes of how the automaton found her question strange.

    Well Thariel felt the same way! Is it telling her she hauled a freaking dinosaur across the snow for god knows how long to make a single cloak?!

    "A single cloak." Thariel replied, her voice dropping in energy as the realization of just how close the damn fabricator was like its game counterpart came to her. "A single cloak."

    "No need to repeat it, I already told you this was the case."

    "I hauled that thing for what felt like miles!" Thariel screamed, she wanted to let out a screech more than anything but held herself back.

    "The fabricator does not work the same way as a common crafting tool," replied the saint with a dull voice, "there is a difference between the device and a common smith,"

    "Like what? Using souls to craft?" Thariel snarked.

    "Precisely." Nodded the saint, "soul crafting takes energy, and I''m afraid biological matter would be the one providing that instead of the shrine." The automaton explained softly, "it also helps that the extra mass is turned into abilities rather than more items, in game terms, the cloak you''ll get would be "Legendary"."Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    "Ugh," Thariel groaned, she didn''t even listen to what the saint was saying anymore. "This is so stupid."

    Everything moved forward regardless of Thariel''s complaints and after a hot shower, the Damphir proceeded to make her cloak and added it into her gear.

    She honestly didn''t get it.

    The stupid leech was able to make two things all by itself so how come the fabricator is only capable of making one item out of a giant dinosaur literally ten times her size?

    She decided wondering about it was pointless. It did what it did and that''s that.

    With time to spare, Thariel decided to go back out and ask the saint what its last quest was about. She had enough gear to fight a Thostasaurus and win, she''s sure that whatever is about to come her way will be taken care of easily enough.

    "You want to do the last quest now?" The saint looked at her, it looked perplexed and sounded concerned. Thariel read the ominous tone of the automaton just fine, she just thought that its concerns are completely unfounded.

    "Yes." How bad could it be anyway?

    "A blizzard is about to form so this would make it easier to find the last creature but are you sure? The ones about to whirl into existence are harsher than normal." The saint asked her if she actually wanted to go along with this again, "the creature you are about to hunt is perfectly adapted to traversing and living in such harsh conditions,"

    "I''m fine," Thariel replied. So what if what she''s about to hunt is adapted to living in blizzards? She''s fine with fighting something like that in their home turf.

    "I suppose this is also an appropriate time to teach you not to be overconfident with your skills." The saint nodded, "I see, I''ll allow you to do this, just be careful."

    "I won''t die, and I''m not being over confident here," Thariel reassured, "more like, I wanted to get this over with."

    "You will learn to temper your impatience the hard way, it seems," chuckled the saint, "very well, the creature you are about to hunt was known to my creator as the "Guro Yaiv" or in translation; Blizzard Hypnotist."

    "Blizzard hypnotist?" Thariel asked.

    "Yes, they are large wasp-toids with moth like features which emerge from tendon tunnelers after they pupate." Those large worm things? They''re just larvae?

    "They are capable of producing narcotic and hallucinogenic effects with the microscopic scales on their wings and are considered deadly due to this,"

    "So don''t get hypnotized by covering my face, got it," Thariel nodded, "I''m gonna hunt something to make a mask-"

    "No, you will improvise, you will do the quest now as per your own admission," damn it. "You can find such creatures around thermal veins, where they wait for unsuspecting victims they can inject with their eggs."

    Oh. So that was what she was dealing with? Wasn''t there an actual species of wasp back on earth that does exactly this to cockroaches?

    "Do I need to kill one in a blizzard specifically?" Thariel asked in which the saint responded by shaking its head. She sighed in relief, "oh okay, then we''re good."

    Guess she''ll be the one ambushing the wasp than the other way around. Good to know. Now, if only she knew how to search for one or when to know that there''s a hypnotist hiding in one of the veins before the blizzards form...

    Thariel looked at the saint and contemplated if she should ask but thought better of it.

    "I''m going," Thariel said in confidence, she didn''t feel that way though.

    Thariel inspected various thermal veins after leaving the shrine and she was able to figure out a few things:

    One, her quarry prepares its ambush before snowfall, specifically when the air turns hot and mist starts to form. She''s walked back and forth in one of the boundaries where one of the creatures is hiding and sensed them hibernating.

    Two, they had a limit to how much heat they needed to sense to emerge and thus burrowed further away from the vein itself to make sure they don''t pop out prematurely because they mistook the heat from the vein as coming from a creature.

    And three: they relied on both heat and also sensing vibrations from larger animals to know when to strike.

    Thariel wasn''t large or hot enough to attract their attention so she was able to move above the ground one of the creatures is hibernating in to prepare a trap.

    The line of plant fibers she strung along the perimeter of the burrow were tipped with regular arrows and weighed with large rocks to ensure that the resulting hunt ends up becoming quick and clean.

    If given the choice, Thariel would rather not have the hypnotist leave the ground and take flight. Hence why the snare trap.

    Once all her preparations were done, Thariel sat back a few meters away from the burrow and waited for the insectoids to come out. It shouldn''t take long for an animal needing heat to stumble their way here.

    A large plated dinosaur soon made its entrance and when the hidden hypnotist felt its body heat and movements, it began to dig itself out of its burrow, allowing Thariel to get a good look at the creature as it emerged.

    The insect was covered in thick fur, it had a pair of antennae growing out of its forehead and below the stumps of these sensory organs are four bulbous eyes.

    It broke the earth with armored legs and tasted the air with dagger-like mandibles.

    It was blue. Light like the sheen of hanging icicles exposed to the sun with spikes of dark blue chitin popping out of its fur, its abdomen was engorged and had a sword-sized stinger growing out its backside.

    Wings, dark blue with white veins and full of reflective scales. The scales are metal-like in their narcotic sheen and alluringly reflective.

    Its wings began to vibrate violently as the horse-sized wasp prepared to take flight.

    Thariel pulled on the clothes she wrapped around her face to further cover her nose before holding onto her bow and priming it with an arrow.

    Thariel fired a shot at its head as it attempted to escape the bindings of her trap. It died seconds after getting a hole punched into its chitinous skull.

    Thariel brought it back to the shrine without fanfare.

 Chapter 33: Sylka, First Part.

    "We''re almost there so start to restrain yourselves," Sylka heeded her siblings as well as the two guards escorting them while they passed a mound of light-brown dirt chock-full of termites.

    The insects barely noticed Sylka''s entourage as they passed by their home, busy as they were with whatever it is termites commonly concern themselves with. And also the fact that termites have no reason to care about them.

    She was thankful that the insects only feasted on wood.

    Given their size- around half the length of her forearm, - the termites wouldn''t have a hard time killing them, the acid weaponized by such creatures on its own is enough to kill them all.

    Sylka knows that the corrosive can eat through armor with ease, let alone Kobold flesh. She carries multiple bottles of them on her person after all.

    "Are they even going to agree to this? Isn''t this too much?" Her brother, Tessik, asked in a justifiably skeptical tone.

    Sylka gave Tessik a side glance and caught him looking back and forth between his spear and herself, a frown tugging on his lips. He wasn''t comfortable with talking about the greenskins, as always.

    Sylka had another concern beyond the goblins, mainly that the other tribes wouldn''t agree to their terms in taking the fight to the Satyr. Fortunately, negotiations don''t happen because both parties agree to one thing-

    "Yes." Sylka confidently replied. She turned away from her brother.

    - Negotiations form when one party wants one thing from the other, and more often than not, the losing side has to set a fine or offer up some kind of profit at the end of the transaction. Besides the reward, there should also he reassurance that the goal can be met.

    Sylka knew that her tribe had nothing but reassurances to offer but with the dawning possibility of the goblins coming to kill all of them in the near future, the other tribes had no choice but to agree to a temporary union.

    "We can negotiate our own strength in the upcoming fight now that we have access to a potion," ludicrous as it may sound, the potion Thariel gave them is a game changer. Especially when paired with one of Zyla''s spells.

    And it may not be the anteaters or the sheer strength/skill of the other tribes in this forest but with the potion in her father''s hands, their tribe at least had firepower to back themselves in the upcoming negotiations.

    They cannot be ignored now that they too have the capacity for strength. However temporary.

    Well, more strength than before Sylka supposed.

    She looked at her sister.

    Zyla had been one of the reasons why their tribe posed a threat to the others as not only did she have spells which can take down Treefeller Anteaters, but she also had one which can boost the strength of their people.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    With her sister and a strength boost potion at hand, Sylka was confident that she would be able to convince the other tribes to work together and defeat the greenskins.

    Sylka broke out of her thoughts once she noticed the change in the environment. It was better for her to focus now and not let her thoughts go idle.

    The denser growth of tree trunks indicated that they are now close to the Mound Tribe, a few more steps and they soon spotted the termite mounds that the Kobolds named their tribe after.

    Large, bumpy, and ridden with giant insects armed with mandibles capable of tearing through wood. The mounds were all over the forest floor, growing between trees with trunks full of holes and their bark crawling with termites.

    In the past, Sylka occasionally visited this place to refill her bottles of acid so she''s used to such a sight. The termites were mainly harmless and didn''t attack anyone right as long as they kept their distance.

    She looked back at her guards. They seemed to be comfortable all things considered. Still, it was better to warn them of other things lest the negotiations fail.

    Sylka turned away from them, "you two, don''t antagonize the local guards." She warned, "arrogant they may be due to their bond with their anteaters, we''re not here for a fight so just let them walk over you."

    She heard Grinnek and Baskal let out a rough huff in response and deemed her warning effective.

    The houses the people of the Mound Tribe lived in weren''t made of animal hide or wood, nor they did have the shape of protruding tents like the ones in her home.

    Their houses are instead similar to that of humans''; large boxes of mud and dirt built with termite mounds as inspiration.

    It wasn''t quite as imposing and pleasing as a human''s home, but Sylka would be lying if she said the houses weren''t effective in their purpose; protection from the elements as well as keeping the inhabitants warm.

    A shame her people have never bothered to build their own homes like this. Winters would be so much easier if they did.

    On their way to the chieftain''s house they passed by a new couple constructing their own home along the edges of the settlement and noticed that beneath the bricks, a foundation of sticks and branches acted as support to keep the walls standing.

    The home of the chief, much like theirs, was the largest house in the tribe. It looked more like multiple interconnected houses rather than one massive home however, with each section connected by a winding rectangular hallway.

    Guards accompanied by anteaters four times their size patrolled the perimeter of the building. None of them paid her entourage any mind as they passed through the entrance and walked beyond the doors.

    The largest room, the one at the front, is where they are supposed to negotiate and talk.

    It was a living room, with furniture and chairs of all kinds present within, a large window was drilled onto the left most wall, illuminating the place with moonlight.

    The chief wasn''t here yet, allowing Sylka to take a seat and make herself comfortable.

    She turned to her siblings to inspect them one last time; Zyla, as usual, didn''t seem to be bothered. She sat still with a placid expression while gazing at the silver moon light coming from outside the window.

    Tessik was more tense but he hid it well. He had his fang-dagger on his lap and is glaring at it in a baleful manner, the chainmail he wore beneath his leather vest was slightly visible. He must have rushed wearing it in his panic.

    His chainmail was human made and something he got after several escort missions from merchants. Though Sylka doubted it would matter much now that the goblins knew how to forge stuff.

    She''s seen their lower caste carry weapons of iron before so it was safe to say the ones who are higher in the hierarchy would have better gear.

    To combat this, Treefeller Anteaters need to be present in the fight.

    Before long, the chief of the Mound Tribe as well as his family arrived inside the living room.

    The Kobold leading the group from the front is Brask, a Kobold that although shorter and less of a combatant compared to her and her siblings, is still quite muscular. He wouldn''t win against Tessik but he''d leave her brother wounded by the end of the fight.

    Right next to him is Krynn, a short, non-muscular Kobold who''s demeanour is softer than that of the wood pulp the termites outside are so fond of consuming. Unlike her husband who wore a simple pair of pants and leather armor, she had a robe draped over her back.

    Her daughter was much the same- Tessira was a Kobold who, although tall, barely knew how to fight and instead focused on learning how to heal. She wasn''t an alchemist or a shaman, and Sylka thought that she should have been.

    Behind the pacifist was their servant, Nyrix, a female Kobold who does everything around the house that Krynn couldn''t. From chores, to cooking, and according to rumors, even pleasing the patriarch.

    Sylka smiled and stood up when the four Kobolds neared, she bowed in respect despite her intrusive thoughts before then straightening her back.

    "Thank you for receiving us," she starts, "I am here to negotiate an alliance against the new and rapidly growing force within the forest."

    Brask narrowed his eyes and his snout thinned to part his lips, his show of fangs didn''t deter Sylka however and she just stared at the chief with a dismissive gaze. Posturing is good, but being this aggressive right off the bat is simply pointless.

    "We''re not getting ourselves killed alongside you." Brask snarled.

    "Then don''t," smiled Sylka, "there won''t be any deaths should things go the way I expect them to be,"

    Well, then, time to do her job as Emissary.

 Chapter 34: Sylka, Second Part.

    Sylka locked gazes with Brask, the soft smile on her face a perfect contrast to the angry snarl pulling on the chieftain''s snout. She kept her composure and waited.

    "You?" Brask scoffed, "planning?"

    Sylka raised an eyebrow. Now he sounded more like the animal misconception the other races thought Kobolds to be, way to live up to the stereotype. Or, she supposed, she''s unique in the respect in that she''s actually competent.

    "I don''t understand?" Sylka indirectly insulted, she did. Perfectly even. "what are you implying here exactly?"

    She knew, of course. A lot of people viewed her similarly to Velkris, the second command of the Leaftop Tribe as well as a rather cunning tactician.

    A lot of Kobolds, including herself, rightfully believe that the opportunist would willingly sell out other tribes right as long as it benefits his own. Velkris was like that.

    She too has that reputation. Distasteful but not truly incorrect.

    Brask bit down on Sylka''s bait and hurled out a harsh insult, "you''re gonna drag us all down you backstabbing mutt!"

    "On the contrary, I''m gonna lift us all up." Sylka rebuked, she decided to correct the chief''s misconception, "we all will have casualties by the end of this, that''s normal." Sylka explained something called "logistics" to enhance Brask''s feeble understanding of war.

    Sylka softly smiled, this idiot. "It would be more shocking if all of us fought and end up without a single wound on our backs no?"

    Brask stared at her, she sat idle, unwilling to move backward or forward or add anymore unnecessary words to her brief and indirectly condescending explanation.

    "What do you want from us?" Brask went straight to the point and bluntly asked why they came here

    A good sign truth be told, but not the end of the negotiation. There is more to come.

    Kobolds are weak yet they are not smart like the humans are. In fact, most Kobolds have a hard time processing information and very few have Sylka''s natural gift of learning easily and being cunning.

    To combat such a glaring flaw, they as a species tend to mounts and occasionally practice magic. Technology is often beyond their understanding so what little strength a Kobold could muster, they keep.

    Treefeller Anteaters are the best thing that the tribes in this forest could have asked for; they do not feast on Kobolds, are relatively tame, easily domesticated, and to top things off, they are ferocious beasts when trained properly. The fact that they don''t eat meat is a bullseye amidst good slingshot shots.

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    And Mound Tribe have the best and strongest anteaters in the entire forest, their mounts are healthy and their riders are competent enough to be considered a threat by those in their weight class.

    Most of their children, assuming that they show signs of being good riders, are given a young anteater at a certain age so the animals also have a liking to their handlers and would, on most occasions, even die for them.

    All of that combines into a powerful workforce and a strong, if not slow army of Kobolds who ride anteaters several times their normal size.

    They aren''t without weaknesses as anteaters are animals and could easily be tricked but in an all out war, Treefeller riders are invaluable infantry which can hold the front lines with ease.

    They are here for these riders but asking for them specifically would cause the chief to go from somewhat amicable to hostile in a single moment.

    "You already expect this-" Sylka said to hopefully lessen the blow of her request, "- but we need your riders to be part of the front lines, they''d fight the Goblins alongside everyone else while we slowly take ground."

    Brask laughed, "we?" He asked disdainfully, "each of my riders are worth half a dozen of your own people!"

    "I know that," nodded Sylka, she was well aware that what she''s asking is essentially Brask losing a portion of his fighting force. "Which is why Zyla will be boosting them instead of our own tribesmen,"

    "It''ll be pointless if I do that," her sister broke the argument Sylka was trying to put across with a calm look.

    Zyla continued talking like she didn''t just lower their chances of getting anteaters in the battle, "I can only boost other people, better if they are Kobolds, anteaters aren''t part of my spell''s influence as they are animals."

    Sylka let the tense silence after her sister''s mechanical- and completely oblivious - explanation of her spell drone on for a few seconds as her mind came up with an argument.

    "That may be," nodded Sylka, her tongue picked up slack and got going. "I did not know that," she said to get out of the metaphorical binds the conversation put on her, "how about this then; our own people will be on the front lines,"

    "That''s a given," the daughter, Tessira, took the bait. She glared at Sylka with barely hidden hostility. "Were you implying that your people wouldn''t have gone to the front lines if our riders are there in their place?"

    "No," Sylka hid her smile, "if you listened, then I was implying that my people would be further on the battlefield than your riders,"

    A bit of a stupid decision in her opinion but wartime strategies can be discussed when all of the leaders are present on the same table. Her promises are not absolute, especially when the words of other chiefs override them.

    Sylka expected her rebuttal to divide the father and daughter in a decision-based manner and it did, Brask glared at Tessira who looked down at the ground.

    "You can''t guarantee that." Brask said, showing that despite his flaws, he is the chief of this tribe.

    "Yes, I can''t." Sylka admitted but reassurances go a long way and when they are backed by a reputation? Well...

    "Not for now at least, but you''ll see our warriors and hunters move to the front of the battlefield with my father, that, I can guarantee."

    "Of course you can," as always, the respect their father garnered in the battlefield is still a tool she can use for negotiations. Brask huffed, "what''s in it for us?"

    "Safety." Sylka quickly answered, "we ensure that our tribes are the dominant force in this forest rather than the goblins, and the best part? We aren''t pushed out of our own homes."

    "And that''s it. Then?" Asked the chief with a smirk, "nothing more?"

    "Negotiating the loot we''ll get from the home of the greenskins only happens when all the other leaders are present," Sylka bluntly answered Brask''s implied request, "however, I assure you that our tribe won''t take much,"

    "And why is that?" Krynn, having apparently found her tongue and spine, joined in on the conversation.

    "Because we don''t need it," Sylka replied, she stood up. "Out of everyone, we have a quick access to the roads the human merchants travel. We do not need the tools and weaponry the greenskins forge on their cave,"

    "Aren''t you all also close to their home?" Tessira asked, hoping for one last bark. "Why can''t we just let you get destroyed and take your territory for ourselves?"

    "Incorrect." Sylka huffed as a show to the healer that she wasn''t worth talking to, with a disinterested tone she adds, "the goblins live closer to the Leaftop and Crusher tribes, not us."

    The following silence is when Sylka took her leave.

    "Goodbye, Brask, I hope you are there on the meeting between the chiefs when the time comes," Sylka turned around and departed, her entourage following behind her.

    "We didn''t tell them about the potion," said Tessik.

    "We didn''t need to," Sylka replied, mentioning that two tribes are under threat would be enough of an incentive. "We only tell them about it when we deem it appropriate, that didn''t come before the conversation ended and we already got what we wanted so it was pointless."

    Tessik nodded. He looked around, hands gripping the handle of his dagger tightly.

 Chapter 35: Sylka, Third Part.

    Similar to the Mound Tribe, the Leaftop Tribe is located near a titanic insect colony but unlike the former, the Leaftop Tribe housed leafcutter ants rather than termites.

    While also gigantic, the ants here still relied on leaves and trees for food so the inherent risk of a Kobold getting killed by them is slim to none in terms of chances. That isn''t to say that a Kobold is completely safe however...

    "They eat meat?" Baskal asked, the guard seemingly confused at the sight of several dozen leafcutter ants- with a few being as big as her torso, - biting at the legs of, and pulling apart an unfortunate Greatwood Scorpion.

    "No, that''ll probably get used as fertilizer for their crops rather than get eaten," replied Sylka, "leave the ants be, otherwise you''d end up just like the scorpion."

    None of them were stupid enough to tempt fate and mess with a colony of giant ants so her warning was ultimately useless but regardless, one cannot know the inherent risks of having such fragile minded subordinates like her guards.

    And it''s not like she''s worried about them building resentment and betraying her so she didn''t mind constantly berating them about these things.

    She''s already come up with several ideas for how to deal with them the moment she gets a hint of displeasure from the two guards.

    Honestly, if they are like her past praetorians- which is to say, unable to take criticism despite their flaws, - then she didn''t feel the need to give them pity for their deaths.

    Before long, they got to their first destination; the home of the more tamer group of Kobolds she would have to talk to for a guaranteed alliance against the greenskins.

    After all, there was no greater motivation to put aside tribal rivalry than the looming threat of death. And these guys are on the precipice of it.

    The home of the Leaftop Tribe was intertwined with nature, in a sense.

    They lived underneath a great canopy drenched in white silk, a roof crawling with orange insects half the size of Sylka''s forearm- with a few warriors being larger than half her body, - which also acted as a natural barrier from the weather.

    The underbrush, while damp, is not overtly wet. A stark contrast to the rest of the forest floor by far. It is also infested with ants tending to balls of white, fuzzy mold scattered throughout the ground.

    The insectoids farmers were protected by large warriors and tended to by Kobolds who didn''t seem to mind the armored death machines working along side them.

    Sylka passed them all by through a paved road between two large "farmlands". The farmers themselves gave her an apprehensive look instead of disguised hostility, which spoke volumes of just how dire the situation they found themselves is in.

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    Sylka spotted a stable which housed a decent amount of Treefeller Anteaters. The large animals were on the ground, eyes closed and slumbering carelessly as the world around them moved about within a tense atmosphere so thick, one could cut it with a knife.

    Naturally, the reason for this are the goblins. Those things are slowly gaining power and overtime, would be able to take each tribe enmasse.

    By that point, Sylka feared the outcome for their people wouldn''t just end with death. In fact, death would be a mercy compared to a fate of being shackled by a Satyr.

    She and her entourage stopped in front of the largest structure found throughout the settlement.

    Like most houses here, it is constructed between 2 to 3 tree trunks- or several of them in this case, - using sticks and branches tied to their surface acting as racks.

    Leaves, leather, and fabric are then draped over these branches before they are then glued together using the silk produced by the leaf cutter ant larvae. It was a haphazard yet clearly efficient way of construction.

    Sylka was willing to admit that such a method would be useful to have in her own tribe.

    The guards let them enter the chieftain''s home unperturbed with the chief and his family already present in the living room and waiting for them to arrive.

    Sylka began the negotiations with a blunt reassurance.

    "Let''s cut through the pleasantries-" she and Velkris, the chief''s brother and advisor, exchanged subtle nods despite her words, "- and cut to the chase. We have a potion, specifically, my father has one."

    Thrasik curiously raised an eyebrow, "your shaman made it?" The chief skeptically asked, justifiably so, "Trivok is a powerful shaman but I don''t trust that what he makes would be good enough to fight half demon hybrids."

    "He didn''t make it," Sylka smiled, "we found someone inside the forest some night ago, she is an alchemist, and in exchange for helping her out she gave us a high quality strength boosting potion."

    "And you are sure of this?" Thrasik was naturally suspicious of the potion but what other choice did this Kobold have? Nothing. He needed an alliance now because the goblins will only continue to grow stronger.

    "Yes, I have inspected it myself- in fact, I was the one who had been given the potion in the first place." Smiled Sylka, she hoped this was enough of a reassurance. If it wasn''t, then Velkris would vouch for her later.

    And speaking of him, "can I ask who this person is? I would like to meet your benefactor if possible."

    As always, the shrewd old man wanted a quick grab at power when he sees an opportunity to take it. Sylka turned to him, a contemplative look on her face.

    "Thariel, she''s a Damphir." Sylka explained, "she was looking for Amori Falls last I heard,"

    Amidst the shocked gazes of everyone, only Velkris was calm enough to assess the situation and read the implications of Sylka''s words.

    "She''s not going to be able to purify herself with the necklace." Velkris smirked.

    "She isn''t- that wasn''t her goal." Zyla murmured, "she was looking for the shrine."

    "She has a Plasmononicon?" Velkris turned to their priestess, who nodded. Eyes wide, the Kobold adds, "so the brood is helping us out..."

    "Seems to be," nodded Sylka, otherwise it wouldn''t make sense for them to send a Damphir their way. "I think they perceive the goblins as a threat."

    "Understandable given how those things would become pure blooded imps in just a few more generations, the time scale is too soon for comfort. Goblins breed far too quickly." Velkris considered.

    Sylka nodded, "yes."

    Goblins are like that. Annoying pests who couldn''t keep their own groins to themselves. She swears those things have large breeding parties every night. Thinking about it is enough to make her gag.

    "How long do you think it''ll take before the imps evolve into other demons?" Velkris turned to Sylka.

    "My guess? A year, and that''s assuming they pop out right now, which they haven''t yet." There are most likely a few present in that tribe of theirs, though their blood wouldn''t be as pure as the Satyr would want them to be so they''d only be fodder instead of proper conquerors.

    "A year hm?.." Velkris nodded, "I see, we''ll be there when the meeting starts."

    "What about-" Thrasik tried to intervene but a shake from his brother''s head was all it took to shut him up.

    "We''re not leaving the forest for the sake of escaping with our lives." Explained Velkris, "we have established a life here and rebuilding it elsewhere would just make it harder for us in the long run."

    A pointless task, admittedly. Especially since in Sylka''s own perspective, the food and stability provided by the farmland the Leaftop Tribe has established would serve them for generations, essentially turning casualties in a small scale war pointless. However many.

    It is why an alliance with this place would be good. Sylka hoped that she''d have access to the ants the tribe produces as they are a great source of protein.

    Lumprats were also good, but her tribe is too inefficient at raising them to be sustainable in the short term.

 Chapter 36: Sylka, Fourth Part.

    Unlike most of Kobolds who settled near rivers, on plains, or next to the homes of insects, the Crusher Tribe wasn''t all that special in terms of the location of their settlement.

    They lived in a clearing they had made themselves and had a warrior culture centered around strength. From what Sylka knew, these guys lived exactly the same as the primitive Kobolds two thousand or so years back.

    They were naturally muscular because of this however, and they are also durable due to their constant exposure to wounds whenever they sparred inside the many arenas built across their tribe.

    The best of them were absolute monsters in a fight and with how they are basically just adrenaline junkies who will punch anyone you put in front of them, they are invaluable during a large scale war as an ally.

    To get them to become one, Sylka feared that her words alone wouldn''t be enough to convince them to help. At least not naturally, or when facing one of the common tribesmen.

    Much to her fortune, their leader is so much more level headed than the common members and he could actually think rationally rather than always acting like a brute.

    Garrok was still one, that is a matter of fact, actually he''s the biggest brute in the tribe. But even when he''s the strongest in a group of muscle headed idiots, he at least had a functioning brain.

    It wasn''t much, Sylka wasn''t going to lie. But it was at least something.

    Talking to Gorrak shouldn''t be an issue, she has done so in the past and the hulking Kobold was slightly reasonable... Or maybe that was just her memories being muddied by the sands of time. She wasn''t sure. Actually she wasn''t sure about any of this and that scared her.

    A lack of information can be controlled but sheer randomness was simply too much for her to figure out and chain down.

    She''s well aware that she wouldn''t be in control here.

    Sylka didn''t feel comfortable as she stepped foot into the grounds of the Crusher Tribe, the houses- haphazard in make and constructed with all kinds of materials, - were strewn all over the place, some are even on top of roads, forming an obstacle she had to move around to pass.

    The local Kobolds are worse; they were all either glaring at her with barely hidden hostility or trying to look at the underside of her robes.

    It was... Disconcerting.

    The feeling thankfully didn''t last long as Sylka reached the chieftain''s house. The structure was just as haphazard as everything else around here but it did at least have a sense of coherency and Sylka could see that it was designed rather than hastily constructed.

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    Unlike the first two chiefs she visited, Sylka decided to wait outside the house as a show of respect to Gorrak.

    She didn''t want to risk angering the warrior for fear of retribution, especially during a time when the groups living in the forest are on the verge of collapsing onto each other.

    Sylka didn''t have to wait long thankfully, and a Kobold came to tell them that the chief is ready to receive their audience.

    The wording was a bit too fancy for the supposed warrior-like mindset of the group but Sylka saw that as a good sign. Sophisticated decorum often was in her opinion.

    The inside of the house was just as messy as that of the outside, with materials used for construction shifting from one to the next as they passed by different rooms. Bones and twigs or some other trinket are sometimes seen attached to the walls for no discernible reason.

    Sylka didn''t have to spend too much brain power wondering what they were for as it was clear that they were placed there randomly.

    After the rather disorienting trip across the messily designed house, her group found themselves inside a large room whose sole inhabitant is the chief. The guards left them to be alone with him.

    Where the others were is a good question, but an ultimately pointless one.

    Meetings between important figures had others attending it for the virtue of having extra minds on negotiations as well as another perspective on the matters at hand, the added protection is just a bonus most of the time.

    Gorrak, being as strong as he is along with his often simple, direct, and blunt headed approach to talking does not need to fulfill any of the previous marks. Negotiations? He doesn''t need to do it. He either wants something or doesn''t.

    Protection?..

    ... Is not needed. At all.

    Him being alone is also a show of appeasement and respect to his guests because adding more Kobolds to the meeting would just be a sign of intimidation.

    "You''re here to talk about the goblins." In a not so shocking manner, he went straight to the point.

    "Yes," Sylka sat down as a show of respect, there was no chair or pillow offered for her so she had to do it on the hard floor. This was fine.

    "They''re dangerous?" Another simple question. With a simple answer. Sylka can choose to answer with an elaborate explanation which explains the greenskins''s strength, weaknesses, as well as their potential to easily conquer the forest but-

    "They have demonic hybrids, can forge steel, evolved greenskins such as hobs, and a demon heralding them." - Sylka went for the summary, giving Gorrak a list of all the possible threats they would face.

    The chief became contemplative and turned silent. After a while, he nodded. "I see,"

    He sees, huh?

    Sylka smiled, "we are planning an alliance with the other tribes so we can fight them together, hopefully you''ll join the meeting between chiefs in the future."

    "I will be there," nodded Gorrak, making Sylka feel relieved, "before you go, can I ask you something?"

    Sylka halted, she nodded, "of course,"

    "I am not stupid, you can explain to me what is going on in detail- let me ask you, how dangerous are the goblins?" Gorrak looked at her seriously.

    "Extremely dangerous." Sylka met Gorrak''s gaze with equal intensity, "we have confirmed that they have at least half a dozen hybrids with high amounts of demonic blood running through their veins."

    "In other words?"

    "We have pseudo imps." Sylka warned, "from what we know- and I''m saying this because our scouts have been murdered-" Sylka admitted, "- there are at least 3 of them, there''s a 4 armed Goblin the others call Vrog, an infernal mage named Mogrin, and a general named Krutch. All of them are specialists."

    "Demons." Garrok growled.

    "Yes," nodded Sylka, calling them demons outright worked too. She never thought she''d see the day that she would be able to confirm that Satyrs can sire any type of demon, not just a direct copy of themselves like most infernals.

    "And you say they also know how to make use of iron?" Garrok asked, tone hesitant.

    "Yes." Sylka confirmed, "we have seen them carry iron tools, they seem to be mining out the cave that they''re living in, why? We do not know."

    Sylka chose to believe it was probably for resources however, because any other possibility just sounded dire in her mind.

    "I understand," Garrok stood up, "thank you for telling me this, my family will be there when the meeting between chiefs start."

    Sylka could trust the muscle head to stay true to his words so when Garrok says he''ll join the fight, then he''ll join it. Good, two of her allies are now secured. Now time for the remaining tribe. It''s gonna be a long walk...

 Chapter 37: Sylka, Final Part.

    It is known among the others that the Grassrun Tribe are nomads that often preferred not to tell of where they would settle next.

    The group lived in a large plain and mainly hunted game for sustenance, though they also foraged so even though they could be anywhere in this large plain and that they''re supposedly hard to find, searching for their current settlement isn''t impossible when one considers the resources the tribe needs to live.

    There are only so many areas around here which fulfill this so after running around in search for rivers or something similar, her group stumbled upon a series of tents constructed underneath the crown of a giant tree.

    True to the nomad-like nature of the tribe, their tents were hastily made with various makeshift materials added to the frame to compensate. Most were made with leather, a few used grass or fabric.

    This is the kind of variety that, in Sylka''s opinion, spoke about how carefree these Kobolds were. Especially when it comes to their living situation.

    And this is proven when everyone here acted so calmly, with most of them choosing to simply sit around and chat as though the forest next to the plains isn''t about to be taken over by a demon and his children.

    An understandable reaction, Sylka supposed.

    These guys are nomads and could always move away from here should the situation grow dire.

    And that is why that out of all the tribes, it is Grassrun that she didn''t feel confident in convincing to help them fight against the tide of hybrid goblins. This is also why she decided to leave them for last.

    Truth be told, their help wouldn''t be necessary now that she''s gotten confirmation that both the Crusher and the Leaftop tribes are going to help.

    However, this did not mean that she didn''t want to take the chance of getting more help on the upcoming war. Setting up traps in the battlefield and these guys'' expertise in long ranged weapons would be a massive help in the long run.

    Sylka moved across the camp in a silent yet determined manner, her group looked at the members of Grassrun and they in turn observed her group.

    For once, there is no animosity to be found between her group and the locals, just a sense of casualness that made her feel safe.

    Sylka shifted her focus to her current goals; that being getting the chief of the Grassrun Tribe to at least send a few of his people to the fight, it doesn''t have to be a lot, just a dozen would be enough.

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    The home of the chief- Zynrek - was a modest one, just a decently sized tent with no other attachments. His family didn''t live here with him and are instead staying in their own tents constructed next to Zynrek''s.

    She was expecting the entire family to be waiting for them when after entering the chieftain''s tent.

    Sylka''s guess had turned out to be true when she saw a group of Kobold huddled together after going past the entrance, they all looked at each other for a brief instant before then exchanging nods as a show of respect.

    In total, there are five Kobolds present.

    The first is Zynrek himself; He has a pair of yellow and brown eyes, gray fur, and a lean build with a height that almost reached Sylka''s own. For clothes, the chief has a simple brown vest and pair of pants, a common style for the members of the Grassrun Tribe.

    The next was his wife, Trixel; she has a pair of red and purple eyes, brown fur, and the common attire of vest and pants. She also has a crossbow next to her legs and a belt of tools around her waist.

    Both the chief and his wife sat at the center of the room while their children are on their sides.

    On the left was Griska, the son of the two; he inherited one eye from both his parents and had a pair of yellow and red. His build is similar to his father and he wears the common attire of his tribesmen. Griska held a dagger on his lap.

    On the right are the two daughters, Tynith and Ornika.

    The first is a lean Kobold with yellow and purple eyes, she has brown fur and the same attire as the rest of her family and just like her brother, she held a dagger resting on her lap.

    Ornika had much the same features as her siblings; sharing one eye color from either parent (yellow and purple), gray fur, vest and pants, crossbow- the works. What she differed in was the pouches of paint and other strange knick knacks on her waist.

    All of them were clearly hunters, and with how they all wielded daggers and bows, it is clear that they liked a more long ranged way of fighting rather than the preferred melee of most Kobolds.

    As she sat down, Sylka noticed that all five members of the family looked tense and seemed to be ready to pounce at a moment''s notice. Though they hid this fact rather well.

    Sylka sat down in front of them, adopting the stoic expression which masked the tension in her own posture. She smiled, hoping to disarm them socially, "I''d like to discuss a few things with you,"

    "What happens in that forest is out of our responsibility." Said Ornika, quickly getting straight to the point.

    "Calm down," Trixel glared at her daughter before facing Sylka, "we are willing to help and aid you- with only a few of our own members-" Sylka expected as much, but a few was good enough. "- but can I ask what will we be getting in return?"

    "I cannot discuss that at this point in time," Sylka replied. This was a card she preferred to play when confronted with such a dilemma. It simply isn''t her choice to decide who gets what after a war.

    "Why?" Zynrek asked.

    "Because I am not a chief." Sylka answered, "I don''t have any say as to who gets what."

    Zynrek''s eyes narrowed, "and? Why are you here then if you can''t promise us anything?"

    "Because we''re going to fight the Goblins, which I believe are dangerous enough for all of us to need to unite." Sylka explained, and to add to her point- "I do believe that the brood inside the forest are trying to help us, even they deem the goblins as a threat."

    "Vampires don''t care about anyone other than themselves." Glared Trixel, she huffed, "you think we''re ignorant? They have an ulterior motive, what makes you think that they''re genuine?"

    "We met one of their members, a Dhampir. She seemed genuine enough." Sylka reassured, though she herself didn''t believe in her own words. "She gave me a high quality potion which boosts the strength of anyone who drinks it."

    "And?" Tynith raised her brows, "Damphirs are known to be amazing alchemists, this one''s not so different." Tynith narrowed her eyes, "and not to mention, Vampires also consider them expendable."

    "Yes... I admit that Dhampirs are often considered useless but the one I met had her bloodline awakened." Sylka argued.

    The family turned silent, then after a pregnant pause Zynrek spoke, "I''ll see if I can go to the meeting between chiefs and confirm this for myself," he said to Sylka''s relieved nod, "for now let me and my family discuss this. We are done here."

    Sylka nodded and made her way out.

 Chapter 38: Helping Out, First Part.

    Thariel stepped out of Amori Falls'' entrance and turned her gaze to the morning sky. After looking at glowing insect hives for a week, being exposed to sunlight felt good.

    She didn''t think that she''d appreciate the sun this much without her new soul mark though so she had the saint to thank for that.

    She fixed the mask on her face. The shifting scales on its surface brushed against her fingers, the feeling reminded her of fields of grass in a windy afternoon.

    She thought her new mask was kind of cool- literally, it was cold, - but also metaphorically.

    It was made from the Blizzard Hypnotist she killed and even though the fabricator only gave her one item for a single creature, the effects it held outweighed the over consumption of the materials.

    The mask had the ability to hypnotize people and make them more susceptible to her words. This ability would only be further amplified after she gets her vampiric abilities.

    She knew that one branch of the original Thariel''s skill tree was strictly centered around mind control so she couldn''t wait to ge to that point.

    She still hasn''t figured out how skill trees are translated in in a more realistic setting but with her knowledge of it being related to the soul, she''s sure she''ll figure it out eventually.

    Thariel walked around the forest while looking at everything she passed to get used to the infrared vision of her mask, a useful addition to the already amazing hypnotic ability of the item.

    The infrared vision was exactly as she expected it as well; a constant series of reds across her line of sight.

    Everything she saw is either a shade of red or bits of orange, the coloration depended on how hot the object she''s looking at was and the closer something is to crimson the hotter it was.

    It is hard to get used to, and not to mention her new way of seeing things is kind of jarring when compared to her old one. She was able to figure it out though.

    With the small amount of mastery in using the mask that she managed to attain, Thariel used the mask to spot and differentiate all the tiny creatures running around her. In a normal, light-centric vision, the critters running along the underbrush would have been invisible but she was able to see them all clearly with infrared.

    Or at least know they''re there. She couldn''t tell what the things she''s seeing are since they''re nothing more than blobs of red in her vision but she knows they exist.

    A little more of this and Thariel started to notice heat left behind by animals inside their footprints. Fresh tracks were dots of yellow on the otherwise purple ground.

    Thariel looked forward and moved along the under brush while making her way back to her home.

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    She briefly wondered about the Kobolds and their situation and her small curiosity eventually grew into concern as she quickened her footsteps towards the direction of Sylka''s tribe.

    With the state of the forest around her, she didn''t believe that the fight between the goblins and the Kobolds had started so she didn''t have a reason to worry but what if this soundless forest was because of the local vampire brood silencing both sides?

    Thariel shook the thought out of her head, that most likely wasn''t the case otherwise she''d smell the blood.

    She felt relief when she saw that the grove where Sylka''s tribe was located is still full with the warmth of life. The constant red in her vision was replaced by well-lit tents when she took off her mask and upon seeing the sight, she relaxed.

    Thariel found herself leaning against the trunk of a nearby tree. She gazed at the distant homes and wondered how all the occupants felt about their current situation.

    They must know that the forest is about to be plunged into a war right? Are they worried about that? Maybe. But then again, Kobolds liked to fight and maybe the thought of war was something that excited them.

    ... But it''s probably better if she gets close and asks how things are going in person.

    Thariel put her mask back on and began making her way towards the camp.

    It didn''t take her long to notice that yes, there were signs that everyone here is preparing for a war with the most prominent being the unfinished weapons and armor scattered around the paved dirt between the tents.

    Thariel stopped by the chieftain''s tent and there she waited for someone to greet her. The Kobolds already knew she was here so this shouldn''t take long.

    The one who greeted her was none other than Sylka and she bowed in respect before straightening her back and looking at Thariel in a strange manner.

    "Welcome back," the Kobold greeted. Thariel expected her to say more than that but nothing followed.

    "Yeah, thanks..." Thariel wanted to sigh, where does she start here? She was hoping for Sylka to give her something to bounce off of.

    Sylka continued the conversation after a tense moment of silence and what she said didn''t sit right with Thariel though the Damphir let it be.

    "Did they send you here?" Sylka''s tone was hesitant and she looked around with wary eyes after she finished her question.

    "No-" Thariel shook her head, she doesn''t want to explain that she doesn''t even know a single member of the brood right now so she cut to the point, "I want to help."

    Sylka stared at Thariel in an inquisitive manner in response. Wordless seconds ticked by before the Kobold nodded and replied with, "thank you for the offer, with you there we wouldn''t be so hopelessly outmatched."

    Sylka''s eyes moved upward, at something behind Thariel''s head. Her irises narrowed and focused on the bow hanging from Thariel''s back, "I''m guessing you''re not going to be at the front of the battlefield?"

    "No," Thariel shook her head.

    Even though she''s killed already, those were animals. She never felt good about killing people and the thought of doing so made her feel squeamish.

    It was better if she was at the back shooting arrows and counting her kills in numbers rather than personally killing her enemies in bloody 1 on 1s.

    "Your presence there is still reassuring," Sylka smiled, "thank you for your offer in assistance,"

    "Don''t mind it," Thariel shook her head, "I''m just doing what I can to help out,"

    The thought of killing goblins- a group in this two sided war that may also have their own reasons for doing things, - irked her slightly but then again, if she were to pick a side to join then she''d go against the ones who are known to be violent or ones who aren''t led by an actual demon.

    Sylka raised her hands into a gesture, "what you can" is a lot for Kobolds like us," she quoted.

    "That''s..." Thariel trailed off, she didn''t think her efforts were that impactful but Sylka clearly thought otherwise. "I don''t think it''s worth that much,"

    "You''re selling yourself short," Sylka stopped walking and Thariel noticed that they are now somewhere around the edge of the river.

    They both looked at the calm, moonlit surface and locked eyes with each other''s respective reflections before quickly turning away.

    "Am I?" Thariel asked. Breaking the silence.

    "Yes." Sylka answered confidently, "instead of saying it over and over again, I''ll tell you something which I think is the equivalent of the help you''re offering; it is like an archmage stepping up to a small skirmish between two human towns, or the lord of a vampire court standing between a petty feud between two lesser members,"

    The silence that followed the lengthy answer gave Thariel some time to think.

    She thought that yeah, sure, it may seem that way to Sylka but was it really?

    She assumes that reality is closer to her being the equivalent of the Satyr on the other side of the war than some glorious hero singlehandedly giving their side the win.

    She was strong compared to the normal goblin or kobold sure, but not that much. The only real advantage that she has here is the fact that she''s holding a bow.

    Thariel wasn''t sure how she was going to explain this to Sylka without further convincing the Kobold that her words were just her underselling herself so she closed her mouth and looked at the moon.

 Chapter 39: Helping Out, Second Part.

    Thariel felt out of place. She''s been in meetings before so she wasn''t unfamiliar with them but all of those felt pointless when compared to the one she''s currently attending.

    For some reason though, despite this, the negotiations taking place weren''t all that different from all her previous meetings; mainly in the way that everyone involved is basically asking to get better stuff.

    "I want a bigger cut!" Some Kobold she forgot the name of said, his declaration further emphasized by him slamming his fists down to the table.

    Thariel looked at him snarl and wondered if he was angry for the possibility of his men dying in the war and wants proper payment or that he is just being plain old greedy.

    Either way, lives would be lost and she didn''t think whatever compensation this guy would get is enough to pay for that. The way he says his demand didn''t sit right with Thariel as well.

    She wasn''t part of the conversation, and she didn''t want to be. She stood behind Sylka to show that she picked a side to ally with sure, but it was so far back that she stood next to the tent''s wall.

    "What about the other Kobolds?" She decided to talk anyway. Everyone present faced her.

    "They can get their own loot during or after the war," Sylka answered, "that''s how this goes."

    "Yeah! If they want anything for themselves, then they better take it from the goblins they kill! And if they want to keep it, then they need to survive!" A particularly muscular Kobold added fervently, he had a grin on his face that begged the others to see what happens if they disagreed with him.

    "And that means I can also get my own loot right?" Thariel asked.

    "What do you even need from the goblins?" Asked a shrewd sounding Kobold. She''s always thought of this one as smart. It was just how he acted in the meeting so far, this is the first time Thariel saw him look confused.

    "Nothing," Thariel admitted, she just wanted to see how they would react. With that being said, how far could she take this? She asked her question again, "but can I take stuff?"

    All of them turned to Vrix, the side that she picked in the meeting, but it was his daughter, Sylka, who answered for him. "If you want something, then we''ll give it to you,"

    "Why?" Thariel asked.

    "As a Damphir-" and she emphasized this particular word, with her pronunciation biting on the tone very harshly, "- you are one of our greatest assets and with the gear you''re wearing this fight would be trivial,"

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    Sylka didn''t say it outright but Thariel caught the second question in her words; you have better gear, what could you possibly want from a bunch of goblins?

    "I wouldn''t mind if she looted something and kept it for herself, that''s her right," said another one of the chiefs, he nodded at her, "get something for yourself if you want, I''m not gonna bother fighting you for it."

    That same chief shot a harsh glare around the table, "but I don''t feel the same way for everyone else."

    When one of his fellow chiefs rebutted him, he snapped back with words just as harsh and that basically got all of them to go back to arguing about their part of the loot and Thariel could only sit there, listening as they bickered like children.

    After the meeting, they all started heading back to their respective tribes without any further discussion. And this is concerning because Thariel never heard them talk about what they should do during the war. They didn''t plan at all, they just discussed who should get what.

    She raised this concern towards Sylka and in response got; "we do not need to worry about that,"

    "Why?" Thariel asked, didn''t need to worry?.. This war concerned them all and they''re treating it like it didn''t even matter!

    "Because we''re going to fight, there''s no need for any kind of tactic here is there?" Sylka clearly felt bitter about that but was just going along with what everyone else wanted, "you shouldn''t worry about this regardless,"

    "Right..." Thariel replied, not knowing what else to say beyond that single word.

    They walked along in silence and had started to pick up their pace at some point, when she noticed that they were far away from the chief and his group, Thariel asked Sylka about her true feelings on the matter.

    "You wanted to discuss tactics." Thariel factually stated, "why didn''t you tell them about it? There was one other Kobold back there right? He also seemed related to their chief, you two could have done something."

    "We already tried that and know it wouldn''t work," Sylka admitted, "it''s fine, at least I can rest easy knowing that we''ll win this through brute force alone."

    "How?" Thariel looked at Sylka and she in turn stared at Thariel. The latter broke the silence, "You think I''ll turn the tide of the war?"

    "Not think- know." Sylka emphasized, "I know you''ll turn the tide of war,"

    "Turn the tide huh?.." Thariel murmured, well, she liked the vote of confidence but personally didn''t feel the same way Sylka did.

    The conversation ended there and Thariel didn''t feel like continuing it in a bitter topic so she didn''t mention her lack of confidence in beating the goblins.

    They did eventually find a topic to talk about though.

    "Have you ever killed someone with a bow before?" Sylka suddenly asked.

    "Yes," Thariel nodded, "just recently actually, I used this bow to kill a large reptillian-" do these guys call dinosaurs with the same name as she did? They do right? She decided to mention it by name, "- a dinosaur."

    "I''ve heard from Trivok that those things can grow large," mentioned Sylka, she then eyed the cloak over Thariel''s body in an observant manner. "That coloration also seems familiar, I''ve heard of it before."

    Well it wouldn''t shock her if Trivok saw a Thostasaurus during his many pilgrimages in Amori Falls.

    Thariel nodded, "yeah, it''s made from the body of a creature I decided to call a Thostasaurus,"

    "What''s that?" Sylka raised an eyebrow.

    "A giant- it''s the thing I hunted with my bow, it''s pretty big, larger than a Timber Drake actually," she explained.

    Now that she''s saying it out loud, the thought of her being scared of goblins felt trivial when she''s casually talking about killing a freaking dinosaur.

    "If you can kill that, then I know we shouldn''t worry about a simple Satyr." Sylka''s tone was that of relief as she smiled at Thariel, "I''m glad you''re here to help."

    "I guess?" The logic checks out, she can kill larger creatures than a Satyr so this war shouldn''t even be a problem for her.

    A round of silence passed before the topic shifted into something more sinister.

    "Don''t vampires commonly summon demons?" Sylka turned away from her.

    Thariel hesitantly nodded, "they do yeah, but only as servants and they only summon weak demons." She answered, "the ones who summon stronger demons use them in warfare and..."

    And Thariel knows how bad that sounds but still.

    "I''m pretty sure the Satyr we''re fighting wasn''t summoned by the local brood though," she''s sure of that, Vampires don''t summon Satyrs, they''re hedonistic enough as is.

    They both looked at each other for a split second before breaking eye contact. Then Sylka nodded and put that particular topic to rest by never mentioning it again.

    The ensuing silence did make Thariel wonder if the Satyr was actually brought here by one of the brood members though. However unlikely, there''s still a small chance that this might have been the case.

 Chapter 40: Helping Out, Final Part.

    Thariel looked at the Kobolds fighting the groups of goblins in the distance.

    The two sides had officially kickstarted the war with a skirmish between their respective scouts and the lands that surrounded the now deceased scouts was then turned into a battlefield where guerilla warfare reigned supreme.

    goblins and Kobolds alike popped in and out of bushes to deliver quick and deadly blows to their enemies or patiently waited under a thick bundle of fallen leaves in a fatal ambush.

    Thariel could smell everything happening inside this forest, not a single inch of bloodsoaked earth was safe from her nose. It made her feel hungry.

    Next to her, she caught Sylka looking uneasy. Like the Kobold was worried about the goblins suddenly breaching the front lines and murdering everyone. Sylka wasn''t wrong to think like that, Thariel felt that way herself even

    No one around her could see what was going on back there, but from Thariel''s own observations, the groups they sent out are doing great work in killing the goblins.

    The Kobolds from the crusher tribe were doing their jobs as the frontlines well while everyone else managed to utilize this to silently stab the goblins while they were occupied by the hulking mass of muscle.

    Despite pushing forward without much issue, there are still no signs of the goblin generals, which meant that whatever they were doing now wasn''t good enough to cause one of them to pop out.

    "That or they could be preparing a trap, one of them specializes in poison," Velkris, the smart Kobold from the Leaftop Tribe, suggested amongst his peers. Thariel listened in as they discussed the situation more.

    "That''s a... A grim possibility..." A chief murmured.

    Thariel looked away from the group commanding the army and went back to looking at the forest through infrared vision. She saw nothing but bright red coloration amidst shades of yellow but occasionally, the red would sputter out or spill out as a fountain. This commonly meant someone was either injured or dead.

    There were also other ways she used to tell apart the living creatures from the plant life but contrast coloration and how the red spilled around the yellow canvas is her main way of doing it.

    Thariel picked up her bow and primed it with an arrow. On rare occasions, she''d also find herself realizing that she was looking at a hob goblin and on times like that, she''d help out the war efforts by shooting them down.

    In this case, she killed three of the larger hybrids consecutively and saved at least half a dozen groups of Kobold from certain death by doing so.

    She had been told that the lack of casualty was one of the main reasons why they''re advancing so quickly, they also told her that her covering for wounded Kobolds with her archery is one of the main reasons why they are able to come back safe.

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    The moans and groans coming from the nursing tents was a bit unnerving but it was better than hearing the constant crying of a widowed wife or seeing the tears of an orphaned kid when they go back home.

    Thariel kept firing supporting fire as the skirmishes neared the cave where the goblins lived, hoping it''ll save more foot soldiers. No matter how much she did this though, some of the Kobolds still died.

    Casualties were normal in war, she told herself this but seeing it happen right before her eyes made her realize that no matter how much she mentally prepared herself, a life getting taken right before her eyes was just not easy to ignore.

    She wondered if the goblins felt the same way but quickly saw one of them step over the corpses of their fallen brethren while her mask was off and realized that no, they most likely didn''t.

    Goblins barely felt anything towards their fellow greenskins so their brothers and sisters getting killed didn''t phase them. It made them glad even, since they now have less competition when it comes to food and other resources.

    "They just don''t stop coming don''t they?" Sylka asked as she neared. Thariel looked at her, Sylka smiled, "the meeting''s finished, they said we don''t need to worry about tactics anymore now that we''re being swarmed."

    "What about the goblin generals?" Thariel was curious about those guys, she has been ever since she learned about them but so far, none of them have popped up.

    There is still a precaution about poison being spread around their troops so the generals are clearly problematic to deal with but since they still haven''t shown themselves, the others said they didn''t have to worry about it.

    "They''re most likely evacuating." Said Sylka, "it''s the only reasonable conclusion that I can come up with when seeing their absence."

    "So what we''re fighting now are just fodder?" Thariel asked in horror. If they escape, doesn''t that mean there''s a good chance they''ll come back even stronger and with more numbers?

    "Yes." Sylka confirmed, "but if you''re worried about the goblins coming back, then I don''t think they will."

    "How''s that?" Thariel looked away from her and focused back on the battlefield.

    "Just a hunch." Sylka replied vaguely.

    ...

    A Vampire stood over the fallen corpse of the Satyr.

    The Satyr took hold of its spilt entrails with one arm and supported itself upright with the other by holding onto a branch.

    It tried to stand back up but a kick to the chin caused it to fall back down in a painful squelch.

    The undead stepped forward, his blade beginning to spin.

    The Satyr''s head was lopped off and all that remained of itself and its children after its death was wrapped into a large ball of silk and dragged into the darkness.

    ...

    Just a hunch huh?..

    Thariel smiled bitterly, she hoped that Sylka''s words are true and that the Satyr doesn''t come back with more hybrids in the future.

    For now, she should probably focus back to the ongoing war.

    Unlike what she expected, the war didn''t last that long- just a single night, - and by the end of it, the casualties in their side were so small that it barely mattered.

    The loot of the goblins weren''t all that great either, anything they had she could just buy from Liora. And at a higher quality at that.

    She came back to the Crawlfish Tribe with the rest of the tribesmen while feeling that the entire thing was a little anticlimactic. But maybe that was for the best.

    After the coming back victorious, a small celebration erupted in the Crawlfish Tribe and that lasted for a bit. The entire time Thariel stood at the sidelines, not considering herself important enough to celebrate alongside everyone else.

    As everything winded down, Thariel found herself talking to Sylka on the outskirts of the tribe.

    "I want to talk with you about something," Sylka started, "it mainly concerns my future,"

    "Your future?" Thariel turned to the Kobold to see her nod, "what does that mean?"

    "It means that I want to take my first steps out into the world with you," Sylka further elaborated.

    "What are you trying to say?" Thariel chuckled nervously.

    "I''m saying that I want to leave the tribe and go with you," Sylka looked Thariel in the eyes, "if you''ll allow it."

    "Uh..." Thariel rubbed the back of her head and looked at the moon. Well then, this was unexpected. "Everyone is okay with this?"

    "Yes." Sylka nodded.

    "Okay, but you know that I''m gonna be with humans for the foreseeable future right? You''re okay with that?" She was going to join the villainness'' party at some point and if Sylka wanted to tag along, then she first needed to know if the Kobold was fine with being around humans.

    "Of course, I don''t mind. You can even give me titles to explain why I am with you." Sylka nodded. And even though the implications of her words were left in the air, Thariel knew what she meant.

    Hopefully, things don''t have to come down to her calling Sylka her slave in the future.

    "Great. Uhm... Welcome to my party, I guess?" Thariel pushed away the awkwardness she was feeling with a forced giggle.

 Chapter 41: Resolutions,

    "You''re fine right?" Thariel turned to Sylka in concern. Kobolds were nocturnal so she was doing her species'' equivalent of doing an all nighter yesterday, and she still wanted to walk straight back to Thariel''s house despite this.

    "I am," Sylka nodded in reassurance, "opposite of how I look, I am quite durable. Do not worry about me, I have gotten ample rest."

    "No you haven''t," Thariel frowned. Did Sylka just lie to her? And it was an uncharacteristically bad lie too.

    Was the lack of sleep causing the Kobold to forget that Thariel was with her for the last few days as they prepared for the war? And that she saw Sylka get little- if at all, - sleep throughout?

    "... Yes, I haven''t." Sylka admitted before repeating her previous reassurances. "But I am fine, you don''t have to worry about me."

    "Tell me if you need to sleep anyway, we''ll stop walking then so you can rest." Thariel offered, "or if that feels to inefficient for you, I''ll carry you back home,"

    "That would be inconvenient for you," Sylka retorted with a bashful tone.

    "I don''t mind." Thariel bit back. She was already putting the Kobold through so much, the least she could do is offer her help when Sylka wants to sleep.

    "I do," the Kobold''s reply left Thariel no room to argue any further and in the following silence, they passed through the forest and out of the treeline.

    She felt that the walk back to her home had been shorter than when she first set off. Thariel wasn''t complaining though, the sooner she gets back, the better.

    "Well, here we are," she turned to Sylka to see her reaction, but got nothing other than a tired look. Thariel laughed to disperse the building tension in her gut, "well, it''s not much but it''s home, there''s no one here but us... And my mother."

    "I thought you lived with your brood."

    Is that what Sylka was thinking about? No wonder she didn''t say anything, she was probably scared she''ll get attacked by a pureblood for saying something they didn''t like.

    "No, nothing like that," Thariel shook her head, "the brood leaves me alone most of the time,"

    Or all of the time. She hasn''t met a single member and has only ever gotten a single thing from them so far. Her interactions with the vampires next door was next to nothing really.

    Thariel turned away from Sylka and met her mother''s eyes, Clyra stood by the door suddenly, "that''s my mom," she introduced, "don''t try to get on her bad side okay?"

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    "Of course, I''ll make sure to be respectful," Sylka''s nod felt a little off- or maybe that was just Thariel''s panicked mind looking for anything to focus on but the upcoming conversation she''ll have with her mother.

    "I brought someone," Thariel started off with what she thought was the most problematic thing but unlike what she expected, her mother just nodded at Sylka once before then facing her.

    "How''s your soul?" Clyra asked first off.

    "I''m standing in the sun," Thariel grinned, she took off her hood and let the rays of sunlight touch her skin. Nothing happened. "I got what I need, and also a few other things,"

    "I can see that," Clyra looked her daughter up and down, "where did you get them?" She looked at Sylka suspiciously, "I didn''t know there was a Kobold tribe out there that made high quality clothes,"

    The compliment was good for what it was- also, Sylka was looking very tired wasn''t she? They should settle down as soon as possible, - but no one currently alive could make the things she''s wearing no matter how much they trained.

    "I didn''t get these from Kobolds, and they''re a long story so can we just put this aside for now? I really want to sleep." Thariel used an exhausted tone.

    Honestly though, she didn''t feel tired, if at all exhausted, she was doing all of this for Sylka. Still, a small time for herself right now would be good for her mental health.

    "Okay," Clyra stepped aside, her eyes looked over Sylka, "the Kobold can stay in your shed, nothing dangerous is in there right?"

    "No?" Thariel frowned, was there something dangerous inside the shed? She''s sure there isn''t anything in there.

    "Be careful in there," she warned Sylka regardless, "you can sleep on the cot I used to sleep on when I worked late nights, just unroll it."

    "Thank you," Sylka replied followed by a stifled yawn. "See you,"

    Thariel watched Sylka go and when she turned away to head to her room, she came face to face with her mother. Clyra looked neutral, her face didn''t say anything much in terms of what she was thinking at the moment.

    "I''m tired, so please let me go." Thariel whined, "I seriously don''t have the energy for whatever this is,"

    Reluctantly, her mother relented, but only for a moment. "Where did you find the shrine?"

    "We''ll talk about this later okay?" Thariel repeated, she was not getting dragged to a series of questions right now. After actually stepping inside the house, exhaustion took her and she wants nothing but to sleep.

    "Okay,"

    And that was the final exchange between the two of them before Thariel was allowed to go up and rest for the day. After changing to a more comfortable set of clothing, Thariel lay in her bed, staring at the ceiling, head empty.

    She didn''t want to sleep, it seems.

    What did she want to do?

    Daydream- that was Thariel''s conclusion as her mind went into a present yet inactive state. What she saw with her eyes became the background and her thoughts moved to the forefront of her focus.

    She had ideas on where to go next. Problem is, most of them are problematic.

    All either involved the villainess or the war currently going on in the frontier, or both, with most will have her join the Tenlor heiress and fight back against the invading army. That or she does it alone. Which she didn''t like.

    The problems, Thariel realized after a while, are more of a personal one than anything external. She didn''t want to kill and the thought of doing it felt wrong.

    It was a moral dilemma. Thariel snapped back into focus for a brief moment and thought that she really needed to get used to the kind of ethics the people in this world had. No one here minded killing, it was normal.

    People still mourned, sure, but they quickly moved on after only a small amount of time and guilt was more of a fleeting sense than a constant nagging gnawing at the sides of everyone''s head. People faced their problems head on too. Especially physical ones.

    She wasn''t like that, the society she grew up in wasn''t like that. It didn''t encourage it, in fact, it actively did everything to convince people that killing is bad.

    The world she came from was more peaceful, forgiving. Her upbringing was very peaceful so calling her soft or some other thing to describe a person who hasn''t seen the "real world" wouldn''t be farfetched because of this.

    She overheard some of the Kobolds talking about how she, a half-blood vampire, considers them bumpkins due to them being primitives but if anything, it was her who was the bumpkin here.

    She''s literally in a world with morals so far from what she''s used to that it might as well be alien to her.

    A world that felt so familiar until she needed to personally do the things her avatars did behind a computer screen.

    She''s dealt with hordes similar to the one she fought last night, but that was in the game and a series of 5 man teams before a big boss was nothing special when they''re nothing more than pixels.

    She didn''t see the goblins get killed by her arrows yesterday but she did pass them by when the Kobolds moved towards the cave the goblins lived in.

    She was disgusted at first, naturally. But after a bit, she just became hungry and that reminded her of what the kind of creature she became is. That felt more disturbing in retrospect than realizing she needed to kill.

    Nightmares about dead bodies would have been so much better than the existential dread she''s feeling right now...

 Chapter 42: Preparing to meet the Villainness, First Part.

    "Why are there two different batches?" Liora asked when she noticed the wall standing between the two groups of crates inside the wagon. She stopped inspecting Thariel''s recent delivery and faced the Damphir, "they''re the same potions aren''t they?"

    "One is made by me and the other is by someone else," Thariel explained, she pointed to the other hooded figure standing next to her. "Sylka is learning how to make potions with me, this is her first batch so I thought it was better to separate them,"

    She took the blame for this one, in truth, Sylka wanted to separate the batches because she didn''t feel that what she made was up to Thariel''s- whatever that is in her own feelings, - standard.

    Thariel agreed with it, but not for the same reason. She wanted Sylka to have profits of her own and this was a good way of doing that.

    She''d tell the Kobold about buying her own stuff after this and see what Sylka comes up with.

    She''s also curious if Sylka would buy different materials for the same potions, and if that''s the case, would what she buys be different from what Thariel usually gets? And are they going to be more efficient/cost effective?

    It was a good way to see if she could make her own potions cheaper to make without losing quality. But that''s assuming Sylka deviates from what Thariel taught her, which Thariel felt is unlikely given Sylka''s personality.

    She''s been with Sylka for a week now, and during that time they''ve talked and learned more about each other. Thariel, at first, thought that her suspicion of Sylka idolizing her were just that- suspicions.

    Over time though, she realized that the Kobold was actually hanging onto her every word like it was a lifeline. Everything Thariel says would be followed exactly the way she said it by Sylka. She''s been careful when talking to the Kobold ever since.

    Eventually, Sylka asked Thariel to teach her how to make potions since she wanted to be useful and Thariel decided that it wouldn''t hurt to do so.

    It was during their lessons that she learned Sylka is a compulsive perfectionist when it comes to following instructions.

    She''d do exactly what she was told. Like how much she needed to stir, or how many cups, grams, and pinches of ingredients she needed to use.

    It was strange but also fascinating because Sylka and her compulsory habit got her to learn how to make high quality potions in less than a week.

    And now they are here.

    "You made potions before?" Liora addressed Sylka.

    Thariel understood the confusion that the merchant felt, because there wasn''t a single difference in quality when it comes to both batches and without the wooden plank separating them, no one would be able to tell that they were made by two different people.

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    Her saying that she was teaching Sylka probably made Liora''s confusion worse.

    "Yes, I know how to make potions- I have made them before," Sylka answered amidst Thariel''s internal ramblings, "I have learned under the shaman of my tribe in the past,"

    "That makes sense," hummed Liora. The answer must have been satisfactory because she nodded and went back to inspecting the product. "These aren''t bad," she complimented, "they''re almost as good as Thariel''s."

    Almost? Thariel stopped her musings and focused on Liora. She''s sure that what Sylka made are as good as hers though?

    "I''ll buy and sell them at the same price, as always," Liora turned away from the wagon and started counting gold coins from her pouch. She handed it to Thariel moments later, "here,"

    Thariel took the coin with a smile, "I''ll be back here in three days for another batch,"

    "I hope so, I''ve gotten a lot of sales lately," Liora replied before facing Sylka. "Keep making potions, you''re good at it."

    Sylka silently nodded.

    Thariel let the interaction pass before saying, "we''ll take our leave now I think. We still have one more thing left to do around here,"

    "Of course," Liora gestured to the side. She looked at her left, where a stack of items that Thariel ordered for Sylka as well as their ingredients sat idle. "I''ll load your items into your wagon after I take out the potions,"

    "Thank you," Thariel gratefully said, "we''ll be back immediately, we just have to do one last thing."

    Thariel noticed Sylka taking in the scenery as they walked around town. It most likely felt new to her so Thariel let her be. She did have to speak up after a bit though.

    "Remember that gift I told you about?" Thariel started.

    "Yes?" Sylka looked around curiously, "is it here?"

    "Yep," She had ask to prepare this particular gift ever since she came back to Streamwise so it should be done by now.

    After she got her bow, she realized that she didn''t really need a gun anymore but she still put a lot of thought into it so instead of scrapping the project entirely, she decided to get the local blacksmith to make it on his own and the resulting weapon would be given to Sylka.

    She did modify a few things though.

    Flintlocks were rare to see, but they''re not non-existent so the blacksmith should know how to make one. He seemed confident enough to do so a week ago.

    They arrived at the smithy and got greeted by Terrik.

    The smith nodded at the Damphir in greeting first and then towards Sylka. Seeing her made him pause and quirk an eyebrow. He looked at Thariel in barely hidden shock, "is she your child?"

    What? No!

    "No, she''s a friend." Thariel denied vehemently, "she''s the one I''m giving the gun to as well," she explained and eyed the bundle of cloth the smith is holding, "is that it?"

    "Yes, I knew you came to town every three days and today was one of your scheduled deliveries so I prepared it as quickly as I can," the smith unwrapped the bundle and showed the finished product to Thariel.

    She wasn''t good at eyeing the quality of guns but it looked pretty good. She threw Sylka a side glance to see how the Kobold felt about it but didn''t get anything from her expression.

    "That looks good," Thariel said, she took the gun from the smith and then handed him the rest of the payment.

    As they left, Sylka asked her a question, "what is this?" She looked at Thariel with an incomprehensible expression, "some kind of strange contraption?"

    "A gun- a weapon." Thariel corrected, "it''s like a bow, but you don''t need to learn how to use it, or train to be able to. You just need to press the trigger and it''ll shoot out a circular ball of iron at anyone in front of it."

    "Isn''t that wasteful?" Sylka asked.

    "We''ll dig the corpses for bullets if you want." Thariel didn''t want to but the determined nod that Sylka replied with obviously meant that they will.

    "Is this the trigger? It''s not shooting anything." Sylka commented while repeatedly pressing said trigger.

    "It''s not loaded yet, I''ll tell you how to do it when we get back," Thariel explained, "you''ll also start to learn how to use it back home since we can''t practice here, it''s too dangerous."

    And also illegal enough to get them imprisoned.

    "I thought I didn''t need to train to use this?" Sylka asked.

    "Well... you still do, you can''t miraculously aim perfectly when you first fire it after all." Thariel answered, "that''s what you''ll be practicing when we get back your aim."

    "I see. Why?" Sylka asked, Thariel looked at her, asking to elaborate. "Why do I need to learn how to use this?"

    Thariel grinned, "Because we''re gonna register ourselves as adventurers."

    "We''ll leave?" Sylka sounded disheartened.

    "What? No." That would be stupid, the villainess would come here soon. "We''ll only be taking quests locally, or on the nearby towns and villages- actually, the ones at the villages will end up here."

    "So, what do you say? Do you wanna become an adventurer?" Thariel asked.

    "Can I ask what that is? I think I misinterpreted it the first time."

    Thariel inhaled, well this is going to be a lengthy explanation.

 Chapter 43: Preparing to meet the Villainess, Second Part.

    "Why are we becoming adventurers again?" Sylka looked much more confident when holding a gun now. She had a decent stance, a tight grip on her flintlock''s handle, and one eye closed as she aimed at the distant target dummy.

    "Because I want us to learn how to fight," Thariel answered honestly. There were other reasons of course, like her not wanting to look stupid when Virelith comes around but the main one is learning how to fight.

    She also needed to get used to killing things. Whether they be monsters, sapient or otherwise, or humans which turned to crime. Like bandits, thieves, and outlaws.

    She was mostly torn when it comes to killing humans.

    On one hand- she wanted to get a quest related to them at least once during this brief side-gig she''s doing but on the other? She didn''t want to kill a human. She didn''t care if they''re criminals and considered dangerous, she didn''t feel like murdering a person.

    She hoped that when the time comes, Sylka would be there to help ease her conscience when killing humans.

    A second party aiding her in going past her moral problems would do a lot in helping her become more open to murder.

    The sound of a gunshot made Thariel''s thoughts stray and she focused on Sylka, seeing the Kobold wield the gun like second nature made Thariel''s musings come back. This time they were centered around Sylka herself.

    She was a killer due to her culture. Kobolds are natural warmongers who didn''t mind killing and actively did it during hunts or other ritualistic practices. Violence, be it towards animals or their kin, is engrained in their culture.

    A few of them, like Sylka, weren''t all that violent but most of them are proficient killers who do not hesitate to use a knife during a hunt or a fight.

    A tiny part of Thariel wishes she had the same morals.

    A large part of her disagreed however and thought that becoming a killer is a good way of spiralling into madness.

    That large part is the one that needed to be tempered.

    Thariel picked up her bow and started a practice round of her own. She needed to get used to killing humans, because even the heroine herself killed those she thought were in too deep to redeem.

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    There weren''t any signs of blood splatters because the game was family friendly- explained in lore with her mercy killing them with a smite of holy light, - but it was canon she killed.

    "Thariel?"

    She put her bow down and faced Sylka. The Kobold returned her confused look with a worried one, "you look out of place, are you okay?"

    Thariel nodded, "I am, I just have a lot of things in my mind right now," she replied, "I''ll get over this, don''t worry."

    "Okay," Sylka nodded and left it at that. She holstered her gun, "I''m done with practice for now I think, do you want to start making potions?"

    "Yeah, we can do that." Thariel smiled to reassure the Kobold even more.

    She knew that Sylka was just worried about her, and she can understand why. But she was fine really, it''s no big deal. It''s just a small problem that''ll hopefully solve itself when they start their careers as adventurers.

    On that note, she should probably stop moping and focus on other things, like making potions, otherwise Sylka is gonna keep worrying.

    Thariel cached her worried thoughts in the back of her mind when they stepped into the shed and started brewing.

    In terms of production, the two of them have started to deliver multiple crates of high quality potions every three days to Streamwise and from what Liora told her, the town has become a popular stop for merchant ships to buy large bulks of the stuff.

    That means they''ve been influencing the war, however little that means when it comes to two amateur alchemists making potions inside a shabby shed.

    The local lord probably has several dozen alchemists working for him non stop to keep the frontier from falling, and that it is their efforts which is slowing the invading army.

    She knew that Liora''s compliment had been false, but Thariel didn''t say anything because Sylka seemed genuinely happy about the news.

    She kept her thoughts to herself and chose not to ruin the celebratory atmosphere at the time.

    Her thoughts were also occupied by another thing in that moment; with the Tenlor territory stabilizing slightly, that meant that Virelith would now have the time to visit Streamwise in search for the two of them.

    It was similar to what happened to the original Virelith, with only one change: Sylka''s presence.

    It was a butterfly that she could never take back. And now it''s fluttering along the plot, possibly making a big enough ripple to remove entire events from the timeline.

    Thariel had thought about this particular thing ever since coming back from the forest and concluded that if she wanted to change the plot in a meaningful way, then she had to make butterflies as early and as big as possible.

    She had already made a few by awakening her bloodline and getting a soul mark but those were more of a personal problem and they didn''t effect the greater world as a whole.

    What she''s doing now though involved a major part of the plot, and she can only hope that her choices end up helping people rather than the opposite.

    She focused back to the potions.

    The batch they were making now is the same as their last few deliveries. She didn''t feel the need to change the type of potion she produced since she assumed these are the most useful types she can make right now.

    With two cauldrons and a pair working to make them, the potions got efficiently brewed and it didn''t take long before she and Sylka finished their daily batch.

    Together they made 3 crates worth of potions in a single afternoon. If they had spent the morning making potions, they would have made more than double that amount.

    "I never really asked; but when are we going to register as adventurers?" Sylka asked as the two of them cleaned the cauldrons, "it would be soon right?"

    "Yep," Thariel confirmed. She wasn''t sure about the timeline of the villainess'' arrival but Virelith will be here this or in the next month, maybe even a week from now. She''s not confident in that assessment however.

    "It''s going to be soon," Thariel put more thought into it after answering. Rather than procrastinate her plans for adventuring, she should have made plans for it the moment she had the idea.

    She thought about it but her head only came up empty, she knew this had been why she hadn''t put more consideration into this thing.

    Thariel decided to put pressure on herself by telling Sylka a set schedule. One that even shocked her once the words left her mouth.

    "We''re gonna register two days from now,"

    "Okay,"

    Thariel''s panicked mind spewed a stream curses at herself using a tone which is a perfect contrast to Sylka''s calm reply.

    ... She should have really put more thought into this.

 Chapter 44: Preparing to meet the Villainess, Third Part.

    "Okay," Thariel jogged her brain to remember what she wanted to say to Sylka before they register. Nothing came up. "Quests are simple enough, we just need to do what it says on the piece of paper and then we''ll be able to earn gold and accumulate experience points."

    "How much gold in reward would that be?" Sylka waved around a gloved hand to attract Thariel''s attention.

    "Not gold, copper." Thariel corrected, her reply made Sylka''s face twist into a frown. She ignored it and continued with the rest of her explanation, "we''ll only get copper or a meal as a reward for now, over time though, we''ll be able to earn actual gold."

    "By risking our lives?" Sylka asked in sarcasm, which flew over Thariel''s head.

    "Yep, by risking our lives," Thariel nodded. She felt that Sylka is probably worried about the entire thing so she reassured her, "don''t worry, I''m sure everything will end up fine, especially when we''re still lower ranked,"

    "What does that mean?" Sylka eyed her oddly.

    "It means that we won''t get any killing quests for now, maybe one or two, but those things are either prioritized for higher ranked adventurers or already taken," which sucks, because she really wanted to get to killing things as soon as possible... For practice. Of course.

    ... Maybe. There''s a good chance she''ll hesitate when she''s actually in the moment she needs to take a life. If that ever happens, Sylka would do the job for her.

    "Then if we''re not hunting creatures, what are we doing?"

    "Gathering stuff, maybe finding some lost item, capturing live, weak animals, or searching for missing people, objects, or animals." Thariel answered, "those kind of things."

    "I don''t know how to do any of that." Sylka said.

    "Then I''ll teach you," Thariel assured.

    "You''ll teach me?"

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    "Yes. Now are you ready?" Thariel turned around after finishing tying the leather straps of her chest piece.

    Sylka is looking more confident than the Kobold''s tone suggested earlier. Pair that with her new adventurer''s gear and Sylka looked like a veteran in the job already.

    "Yes." Sylka replied brazenly.

    "Let''s go then."

    The adventurer''s guild doesn''t exist in Streamwise and this is the case for most of the settlements across the world since the building itself has a lot of functions- this is also true in the game, - like teaching, information gathering, and protection just to name a few.

    What most small-sized towns like Streamwise have instead is a dedicated building for quests equipped with a notice board where people can still register to become valid adventurers and get tags with corresponding levels but only through their own merit.

    The progress is slower when compared to cities too, and only registering comes easy.

    It wouldn''t be a problem for both Thariel and Sylka though, since they already looked like they''re ready to scour the forest and kill things with their weapons, leather armor, and chainmail.

    They should level up fairly quickly since there are rules in the guild that state anyone who has gear beyond their present tag level shouldn''t be taking lower level jobs from newbies and are better off doing other jobs. Like hunting.

    Because the town doesn''t want to risk something inside the forest growing too strong for the local guards to take out, hunting dangerous creatures is actually a big demand in towns like Streamwise as well.

    The two of them made their way towards the town square and headed to a small building.

    This place is commonly referred to and is recognized as an adventurer''s guild but it was more accurate to call it a police station rather than a proper guild since it also acted as a place for the guards to occupy and also as a prison.

    Somewhere below the floor, a constructed dungeon lays. Prisoners are kept there to be killed by slimes which are then farmed for their cores after they evolve. In that sense, Thariel thought referring to it as a farm is also appropriate.

    The place was mostly empty when they entered and save for the occasional cleaning staff, no one could be seen wondering the upper halls of the building. Not even the guards.

    The following registration went well and Thariel taught Sylka how the guild system works as they filled out their forms. Sylka still didn''t seem into it but Thariel saw that the Kobold is more amicable than before so she left it be.

    After registration, they got their tags and once that''s on their hands, Thariel dragged Sylka to the notice board where they looked for jobs.

    The thing took over an entire portion of the wall on the right side of the office and despite that, it was full of papers pinned onto its surface. The oldest of these, from what Thariel could gather, had been posted only a week ago.

    Someone had been obviously doing the jobs on the notice board for it to be updated weekly, which Thariel thought is kind of insane since there are a lot of quests here.

    Expectedly, most of them don''t involve going out into the wilds to kill bandits and instead have villagers or people from other towns asking for locally sourced things. Disappointing, but not out of place.

    The quests that she''s looking for are on the government funded board by the receptionist''s desk but those required a higher rank.

    This was fine, they can finish multiple quests in a single day anyway. Hopefully that''ll speed up the process even more.

    Thariel picked up a posted quest asking someone to capture a live animal for them and dragged Sylka away from the notice board.

    "I saw quests involving potion making there," the Kobold informed her.

    "Don''t take those, they''re from the alchemist''s guild and they''re bad news," Thariel replied ominously, "we don''t want to work for them, it''s better if we''re independent."

    After giving the quest, it was stamped under their name and the two of them were off.

 Chapter 45: Preparing to meet the Villainness, Final Part.

    Thariel tapped the map she placed on the tree stump, "the camp should be around here somewhere..." The damphir murmured.

    Right behind her, Sylka looked around, her sharp eyes scanning for anything that might indicate where the bandits may have set up camp days prior- and this is assuming the map is accurate and that the witness wasn''t affected by delirium by the time of disclosure.

    Sylka had doubts, naturally, most humans were soft when it comes to their mind. Panic and memory loss was a common sight to see whenever a human experienced crippling events.

    "I don''t see any signs of someone having camped here," Sylka pointed out.

    "Yeah but that farmer said she was around here when she escaped," Thariel turned her focus towards Sylka, "or at least that was how her ramblings got interpreted,"

    "For all we know, the "lake" that she described seeing while escaping might not be the one in front of us," Sylka said while eyeing the lake in question.

    Well, it was more of a pond really, and that in Thariel''s opinion made it more convincing because anyone who isn''t in the right state of mind would not be able to recognize this as a pond and see it as a lake.

    "What got interpreted might be not be true," Sylka suggested evenly.

    "Or the farmer wasn''t wrong but what she remembers got fragmented and where we are right now is just the path towards the camp, not the camp itself." Thariel rebuked.

    "That might be true, wanna keep searching?" Sylka eyed Thariel for confirmation and when she saw the damphir nod, she returned the gesture and followed after her as Thariel headed to the deeper parts of the woods.

    The forest was quiet save for the occasional sound of dry leaves crunching underneath their boots. For a while now, there had been no signs of anything bandit related along the path, not one of them caught a whiff of the scent of blood and besides small critters and themselves, they found no other living being.

    "Are we sure that the witness didn''t mistake things?" Sylka skeptically said, "usually we''d find our quarry by now,"

    Thariel looked at a nearby tree in search of a trap, Clyra has been teaching them how to make all purpose traps ever since they started this side gig and she told them that those have also been used to catch humans so if bandits were here at some point, then she''d find some kind of evidence of these sort of traps being set around the area.

    Her eyes spotted nothing unfortunately.

    "You''re not wrong," Thariel replied quietly, she bent down and checked the soil. It was expectedly damp, she didn''t find anything that might tell her people camped here or walked past this spot recently however.

    "Should we go back and tell the receptionist the information they got is wrong?" Sylka suggested.

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    "No, it''s fine." Thariel shook her head, "they''re around here somewhere, I can feel it."

    "It would have been better if you willingly brought your mask I think," Sylka commented before she proceeded to check the area herself. Much like Thariel, she found nothing. "We wouldn''t waste so much time searching for them if you had it,"

    "I didn''t want to rely on it too much," Thariel shook her head, she stood up and began to make her way out of the area. "And I also want to train my tracking skills,"

    "Tracking? You''re not using your nose, or your ears." Thariel felt Sylka''s stare on her back as she said that, "what are you doing, exactly?"

    Stalling. Thariel thought.

    "I don''t know?" She replied in a murmur, "but that''s why I''m practicing, I think that learning how to track things without relying on my other senses isn''t a bad thing,"

    "You''re not wrong," Sylka confirmed, "but to properly track, we first need to be in an area where we know we can find something to hunt,"

    "What do you mean?" Thariel stopped and turned around.

    "I''m saying that one of the most important things to know when tracking animals is figuring out where and when they would be most active." Sylka answered, "if you want to know how to track without relying on your senses, then you better figure out where to find animals, that''s how everyone else does it."

    "But the bandits are here?" Thariel''s brows shot up, "the witness said so."

    "She could be wrong," Sylka argued, "and even if they are here, are we just gonna keep walking until we find their camp? Because that isn''t tracking, that''s waiting for something to happen so we can react." She retorted, "while tracking is more proactive."

    "I..." Thariel was speechless, "what do you want to do then?""

    Sylka pulled out the map from her bag and beckoned for Thariel to get closer, "where do you think humans will likely to camp on this map?"

    "Near the water?" Thariel answered, water usually meant something to drink.

    "We already know that," Sylka said, "we know they''re close to a lake, but there are a lot of those on this map." She elaborated, "what we''re looking for is something besides that, think Thariel, what do you think bandits prefer to be close to besides water or resources?"

    "A place to hide in?" Thariel said in an unconfident tone, "that makes sense right?"

    "Yes, but forests are already a good place to hide in, that''s why we''re looking for them here after all," Sylka began to correct her answer, "I''ll give you one last guess,"

    "Uh... People to kidnap?" Thariel answered what came to mind.

    "They''re part of "resources" because bandits sell them," Sylka shook her head, "no, what we''re looking for are avenues of escape as well as connections,"

    "Okay?" Thariel nodded, unsure of where this was going but is on board with it nevertheless. "Tell me more,"

    "The bandits are connected to someone, they have to if they want to sell their goods correct?" Sylka questioned, "and that someone can only be connected to people on the bigger cities or merchants who go through proper trade routes because otherwise they wouldn''t be able to find people willing to buy their "goods"."

    "Which means?" Thariel asked.

    "Which means if we want to guess the most likely place the bandits will be camping in, then it would be here." Sylka pointed to a lake close to a village, which didn''t make sense.

    "Why? Won''t they get caught by the local lord- oh." Thariel finished dumbfounded once what Sylka was trying to say connected in her head. "They''re getting help."

    "Yes, from someone in a village facing the direction which will lead to the Tenlor Territory''s main city," Sylka explained, "if we want to find our bandits, they would be there."

    "Okay, I trust you," Thariel nodded. Sylka''s never been wrong when it comes to tracking people before so this makes sense, "we''ll go there."

    "We will," Sylka rolled the map and stored it in her bag, "let''s go."

    Sylka''s guess had been correct and the bandits camped at the place where she said they were on but instead of a quiet night with maybe one or two guards patrolling the outskirts of the camp what greeted them was... Fire.

    An inferno raged on this part of the forest and the all encompassing flames refused to wane as their oil-like tendrils consumed wood and tents alike. The flame grew stronger with every piece consumed.

    The heat waves that emerged from the fire made Thariel and Sylka raise their arms to cover their faces and as the orange light of forest fire disappeared from Thariel''s sensitive retinas and she was able to see again she saw her-

    A lithe form covered in silver armor and a head of black hair, onyx eyes with a gaze so cold it quenched the heat sapping at Thariel''s cold skin and replaced it with hair tingling warmth.

    Virelith carried with her a sword, she raised it high as she commanded her small army to raze the camp.

    The two of them locked eyes and Thariel felt herself begin to detach from reality, time slowed to a crawl and Sylka''s distant words almost didn''t reach her.

    "- he''s getting closer!"

    Thariel blinked and everything went back to normal, her mind didn''t process her arms moving as she raised her sword and stabbed a man through the throat- no- not a man, but a bandit.

    She looked at Virelith again and saw the villainness nod her way.

    The fuzzy feeling Thariel felt last time didn''t come like she expected, instead, her thoughts were centered around the fact that she just killed someone.

 Chapter 46: To new places! First Part.

    Thariel''s focus snapped back to Virelith once she realized that the noble is coming her way. And isn''t that a scary thought? Virelith is the one coming over!

    She has mentally prepared herself for this event ever since she woke up in this body but the real Virelith is just too much.

    The girl in front of her is the antagonist of Tainted Orchids. The extra dimensional invaders? The attacking army from the next country over? None of them come close to Virelith when it comes to causing wanton destruction during canon.

    Her burning down a bandit camp despite having a big enough army to overwhelm the criminals- as well as rescue the hostages, Thariel tried not to think about them. - into submission says a lot about Virelith''s preferred methodology when dealing with problems.

    "You,"

    Thariel stared at the sword suddenly appearing next to her throat and gulped, she looked Virelith in the eyes and tried to open her mouth to answer but was unable to say anything beyond fish-like warbles.

    "Who are you?" Sylka, bless her heart, managed to utter something. Thariel is regretting not describing Virelith''s features to her though.

    Virelith''s eyes moved away from Thariel and narrowed towards Sylka, she quirked an eyebrow, "a thrall?"

    Thariel hated the ensuing silence that passed and hated Sylka''s answer even more, "I don''t hate my station,"

    Virelith didn''t bother to reply and just went back to Thariel, "what are you doing here? Tenlor doesn''t have Vampires. A stray?"

    "N-no?" Thariel stammered, does Virelith not know about the local brood? "I belong to a brood, I''m not a stray," her attempt at deflections bit her in the ass at that moment.

    "So you''re saying one moved here?" Virelith pushed her blade closer, the tip touched Thariel''s skin. Smoke sizzled outward but save for that, the contact did nothing else.

    Both girls'' eyes widened as realization struck.

    "Silver?" Thariel muttered in fear, so it still burned her huh?

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    "You''re a Damphir." Virelith said at the same time, the confusion clear in her tone. "You''ve been living here all this time?" Thariel slowly nodded, Virelith scowled, "liar! You must''ve matured somewhere else!"

    "I''m not lying!" Thariel tried to back away but Virelith chased after her with speed that her untrained eyes could barely follow.

    The villainness put one step forward and lowered her sword, the stance quickly shifted and her body moved towards Thariel''s left. The movement synchronized with her slash, one aimed at Thariel''s neck.

    A stray arrow from the shadows struck the sword and caused its trajectory to falter, Sylka moved next, lunging at Virelith with a scowl. Though she failed to tackle her to the ground, Virelith violently grabbing Sylka by the neck made Thariel finally make a move.

    She didn''t know why she could only do so little in reaction to the villainness, but she was sure it wasn''t fear. Respect, maybe. Caution is also a possibility but fear? Fear has never made her freeze up like this before.

    "Can you not?" Virelith coldly snarled while glaring at Thariel''s outstretched hand, which is currently holding her by the wrist.

    "Let go," Thariel bit out, "I don''t wanna do this."

    "Do what?" Virelith asked, tone unbothered.

    Before Thariel could answer, another arrow shot out and she moved without thinking- Virelith got tossed to the ground and a fallen Sylka shortly followed.

    Thariel didn''t know what happened, just that she was standing in front of the villainess one moment and in the next, she got pinned to the ground with Thariel''s hand wrapped around her fragile neck.

    In her distress, Virelith moved and attempted another slash at Thariel''s neck but Sylka was faster this time. The Kobold came in and slammed her soles down at Virelith''s hand. She didn''t let go of her sword but at least she''s now unable to make an attempt at Thariel''s life.

    Or this would have been the case if not for a man in armor tackling Sylka away.

    A fight ensued and Thariel was forced out of whatever it is she''s feeling to prevent the villainness from killing her. She tightened her grip and dragged both herself and Virelith off the ground, she stumbled while moving due to Virelith''s struggle but quickly caught herself.

    Thariel raised a clawed hand and aimed it at Virelith''s neck, she made sure everyone saw what she''s doing. "I''m gonna kill her!"

    Holding the person she wanted to join hostage against her own army was not part of Thariel''s plan when meeting Virelith- none of this is part of it actually!

    A choking sound came from her hand, wait no, that was Virelith. Thariel loosened her grip and heard a strained yet cold tone, "let go-"

    "Not if Sylka''s in danger!" Thariel yelled, she flinched when she noticed Virelith close her eyes in a painful wince. "Sorry-" she wheezed when the villainness elbowed her ribs, "why are you doing this?!"

    "You''re a vampire-"

    "I don''t mean harm!" Thariel yelled, "you''re the one who started it! I had a blade to my neck!"

    "Then let go!" Virelith''s yell was followed by another elbow.

    "Okay! Okay!" Thariel threw Virelith away in panic and it didn''t even take a second for her to realize that this was a mistake. She dodged the blade that swung her way, "what are you-"

    She dodged the constant slashes of the now silent villainness and gradually, Thariel began to feel herself panic as Virelith picked up speed. She knew it wouldn''t take long before her eyes wouldn''t be able to follow the slashes so she needed to find a way to end this.

    "Why are you even here?!" Thariel shouted- oh wait. "You''re looking for alchemists right?!"

    Virelith stopped and with a brief pause, stared at Thariel. Realization struck her and she glowered, "as if you''re the people I''m looking for! Just because you''re a Damphir?"

    Thariel backed away, she felt slightly relieved at the thought of having a bargaining chip. She spoke while dodging Virelith''s attacks, "we''re the alchemists! We can go to Liora and ask her about our identities!"

    ""We''re?"" Virelith repeated skeptically, then her eyes went over to Sylka and her scowl got worse, "you''re not humans."

    "No?" Thariel replied.

    "I''ve been searching for a va- damphir and a kobold this entire time?" Virelith cursed.

    "Uh, yeah?" Thariel smiled shakily.

    Virelith sighed and allowed herself to show a small moment of weakness by rubbing the bridge of her nose, she''ll have to work with this? It was fine.

    She gritted her teeth, "we''ll go to Liora but you both better not be lying to me,"

 Chapter 47: To new places! Second Part.

    "And like I''ve already told you, they''re the alchemists you''re looking for." Liora pointed to Thariel and Sylka, her face exhausted from the cyclical nature of the conversation.

    "I can get you imprisoned for allowing a damphir to work for you," Virelith, finally having a change of dialogue, threatened Liora with a cold glare that the merchant barely reacted to. "Committing a crime of such severity could get you executed in less than a week once you''re caught."

    "And will you?" Liora asks, turning to face Thariel and Sylka. "Because if I''m not lying and these two really are the alchemists you have been searching for then you''ll take them under your wing in the future."

    "No, they are not." Virelith venomously spat, "substituting your alchemists with these two will only make me angrier and I assure you, I do not want to hold a town hostage for the next two weeks so it''s in your best interest that you follow my demands."

    Liora raised an eyebrow and kept her mouth shut, she was feeling tired at this constant back and forth. At the non-answer, Virelith scowled and raised herself off the chair.

    "We can prove it!" Thariel exclaimed before facing the now silent Sylka, she''s been acting like this ever since she learned that the noble in front of them is Virelith. "Right?"

    Sylka numbly nodded, "of course," she responded lightly, "we''re more than good enough to prove ourselves as the alchemists responsible for those potions,"

    "See?" Thariel turned back to the villainess, she shriveled when she saw the glare Virelith was shooting her with.

    "Who told you to speak?"

    "I..."

    "Don''t disrespect her like that," Liora intervened, "especially if you want her to work with you in the future." She looked at Thariel and nudged her to do something, "antagonizing your future alchemists doesn''t sound like a good idea does it?"

    "Stop trying to trick me and hand over the alchemists already!" Virelith raised her voice and stood up before suddenly cooling down and taking a seat, "I''m not gonna play your games so it''s in your best interest to be cooperative."

    "You won''t believe me will you?" Liora asks in exasperation, "you have a one sided answer in your head and you''ll refuse to accept anything that isn''t that?"

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    Instead of answering, Virelith placed her hand on the hilt of her sword.

    Thariel thought Liora had a point. Virelith is currently one sidedly making decisions despite her own conclusion being far from the truth. In her eyes the two alchemists weren''t a Kobold and a Damphir so she''s going backwards from there and finding a way to make that into reality.

    Thariel briefly wondered if she botched canon by attacking Virelith back in the forest and after giving it some thought, she felt that may have been the case.

    "Can''t we just prove it?" Thariel asks again, trying to persuade the villainness for the second time and failing.

    "Prove through what?" Virelith glared at her, "making potions won''t mean that you''re immediately going to be accepted under my banner, not when you''re so dangerous." The noble spat, "vampires are bad enough, but a Damphir who awakened her bloodline?"

    Virelith neared her, "you''re with a brood."

    "No?" Thariel thought about what she should say in panic, why was Virelith so paranoid and antagonistic towards everything?

    "You think Liora is a thrall?" Thariel guessed, she looked at the merchant and Liora shook her head. A gesture for her to not continue speaking went over Thariel''s head and she ignored the warning in favor of getting an answer.

    She waited for Virelith to respond and she got what she wanted, but also the villainess'' attention.

    "And isn''t she?" The villainness said, her tone laced with skepticism. "You can''t fool me, if vampires move in to an established human town the first thing you all do is enthrall everyone."

    "That''s not true," Thariel bit back, "no one in this town is a thrall, otherwise they wouldn''t be supporting your war efforts."

    "Oh really?" Virelith smirked, which turned into a scowl moments later when she realized that Thariel was being serious. She pulled out her sword, "if you think that I''m stupid enough to believe that a single town''s support is going to convince me into them being obedient then you''re wrong. Vampires don''t eat."

    "What? That doesn''t make sense-" Thariel''s reply got cut short when she had to dodge.

    "I''m done with your games damphir," Virelith said in disgust, "you either lead me to your brood or this entire town is going to get razed, and not a week later, paladins will arrive and finish you all."

    "And what does you knowing the brood''s location do exactly?" Sylka scoffed. "You''re gonna kill us either way "

    "I''ll give you all a swift death," Virelith replied casually, "I am far less cruel than the church, especially when dealing with vampires and other monsters."

    That''s not comforting at all!

    Thariel shook her head, "we''re willing to work for you," she said in vain, "and even if I do know where the brood is, they''ll just move away once I reveal their location since they''ll figure it out that I did."

    "So you knew that the one who shot those arrows was a vampire then? You''re not part of the brood, you claim?" Virelith smirked like her beliefs had just been confirmed, "and now that it has come to light, you still dare lie to me about your connections to them?"

    "I..." Thariel paused, she didn''t know a vampire had been shadowing her. How long has that been the case? She planned on telling her mother in case she ever revealed the brood to Virelith but that isn''t necessary apparently.

    "Can''t we just coexist?" Thariel asked, and to her shock, Liora is the one to give her an answer.

    "Vampires are volatile." The merchant commented, "and them living with humans can only mean that one side is going to wipe out the other."

    "That''s not going to be the case-"

    "It will be," Virelith cut her off, "in all instances of vampire to human coexistence there has never been a time of peace, you all consider us as cattle and we deem you as monsters. You cannot change that."

    Thariel looked at Sylka only for the Kobold to turn away, "I was hoping you''d say something like you''re willing to cut yourself from the vampires and work with us instead of them."

    "And I am also willing to take you both under my wing and spare this village if that''s the case," Virelith leaned closer, "you''re idealistic so I know that you''ll trust me regardless but as reassurance, I''ll give you my word that you and your thrall will be spared right as long as you give me the brood''s location."

    Thariel gulped, she didn''t know where the brood is but she did know someone who did.

    "Give me time." She replied, "two days, by tomorrow I''ll come back here and give you an answer."

    Virelith pulled herself away, "I''ll be waiting."

 Chapter 48: To new places! Third Part.

    Thariel closed the shed door and met Sylka''s eyes, "are you gonna tell her?" The Kobold asks, her arms wrapped around one another and her claws protruding. "She knows where they are."

    "I know that..." Thariel murmured in discontent, "but isn''t there something we can do to stop the brood from getting killed? It''s not like they did anything wrong."

    "They''re vampires-" Sylka rightfully pointed out, it in itself is a point. "- and not to mention, your mother hunted them before she conceived you. There must have been a reason for why she did what she did."

    "I guess?" Thariel wasn''t sure which one Sylka meant, was it Clyra fighting the vampires or the fact that she somehow got impregnated by one of them? It could even be both.

    "Thariel, can I be honest with you?" Sylka''s habits took hold and she sat down to make herself comfortable, "I don''t think that defending the vampires is the right way to go about this."

    "So we''re just gonna let them get killed?" When she first thought about Virelith forcing her to kill, this type of scenario never crossed her mind. She thought that she had to do much less, like stab a bandit or something, but leave it to the villainess to break her expectations and make her commit patricide as a first act.

    "It''s better than getting killed ourselves, at least this way we''re just risking the vampires." Sylka argued, "I don''t think there are down sides to making that decision,"

    "There are," Thariel replied, "do you feel that antagonizing vampires is a good idea?"

    "... No," Sylka shook her head, "but so is making humans our enemies, it''s the same thing regardless."

    "You''re saying that it''s up to us to pick a side, then?" Thariel gave Sylka a serious look.

    "Yes." Sylka nodded.

    Thariel went silent and thought about it, she can easily go ahead and choose the villainness but making enemies out of the vampires isn''t really something that she wanted to do. Sure the original did it and was mostly fine but that''s because the vampires didn''t have a reason to hate on her during the events of canon.

    An awakened bloodline meant that she''s connected to a brood and if she betrays them then every vampire would consider her as a threat to be killed on site because if there''s one thing that they hate the most, it would be traitors within their own race.

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    Vampires are immortal so they can easily ignore whatever plots and schemes humans made against them because they have such a short life span but when a fellow vampire does it? It means that they''ll have a rival who will guide fast breeding mortals into an eventual uprising that will overwhelm their brood through sheer numbers.

    Vampires scheme against their own kin all the time and are even successful at it, they just don''t do it with the intention of helping out humans fight back against their own kin. Which is why a traitor is so dangerous.

    "I don''t know who to choose," Thariel groaned, does she go with her original plans to join Virelith and sacrifice the vampires or set out on her own, possibly derailing the plot of the world and make things worse?

    "We can run," Sylka suggested casually. If they did run, what good would that do?

    "We''ll only get hunted down by both sides if we do something like that," Thariel denied the idea, "please don''t suggest something like that ever again,"

    "I won''t." Sylka nodded and kept her peace, "I''m just trying to help you figure out a way out of this, or get you going on an idea at least. Come to think of it, you always have them," to the point that Sylka suspected her friend might be a clairvoyant like Trivok, "what made you pause this time?"

    "I don''t know." Thariel did. But what''s the point of explaining when Sylka wouldn''t get it? She doesn''t know what will happen and there''s the possibility that everything Thariel tells her would change over time.

    Controlled butterflies her ass!

    "You don''t know." Sylka deadpanned, "how does that work?"

    "No idea," now Thariel felt like she was avoiding answering intentionally. Which she wasn''t! It''s just... Hard to explain. Maybe.

    "You''re avoiding this." Sylka said what was on Thariel''s, the effort didn''t get any closer in prying her out of her mental reclusiveness, "why are you hesitating? Are you scared of something?"

    Not something but multiple things. it''s plural- Thariel didn''t have the courage to say it out loud so she kept her thoughts to herself. She looked at her legs, unsure of what she can say to describe what she''s feeling but she couldn''t come up with anything. The silence extended until Sylka decided to sit next to her.

    Both of them didn''t talk and they sat, Sylka patiently waited for Thariel to say something and Thariel did her best to find her tongue. It was a social stalemate that left both of them in an awkward position.

    Something had to be done, Sylka decided. "How about I make the decision for you? I''m a third party so I''m not biased-" well, she was, specifically against blood sucking monsters. "- and nothing would come out of this if you sit around and not take action."

    "I know that..." Thariel responded in a grave tone, "but aren''t you worried?"

    "I am," Sylka nodded, "but I can also see that we need to choose between making either the vampires or the humans our enemy. And I think that you can resolve both if you play your cards right."

    "How?" Thariel asks, she huffed, "it''s gonna result in a bloodbath either way."

    "Can Virelith blame you if the vampires relocate suddenly?"

    "Yes she can!" Thariel gave Sylka a look of shock, what does she mean by that? If the Vampires relocate and Virelith knows that they did then she''d kill both of them as well as the entire town of Streamwise!

    "I don''t think you get what I''m saying," Sylka replied, "we can give Virelith what she wants and then warn the brood that danger is coming, if she''s looking for alchemists then we can work for her."

    "She''ll execute us." Thariel shook her head, which she will no longer be able to do after she''s placed under a guillotine. And she likes shaking her head damn it!

    "Then we join with the vampires." Sylka suggested.

    "I want to join Virelith." Thariel counteted. Needed to, really.

    "Please make a decision," Sylka groaned in frustration, "you can only pick one, not both."

    "Okay, but what if I need to get both otherwise things go bad for the two of us? Or worse, the world?" Thariel hypothetically asked, "what then?"

    "Then we let them fight it out," Sylka shrugged, "steer clear from the village and not interfere. Let it burn and then make the noble and the undead fight we side with whoever wins in the end."

    Thariel sighed, "maybe we should just try convincing Virelith to take us in." She stood up, now that she''s hearing solutions from Sylka, all of them sounded nonsensical and she realized just how out of place her search for them was, why did she even sit around anyway? "I''ve made up my mind, come on."

    Sylka stood up and followed after her with a smile.

 Chapter 49: To new places! Final Part.

    Virelith stood before Thariel, her eyes said all the Damphir needed to know about how things will go the moment she didn''t like what Thariel is saying.

    She wore lustrous silver armor that hurt to look at, Thariel felt herself being weakened just by being in its presence. The sheathed silver sword on her hip radiated malice, speaking whispers that warn Thariel that if she ever comes in front of its edge, her head would leave her body.

    "I can tell you where they are," Thariel said, she held back a wince and kept her gaze locked on the villainness. She already told her mother yesterday about what she was planning so the brood should have left by now. Hopefully.

    "Good, I knew you''d come to your senses." Virelith''s smile didn''t reach her eyes and Thariel''s gut warned her that the villainess would betray her the moment she drains Thariel for all her worth. Did the original also have to worry about something like this? Thariel suppressed a shudder and smiled back.

    "Before that... We need to talk- not here." Thariel looked around, Liora''s shop was full with guards, both in and out. She scanned Virelith for any sign of suspicion, before she could get anything, the villainness nodded and gestured deeper into the building.

    The two of them stood around barrels filled with items, the shop''s storage is a lot more barren than Thariel expected. She didn''t think that they would actually fit inside of such a small space but they somehow did.

    "Spill it." Virelith went straight to the point, her impatience showing in the way she crosses her arms and scowls. "I don''t have time for you, truth be told." She admitted, "I''m just entertaining you for the sake of convenience."

    "The crown left your family behind," Thariel gulped, she wasn''t sure if this information was actually right. In a sense, it did have some truth to it based on what she knew during canon but what she said may also be false. "You''ve suspected it for some time now,"

    Virelith didn''t say anything, her silence spoke a lot however. It also told Thariel to keep going, an unspoken question about how the Damphir knew about such a thing also lingered in the air but it went unheard.

    "You need to marry into the crown for your family to get aid," Thariel explained the situation in a much more defined manner, "otherwise there would be no knights coming to the frontier to defend."

    "And you have a solution to that?" Virelith scoffed like she already knew what Thariel is going to say. "You''re asking me to use vampires as fodder? Save your kin?"

    "No," Thariel shook her head, the brood wouldn''t agree to that regardless. If she were to fix this, then she needed to do what the original did, "but I can use my expertise in alchemy to create a poison which will spread across the invading army, it will slow them down."

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    "Or kill them all," Virelith smiled, she seemed on board with the idea. And why wouldn''t she be? War crimes don''t exist in this world and it is common for armies to catapult decaying corpses across fortified walls to spread diseases into the defending population and break morale.

    "O-or kill them all yes," Thariel stammered, she hoped it wouldn''t come to that but maybe she had no choice in the matter. Diseases were unpredictable, even with magic around to help stave it off.

    "If you managed to do that," Virelith paused, thinking. "Then I might actually take you and your friend under my wing." She smiled, "what do you say? Do you wish to make a plague for me?"

    Thariel stared at the outstretched hand, she knew this is the kind of deal a devil would make to an unsuspecting victim. Over time, she''d come to regret her choices in this moment but...

    "I have knowledge about what''s going on across the Kingdom and the locations of a few important artifacts-"

    "I don''t care." Virelith cut her off, "you only need to make a plague for me, that''s the deal I want from you." The unnerving smile that she wore made Thariel visibly shudder, Virelith reacted to this in false recognition."I know you want to do it. Eager to, even?"

    Either Virelith''s words were a lifeline or she genuinely misenterpreted Thariel''s reaction. She wasn''t actually excited about the thought of committing mass murder but she shook the villainess'' hand despite that. "I am," she lied, "I''ve always wanted to try my hand with corpses,"

    "And I''ve been curious about how an alchemist would fiddle with a dead person, so we''re both in the same boat." Virelith''s welcoming words sounded far more sinister in Thariel''s ears; I''ll watch what you''re doing.

    "I''m..." Thariel nodded, "I''m glad."

    "So am I," for once, Thariel saw Virelith''s lips quirk up in genuine joy. No doubt the thought of trapping someone into her scheme, the possibility of beating the crown''s own, and a chance for winning the war within her family''s territory made the villainness feel jubilant.

    Now that she ensured her survival, Thariel felt it is now time for the other thing, "the vampires are in-"

    She was cut off again, "I don''t care." Says the villainness, she noticed Thariel''s silence and explained further, "right as long as that part of the forest is holding a brood then no one will be able to attack from that side."

    "I get it." Thariel replied, it made some sense. Vampires were powerful creatures and if a, let''s say, battalion from an invading army encountered them and got killed, who''s to say that it wasn''t the forest which actually killed them? Who would confirm it? There are a lot of strong creatures there too. Ones which are possibly more dangerous than a lone vampire. All of these added together made it the perfect defense.

    Virelith quickly announced the change in her plans the moment they got back out, "we''re leaving in an hour," she said, voice confident enough that no one in the room even thought about defying her orders. "We''ll wait for these two to get themselves sorted and then we''ll go back to my father''s side to tell him we saw nothing."

    Thariel met Sylka''s eyes, she smiled and the Kobold smiled back. She didn''t tell anyone about her plan of assisting Virelith, but somehow, she thought that Sylka knew about what she did. It didn''t sit right with Thariel and a part of her slowly got consumed by her growing guilt.

    She was only slightly thankful that the Kobold didn''t say anything to her on the way back to the house.

    "Well?" Clyra didn''t bother to greet them when they arrived, she immediately jumped to asking questions. "How was it?"

    Thariel gave her mother a reassuring thumbs up, though it didn''t inspire the confidence she thought it would. "We''ve made it work," somehow, "and now we''re going back with Virelith, we''re gonna work with her from now on."

    "You could have sacrificed the brood," Clyra suggested, she has been saying it since last night and it took Thariel a lot of time to convince her it was for the best. Reassuring her that they would be unharmed while working with Virelith took even longer. "You still can."

    "No, I don''t want to do that." Thariel shook her head in denial, why would she even risk the lives of vampires when she''s the one at fault? "I can fix this, too."

    Her mother only nodded, though her expression spoke loudly about how she didn''t believe her daughter''s words.

    After gathering their things, the two of them went back to Streamwise to meet up with Virelith. They left moments after arriving, marching on with the villainness'' small army back to her home. As she looked back at the shrinking town of Streamwise in the distance, Thariel felt trapped, but also relieved.

    She got to do everything she wanted and the only thing that it cost her was following the original Thariel''s path.

 Chapter 50: Introductions,

    According to Virelith, the journey back to Tenlor is going to take a single day since her army couldn''t fit inside a single ship. Very few of them had access to horses, mainly Virelith and her close knights, and the ones that didn''t simply walked. Thariel was part of the latter and despite her stronger physique, she was starting to feel the strain of being under the burning sun and silver for so long.

    Thariel checked on Sylka since she was mostly nocturnal. But it seems that her latest change in schedule- waking up in the day to train, eat, and brew in human hours. - shifted the Kobold''s circadian rhythm enough that she no longer minds staying up during the day.

    Thariel would have been fine too, if not for the heavyset silver armor close by. Virelith asked Thariel to be close to her for some reason so the armor she wore affected her more than usual, it wasn''t so bad at first, but the influence of it became more and more visible the longer she stayed close.

    She had to put up with it for a few more hours before Virelith decided to take up camp so that her soldiers can rest. The sun on the sky is close to the ground by this point and the light it gave off is now more of a soft orange rather than the harsh beam earlier this morning.

    Thariel would have preferred to move during this time and she felt tempted to tell Virelith that it would be more efficient for them if they got up and left right now but she guessed the villainess wouldn''t like to hear that. It was fine, it''s not like she was in any rush and according to those around her, they would reach Tenlor by this time tomorrow so she didn''t have to suffer for long.

    If they traveled for the entire night, they would be there come morning but humans aren''t built for that sadly. Even even Virelith, with her access to high level magic, can only do so much before she needed to take a break and recoup. There is nothing Thariel can do but watch as everyone around her made camp, soon, campfires began to populate the local area followed by tents being put up.

    Despite the obvious fact that this camp is temporary, the gathered houses, orange light of fire, and populated spaces made it feel like it''s been here since forever. Leave it to humans to make something feel like home almost instantly huh?

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    At this point, the sun had already gone down and the soldiers have either left to gather resources like water, hunt, or to scout. Soon, they''d have dinner and settle down for the night. And so would Thariel, but before that-

    "I didn''t have the time or place to talk to you earlier about your situation and how I''ll be managing it so I think it''s about time you know what you''re in for," Virelith eyed her, the tent that surrounded them prevented any prying eyes. A magical lamp sat on top of a log between the two of them. Thariel stood straight while Virelith sat on her bed, the only furniture found inside the confined space.

    Sylka is outside, with Virelith choosing to talk to her after she finishes with Thariel. Who right now is silently panicking, "I think I already know?"

    "You don''t." Virelith snapped, "you''re an alchemist, correct?" Thariel slowly nodded, "that makes things easy for me then, do you know how to brew other types potions? Ones that aren''t just for healing or boosting?"

    "I do," Thariel confirmed, she knew a lot of recipes at the back of her head and her new physiology has helped out in remembering them as well.

    "Good to know, but I don''t want you to make any potions for me." Virelith''s tone had gone from demanding to casual and subtle. "It''d be a waste if that were to happen,"

    Thariel nodded, she guessed as much. It''s not like Virelith is stupid enough to ask an alchemist under her control to just make potions all the time, there are other ways someone with such a profession can be used; alchemical gemstones, weaponry, and tools are just the ones she can name at the top of her head.

    "You want me to make alchemist''s fire?" Thariel flinched when Virelith laughed loudly in response. "Uh-"

    "I don''t have a use for that," Virelith leaned closer, "no, I want you to make me hallucinogens, components, and tinctures." Most of what she mentioned bordered on being drugs, but not quite. "If you are able to make me truth serums then all the better,"

    "Okay- okay," Thariel did her best to digest everything that Virelith told her, so she was going to do a lot of work under the villainness and it is centered around non-potion products. She expected as much, but then she also didn''t think that she''d be making drugs. Or a lesser version of them.

    "Why do I need to make hallucinogens?" Thariel asks.

    "For reasons you do not need to know," Virelith deflected.

    "Okay," that was fair, she didn''t expect to get an answer right away anyway.

    "So let me get this straight, you want me to make drugs, serums, tinctures-" which is just a fancy way of saying spiritual aids, "- and truth serums?"

    "Yes. Perfect. You repeated it all in a manner that made me think you understand what I want." Virelith nodded in approval, "beyond these, I think I want you to test alchemical products, or produce original brews. Once which can keep someone living through mortal wounds maybe? Say, do you know how to modify a corpse?"

    These... Thariel closed her eyes. In the game, Virelith had a skill which "summoned" a creature in the spot where a fallen teammate would be and according to its description, it''s a dead body pumped full of serum.

    "I can work on it, improve it possibly." Thariel replied, "blood magic is something I can work with as well, maybe even turn the corpse into a proper undead?"

    "That would be perfect," Virelith didn''t hide her smile, "I''m looking forward to your future results."

    Thariel nodded. "I''ll work hard."

 Chapter 51: Subject Number 1, First Part.

    Arriving at the city of Tenlor made Thariel''s bones quake in relief, she didn''t get much rest last night due to her feeling paranoid sleeping with so many soldiers around so the rest of the journey was more exhausting than she wanted it to be.

    She wasn''t sure if the feeling of dread she felt all throughout the night had just been her imagination or something more grounded in reality but it kept her up and her eyes stared at the tent wall surrounding her, vigilant for looming shadows.

    When dawn arrived, she heard everyone get up and their camp was already packed as the first light of the sun touched the skies. They moved again afterwards, with breakfast being the game the soldiers caught during their travels. That or extra rations.

    Both herself and Sylka weren''t allowed to leave Virelith''s side during this so they weren''t able to hunt for themselves. Instead they settled for their leftovers last night, the dry deer meat and cooked roots didn''t taste good but at least it filled her stomach enough that she managed to walk all the way to Tenlor without collapsing from hunger.

    The guards at the gate didn''t bother to stop them from entering the city and once they passed, the walls that blocked their view became a safe barrier for them to stay in. Uniform houses similar in make to the ones during the dark ages stood in compact colums between streets, the gaps between them almost non-existent.

    The people here existed only to boost the population count of the military during times of peace and should these well trained men die then it is up to their equally numerous wives and children to keep the city stable and fed when reinforcements arrive to hold the line.

    That is what''s supposed to happen within this particular part of the frontier but the city is now a ghost town, seemingly abandoned for no reason. Before, Thariel had a feeling that the soldiers they were with are nothing more than mercenaries but now she is able to confirm it, and she didn''t know how to feel about this realization.

    Things are worse than she thought, she expected Tenlor to hold out on their own during this time but they''re shockingly in desperate times.

    No wonder Virelith wanted to use her to make plagues for the current war, this was probably a solution she wanted from the original Thariel too. What stopped her during canon? No plague has been recorded in any part of her backstory nor is it in canon Thariel''s flash backs.

    The answer to her question didn''t come to Thariel even as the army split to head towards the nearby houses- their familiarity with them implied they''ve been occupying the buildings for a long time now, - while Virelith, herself, Sylka, and the villainness'' personal guards kept going until they reached the ruling family''s estate.

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    Most of the guards stood by and waited outside the gate and the few that didn''t opened the gate for them before taking station inside the guard towers.

    Thariel took a good look of the compound surrounding the mansion at the center of the gigantic plot, the decorative shrubbery looked to be abandoned and the paths felt like they haven''t been cleaned in a long time. The air here didn''t feel fresh, instead it reeked of nature, like a forest had suddenly grown across the land.

    There are no tall trees to be seen obviously, but the small saplings, overgrown grass, and mossy growths indicated it won''t be long before the landscape becomes natural again.

    The mansion looked neat at least, and from what Thariel could see from the outside, she knew that servants still lingered inside of it. Keeping things clean and doing all the chores for the Tenlor family, none of which came out to greet them.

    "You''re wondering where my family is, Damphir?" Virelith comments as she hopped down her horse, "they''re gone off to the capital, we have land there and after my brother''s death, my father decided that it was better if most us left this place and ruled over a piece of land closer to safety."

    "Why didn''t you come with them?" Sylka asked what Thariel had been wondering about.

    "Because I would have been married into the royal family if I did," Virelith replied with a slightly irritated tone, "my father agreed it was better for me to stay here once he learned that the crown willingly refused to not send their knights."

    "You refused to go because they didn''t offer aid?" Sylka asked, "why didn''t you just marry into them then? Wouldn''t you have gotten the knights you needed?"

    In an instant, Virelith''s calm demeanor shifted into one of anger and she glared at Sylka, "Don''t talk to me like you know about what''s going on with human politics kobold," she spat, one hand clutching the hilt of her silver sword, "stay at your station. Overstep and I''ll make sure you regret it."

    Sylka nodded and went silent.

    Thariel gave her a comforting smile but Sylka didn''t seem to catch it, she turned back to Virelith, "so, uhm, how do you plan to do this? I can get to working on a plague right now if you give me a few dead rats,"

    She had an idea on just what kind of plague she can make right now.

    Thariel paused, did recreating the black plague sound ideal, actually? It was practical, even viable as a weapon of war when paired with Virelith''s own ideas of making a corpse stronger and controlling it, and if that''s not available then necromancy can do what an alchemically modified bird corpse can and more.

    Visions of birds carrying plague ridden rats swarmed Thariel''s mind, undead cannot carry diseases due to the death magic overwhelming their forms but regular corpses can do it just fine. And living rats?.. Well, she didn''t think anything can be alive after she injects them with a deadly pathogen.

    Thariel felt uneasy at how casually she''s considering introducing this new type of weapon into the battlefield. Her morals took hold and she worried what would happen if she did that? Would it cause a series of weaponized plagues being thrown back and forth between the neighboring kingdoms?

    "No, you''re not doing anything yet. Nothing important at least, not this early." Virelith assured, "and don''t even think about releasing a plague at this point in time,"

    "Right, I won''t," Thariel backed down from the sheer cold she felt from the way Virelith looked at her.

    "I''ll give you all the resources you need to work on things," Virelith gestured for the doors, the two of them nodded and tailed after her. They reached the top of the stairs and entered the house. Virelith took a turn into a hallway, they followed, "For now, I''ll show you where you''ll live."

    "Okay," Thariel felt excited- until they reached the end of the hallway and began descending below the ground, "uh, where is this?"

    "Your new home, a cellar we once used to house criminals, don''t worry, I''ll modify it into a lab and a bed for both of your convenience." The villainness reassured.

    "That makes sense." Thariel didn''t bother to mention her feelings on the matter, already knowing what the answer to her opinions would be. She looked around, the place was a dungeon in all definitions, with grimey stone walls, metal bars, and a general lack of sunlight.

    She can see in the dark just fine, and so can Sylka so it wasn''t going to be a problem but the smell... No matter how sensitive her nose is, she needed to get used to this otherwise she won''t last long here.

 Chapter 52: Subject Number 1, Second Part.

    Thariel woke up, startled. She shook herself out of her drowsy stupor and sat up, the hazy fog in her eyes cleared and revealed the newly renovated dungeon. Had they done this while she was asleep? And was she seriously so tired that she couldn''t hear a single thing happening earlier?

    She stopped moving her head and stared down. The area had gone from a decrepit prison into a more respectable- but still grimy, - laboratory.

    All of the cells are now open, with most having tools, utensils, or crates of materials stashed inside. The cell she is on now looked like a bedroom, it even included a mirror despite its otherwise spartan nature. Besides that, she and Sylka were given drawers and hand held lamps next to their beds.

    Speaking of Sylka. The Kobold is on her bed, silently reading what seems to be a book about alchemy and necromancy under lamp light, Sylka''s calm expression told Thariel she hadn''t noticed her waking up. Is Sylka really that interested in reading about alchemy and necromancy?

    Thariel felt a pang of regret at not buying her those types of books while they stayed in Streamwise. She should have asked if Sylka was interested in magic, she did learn under their tribe''s shaman after all.

    Thariel closed her eyes. Virelith seemed to have kept her promise and had given them a lab to work with, it was a whole lot more spacious compared to the cramped shed they had in the past, though not by much. Unfortunately, the materials they received from Virelith weren''t any higher quality than the ones they can buy from Liora, even if they''re... Rare. So to speak.

    Illegality of their newly gotten components aside, there are also other things they had access to. Most of which are useful for the duration of their stay.

    Such as a cell modified into a small kitchen, that came with a magic stove. There''s also a room dedicated to crop plots? Thariel looked at the adjacent cell with extreme focus, she couldn''t tell if what she is seeing are actually crop plots due to the wall partially obstructing her view but that seems to be the case.

    Interesting, did Virelith expect them to grow their own food?

    "I think she wants us to grow mushrooms," Sylka said, grabbing Thariel''s attention. "You can open one of your drawers to check for the spores, they''re all in there. Labeled."

    Thariel checked the cabinet next to her bed to confirm it, she plucked out one tiny seed pouch and loosened the string on its mouth. She gazed at the tiny white grains at the bottom of the container. She closed it. Ember Caps weren''t unfamiliar to her, she''s cultivated plenty of them over time so she knew how to differentiate them based on quality.

    The spores Virelith gave her weren''t high quality but they''re good enough. Still, it would be great if she had access to high quality materials, she can only do so much with what Virelith gave her.

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    "I think we need to ask her if we can talk to Liora," Thariel suggested to Sylka''s numb nod, "we can''t work with this kind of materials, they''re not that good."

    "Low quality herbs aside," Sylka cut her thought process, "are you fine with living like this?"

    "What do you mean?"

    "She threw us in a dungeon!" Sylka exclaimed, "we''re not exactly alchemists in her eyes, but prisoners."

    "I think it''s fine," Thariel shook her head, she needed to be close to Virelith if she wanted to reach her goals.

    "Why?!" Sylka scowled, "we had a lot of money Thariel, we could have opened up a shop of our own in Streamwise if we just let your brood get killed!-" Sylka paused, she met Thariel''s eyes, "I didn''t mean that."

    Thariel sighed, "I know."

    "Thariel, I..." Sylka''s jaw clenched, "you''re not as bad as other vampires, it''s just..." She looked down, at a loss for words. "Can I ask what that meant?"

    "What?" Thariel didn''t bother to hide her confusion.

    "When you said you know," Sylka supplied, her voice mimicking Thariel''s confusion. "What did you mean by that?"

    "I know that I could have done better, maybe sacrificed other people instead of myself. I think we could have done something there. Maybe." Thariel smiled, why was Sylka even asking this? "But I don''t think that''s something that I wanted, it just doesn''t feel right."

    "I thought you were trying to say that you know you''re a vampire," partially at least- Sylka didn''t want to say. What would happen if she did? Would Thariel hate her more? She hoped not.

    "Isn''t that obvious?" Thariel mused, chuckling, "it''s not like I don''t know I''m part vampire, complaining about it is kind of useless I think."

    "I guess?" Sylka snapped her book closed and scratched her cheek, "I hated this you know," she still does, "being dragged here because you agreed to what she said but it''s not so bad I feel, I can endure it."

    "You sound like you''re forcing yourself to think like that," Thariel solemnly replied, was Sylka forcing herself? She could have just not gone with her.

    "I am," the Kobold muttered, "but like I said, it''s fine. It doesn''t really matter where we are right as long as we can make potions right? Sure our life before this was so much better and we had more freedom to do things and we had better income-" Sylka paused, the things she listed off just made her feel more depressed. "I don''t want to say that this is good because we''re together because I know that''s a lie."

    Thariel smiled, "thank you,"

    "For what?"

    "Being honest?" The Damphir shrugged, "I don''t know, I just felt like it was appropriate to say you know? I don''t really know why though."

    "Can we ever escape this place?" Sylka asked her.

    "I think so," Thariel nodded, "I trust Virelith to let go of us eventually, we can even go with her. Maybe as her friends?" She reassured, her knowledge of canon felt suspicious now that she''s in this situation but it can''t be all bad. "For now I think we just need to do what she says, she''s obviously not well. I wanna help her."

    "That''s not a good reason to accept this, and I don''t think you should feel bad for her." Sylka pulled her legs closer and wrapped her arms around her knees, she rested her forehead against her thighs. "I don''t think it''s a good idea to treat her like a friend."

    "I trust her," Thariel shook her head, I know that she''s doing this because her hands are forced.

    "Do you think so?"

    "I know so."

    No one talked for a moment. Sylka because she was thinking about the implications of Thariel''s reply and what that could mean for them going forward but also because she felt suspicious of why Thariel even felt like this in the first place. It didn''t make sense to her that her friend would just ignore all sense of reason the moment she saw Virelith. Sure, she talked about Virelith in the past but to praise the corrupt noble this much? What was Thariel thinking? Sylka wished she knew.

    Thariel on the other hand wondered about the original''s own path at this point in time. Did she also live in this dungeon or did Virelith take her in a more welcoming place? She doesn''t have an answer to that question despite her hours of playing Tainted Orchids.

    "I trust you," Sylka suddenly said, earning a small smile from the quiet Damphir.

    "I don''t think this is a prison," Thariel said for convenience, but even she knew that they couldn''t escape this place without getting cut by the guards and mercenaries outside. "And... Thanks, I trust you too."